There's a lot of activity today with quite a few folks in the orange vests. It looks like the structure that was on the ground earlier at the right of the picture is now over the UP tracks just west of the existing signal bridge. Also, lot of folks down at the signal bridge west of the diamonds, perhaps to put the cantilever signal bridge Carl spotted a while back up on the support that has been there for quite a while west of the existing signal bridge.
Now a train is blowing for one of the nearby crossings...eastbound BNSF oil train on the near track, which I guessed because there was no movement of the workers on the UP tracks west of the diamonds. This all at 1:00 PM CDT.
Bunch of guys standing in the woods on the far side of the BNSF tracks. Can't see what they're doing--maybe something with the ballast?
/Mr Lynn
They are digging something over there, Maybe getting ready to run conduit or trying to find existing conduit. .I just saw a cop outside the fence on the U.P. side. Could be something to do with folks walking up to the diamonds? Or the report of a family putting pennies on the rails?
SP patched unit as DPU eastbound at 10:45 am, for those interested.
is there a new Cantilever bridge going up near the west bound signal (UP)?
denveroutlaws06 is there a new Cantilever bridge going up near the west bound signal (UP)?
It would appear that new bridges are going up for both UP directions at the diamonds. Carl had noted some weeks ago that there was a cantilever section on the ground near the new upright that's been visible for a while near the EB signal bridge. This week, a cantilever section was on the ground going west from the WB signal for a while as lots of folks in orange vests were working in the area. Now it appears that that bridge section is in place and visible at the upper right corner of the webcam frame.
It's hard to actually tell about the EB signals, but there were a lot of folks down at that end this week as well.
MrLynn Bunch of guys standing in the woods on the far side of the BNSF tracks. Can't see what they're doing--maybe something with the ballast? /Mr Lynn
I think what they might have done is converted the siding switch there from locally thrown to remotely operated from Ft. Worth.
The reason I think so is that the past two days the switcher has pulled up to the switch, waited five to ten minutes and then proceeded into the siding. No one was visible getting off the locomotive. I had never seen that before. Unfortunately, on neither day did I wait around to see what occurs when they leave the siding.
Dakguy201 I think what they might have done is converted the siding switch there from locally thrown to remotely operated from Ft. Worth.
What's the gain from this? I noticed that the local crew always left the switch lined for siding while they performed their switching. I would guess that the lack of inclusion of the switch in the CTC system meant that the DS had to tie up the entire south track over the double-track segment while the local was in the block. Would it be safe to assume that by being able to "see" and control the switch, the dispatcher regains the ability to use the south track while the crew is working the yard?
Dakguy201 MrLynn Bunch of guys standing in the woods on the far side of the BNSF tracks. Can't see what they're doing--maybe something with the ballast? /Mr Lynn I think what they might have done is converted the siding switch there from locally thrown to remotely operated from Ft. Worth. The reason I think so is that the past two days the switcher has pulled up to the switch, waited five to ten minutes and then proceeded into the siding. No one was visible getting off the locomotive. I had never seen that before. Unfortunately, on neither day did I wait around to see what occurs when they leave the siding.
To me, that sounds more like a power switch that can be lined via the radio key pad by the train crew.
Jeff
Not sure what was going on tonight, but a westbound BNSF stack crossed the diamonds very slowly about 15 minutes ago and stopped with the engines just beyond the next grade crossing to the west. They then proceeded to back up a few car lengths, move ahead about the same distance, and then back up all the way past the diamonds to where you can't see things illuminated by their headlight anymore. Power problems?
Brian (IA) http://blhanel.rrpicturearchives.net.
blhanel Not sure what was going on tonight, but a westbound BNSF stack crossed the diamonds very slowly about 15 minutes ago and stopped with the engines just beyond the next grade crossing to the west. They then proceeded to back up a few car lengths, move ahead about the same distance, and then back up all the way past the diamonds to where you can't see things illuminated by their headlight anymore. Power problems?
Maybe setting out a BO somewhere back, maybe near Main street? There doesn't appear to be any convenience stores, so I don't think the crew was picking up a Slurpee or a Slim-Jim.
