cefinkjr Where's a good photographer when you need one? Two BNSF trains just met exactly as they both reached the diamonds. Couldn't have been timed more perfectly if the two engineers had practiced it and agreed before hand that they would both arrive at the diamonds at the same time ... to the second ... at track speed! And yes, they were both moving out right smartly. They were both gone before I finished typing the paragraph above and I type at 60 wpm.
Where's a good photographer when you need one? Two BNSF trains just met exactly as they both reached the diamonds. Couldn't have been timed more perfectly if the two engineers had practiced it and agreed before hand that they would both arrive at the diamonds at the same time ... to the second ... at track speed!
And yes, they were both moving out right smartly. They were both gone before I finished typing the paragraph above and I type at 60 wpm.
I noticed that most BNSF trains run faster at the diamond than the typical UP train. Any thoughts on that?? Is there a speed restriction?
Semper Vaporo cefinkjr Where's a good photographer when you need one? If you are viewing the webcam using a PC (I assume the MAC has something similar but I am unaware of what or how to use it); your keyboard has a key labeled "PrtSc". When you see something of interest, press that key. This will save to the "Clipboard" the image of your screen as it was at the moment you pressed the key. Then run "Paint" (the present name of a free program that comes with Windows, used to be called "MS Paint" and "PaintBrush"). You can use any other drawing/photo editing program, too. They will have similar capabilities. . . . That was an awful lot of words to describe, "Do a Print Screen, copy the clipboard to a photo editing program, then crop it, size it and save it."
cefinkjr Where's a good photographer when you need one?
Where's a good photographer when you need one?
If you are viewing the webcam using a PC (I assume the MAC has something similar but I am unaware of what or how to use it); your keyboard has a key labeled "PrtSc". When you see something of interest, press that key. This will save to the "Clipboard" the image of your screen as it was at the moment you pressed the key.
Then run "Paint" (the present name of a free program that comes with Windows, used to be called "MS Paint" and "PaintBrush"). You can use any other drawing/photo editing program, too. They will have similar capabilities.
.
That was an awful lot of words to describe, "Do a Print Screen, copy the clipboard to a photo editing program, then crop it, size it and save it."
All well and good but where is the "Remove Spider Web" button?
Sorry, Semper. Just couldn't resist.
ChuckAllen, TX
CAZEPHYR cefinkjr Where's a good photographer when you need one? Two BNSF trains just met exactly as they both reached the diamonds. Couldn't have been timed more perfectly if the two engineers had practiced it and agreed before hand that they would both arrive at the diamonds at the same time ... to the second ... at track speed! And yes, they were both moving out right smartly. They were both gone before I finished typing the paragraph above and I type at 60 wpm. I noticed that most BNSF trains run faster at the diamond than the typical UP train. Any thoughts on that?? Is there a speed restriction?
I've noticed the same thing and have always assumed it was higher speed limits on tracks leading to the diamonds for BNSF than for UP. Plus there is Global III nearby that would reduce the speed of some UP trains. UP certainly doesn't have a reputation for lagging (like some roads I could name but won't so as to avoid embarrassment and/or argument).
cefinkjr CAZEPHYR cefinkjr Where's a good photographer when you need one? Two BNSF trains just met exactly as they both reached the diamonds. Couldn't have been timed more perfectly if the two engineers had practiced it and agreed before hand that they would both arrive at the diamonds at the same time ... to the second ... at track speed! And yes, they were both moving out right smartly. They were both gone before I finished typing the paragraph above and I type at 60 wpm. I noticed that most BNSF trains run faster at the diamond than the typical UP train. Any thoughts on that?? Is there a speed restriction? I've noticed the same thing and have always assumed it was higher speed limits on tracks leading to the diamonds for BNSF than for UP. Plus there is Global III nearby that would reduce the speed of some UP trains. UP certainly doesn't have a reputation for lagging (like some roads I could name but won't so as to avoid embarrassment and/or argument).
Chuck
Yes, the Global III site is just down the tracks four or five miles and you can certainly tell when an eastbound train is pulling out from Global III. They normally run on the right hand east out of Global III. Normal traffic is left hand running but even those trains are slow. I think I can see a red flag/lit at night near the camera for the west bound trains. The UP tracsk might be flagged for maintenance on the diamond. I noticed they are there a lot durning the week.
After writing tmy excessively long monologue on how to capture an image from the Webcam... I logged on to the camera and see that they changed the display a bit. I now see a Camera icon in the middle bottom of the window... so I clicked on it!
