I'm back from a good trip to the Dells! It also included a trip up to Stevens Point at Plover. Highlights include CN/WC SW1500s, GTW, IC&E, good CP, WC 3018 and last but not least, EJ&E 665! I'll have photos up tommorow. This trip couldn't have went much better!
I dont know if any of you have ever been to the Denver Airport but this train they have there is pretty neat. i got to ride it a few years ago when i flew into there
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTaJU5Y2Nos
I'm going to try and get out and shoot this coming weekend.
We are getting 25-35 cm (10-14 in) tomorrow, flurries for Thrusday through Sunday. Should be plenty of snow on the ground by Sunday to shoot in!
I have a few videos back from August I will post later this week.
Alex
We're getting snow tomorrow too.
And now I'm so mad. No snow on Saturday, and now snow on Sunday. Just my luck.
BUTThe 3010 is almost back in posession of the Don of Dover! It came to Washington on today's H65, and will be back in Dover tomorrow (unless they brought it back today, not sure)!
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Railfan AlexWe are getting 25-35 cm (10-14 in) tomorrow, flurries for Thrusday through Sunday. Should be plenty of snow on the ground by Sunday to shoot in!
Hah! I'm glad you included the inches, because while I'm okay at reading centimeters, down here most of us use the Imperial system for measurements... Metric makes so much sense but it's too "socialized" for us stupid Americans!
I'm reminded of a quote from "Night in the Museum 2" by the reanimated General Custer... "We're Americans! We don't think, we DO!"
[/cynical editorial]
I'm not going to the Museum tomorrow because by 6:45 AM when I'd be driving to Westborough MBTA Station, it would be the middle of a full-blown snowstorm and the roads won't have been plowed much yet. So I'm going on Thursday instead, and hopefully there will be lots of snow on the ground because I wanna take train pickshurez!
Also, I'm returning my Canon SX1 in favor of the Panasonic ZS3. MUCH cheaper and the Canon was a less-capable version of the DSLR I'm already using...but now I can carry around 12x optical zoom and HD video at a much smaller size! It replaces my point-and-shoot with a newer version with more zoom and great video.
TrainManTyHah! I'm glad you included the inches, because while I'm okay at reading centimeters, down here most of us use the Imperial system for measurements... Metric makes so much sense but it's too "socialized" for us stupid Americans!
I did it without thinking really. While I prefer using the metric system (it's much simpler), I end up having to use the Imperial system a lot as well. All official documents and whatnot are in metric, but when I talk about my height or weight, everyone still uses feet, inches and pounds, because the US still has so much influence on Canadian identity.
Canada like many other countries gradually switched over to metric in the 70's and 80's, but I guess the US didn't because they felt that switch would be complicated and the need to change was unnecessary. Just a wild guess there. Someone can correct me.
I know we are straying off topic here, but it this whole comparison thing reminded me of an interesting fact someone told me. Canada always like to bash the US for having so many "fat" or "stupid" people etc... But when you think about it, it's all a game of numbers. If Canada has 34 million people and the US has 308 million people, the US has a greater number of "fat" or "stupid" people when compared to the total population. It's not that the US is stupider than any other country, when compared to the population, the rate is pretty constant throughout the world.
Just some food for thought...
Yeah, it's a snow day! I haven't been outside yet (and I don't plan to, unless I change my mind), but my mom said it's all ice. Hopefully it'll stick around for Saturday.
According to my chem teacher, we were just too lazy to switch. But if you think about it, it would be nearly impossible.I'm not bad with metric, since we use it in chem. I understand it, but I need to think about the conversions.
But something I don't get at all: For, say, milk we measure it in gallons. But for bottles of soda, we measure it in Liters. Makes no sense...
I awoke today to something I never thought I'd see: a snow day at college! Wisconsin's governor closed all the state offices for today due to the great white death, and that includes universities. We must have around a foot on the ground (only a day after the first significant snow fall of the year!) and it's still coming down pretty good.
Now I just have to find something to do with my day. Perhaps I'll finally get around to processing some of my backlog of photographs (which goes back as far as my trip to the LS&I in June!).
I've always been under the impression that laziness is one of the main reasons we don't use metric either. It seems like no matter what you do, if you have any education in a science field in the United States you learn the basics of the metric system, so it never seemed like it would be a huge deal to me to switch if it was done gradually. The problem is that most American's don't have a frame of reference in metric: when somebody says 12-14 inches or 5 gallons I can picture almost exactly the size of whatever it is they are talking about. But when you say 20 cm or 3.6 liters, I don't have a good frame of reference built up to know about what that looks like. But I think that would come with time.
