Excellent. Thanks guys! I was indeed eyeballing HWY-30 for most of the trip after I get down to Ames. My plan is to drive to Omaha in a day, stay at a hotel, then continue west to North Platte. It certainly does look like HWY-30 is a guaranteed good time! I'll be doing this either in September or sometime in 2020.
Your friendly neighborhood CNW fan.
Again, Atmo, if you wish to follow the trains, stick with U.S. 30 from Grand Island all the way to North Platte. Between Omaha and North Platte, you may wish to get a taste of that other railroad at Camp Mookie in Lincoln (it's been years since I've done that, so I don't know whether it's functional or above water). Fremont, Nebraska, has always been a great spot to watch trains, but the roads around there took a hit during the flooding this year, so it's hard to say what's happening out that way.
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)
Mowed today for the first time.
Headed for the railroad tomorrow for some sort of filming. No idea what.
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...
evening
Ns had a westbound power move and local in town when I left work.Reclaimed part of the swamp today.Park maintenence guy got his tractor stuck in the bottom land by the creek.Chores to do inside after supper.
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").
Lord Atmo Is it a fun drive along HWY-30 from Ames to Missouri Valley? It sure looks like it parallels the UP the whole way and railfanning is the purpose for this trip.
Is it a fun drive along HWY-30 from Ames to Missouri Valley? It sure looks like it parallels the UP the whole way and railfanning is the purpose for this trip.
Short answer- Yes. Don't forget to detour off of 30 to see the new Kate Shelley bridge.
Lord Atmo Additionally, are there any RR museums along that route worth checking out? I'm still gathering information however and appreciate the help. Thanks! :)
Additionally, are there any RR museums along that route worth checking out? I'm still gathering information however and appreciate the help. Thanks! :)
Brian (IA) http://blhanel.rrpicturearchives.net.
Been a while since I spoke in here. Have been spending the past several years improving my life and getting it to where I'd like it to be. Now I live in a nice apartment with a decent job of 8 years and counting and enough funds to both maintain my living cost as well as continue to enjoy my many numerous hobbies. That being said, I'm planning a road trip to Nebraska either this year or next year. It's time I expanded my horizons literally and set out to see some new sights. North Platte is my ultimate goal for this trip, but it will have to wait until 2020 if 4014 is coming to Chicago or somewhere else nearby, so I'm kinda waiting to hear about UP's plans for that tour before I start booking hotels.
I guess for now, I'm looking for information on a small few things. Is it a fun drive along HWY-30 from Ames to Missouri Valley? It sure looks like it parallels the UP the whole way and railfanning is the purpose for this trip. Additionally, are there any RR museums along that route worth checking out? I'm still gathering information however and appreciate the help. Thanks! :)
blue streak 1 Finally had my right knee replacement Apr 25th. Due to a found heart problem had to wait from mid July to now to living with the agony of knee pain.. For those who will have a replacement in the future the after surgery pain comes from mussels cramping and not wanting to streach. Working mussels before operation helps. Already pain is below what I had before operation, Re hab schedule is about 6 weeks. Already best 5 weeks to go ! ! ! !
Finally had my right knee replacement Apr 25th. Due to a found heart problem had to wait from mid July to now to living with the agony of knee pain.. For those who will have a replacement in the future the after surgery pain comes from mussels cramping and not wanting to streach. Working mussels before operation helps. Already pain is below what I had before operation, Re hab schedule is about 6 weeks. Already best 5 weeks to go ! ! ! !
Do not blow off the physical therapy. Get moving even if it's not fun. The effort to catch back up to where you want to be gets harder the longer you put it off.
Your second link was just a copy of the first, Sam- here's the correct link-
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47682142382_7f8a73f895_k.jpg
Here's the first link heated up for ya:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/barrigerlibrary/40043981553/in/photostream/
Here are a couple of links to some old time cars[ Remembering when That 'Billboard' era?] for Carl on this Saturday morning:
@https://www.flickr.com/photos/barrigerlibrary/40043981553/in/photostream/
[Aetna Explosive Co. New York, NY] and also
@ https://www.flickr.com/photos/barrigerlibrary/40043981553/in/photostream/
[F. Pirone $ Sons California Wines Salida Calif and Garfield NJ ]
In this day and time, neither car would get too far with their 'advertising'., {Different days,then and now, for sure!}
Both photos are from a regular, e-mail posting, from the J.E.BarrigerIII Naional Railroad Library, St.Louis; @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/barrigerlibrary/
Best of Luck with your recovery BS1 !
You might want to figure that 6 weeks will just start on a path to recovery, my experiences, were that FULLY recoverd(?); will be something closer to 18 months...At least you are on the road to that point! Believe me, I am empathetic.
good morning
Chores to do inside and out today.Boots are at the ready for the swamp.Today is Toledo's National Train Day.They have displays inside the station.Ns sends trains on the outside.Matt has to go to work today as well.
At the rate Duncan (scottie) is going, I'm gonna the yard thatched by next weekend. The grass is going green and might be cutting grass and planting veggies (that took over the dining room and living room windows) in about two weeks.
...and then Mr. Hailstorm will make his annual grand entrance.
afternoon
Ns sent an eastbound.The local was uptown too.Need to go to town and do errands.
