Paul's right...one has to run between the raindrops around here to do anything. We had a good shower this afternoon, and now another wave, with accompanying lightning bolts, has arrived. That's okay...I don't have anything to do tomorrow that I'm aware of, except pick up some medication in the afternoon.We had a soft tire yesterday and today (thank Goodness for the instrumentation on this car, or we may not have known about it until it was too late!). I took the car in for a patch job...of all things, it was a staple that had punctured it! But after dropping the car off this morning, I went to do some train travel and watching. It was a weird day, and not the slow session I would have expected on a post-holiday Tuesday. Today's morning rush was decimated by a pedestrian incident in Villa Park (from what I heard, there wasn't much left of him). But the train action in Elmhurst was virtually nonstop for the three hours or more that I was there--the first hour brought at least eight trains.After grabbing lunch (taken trackside so I didn't miss the freight that had been lined up), I went to Oak Park, and it was just as busy on that side of the yard. In fact, Pat called me ten minutes before my scoot came in to (a) check if I was coming home soon so she could pick me up and (b) let me know that it was raining in Lombard. It hadn't started in Oak Park just yet. In thse ten minutes, though, it did begin, and two manifests--one in each direction--went through ahead of my scoot! I've wound up with a worthwhile colection of sightings for what should be my last report of the month.
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)
Got home 3 PM yesterday after have been gone nearly 2 weeks. With the continual showers that home had received during my absense - the grass was high - higher than I like to see it. I had no intentions of cutting it, however, looking at the weather guessers forecast - thundershowers during the night. I reasoned, that after dinner was the best opportunity I would have in the near future - lawn as dry as it would get for the foreseeable future. The lawn taxed the mowers horsepower, but the grass got cut.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
CN in Flint has Geeps #4900, 4915 and 4916 as yard equipment, all with sub-lettering for GTW. But what suprised me were the two standard cab SD's in I think the 5900 class? pulling a mixed stack train with other stuff that are getting parked in Flint. Any idea what I've been seeing the last couple weeks?..... And only 3 days to go!!!
Say, Carl, what kind of staple was that in your tire--paper staple, chicken wire staple or hog wire staple? Certainly not a staple grocery--do you remember stores that sold staple and fancy groceries?
Johnny
Tornado in eastern Lawrence and on toward Kansas City missed us as we live in west Lawrence. Lots of property damage and personal injuries reported but thus far no fatalities.
Deggesty Say, Carl, what kind of staple was that in your tire--paper staple, chicken wire staple or hog wire staple? Certainly not a staple grocery--do you remember stores that sold staple and fancy groceries?
Oh my! I did not think of staples for boxes--perhaps because I never used such. I still use staples for paper, and I have used the other two I mentioned to hold wire to posts--and I have used the smaller ones with hardware cloth.
Bob, when I sold staples and nails, I raked them out of their bins into bags and weighed the bags. Hoseshoe nails were sold from the boxes they came in. Nails and horseshoes came in 100 pound kegs--the nails were difficult to get out of the kegs. I still have one of the kegs that I emptied about 1951.
Johnny,
Sold pneumatic nailers and staplers for 40 + years to the construction trades. Never sold 'bulk' nails & staples
Bob. I sold arm-powered nailers to the general public. Also, if your horse needed a new collar, I could help you on that--and I had plow points, dried beans, candy, tobacco products, yard goods (if your wife needed to make some new clothes), canned goods, school supplies, shoes, sacks, hall-sacks, and quarter-sacks of flour, and so on. I loaded cow feed, cottonseed meal, fertilizer.
Classic general store. I've run across a few old time hardware/general stores in a few small towns on the back roads of Michigan.
afternoon
Local was uptown when I left work.Came home and mowed the swamp.Guessers say maybe not as much rain as first though tomorrow.We will see.Family is all safe from the tornadoes that came.My niece and family are staying with Sis until the power comes back on.Matt has one test to take tomorrow.Then he will be a senior.Oh my.
stay safe
Joe
Deshler Ohio-crossroads of the B&O Matt eats your fries.YUM! Clinton st viaduct undefeated against too tall trucks!!!(voted to be called the "Clinton St. can opener").
Managed to mow most of my "swamp" this evening, but got interrupted by tornado sirens. They've now been activated twice, but for storms skirting us to the south. This active weather pattern is really getting old...
Brian (IA) http://blhanel.rrpicturearchives.net.
evening
Ns was clear when I left work.Had to go into town after work.Csx has a grain train at the elevator west of town.They will need another engine unless they want to take the train long hood forward.The ND&W yard is coming along as well.Matt is doing dishes tonight.Glad tomorrow is Friday.
Will wonders never cease!!! After the rain let up yesterday morning, it didn't rain the rest of the day and today is also supposed to be dry. Saturday may be a different story.
I needed yesterday for a mood-brightener. Pat knew it, too, so we managed to arrange a shopping trip she needed that somehow miraculously included a trip to Rochelle. Nothing spectacular seen, but I'll be busy with the sightings this morning.I'll have to stay home today for some yard work, once the lawn dries out a little more. I still can't mow it, but I'm hoping we can get hold of the neighbors. I'll rake.
The sun is out here again today - and there's nothing on the radar. Hopefully things will hang on for tomorrow, as we have an outdoor gathering of hams planned as a send-off for one that's headed to Alaska (military family - and the wife just passed her amateur license test, too!)
Looks like I'm on the railroad Sunday. Hope it's dry then, too.
No problems mowing my yard - no low spots to stay damp. Lots of folks do have that problem, though, resulting in jungles...
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...