Noah
Well here are the highlights of my Dells trip.
First was a quick stop in Janesville, here is a video of a WSOR GP38-2 switching. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAOKCjwfjVw
The trip started off well with CP 5727 leading an ethanol train east with two IC&Es trailing, just east of the Dells. http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=306437&nseq=4
Then shortly after, 487 heads west with CP 5941, a IC&E and a DM&E red bomb. http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4171871227/
Then it was time for my first trip up to Stevens Point to attempt seeing EJ&E 665. First was a CN train departing with a SD70I leading. Not the greatest photos, but I'll post the vid. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml4iHgqZaRA
Then, GTW 4909 led the A416 local to Green Bay out of the yard. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1864647
This train runs push-pull, with units at both ends of the train. Imagine my surprize when I see WC maroon and gold at the rear of the train! WC 3018 was the rear unit. one of 7 WC GP40s not stored! Pretty neat seeing a WC on home rails at Point! http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1863971
Then, M343 came into the yard with a BC Rail second out, I didn't get the greatest shot, so again, I'll post the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5mLPq5S4iI
Then a rarity for Illinois came out of the yard, CN/WC SW1500 1570. These are common in Point and in other yards in Wisconsin, but these almost never show up in Illinois! http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1863966
Another one. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1863972
Then it was time to search for the J. After finding no orange at Point, the paper mill in Point, or New Page in Whiting, it was time to search around Plover. Right when I got there, I heard "bring em back 6 cars 665" on my scanner, there it was! Then I went over to the west end of the yard and saw 665 sitting a bit down the line by the other end of the yard, so I went down there and there it was, looking just as fine as it did the last time I saw it on the J!
665 pulls out of the yard. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1863967
Another one. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1863969
A classic EJ&E roster shot. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1866360
Heading back, hopefully not the last time I see it! http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1863970
Back in the Dells, the CP Holiday Trains sits near the bridge. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1865414
Here it is casting a reflection into the Wisconsin River. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1866364
Now it sits in Mauston, and you can see the lights on the side. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1865415
The other side of it at Mauston, as it continues to get darker. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1865416
Overall, a excellent trip with lots of power, including EJ&E 665!
L517-09 arrived at New Brighton at around 4:15 this afternoon. Ahem....Robby.
EJE 666-EJE 659, and about 40-50 cars if that.
Alec
Alec, I heard about that and saw a video of it on Youtube, darn you guys got lucky with that, even if it did have the devil unit leading and the stalker unit trailing! There was also a photo of it accepted on Railpics, I thought it was a shot of the Line Train until I saw the location, because it had lots of coiled steel cars on it!
I got my own J unit leading today, 656 leading JSW1, and it was flying. It hit the new detector doing 46MPH! http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1866332
Yep, I was crazy enoug to out in the cold, snowy, windy and all around nasty weather just to shoot a J leading long hood forward, and I was also crazy enough to drive another hour and a half past the already four hour drive just to catch a EJ&E! You better believe I'm trying to get as many Js as possible, no matter where it ends up taking me too! I would've loved to have been in New Brighton today, lol.
I'm also not gonna lie, you guys up in New Brighton have been getting all the good power recently! BC Rails, Js, GTWs and ICs, plus some decent CN power.
Ya, its been pretty good the last few months. I thought when I saw the 3024 last March that it would be the last time a WC would ever come to New Brighton. But, with the influx of lower grade power everyonce and a while, I may be able to shoot one again. Im not banking on it though.
Robby, Im the same way. If there is CSX up here, or anything else of interest, I will go to see it. I dont care about the drive or anything, I know its more important than some gas money.
You'll be happy in the future that you did all this, as you already know.
I have to say, CN has been getting a little better. Although the majority of the power is still junk, you can hit some good consists. I should really spend some more time on the CN; maybe I can twist my dads arm this weekend...
...oh and I have a surprise that should be coming in this week...
Also, I can't wait for the pictures Noah!
My Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/JR7582 My Flickr Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wcfan/
I stood out in the wind chills that were way below zero for three good trains today! First was again 656 leading JSW1, the second was EJ&E 703 leading a local, and the third was IC 1029 leading M336 at Homewood.
I was frozen, but it was worth the effort!
3018 is still working on the WC side. I believe one other one is still on the WC, but I forget which one. It seems a lot of the WC power that is still running has migrated south towards Memphis for now.
Sunset in Worcester just before 4:30 tonight...it already feels like winter!