It took a while to open a new window, but it did eventually show an image from the webcam and had a place to enter some information.
The top line didn't explain what it was for. I figured it was for a "Subject line" and entered "TEST"... later found out that it is probably a place to enter your name so that the email that is sent will have some personalization to it.
Then it had a place to enter a "FROM" e-mail address and another place to enter a "TO" e-mail address. I have two Yahoo addresses so I entered one in each place.
Below that is a place for a message to be entered for the body of the e-mail to be sent.
I entered something about this being a test.
I then clicked the "Send Email" button at the bottom.
I went to the Yahoo address I sent the e-mail TO and got nothing for a long time, so I closed that page and opened the FROM account (Can't have the both open at the same time).
The FROM account had received a message that the email had been rejected by the receipiant for "Policy" reasons. The image of the Webcam was included in that rejection.
The rejection notice also had a link to look up the policy and it said that the system was unable to authenticate the Sending address. From what I could tell, the domain name of the real sender was Earthcam, but the e-mail address domain was Yahoo, so they are not the same, so it rejected the e-mail.
Not sure how to address that! I don't have an Earthcam e-mail address to enter as the FROM address so I can't try that (not sure anyone can have such an address). I am not willing to use any of my other e-mail address since I fear "e-mail address harvesting" by whoever is providing this service and don't want junk sent to those addresses but it appears at least that Yahoo cannot be the "TO" address, though I could obtain the image from the rejection notice if I wanted to, so the abiltity to capture something on screen has a somewhat simpler process...
BUT...
Once I clicked the Camera icon, I had to answer a warning about whether I wanted to allow the site to run an external process then I had to click the Camera icon again to get the pop-up to appear that contained an image and I could not tell in the tests I performed, just when it actually captured the screen image... all that time clicking and waiting could allow that historic shot of the UFO beaming the SD70 off to Mars might be missed completely!
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
Tried the camera capture. Had to authorized a popup for it to activate. Had no trouble sending the image from a gmail account to a yahoo account. Running Firefox on a W10 machine.
If one clicks on the full screen icon, when it goes to full screen the camera icon disappears.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
I had quick resonse with Chrome .. noticed a green arrow that allows you to directly download the file.
The camera icon seems to be greyed out on Safari. But on the Mac, all you have to do is click Cmd-Shift-3 and a screen shot is automatically placed in your Desktop folder. If you want to select a part of the screen, use Cmd-Shift-4. No need to open a separate program.
Just realized that with the new camera we now have some movement, and some zoom, and a clearer image. I miss the air horns alerting me to an oncoming train, though--though I expect the neighbors don't.
/Mr Lynn
Intermodal traffic must be imbalanced again - just saw a long UP baretable heading west on the north track, meaning it's going futher west that G-3 on the west side on Rochelle. I would assume it's probably heading for the West Coast?
CatFoodFlambeIntermodal traffic must be imbalanced again - just saw a long UP baretable heading west on the north track, meaning it's going futher west that G-3 on the west side on Rochelle. I would assume it's probably heading for the West Coast?
I would assume it's probably heading for the West Coast?
Well, this morning I saw a long bare table BNSF train eastbound through Tehachapi.
Go figure.
ChuckCobleigh CatFoodFlambe Intermodal traffic must be imbalanced again - just saw a long UP baretable heading west on the north track, meaning it's going futher west that G-3 on the west side on Rochelle. I would assume it's probably heading for the West Coast? Well, this morning I saw a long bare table BNSF train eastbound through Tehachapi. Go figure.
CatFoodFlambe Intermodal traffic must be imbalanced again - just saw a long UP baretable heading west on the north track, meaning it's going futher west that G-3 on the west side on Rochelle. I would assume it's probably heading for the West Coast?
Different carriers - different traffic patterns.
BaltACD ChuckCobleigh CatFoodFlambe Intermodal traffic must be imbalanced again - just saw a long UP baretable heading west on the north track, meaning it's going futher west that G-3 on the west side on Rochelle. I would assume it's probably heading for the West Coast? Well, this morning I saw a long bare table BNSF train eastbound through Tehachapi. Go figure. Different carriers - different traffic patterns.
It's not unheard of for a westbound bare table to meet an eastbound. I've seen that a few times on the UP.
