Originally posted by edblysard Guess what Jay.. It snowed Christmas eve...but today, it was 73degrees F.....from snow to sunburn in 5 days...no place but Texas! Mudchicken offered to send his mountains this way, so we could learn to snow ski, instead of surfing... Hey, I got a leaf blower...would that work on snow?[:p] Ed: Ed: How much snow did you get in Houston, andwhat effect did it have on trains operating through Houston? I understand it also snowed as far south as San Antonio and Brownsville. I once used a leaf blower to blow snow off my car, however, the snow was dry and powdery. P.S. we're going to have to turn the air conditioning back on up here in MD it's going up to 60 F Reply edblysard Member sinceMarch 2002 9,265 posts Posted by edblysard on Wednesday, December 29, 2004 9:26 PM Rudy, The snow only stuck on the roofs, and out in the yard where the ground and ballast was frozen. The bad part was it melted when it hit the streets and roads...then refroze over night. And trust me, Houston drivers have a hard enough time driving in warm, dry pavement, the ice on the overpasses got quite a few of them air borne. Didnt affect trains down here at all, but the inbounds from up north still had snow on them, and we had a few snowball fights! I managed to slide a pretty big sheet of the stuff off the top of a boxcar we were switching...landed dead center on my head, got that crap all down my neck and back of my overalls... You guys can kept that stuff up north, please! Ed 23 17 46 11 Reply jeaton Member sinceSeptember 2002 From: Rockton, IL 4,821 posts Posted by jeaton on Wednesday, December 29, 2004 10:45 PM And on top of all that fun, you actually got paid? Jay "We have met the enemy and he is us." Pogo Possum "We have met the anemone... and he is Russ." Bucky Katt "Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future." Niels Bohr, Nobel laureate in physics Reply tree68 Member sinceDecember 2001 From: Northern New York 24,924 posts Posted by tree68 on Thursday, December 30, 2004 6:48 AM QUOTE: Originally posted by cherokee woman Hey Larry, Where did you find that poem? Or did you create it? Wrote it. Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it... Reply edblysard Member sinceMarch 2002 9,265 posts Posted by edblysard on Thursday, December 30, 2004 7:09 AM Yup, Eight straight and eight at time and a half...not to shabby for a few hours work...makes for a nice half. Gonna do it again on the first! Ed[8D]QUOTE: Originally posted by jeaton And on top of all that fun, you actually got paid? Jay 23 17 46 11 Reply mudchicken Member sinceDecember 2001 From: Denver / La Junta 10,794 posts Posted by mudchicken on Thursday, December 30, 2004 8:49 AM QUOTE: Originally posted by edblysard Yup, Eight straight and eight at time and a half...not to shabby for a few hours work...makes for a nice half. Gonna do it again on the first! Ed[8D]QUOTE: Originally posted by jeaton And on top of all that fun, you actually got paid? Jay Somebody is going to have a long session with Mr. Pillow (sleep fast!) and then the Ben-Gay Kid will be on the loose again. Go Snow Man![:D][:D][:D] Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west Reply mudchicken Member sinceDecember 2001 From: Denver / La Junta 10,794 posts Posted by mudchicken on Thursday, December 30, 2004 9:01 AM QUOTE: Originally posted by M.W. Hemphill Union Pacific has at least several hundred miles of snow fence in Wyoming and northeastern Utah, along the Overland Route. Often it's layered four and five deep. Rio Grande made very little use of snow fence, as its main lines post-1920s were largely sheltered from strong and frequent winds. I can't recall seeing any snow fence on SP lines, nor on former Great Northern or Northern Pacific -- but that doesn't mean there aren't any. In any event, UP in Wyoming is the king of snow fences when it comes to railroads. The part of Wyoming it runs through doesn't get a lot of snow, but the wind is almost constant, year-round. Snow fences also help with blowing sand and dirt (help minimize the problem). The former SP Mina Branch out by Hawthorne, NV is full of them. The UP is starting to put up snow fences again on the line between Denver, CO and Oakley, KS in places, now that that line is busy again. The railroad AREMA Std. is one of the few places where you can find out how to build snow fences. There is a consultant in Ft. Collins, CO that sort of has become the national guru on snow and sand fences. BNSF has put up a few fences deal with loess in Oklahoma and moving sand in Arizona/New Mexico/CA on the Transcon.