Ns had some cars uptown when I left work.Came home and waited around FC to see if CSX would send something by.Heard the dispatcher talk to a coal train.Wanted to know why he came on the Garrett sub with only 2 hours left to work.He was coming from Columbus going to Chicago.Crew said they had to wait to get out of Columbus and wait for 2 eastbounds at Deshler.Swamp is getting better.Might be able to mow the whole yard Monday.Chores to do here.
The swamp has been mowed!!! Finished the rest of our yard too.Was out this morning watching Csx.The sent a w207 westbound.It had sand hoppers and a unit coal train as well.They were trying to fit between hire road and West Stanley.The were in the crossovers by 5 or 6 cars.Also heard CSX's hot shot ups train q 010 was having PTC issues.Going to relax.Matt has to do dishes tonight.
Morning
No damage here at our place.Plenty of water around.Csx and Ns were giving slow orders for high water.Local twp needs to look at our road.Mother nature washed the berm away on the bottom of a hill.Csx sent a westbound intermodal that was 14k and had 2 mid train dpus.Then 350 came west and he was 700+ axles and 11000k long.He had a mid train dpu.Hope everyone has a good day.
blue streak 1 CSX has started what may be some strange signaling around here. CSX here has had the usual siding exit signals at siding CPs. == The main line that leads to the single track at both ends of siding has a 4 light signal head with green/yellow/ red/ white. The signaled siding exits both ends to the single track has a single head continous red head and below the same 4 light green/ yellow/ red/ white as the main line.. Now CSX just installed single light heads below the 4 light signal head for the main track which at present is turned away so have no idea what color this light will be or if it will be continous lit as the other heads. This arrangement is at both ends of the siding. Any ideas? PTC possibly although PTC is fully operation AFAIK.? Also we now have some DPU trains usually 2 x 1 x 0 .Note the exit luna is a restricting aspect that only illuminates when there is a leading train clearring the CP and a following train will be going the same direction then W changes to Y once the end of leading train clears next block signal. Another note: CP displays for siding entrance signals has a G/Y/R head then Y/R head then G/R/L head. The L is for restricting speed for either the main or siding occupancy.
CSX has started what may be some strange signaling around here. CSX here has had the usual siding exit signals at siding CPs. == The main line that leads to the single track at both ends of siding has a 4 light signal head with green/yellow/ red/ white. The signaled siding exits both ends to the single track has a single head continous red head and below the same 4 light green/ yellow/ red/ white as the main line..
Now CSX just installed single light heads below the 4 light signal head for the main track which at present is turned away so have no idea what color this light will be or if it will be continous lit as the other heads. This arrangement is at both ends of the siding.
Any ideas? PTC possibly although PTC is fully operation AFAIK.? Also we now have some DPU trains usually 2 x 1 x 0
.Note the exit luna is a restricting aspect that only illuminates when there is a leading train clearring the CP and a following train will be going the same direction then W changes to Y once the end of leading train clears next block signal.
Another note: CP displays for siding entrance signals has a G/Y/R head then Y/R head then G/R/L head. The L is for restricting speed for either the main or siding occupancy.
Update" Evidently some one in signaling goofed. NEW Lower heads are now changed to 2 light heads from 1 light. Still turned aside. Could be is set up to give an advanced approach when the heads are finally activated?
blue streak 1Update" Evidently some one in signaling goofed. NEW Lower heads are now changed to 2 light heads from 1 light. Still turned aside. Could be is set up to give an advanced approach when the heads are finally activated?
It will take a Signal Suspension to activate the new signals.
Ns has a coal train in the siding at work.Hopefully friend made it to Findlay ok.Going to go see what we can find tomorrow.
good evening
Went to see pen pal today.Had some surprises.First was watching x 237 use the wyes to turn around in Deshler.(lead unit was bad) Second surprise was 2 gets of loram grinders going westbound on Ns near Leipsic(old nkp line). Third was the conrail heritage unit on 218 in Marion.Fourth was a CIT switcher on an Ns train going to Columbus.Fifth was a surprise friend at Marion.He had an appointment to keep but he could watch 1 more train before he left.Tomorrow we'll see what we can.
So, there's a four lamp head over the two lamp head? That does sound unusual. From what I've seen, the top head will generally be the simpler of the set - sometimes only showing a red lamp, meaning all aspects are at no faster than medium speed.
The southwest transfer at Deshler (for north-to-west traffic) has three heads. The top is a single lamp, red. The middle is a two lamp, with red and either amber or lunar (hard to tell on the webcam), and the bottom has three - red, amber, green. If the middle head has amber, the best aspect the signal can display is a medium approach. Usually you'll see a slow clear (red, red, green).
I'd have to dig through some signal charts to see what the possibilities are for what you are describing.
M/W crew was out at the east end of Landers yesterday replacing rail just east of the CSX crossing at Forest Hill. My ride home went past on a slow order and it was interesting to see how welded rail is replaced.
Day 2 with Pen Pal went ok.He had to hold up for an accident on his way over.Went to Toledo.Wanted to get an Ann Arbor unit but it was still up by the shop.We went by Hallett tower then went to Vickers.Had a storm come by.Ns also had problems with the bridge across the maumee river too.Friend is going back to his hotel tonight then off to Chicago land.Back to work tomorrow.
75 years ago today, Dad flew three missions with the 306th BG (8th AF) in support of Operation Overlord. May we all remember their service.
I was listening to the programming on "Those Were The Days" last Saturday, with all of the earliest announcements of the invasion. The first news came from German reports, and it took a few hours for the Allies to confirm it. I know my dad served, but don't know where he was on D Day. This was truly the turning point. Given today's political climate (sorry!), it's somewhat bittersweet.
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