Jeff
jeffhergert BaltACD ChuckCobleigh CatFoodFlambe Intermodal traffic must be imbalanced again - just saw a long UP baretable heading west on the north track, meaning it's going futher west that G-3 on the west side on Rochelle. I would assume it's probably heading for the West Coast? Well, this morning I saw a long bare table BNSF train eastbound through Tehachapi. Go figure. Different carriers - different traffic patterns. It's not unheard of for a westbound bare table to meet an eastbound. I've seen that a few times on the UP. Jeff
I'm sure this happens all the time with other car types; it's just so much more observable with container cars.
Read a number the other day that shocked me: the great majority of cars of all types are privately owned these days -- many more than in the past. So what's this got to do with the topic? Simple. I want MY car on the west coast where I have a load waiting for it. At the same time, you want YOUR car on the east coast where you have a waiting load.
Still, it does look odd when you see them meet en route to where different owners want them.
Wonder if those could have been "making the turn" at Mojave to head for the ports at LA/Long Beach? When I was last familiar with IM patterns, there was a steady pararde of baretables from Seattle and Oakland to LA - boats making multiple West Coast ports tended to hit LA first, then work north, and liked to "load up" for the trip east at the last stop.
CatFoodFlambeWonder if those could have been "making the turn" at Mojave to head for the ports at LA/Long Beach? When I was last familiar with IM patterns, there was a steady pararde of baretables from Seattle and Oakland to LA - boats making multiple West Coast ports tended to hit LA first, then work north, and liked to "load up" for the trip east at the last stop.
Not sure, but today saw a big string of empty well cars in a siding near Perris CA west of the I-215 freeway. Also saw four blue-yellow former ATSF units, two of which looked to be starting up cold iron. Several IM trains spotted going up Cajon Pass as well. Lots of activity all around, it would seem, as Tehachapi was as busy as I've ever seen it, round the clock.
Brian,
I opened the Rochelle webcam today and it seemed odd that the engineers of both BNSF and UP were not blowing for the crossings. Has the town of Rochelle enacted a no "whistle zone"?
Bill King
cessna 310 Brian, I opened the Rochelle webcam today and it seemed odd that the engineers of both BNSF and UP were not blowing for the crossings. Has the town of Rochelle enacted a no "whistle zone"? Bill King
Johnny
Deggesty cessna 310 Brian, I opened the Rochelle webcam today and it seemed odd that the engineers of both BNSF and UP were not blowing for the crossings. Has the town of Rochelle enacted a no "whistle zone"? Bill King Yes, a few months ago.
Yes, a few months ago.
I did notice that some trains still blow the horn for the crossing west of the diamond recently. Quiet zones must require gate crossing. In our town, the road was modified with a center concrete barrier to prevent drivers from changing lanes and driving around the gate in the quiet zone crossings.
The diamond seems to be worked on almost every day I watch the cam. It seems to be the diamond requires more maintenance that other diamonds around the nation. Any thoughts of the problem or is it just heavy traffic causing what looks to be above normal maintenance.
RR
CAZEPHYRI did notice that some trains still blow the horn for the crossing west of the diamond recently.
One way to tell when EB's are coming off the spur, and back onto the BNSF line, is those movements still sound their horn at the crossing just out of sight to the west.
Usually between 9-10 AM CST.
Bruce
So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.
"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere" CP Rail Public Timetable
"O. S. Irricana"
. . . __ . ______
CAZEPHYR The diamond seems to be worked on almost every day I watch the cam. It seems to be the diamond requires more maintenance that other diamonds around the nation. Any thoughts of the problem or is it just heavy traffic causing what looks to be above normal maintenance. RR
Heavy traffic is definitely one factor. The diamond for the two south tracks seems to produce the most "rock and roll" (underlying drainage problem, perhaps?), but the MOW teams seem to spend most of their efforts on the two diamonds on the UP north track. Since that's the track that carries most of the coal loads, I suspect they're building up battered rail ends much of the time.
CatFoodFlambe CAZEPHYR The diamond seems to be worked on almost every day I watch the cam. It seems to be the diamond requires more maintenance that other diamonds around the nation. Any thoughts of the problem or is it just heavy traffic causing what looks to be above normal maintenance. RR Heavy traffic is definitely one factor. The diamond for the two south tracks seems to produce the most "rock and roll" (underlying drainage problem, perhaps?), but the MOW teams seem to spend most of their efforts on the two diamonds on the UP north track. Since that's the track that carries most of the coal loads, I suspect they're building up battered rail ends much of the time.