[8D][8D][8D] Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west Reply Modelcar Member sinceFebruary 2002 From: Muncie, Indiana...Orig. from Pennsylvania 13,456 posts Posted by Modelcar on Thursday, December 30, 2004 9:37 AM ...Snow fences for sure are effective, not only for railroads but in highway protection. Speaking for conditions of years ago back in western Pennsylvania along Rt.30 and through the higher elevations...Several layers were used at appropriate places and they sure were effective. After each heavy snow and accompanying wind, one need only look at the amount of snow that was dropped beyond the snow fences instead of on the road service to see how effective they were. I don't know if they are stil installed now as they used to be in that area or not....Interstates now carry much of what Rt. 30 did back some decades ago. Quentin Reply tree68 Member sinceDecember 2001 From: Northern New York 24,924 posts Posted by tree68 on Thursday, December 30, 2004 10:47 AM A single snow fence can be somewhat effective, but several rows really combine better to break up the flow. What's really effective is trees, especially evergreens. A highway near me has several spots where large stands of trees are surrounded by wide open spaces where the wind can get a good head going. Zero drifting behind the trees. I've often wondered why the highway people don't plant a couple rows of pines along the edge of the ROW in some areas... Much of I-81 in my area is surrounded by trees - drifting isn't usually a problem, although blowing snow (and just plain heavy snow) can sure mess you up. A significant portion of the Montreal Secondary is similarly surrounded by trees. The old Glenfield and Western, on the eastern flank of Tug Hill, used a long cut (about 1200 feet, IIRC) that ran N-S. It was as deep as the loco (a ten-wheeler), and despite snowfence, would occasionally drift full. It was cleared by ramming the plow into the snow, and literally digging the plow out by hand if it got stuck. I've seen pictures. The rails were taken up in 1931. Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it... Reply Modelcar Member sinceFebruary 2002 From: Muncie, Indiana...Orig. from Pennsylvania 13,456 posts Posted by Modelcar on Thursday, December 30, 2004 1:51 PM Tree............I've wondered on this subject here in Indiana for some time now....We have an abundance of corn stocks along many of our county roads here and it grows to be at least 10 or more ft. in height. My thought is pay the farmer to leave a dozen rows in the field back at the appropiate location from the county road in the Winter time and it would make an excellent snow fence.....County roads can drift closed very easily here in the flat country and I believe this would really help solve some of that problem. Quentin Reply tree68 Member sinceDecember 2001 From: Northern New York 24,924 posts Posted by tree68 on Thursday, December 30, 2004 2:30 PM QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar Tree............I've wondered on this subject here in Indiana for some time now....We have an abundance of corn stocks along many of our county roads here and it grows to be at least 10 or more ft. in height. My thought is pay the farmer to leave a dozen rows in the field back at the appropiate location from the county road in the Winter time and it would make an excellent snow fence.....County roads can drift closed very easily here in the flat country and I believe this would really help solve some of that problem. Would make an interesting pilot project. Talk a farmer into leaving some corn as described through a winter and see if it makes a difference. Maybe even just leave the corn on half a stretch of road, to see how the two parts compare... Remember, too, that the farmer would potentially benefit from said action (through clearer roads). Working with a local cooperative extension might bring participants into the program without having to pay a subsidy to them. On the down side - I don't know what your wildlife situation is there, but around here, leaving corn next to the road could possibly increase the number of deer available for collisions with cars. And there's already too many of them. Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it... Reply Modelcar Member sinceFebruary 2002 From: Muncie, Indiana...Orig. from Pennsylvania 13,456 posts Posted by Modelcar on Thursday, December 30, 2004 2:53 PM ....Yes, understand...The deer have a very difficult time finding a place to "live" anymore...The forests and fields are slowly being consumed by builders that they have a difficult time of it. We live outside of Muncie about 4 miles and a smaller town nearer to us just 2 miles away and we are positioned around a golf course and several times a year we see deer passing between the houses and running down the fairway....They have less and less space of their own anymore. Quentin Reply mloik Member sinceJanuary 2002 437 posts Posted by mloik on Thursday, December 30, 2004 3:37 PM Speaking of snow, snow fences, snowsheds, etc... It has been raining here along the California coast (and snowing in the Sierra) almost constantly since Monday. There is currently about two feet of snow at the ski areas below Donner Pass, with up to seven feet forecast for later today and tonight. 100 mph winds forecast for tonight across the highest ridges. I heard yesterday that I-80 was taking four hours to go from Reno to Truckee. It was closed both ways much of last night, but open now. Reply 12 Join our Community! Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account. Login » Register » Search the Community Newsletter Sign-Up By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy More great sites from Kalmbach Media Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy
Ed: How much snow did you get in Houston, andwhat effect did it have on trains operating through Houston? I understand it also snowed as far south as San Antonio and Brownsville. I once used a leaf blower to blow snow off my car, however, the snow was dry and powdery. P.S. we're going to have to turn the air conditioning back on up here in MD it's going up to 60 F Reply edblysard Member sinceMarch 2002 9,265 posts Posted by edblysard on Wednesday, December 29, 2004 9:26 PM Rudy, The snow only stuck on the roofs, and out in the yard where the ground and ballast was frozen. The bad part was it melted when it hit the streets and roads...then refroze over night. And trust me, Houston drivers have a hard enough time driving in warm, dry pavement, the ice on the overpasses got quite a few of them air borne. Didnt affect trains down here at all, but the inbounds from up north still had snow on them, and we had a few snowball fights! I managed to slide a pretty big sheet of the stuff off the top of a boxcar we were switching...landed dead center on my head, got that crap all down my neck and back of my overalls... You guys can kept that stuff up north, please! Ed 23 17 46 11 Reply jeaton Member sinceSeptember 2002 From: Rockton, IL 4,821 posts Posted by jeaton on Wednesday, December 29, 2004 10:45 PM And on top of all that fun, you actually got paid? Jay "We have met the enemy and he is us." Pogo Possum "We have met the anemone... and he is Russ." Bucky Katt "Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future." Niels Bohr, Nobel laureate in physics Reply tree68 Member sinceDecember 2001 From: Northern New York 24,924 posts Posted by tree68 on Thursday, December 30, 2004 6:48 AM QUOTE: Originally posted by cherokee woman Hey Larry, Where did you find that poem? Or did you create it? Wrote it. Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it... Reply edblysard Member sinceMarch 2002 9,265 posts Posted by edblysard on Thursday, December 30, 2004 7:09 AM Yup, Eight straight and eight at time and a half...not to shabby for a few hours work...makes for a nice half. Gonna do it again on the first! Ed[8D]QUOTE: Originally posted by jeaton And on top of all that fun, you actually got paid? Jay 23 17 46 11 Reply mudchicken Member sinceDecember 2001 From: Denver / La Junta 10,794 posts Posted by mudchicken on Thursday, December 30, 2004 8:49 AM QUOTE: Originally posted by edblysard Yup, Eight straight and eight at time and a half...not to shabby for a few hours work...makes for a nice half. Gonna do it again on the first! Ed[8D]QUOTE: Originally posted by jeaton And on top of all that fun, you actually got paid? Jay Somebody is going to have a long session with Mr. Pillow (sleep fast!) and then the Ben-Gay Kid will be on the loose again. Go Snow Man![:D][:D][:D] Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west Reply mudchicken Member sinceDecember 2001 From: Denver / La Junta 10,794 posts Posted by mudchicken on Thursday, December 30, 2004 9:01 AM QUOTE: Originally posted by M.W. Hemphill Union Pacific has at least several hundred miles of snow fence in Wyoming