Another quickie with Mookie!

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar

....I can see you [Jen}, are happy now being back in front of the keyboard....My, those nasty vacations. There is one thing I care little about over the holidays...The TV programing is all messed up and lots of re runs. So now we're back on schedule with all that stuff.
We got the cool down here in central Indiana but just 2 or 3 flakes of snow over night and that's all....Day before though, lots of rain and rivers are very high.
Sun is actually peeking through some today but the ground is bare. Last week I thought I'd have to get to lawn mowing again if it stayed warm as it was....63 in Indy Saturday.
Have fun being back to the good old work routine Jen....
Sports: Our Indiana Pacer's play again tonight...and we're interested in that.
New Trains Mag. today...Great photos of Western Maryland RR in times past and in areas I'm familiar with...and the 2nd part of Cajon Pass is great...incl. great photos.

I am like the proverbial Southern Californian - I know little past the border of Nebraska (no life beyond I-5). So I could start a whole new education with everything east of Nebraska train-wise. I am still working on my high school geography, which wasn't the best in trying to figure out where everyone lives! There just aren't enough hours in the day to do the work I love, write on the forums, check out the trains, do geography and still make it to bed by 8:30pm. Leaves no tv life and no social life - and that ain't all bad! [^]

Jen

[Modelcar]

....I can see you [Jen}, are happy now being back in front of the keyboard....My, those nasty vacations. There is one thing I care little about over the holidays...The TV programing is all messed up and lots of re runs. So now we're back on schedule with all that stuff.
We got the cool down here in central Indiana but just 2 or 3 flakes of snow over night and that's all....Day before though, lots of rain and rivers are very high.
Sun is actually peeking through some today but the ground is bare. Last week I thought I'd have to get to lawn mowing again if it stayed warm as it was....63 in Indy Saturday.
Have fun being back to the good old work routine Jen....
Sports: Our Indiana Pacer's play again tonight...and we're interested in that.
New Trains Mag. today...Great photos of Western Maryland RR in times past and in areas I'm familiar with...and the 2nd part of Cajon Pass is great...incl. great photos.

[Mookie]

Brother Carl - it will be a mess, plus super-cold and not a lot of fun to be outside! Not even going to train watch for several days - that's severe!

[CShaveRR]

You too, huh? We got about five inches of snow yesterday, but the cold is coming in today, tonight, and tomorrow. Our yard had one derailment due to switch failure yesterday while it was still relatively warm; I'm not looking forward to today (and I'll be off tomorrow for the worst of it). Yes, the switches are heated, but a good wind blowing into the points makes it rough to keep up.

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by drailed1999

QUOTE: Originally posted by mudchicken

Just a normal roadswitcher power lash-up...The GP-60B is treated as just another locomotive. It could run on its own. The former ATSF SD45-2m (B) #5502 has been seen around here as a pusher unit on the back end of a big coal train MU-ed to an SD70MAC...Not considered as a cow-calf situation. (not a slug either)....

How the mighty have fallen! The GB-60B was supposed to only be used on transcon priority intermodal trains. Now it's working roadswitchers.... (At least it's still around, the BN 4000 series B30--7A(B)s are all long gone)....

MudChicken

I'll argue part of what you said about the B30-7A(B)s , we had the 4011 sitting in Sacramento near I-80 for a long time [dinner] Is it time for cake yet ?? I've got the milk!!!!!!!!!!! [:-,][:D]

Mookie is back and yes - "got milk".

I kissed the puter the first thing this morning - ! It is so nice to be back in the real world!

Guess the world went on as usual - we attended a wedding reception for my girlfriend who is also my age (as is Mick Jagger folks - think about it!), had beautiful weather until Sat - watched lots of trains, lots and lots - will have questions as time goes by - College football is over and Nebraska won their bowl game and Oklahoma lost [:D] - sorry Sooners! And Nebraska is still making an *** out of their fb program by hunting for anyone that will take the head football coach's job! Sigh!

Life goes on and having said that - anyone east of Nebraska - UGH! We got about 5 inches of really cold snow out of the weather and you are all in for a really horrible first part of January! And looks like Marty from California is sending more from the left coast!

It is -17 wind chill here this morning - typical January - so hang on to your snow shovel and your ear muffs!

To borrow from Ed B - you will be Frosty!

Mookie

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mudchicken

Just a normal roadswitcher power lash-up...The GP-60B is treated as just another locomotive. It could run on its own. The former ATSF SD45-2m (B) #5502 has been seen around here as a pusher unit on the back end of a big coal train MU-ed to an SD70MAC...Not considered as a cow-calf situation. (not a slug either)....