I'm not sure what I'll need, a reaper may be required. I haven't been able to mow the weed patch (lawn?) due to the rain and the dogs are about to get lost in the grass. The weather forecast suggests that I'll be able to do the job on Sunday.
Time to look for a FlyMO? Or a rice harvesting machine??)
Just happy to have grass that's green instead of the usual brown.
Afternoon
Ns local left some cars in the siding at work.Mother nature has sent more rain.Going to need to add water skis to my mower.Tomorrow is Friday.
Balt.
Gm recieves the sand in the hoppers.The finished product is shipped out by truck.Same with Johns Manville here in town as well.They have fun moving cars with a trackmobile when the ND&W isn't available.
BaltACDI seem to recall that the GM Defiance plant is a foundry operation - and deals with rather heavy raw materials as well as heavy outbound product.
Couple places here toss 143 ton hoppers around with them. Some of those trackmobiles are pretty big.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
Zugs: the flexibility of the car mover is fine, but this sounds like heavy daily use versus a couple times a week. The last two places I did track condition assessments at were frightening. The client did not want to fix things properly and just wanted a band-aid (difference between track and paved road does not register - as a track owner that becomes an issue.) Blaming repair costs on Trackmobiles on track condition is upside down. Planned maintenance - why?
We had one of the ex-Ford special cab EMD switchers at an elevator in western KS. I'm sure those SW-1000's will find a suitable new home
zugmann mudchicken (*) grades, typical expected moves, number of times set on/off, training (you can screw-up a railcar mover pretty quick), clearances (surprising how often industry fails to understand), expected tonnage moved, flexibility, distances moved, maintenance costs (carmovers can be headaches if not properly maintained and tend to be more finnicky than a small switch engine), operating conditions (esp weather and traction). But you have to admit, the flexibility usually sides with the trackmobile. Most smaller places around here switched to TMs or Shuttlewagons years ago. Even our local shortline uses a shuttlewagon instead of their alco when moving a few cars around.
mudchicken (*) grades, typical expected moves, number of times set on/off, training (you can screw-up a railcar mover pretty quick), clearances (surprising how often industry fails to understand), expected tonnage moved, flexibility, distances moved, maintenance costs (carmovers can be headaches if not properly maintained and tend to be more finnicky than a small switch engine), operating conditions (esp weather and traction).
But you have to admit, the flexibility usually sides with the trackmobile. Most smaller places around here switched to TMs or Shuttlewagons years ago. Even our local shortline uses a shuttlewagon instead of their alco when moving a few cars around.
I seem to recall that the GM Defiance plant is a foundry operation - and deals with rather heavy raw materials as well as heavy outbound product.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
mudchicken(*) grades, typical expected moves, number of times set on/off, training (you can screw-up a railcar mover pretty quick), clearances (surprising how often industry fails to understand), expected tonnage moved, flexibility, distances moved, maintenance costs (carmovers can be headaches if not properly maintained and tend to be more finnicky than a small switch engine), operating conditions (esp weather and traction).
Ns sent a grain train west after work.The local was also in town shuffling cars. As for Gm they have switched to casting aluminum blocks instead of iron blocks.The track mobiles shuffle 3 to 4 cars at a time.Mother nature wants to keep sending rain.
Wondered that, but also wondered if GM made an informed decision* on proper use of shuttlewagon/trackmobile,etc. - paving in track (even a small area) is not a bright move. If purely a beancounter move, the IE that allowed it needs to find a new line of work.
(*) grades, typical expected moves, number of times set on/off, training (you can screw-up a railcar mover pretty quick), clearances (surprising how often industry fails to understand), expected tonnage moved, flexibility, distances moved, maintenance costs (carmovers can be headaches if not properly maintained and tend to be more finnicky than a small switch engine), operating conditions (esp weather and traction).
JoeKohGM has replaced the engines with trackmobiles. stay safe Joe
Has the tonnage of the cuts that are being handled in plant been reduced to a level that trackmobiles can handle? To my knowledge, trackmobiles cannot handle anywhere near the tonnage that even SW-1's can handle.
GM has replaced the engines with trackmobiles.
JoeKohupdate Got a phone call.The two emd switchers at Gm have crossed over into the CSX yard.They are labled for Larry's Truck and Electric.I don't think they were given a retirement party. stay safe Joe
Got a phone call.The two emd switchers at Gm have crossed over into the CSX yard.They are labled for Larry's Truck and Electric.I don't think they were given a retirement party.
Is the plant closing or have they been replaced?
update
Ns was clear when I left work.Rain just keeps coming through.Speaking of trucks went through a training session about trailers and containers.Program has been around for awhile.Work usually stays ahead of the changes.Chores to do inside.
Woke up this morning to about an inch of snow after all of yesterday's promised moisture failed to show up. Odd.
Randy: All kinds of things on different levels don't make a whole lot of sense about the 23 year old trucker running in the mountains with that kind of load. Predict that the Texas trucking company will be no more after the courts get finished and the driver will never drive a commercial truck again either. An often discussed shoulder-type runaway ramp at the bottom of the hill on I-70 below C-470 keeps being brought up (but he was recorded on video being already in trouble and blowing off two runaway ramps on dashcam video - kneejerk regulation can't be too far behind after this. Problems with speed, grade and curves already exist in the area, but not to the degree that happened with this incident. )
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