and northeastern Utah, along the Overland Route. Often it's layered four and five deep. Rio Grande made very little use of snow fence, as its main lines post-1920s were largely sheltered from strong and frequent winds. I can't recall seeing any snow fence on SP lines, nor on former Great Northern or Northern Pacific -- but that doesn't mean there aren't any. In any event, UP in Wyoming is the king of snow fences when it comes to railroads. The part of Wyoming it runs through doesn't get a lot of snow, but the wind is almost constant, year-round. Snow fences also help with blowing sand and dirt (help minimize the problem). The former SP Mina Branch out by Hawthorne, NV is full of them. The UP is starting to put up snow fences again on the line between Denver, CO and Oakley, KS in places, now that that line is busy again. The railroad AREMA Std. is one of the few places where you can find out how to build snow fences. There is a consultant in Ft. Collins, CO that sort of has become the national guru on snow and sand fences. BNSF has put up a few fences deal with loess in Oklahoma and moving sand in Arizona/New Mexico/CA on the Transcon.[8D][8D][8D] Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west Reply Modelcar Member sinceFebruary 2002 From: Muncie, Indiana...Orig. from Pennsylvania 13,456 posts Posted by Modelcar on Thursday, December 30, 2004 9:37 AM ...Snow fences for sure are effective, not only for railroads but in highway protection. Speaking for conditions of years ago back in western Pennsylvania along Rt.30 and through the higher elevations...Several layers were used at appropriate places and they sure were effective. After each heavy snow and accompanying wind, one need only look at the amount of snow that was dropped beyond the snow fences instead of on the road service to see how effective they were. I don't know if they are stil installed now as they used to be in that area or not....Interstates now carry much of what Rt. 30 did back some decades ago. Quentin Reply tree68 Member sinceDecember 2001 From: Northern New York 24,924 posts Posted by tree68 on Thursday, December 30, 2004 10:47 AM A single snow fence can be somewhat effective, but several rows really combine better to break up the flow. What's really effective is trees, especially evergreens. A highway near me has several spots where large stands of trees are surrounded by wide open spaces where the wind can get a good head going. Zero drifting behind the trees. I've often wondered why the highway people don't plant a couple rows of pines along the edge of the ROW in some areas... Much of I-81 in my area is surrounded by trees - drifting isn't usually a problem, although blowing snow (and just plain heavy snow) can sure mess you up. A significant portion of the Montreal Secondary is similarly surrounded by trees. The old Glenfield and Western, on the eastern flank of Tug Hill, used a long cut (about 1200 feet, IIRC) that ran N-S. It was as deep as the loco (a ten-wheeler), and despite snowfence, would occasionally drift full. It was cleared by ramming the plow into the snow, and literally digging the plow out by hand if it got stuck. I've seen pictures. The rails were taken up in 1931. Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it... Reply Modelcar Member sinceFebruary 2002 From: Muncie, Indiana...Orig. from Pennsylvania 13,456 posts Posted by Modelcar on Thursday, December 30, 2004 1:51 PM Tree............I've wondered on this subject here in Indiana for some time now....We have an abundance of corn stocks along many of our county roads here and it grows to be at least 10 or more ft. in height. My thought is pay the farmer to leave a dozen rows in the field back at the appropiate location from the county road in the Winter time and it would make an excellent snow fence.....County roads can drift closed very easily here in the flat country and I believe this would really help solve some of that problem. Quentin Reply tree68 Member sinceDecember 2001 From: Northern New York 24,924 posts Posted by tree68 on Thursday, December 30, 2004 2:30 PM QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar Tree............I've wondered on this subject here in Indiana for some time now....We have an abundance of corn stocks along many of our county roads here and it grows to be at least 10 or more ft. in height. My thought is pay the farmer to leave a dozen rows in the field back at the appropiate location from the county road in the Winter time and it would