How the mighty have fallen! The GB-60B was supposed to only be used on transcon priority intermodal trains. Now it's working roadswitchers.... (At least it's still around, the BN 4000 series B30--7A(B)s are all long gone)....

MudChicken

I'll argue part of what you said about the B30-7A(B)s , we had the 4011 sitting in Sacramento near I-80 for a long time [dinner] Is it time for cake yet ?? I've got the milk!!!!!!!!!!! [:-,][:D]

[JoeKoh]

Man
I could find enough trains for 14 days.want to come to my house?Matt would like to meet auntie mookie!
stay safe
Joe

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar

.....You can't stay out of the office can you....Isn't this vacation time to enjoy...

Have my driver on one puter looking up the Hobson Yard info for here in Lincoln and I am at the other one - had to send some e-mail, do my banking, check my hotmail (in case anyone might have accidently used it) and of course, check the forums. I am going nuts! We had 14 days off this time and both of us are hating it. There just isn't that much you can do! I have watched trains almost every day - but haven't seen much that is different. I gag when I think we may eat out again - cleaned house twice - petted the fur right off Mookie and attended a wedding reception!

Please let me come back to work early! [xx(]

Mookie

[Modelcar]

.....You can't stay out of the office can you....Isn't this vacation time to enjoy...

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by trainheartedguy

[img=right]http://paintshop.railfan.net/backlot/satx_hi-side_gon.rh.gif[/img=right] Did it look at all like this?

---

No - they looked just like the really old wooden boxcars - very square. All were marked BNSF, but no doors. They didn't look as long as say a coal car - more squared off. Is this making any sense? [xx(]

[Anonymous]

First of all, its HO. The layout wraps around, making a big loop, and their are photos on the wall around the layout. This is actually a photo I took of the layout at the museum I work at. Oh, there is also a stage to the left that has more photos and exhibits.

[Modelcar]

....trainheartedguy: Looking at your profile photo I see what looks like a pretty elaborate N guage display...but what is behind the blue sky....Can't quite tell as it is too dark. Is that more of the display...? And is it really N guage.

[Anonymous]

[img=right]http://paintshop.railfan.net/backlot/satx_hi-side_gon.rh.gif[/img=right] Did it look at all like this?

---

[mudchicken]

Was Mooks looking at some high sided gons? Not quite as tall as a wood chip car...

[Mookie]

Another quickie - but this time - it is because I am only here for a few minutes. Had to come in and check on the forum (bank, e-mail, hotmail, work, etc.) No puter at home!

I saw some more over Xmas - there were 3 or 4 of them - they were BNSF only and old boxcars, no doors, no dumps and no rotaries. They would have to be off-loaded by a vacuum or crane. They were all tarped with bungee cords. Coming from south and heading west - I have to think they were either some kind of waste disposal, dirt or our garbage from Xmas - heading to California to help with the mudslide!

Moo.... :)

[coalminer3]

Coulda been garbage.

BTW, booster units are different than slugs in that they are powered; slugs are for extra tractive effort, but are powered from the (here we go) "mother" unit.

work safe

[Anonymous]

Hey Mook,
you said something about how it would be unloaded. Depending on the car type, mostly high side gondolas (inc. coal-porters), the car could be unloaded with a rotary dumper. Where the car is literally rotated completely upside-down and all the contents fall out. A lot of coal is unloaded this way.

[JoeKoh]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie

QUOTE: Originally posted by JoeKoh

well i got the second one
the car was probably hauling lumber and the cars have tarps and then underneath have plastic too.we get alot of flatcars with lumber where I work at.the tarps are usually tied down with metal straps too.
hope this helps
stay safe
Joe

Don't they usually use the open lumber cars to haul it? Can it be hauled in just a regular looking freight car with sides and all? That would be a pain to get it out of there!

Yeah, this had straps - just like grain trucks, but one wasn't fastened quite right! Major faux pas! (That's French for oops....and the only French I know other than "3's company")

Moo

oui oui madame
we get wood on flat cars and boxcars just depends on the size.man I better be careful.
stay safe
Joe

[edblysard]

Mookie,
If it was a open top gondola, it could be anything.
We get quite a few here, we take them out to Safety Kleen, a disposal service, they handle everything from medical waste to slightly radioactive waste, old X ray plates, stuff like that.
The tarp isnt to keep the contents from blowing out, its to keep rain from getting in, then leaching the dangerous stuff out, and dripping through the bottom of the car (they are not water tight).
Stay Frosty,
Ed

[mudchicken]

I can't let the wife look over my shoulder anymore or I'm in the doghouse for sure! (as if I haven't been there already! The dogs already deeded the thing over to me!!)