They are welding up the points of the crossing frogs - they get battered as each and every wheel crosses the flange space for the other carriers track.
Those frogs are manufactured of the hardest steel possible to resist the batter, however, 50-100 Million tons a year passing over them from each carriers batter away, axle by axle. Remember, a 1000 axle train batters each frog point 1000 times on each rail. The repetitive sounds you hear as a train passes is the batter that is taking place - two hits per axle, one on each rail gap.
i watch the rochelle cam and listen to northern ill sound feed on tune in. now i can't get the sound. anybody else do the same.
rdettmer i watch the rochelle cam and listen to northern ill sound feed on tune in. now i can't get the sound. anybody else do the same.
It's been offline ever since the day before Thanksgiving. Perhaps it went visiting to Grandma's for the holiday weekend.
With the current alignment of the webcam, I can just see the lowest light on the UP WB signal. When I first logged in a few minutes ago, it was flashing red; it flashed a couple of times and went dark. In the time it took me to open this page, an empty coal train passed under the dark signal and it went to a steady red.
I can understand the train passing under a dark signal; I can't see the upper light(s) and the signal was probably Clear. But in my day on the NYC / PC, a blinking red aspect indicated "Call signal maintainer ASAP" and "Assume signal is displaying its most restrictive indication".
Can some UP expert bring me up to date on a blinking red aspect?
Rochelle sound is fine now. I can hear it raining. And speaking of raining, what happened to the local weather at the foot of the screen? The temperature is still shown but nothing else.
The flashing red signal is an alternative indication for a Restricting Aspact. The train was lined into the block beyond the signal, which was already occupied. The flashing light going out probably was the signal going to a more favorable indication, such as a yellow (approach). I've seen this a few times at our local control point. Other home signals (such as the one at Park [Elmhurst]) give the same indication with a lunar white aspect.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
I don't think any signal on the PRR flashed and the only flashing signals on the NYC increased the maximum speed from medium to limited ... in addition to whatever else each aspect indicated (Clear, Approach, etc.).
cefinkjr I don't think any signal on the PRR flashed and the only flashing signals on the NYC increased the maximum speed from medium to limited ... in addition to whatever else each aspect indicated (Clear, Approach, etc.).
Not sure if this was started under PRR but at least as of Penn Central but a two "arm" signal with the upper arm horizontal and the lower arm flashing upper quadrant diagonal (from lower left to upper right) was Medium Approach. If not flashing it is Slow Approach. It is interesting that former PRR subsidiary Long Island Rail Road never adopted this modification
cefinkjr With the current alignment of the webcam, I can just see the lowest light on the UP WB signal. When I first logged in a few minutes ago, it was flashing red; it flashed a couple of times and went dark. In the time it took me to open this page, an empty coal train passed under the dark signal and it went to a steady red. I can understand the train passing under a dark signal; I can't see the upper light(s) and the signal was probably Clear. But in my day on the NYC / PC, a blinking red aspect indicated "Call signal maintainer ASAP" and "Assume signal is displaying its most restrictive indication". Can some UP expert bring me up to date on a blinking red aspect?
For the first time in the many hours I haved watched the webcam since the signal cutover last June I just observed the flashing red signal. Although I was not watching the video I could hear a train passing. After a minute or so the flashing stopped and as of this writting still is dark. I wonder if this is a new feature of the plant or if requests can be stacked.
Update - A train arrived proceeding west; can't identify as it's still dark; Looks to be a stack train not to be going into Global III
xjqcf cefinkjr I don't think any signal on the PRR flashed and the only flashing signals on the NYC increased the maximum speed from medium to limited ... in addition to whatever else each aspect indicated (Clear, Approach, etc.). Not sure if this was started under PRR but at least as of Penn Central but a two "arm" signal with the upper arm horizontal and the lower arm flashing upper quadrant diagonal (from lower left to upper right) was Medium Approach. If not flashing it is Slow Approach. It is interesting that former PRR subsidiary Long Island Rail Road never adopted this modification
The flashing aspects were shown in my NYC Rule Book (dated 10/28/56 with updates dated 10/25/64 and 2/1/66). The exceptions you describe are also the kind of thing that would have been defined in the regional Employee Timetable. I have a Central Region ETT here but it doesn't show any flashing signals. That's also the kind of thing that was most commonly found further east where blocks were shorter and there was a lot more traffic to control.
Does anyone wonder that we were confused when going from one part of the PC to another?
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