make an excellent snow fence.....County roads can drift closed very easily here in the flat country and I believe this would really help solve some of that problem. Would make an interesting pilot project. Talk a farmer into leaving some corn as described through a winter and see if it makes a difference. Maybe even just leave the corn on half a stretch of road, to see how the two parts compare... Remember, too, that the farmer would potentially benefit from said action (through clearer roads). Working with a local cooperative extension might bring participants into the program without having to pay a subsidy to them. On the down side - I don't know what your wildlife situation is there, but around here, leaving corn next to the road could possibly increase the number of deer available for collisions with cars. And there's already too many of them. Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it... Reply Modelcar Member sinceFebruary 2002 From: Muncie, Indiana...Orig. from Pennsylvania 13,456 posts Posted by Modelcar on Thursday, December 30, 2004 2:53 PM ....Yes, understand...The deer have a very difficult time finding a place to "live" anymore...The forests and fields are slowly being consumed by builders that they have a difficult time of it. We live outside of Muncie about 4 miles and a smaller town nearer to us just 2 miles away and we are positioned around a golf course and several times a year we see deer passing between the houses and running down the fairway....They have less and less space of their own anymore. Quentin Reply mloik Member sinceJanuary 2002 437 posts Posted by mloik on Thursday, December 30, 2004 3:37 PM Speaking of snow, snow fences, snowsheds, etc... It has been raining here along the California coast (and snowing in the Sierra) almost constantly since Monday. There is currently about two feet of snow at the ski areas below Donner Pass, with up to seven feet forecast for later today and tonight. 100 mph winds forecast for tonight across the highest ridges. I heard yesterday that I-80 was taking four hours to go from Reno to Truckee. It was closed both ways much of last night, but open now. Reply 12 Join our Community! Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account. Login » Register » Search the Community Newsletter Sign-Up By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy More great sites from Kalmbach Media Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy
23 17 46 11
"We have met the enemy and he is us." Pogo Possum "We have met the anemone... and he is Russ." Bucky Katt "Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future." Niels Bohr, Nobel laureate in physics
QUOTE: Originally posted by cherokee woman Hey Larry, Where did you find that poem? Or did you create it?
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
QUOTE: Originally posted by jeaton And on top of all that fun, you actually got paid? Jay
QUOTE: Originally posted by edblysard Yup, Eight straight and eight at time and a half...not to shabby for a few hours work...makes for a nice half. Gonna do it again on the first! Ed[8D]QUOTE: Originally posted by jeaton And on top of all that fun, you actually got paid? Jay
QUOTE: Originally posted by M.W. Hemphill Union Pacific has at least several hundred miles of snow fence in Wyoming and northeastern Utah, along the Overland Route. Often it's layered four and five deep. Rio Grande made very little use of snow fence, as its main lines post-1920s were largely sheltered from strong and frequent winds. I can't recall seeing any snow fence on SP lines, nor on former Great Northern or Northern Pacific -- but that doesn't mean there aren't any. In any event, UP in Wyoming is the king of snow fences when it comes to railroads. The part of Wyoming it runs through doesn't get a lot of snow, but the wind is almost constant, year-round.
Quentin
QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar Tree............I've wondered on this subject here in Indiana for some time now....We have an abundance of corn stocks along many of our county roads here and it grows to be at least 10 or more ft. in height. My thought is pay the farmer to leave a dozen rows in the field back at the appropiate location from the county road in the Winter time and it would make an excellent snow fence.....County roads can drift closed very easily here in the flat country and I believe this would really help solve some of that problem.
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