[Mookie]

Thanks for getting me into trouble guys! I was thinking more how would you unload the dirt. Even I understand hay, rolls in hay, and turkey in the straw...etc.!

I only have 1 more hour to go and then I am running for cover!

Mook

[tree68]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CShaveRR

If it's hay (and I suspect it was), they probably use a crane of sorts to lift out the huge bales, or whatever they call those big rolls of stuff.

(Oh, no...now we've done it! Mook mentioned "quickie", and I mentioned "roll" and "hay". We're gonna get ourselves kicked off for sure. Tell you what, kiddo...take a week or so off, and come back after the furor dies down!)

Up here in hay country we have a highly technical name for them: round bales. We've got square bales you wouldn't be able to pitch onto a hay wagon, too... If they're loading them into open topped cars, I have to believe they break a few, which would mean a long trail of hay behind a train moving with any speed at all.

But, what the hay?

[CShaveRR]

If it's hay (and I suspect it was), they probably use a crane of sorts to lift out the huge bales, or whatever they call those big rolls of stuff.

(Oh, no...now we've done it! Mook mentioned "quickie", and I mentioned "roll" and "hay". We're gonna get ourselves kicked off for sure. Tell you what, kiddo...take a week or so off, and come back after the furor dies down!)

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CShaveRR

[%-)]Sis, tell me more about the freight car...was it a woodchip gon? I've seen former woodchip gons with tarps before; they're used to carry hay. We've had the thread about woodchip cars and how they're unloaded; I wonder what happens to these hay cars when they get to their destination (which more likely than not is not equipped with a dumper).

If the car was more like an old coal gon with a tarp over it, it might be hauling contaminated dirt to a disposal site. Probably no major disaster will develop if the load is exposed, but having the cover on it just makes folks breathe easier (if they even give a thought to what's in the car).

It was an older freight car - about the same size and shape as a side-loader.

I could see either the dirt or hay. Do not remember seeing side doors and no dumps on bottom. But I wonder, too - how do you unload them - unless it is something that could be either vacuumed out or off-loaded by a crane type. But the tarp was really strange.

Moo

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dharmon

SWEET!!! Another quickie with Mook AND she mentions that french stuff.......hee heee heee or I guess ho ho ho

[;)] You probably like that "manjery triangle" one don't you?

[dharmon]

SWEET!!! Another quickie with Mook AND she mentions that french stuff.......hee heee heee or I guess ho ho ho

[CShaveRR]

[%-)]Sis, tell me more about the freight car...was it a woodchip gon? I've seen former woodchip gons with tarps before; they're used to carry hay. We've had the thread about woodchip cars and how they're unloaded; I wonder what happens to these hay cars when they get to their destination (which more likely than not is not equipped with a dumper).

If the car was more like an old coal gon with a tarp over it, it might be hauling contaminated dirt to a disposal site. Probably no major disaster will develop if the load is exposed, but having the cover on it just makes folks breathe easier (if they even give a thought to what's in the car).

[mudchicken]

Just a normal roadswitcher power lash-up...The GP-60B is treated as just another locomotive. It could run on its own. The former ATSF SD45-2m (B) #5502 has been seen around here as a pusher unit on the back end of a big coal train MU-ed to an SD70MAC...Not considered as a cow-calf situation. (not a slug either)....

How the mighty have fallen! The GB-60B was supposed to only be used on transcon priority intermodal trains. Now it's working roadswitchers.... (At least it's still around, the BN 4000 series B30--7A(B)s are all long gone)....

MudChicken

[tree68]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie

BNSF - B40-8 #8634 and GP60B # 346 - what is this combination called? (the GP60 was cabless) - is this the old cow/calf or just an extra power unit?

And a freight car with a plastic tarp not tied down very well over the top. Is this SOP or something out of the ordinary. Too tall to tell for sure, but don't think there was a permanent cover over the top. Top load car. If this was allowed to go thru the country - the tarp would have been torn off - so they probably tied it down before it left town, but.... why not a covered top car?

Mookie

The only thing I've ever seen referred to as cow/calf was a switcher combo. The cabless units are usually referred to as boosters. They are the hood version of a B unit.