21:05
Pair of blinkey lights, Right side of the diamonds, nothing else i can say, been there for about fifteen minutes.
21:45
still there, someone walking around with a flashlight.
21:59
Appeared to be one vehicle with the lights on, couldn't tell if it was a patrol or a MOW truck. It left just as a EB BNSF came through.
Anyone know why the ties are lined up between the two tracks of the UP?
MKT Dave Anyone know why the ties are lined up between the two tracks of the UP?
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
There's a bunch (looks like five) of MOW guys doing something with the switch on the BNSF track. Yesterday I saw the local switcher stop and a brakeman get off to open the switch for the siding, and close it on return, so apparently it is not yet remote-controlled. Must be some problem requiring a big crew in to work on it today.
Lots of rockin' and rollin' as the locos and double-stack cars cross the diamonds on the near UP track.
MKT DaveAnyone know why the ties are lined up between the two tracks of the UP?
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)
The work is already in progress out of the scene to the right (East)... or at least the day that the question was asked, I saw a caterpiller tracked digger vehicle (I think it is the vehicle that is presently partialy visible on the other side of the tracks at the right) come into the scene between the park fence and the tracks. It drove past the signal support structure and up onto the ballast on the west side. It threaded itself between the signal structure and the post to the west of it quite nicely. It swung the arm out over the tracks and, with the jaws on the end, gingerly picked up one tie and managed to swivel around without hitting the signal structure and drive back down onto the grass and off screen to the right from whence it came.
At that time there was family of 2 adults and 2 children in the park. The adults were wandering around and the kids were running up and down the stairs, but none of them paid any attention to the vehicle or what it was doing... like it wasn't even there. (Must like trains only, with no penchant for small mobile construction equipment!)
CShaveRRThe fact that the ties are there at all suggests that a replacement program is imminent. I'm pretty sure that it will be on Track 2 (the near track), because Track 1 is concrete ties up to the diamonds. If you were at the park, you could probably see marks on the ties that are set to be replaced.
I seem to reall that the concrete ties went in about a year ago. Didn't see the tie work but did get to see a Plasser tamper coming through this side of the diamonds. Interesting machine to watch move up the track. Found some videos on the Plasser site of the same type of machine in action.
Good stuff to be seen from time to time on the web cam.
Time flies, Buddy...those concrete ties between Rochelle and Elburn on Track 1 have been there since 200?, before I retired.
A week after the cam was upgraded last year, stacks of concrete ties were placed along side Track #1, When i got back online a few days later, they were mostly a few were still stacked, and you could see the concrete ties on 1, BUT I can't verifie the ties were already in place then, Wished i'd been able to watch them being replaced If they did a few days later. I watched the cat with the pickers running around and watched it line the ties between the rails. Hence i asked the question, 'why are the ties lined up between the rails. It was really rocking up and down as it went back and forth over the rails of tracks #1 and #2.
And I didn't even notice the people running around at the center. Guess fair is fair.
I can hear a NB on the Cherokee Sub of the UP here in east central Oklahoma, and watch the trains on the Rochelle Cam. Can't hear the SB very well, have to go outside to hear them. I'm about a mile west of the tracks.
Lots of work on the close track today .. looks like they are grabbing the ties and taking them away.
watching the tie removal as i type, then a horn squawked, everyone stopped, got off the tracks and a couple minutes later a EB coal UP on track #1.
CShaveRR Time flies, Buddy...those concrete ties between Rochelle and Elburn on Track 1 have been there since 200?, before I retired.
There's a bunch (looks like five) of MOW guys doing something with the switch on the BNSF track. Yesterday I saw the local switcher stop and a brakeman get off to open the switch for the siding, and close it on return, so apparently it is not yet remote-controlled. Must be some problem requiring a big crew in to work on it today. Lots of rockin' and rollin' as the locos and double-stack cars cross the diamonds on the near UP track. /Mr Lynn
Listening to the scanner feed it was apparently a track crew making a few adjustments to the switch and the banner (Displays Red when the switch is open)
I took a quick trip out there early this afternoon (didn't want to stay out in the heat too long). There were three crane-type vehicles on the south side of UP 2: One to yank the marked old ties out from under the track (green markings on the rail showed which ones), one to lift the new ties from between the tracks and stick them in (from the south side), and the third, efficiently dressing up the ballast by using a tie to pull it down and push it back up. They were working toward the diamonds, and there weren't many ties left between the rails. Not the big double tie gangs I've seen on larger jobs, but they were actually moving about as fast! If the diamond on Track 2 had a slow-order on it, that would be understandable... coming from the west the track makes a noticeable drop by the diamonds themselves. Lots of wear going on.Lots of armchair supervisors of all ages under the shelter, and one old guy taking a nap in the shade of the Lincoln Highway kiosk. I'm sure he woke up and manned his tripod when a train came by.It is very impressive to see what has been done with the City of Rochelle's own railroad there. They now have two locomotives (Burlington Junction 1510 and 1515) assigned there, and it looks like plenty of work to keep them busy. Why, I remember when there was just Americold and a track to connect it to each of the two big railroads! Today we saw the two locomotives (not working on a Sunday), and some UP power under the Tollway at the head of one piece of what's presumably a unit train of frac-sand covered hoppers.That's the business that confuses me...there were at least 150 of these small covered hoppers in evidence, filling the yard on the south end, occupying space on the yard leading to the UP connection, and in every spare lead and spur that could hold them (including what I presume is the Nippon-Sharyo lead). There is a "silica coating" plant at the far southeast corner of the industrial park, with several tracks (also reasonably full of these cars), but it didn't appear to me that they could handle all of the cars I saw.The ethanol plant seems to be fairly inactive. There was a guard inside the gate with no workers' vehicles in evidence (probably normal for a Sunday). But there weren't any freight cars of any type in any of the plant's spurs...definitely not normal for an operating plant!Nippon-Sharyo had about a half-dozen cars or shells recognizable as Metra Electric cars on the premises. They should be busy for a while with these, the Amtrak Midwest cars, and possibly a few other jobs.You'll notice that I didn't mention trains...that's because I didn't see any while we were in the vicinity of the park. Going to Rochelle, we saw two eastbound manifests between DeKalb and Creston. An eastbound WEPX coal train cleared just a couple of minutes before we got there, then nothing. We didn't stay long, as I had another human in the (wide open) car, reading.
Going back east, we met a westbound manifest at Malta or thereabouts, then saw nothing until we caught up with the WEPX coal train east of Maple Park. I was going to check out his cars while he went through Elburn, but he stopped just to the west of town (I don't think scoot schedules should have bothered him). We did some grocery shopping at St. Charles, during which time the coal train must have passed us--we caught him again at the staging point in Wheaton, with his hind end out west of County Farm Road. I nailed the previous identity of the only FURX car I saw on the train without disrupting traffic too much. As we went through town, I noticed that the coal train was lined up through the University control point, so I expected him to get moving (and he would have been faster than we were, had he started). Unfortunately, he never did show up--at Finley Road we noticed that he was lined up through Grace (were he was going to cross over to another track), but that was as far as we went.
Very interesting post, Carl (though I didn't understand all the references, by a long shot).
I watched the tie-replacement work out of the corner of my eye while on my main computer (have the webcam on my MacBook Pro to the side). I was surprised to see them using what seemed like a fairly primitive technique of pulling out the ties with a long-arm machine, then scraping a channel with the point, then positioning and pushing in the new crosstie. It was a little hard to see details, but that's what it looked like, complete with a fair number of guys tidying up.
I've seen a track crew here in Framingham, MA (when the line was CSX's) using a rolling, on-track tie-replacement machine which looked a lot more efficient than the crowd of machines and men that UP was using today.
trouble for the bn. just heard track innspector take track one out of service. dispatcher has3 west bounds waiting. ouch
rdettmer trouble for the bn. just heard track innspector take track one out of service. dispatcher has3 west bounds waiting. ouch
ChuckAllen, TX
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