I'm glad that I got mine fixed. Only cost $1.70 for two screws and a spring. Better than a couple hundred for a new one!
Dan
Well, I just got done shoveling 5 or 6 inches of our "trace" snowfall. Guess one of these days I'm going to have to go find a wife so I can equip her with a snowblower!
Meanwhile, the PMA announcements keep rolling in. Latest interesting announcements are a couple cameras and lenses from Sony (who took over the Konica Minolta mount) and a whole plethora of lens offerings and one cool camera from Sigma. The Sigma camera that has my interst is the DP1. It's a point and shoot camera with a prime lens and a Foveon sensor.
I've kind of wanted to play with a Foveon sensor camera for awhile. Unlike other sensors that are based on a Bayer pattern, the Foveon sensor features a three layer sensor that reads all three color channels at each photosite. Since there is no interpolation of data as in the Bayer sensors, the Foveon sensor can deliver more resolution for a given number of megapixels. They're also not affected by Moire patterns and such.
The DP1 looks like a neat little camera that one could pocket and take on the go. The fact that it comes with a cool sensor and a prime lens just makes it that much cooler. Now I just have to see what the price tag Sigma puts on it looks like.
-ChrisWest Chicago, ILChristopher May Fine Art Photography"In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration." ~Ansel Adams
Well, we were blessed with 10" of snow here, and during the morning snow (before the main event last night) I shot this westbound NS train, kind of puttering westbound....
I couldn't read the signal bridge so I am assuming the engineer couldn't either..... would that be the reason he was moving so slow?
This eastbound coal train is barely visible in the blowing snow...
Arrived home from DesMoines, IA last night on the last American Airlines flight into O'Hare from DesMoines. After dragging my luggage a quarter mile through slush to find my car burried (oh, my cold feet) and dug it out and ended up home at about 9:30. This morning we had about a foot or so of fresh snow. It has stopped now so I can go out and blow it off the drive...ohhh gooody!
Yeah, gotta love snow pictures. I was looking forward to yesterday's storm so I could get some good pictures. Thanks for the compliments...
Unfortunately I was spending more time shoveling then I was shooting.... 10" total.... maybe 11" ....
Tim, I know you're west of the depot at that point, so the NS train was past the signal cantilever downtown. If I'm not mistaken, the next signal is in the vicinity of Highlands, giverning a crossover. It isn't a full set of crossovers, IIRC, but is it possible that the eastbound you photographed had been on the center track until Highlands, and the NS train was waiting for it to clear?
Just a guess.
Today was a fun day at work. After a miserable morning commute (nearly twice as long as normal), I was faced with a broken retarder, malfunctioning switches that needed sweeping out, and an intercom speaker over which I couldn't transmit. Switches were fine once attacked with a broom, and communications came out and repaired my speaker in short order. But the retarder was finally repaired by taking a part from another retarder (don't ask me why); I figure I gained nothing there. Also watched a semi-truck back up too far, overshooting its spot and backing the trailer into the ditch, fouling one of the mains. Took a front-end loader to help him out.
But the foot or so of snow sure looked pretty once it quit falling and the sun came out for a minute. And the streets were pretty clear of slush by the time I headed home.
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)
Happy Saturday All......
How's everyone coping with the snow and the cold?
Harry_Runyon wrote: Happy Saturday All...... How's everyone coping with the snow and the cold?
Good morning back to 'ya Harry. Here in Aurora we had a foot of snow (if you believe the Chicago Tribune this morning) and the temps are back to about normal for this time of year. Also according to the Tribune, this year is already the 8th. snowiest winter since the early 1920's. Having lived here during the 1978-1979 winter, this is really nothing to complain about...we had about 93 inches that season.
I gotta agree with you, although we only got about 8 inches up my way. Still, it was enough to finally kill the auger belt on my snowblower. Hope we don't get much more snow until the new parts arrive!
And it's good to hear from you all again. Jim and Carl, it seems like forever since I talked to you guys! Glad to be back!
Mike
Hey Guys and Gals,
Long time no see. I have been extremely busy finnishing off college and starting to get involved in politics. I recently finnished off my term as President of Student Council at the college and as a college committee chairman and now can't wait to finnish although I believe most of the college's senior management and administration hopes I will run again. It's funny how even though I am done, the College Board of Governors and my former Board of Directors seems to miss me-LOL. I guess I made a better impression then I thought.
Glad to see you back, Junc and Mike!
We always deal with winter (like we have a choice!). I have to say, though, road and shoveling conditions aside, that this is the way winter should look. Didn't hear much about ground hogs today--I suspect that locally they were too deeply buried to come out and see anything.
....No luck Carl. Our Pennsylvania Ground Hog did see his shadow.
Quentin
Jim, we were in an apartment in that 1978-79 winter. Everyone in the 12-flat was digging cars out, so we could get them out of the lot so the lot could be plowed. Both Pat and I were out there shoveling and pushing. Our baby girl (ten months old at the time, and barely walking) was outside, too--we couldn't leave her alone in the apartment, so we put her in her snowsuit, and planted her in a snowbank up to her arms! She couldn't move, but could see everything and everybody, and was as happy as could be.
Quentin, six weeks doesn't sound so bad at the moment. I'm sure I'll change my tune by the end of the month, though.
They were still digging out parts of the yard today. I'm not sure where they're putting all of the snow--a lot is going into a ditch behind where I work, but that's about full (the water has to keep moving, I presume).
....So far, from our perspective, the Winter seems to be moving right along....But last season we got our deepest stuff in March. So far, right here at my location we've received 16 1/2" of the stuff total, starting with an early 3" on Dec. 5th.
Junctionfan,
beat your feet out of there and fast.
If you are already wanting to become a politician, Lord help us.
If the school loves you, you are part of their same old tired brand.
Go out into the world today and get a JOB!!!
Most of these motormouth politicians seem to survive without a hint of how the rest of us live.
"I'm not talkin' and that's what I got to say". Was that the Yardbirds cover of (I know they dug Robert Johnson) or...Rod Stewart or John Mayall help me here...
for now, it's time for "Smokestack Lightning"
RIXFLIX
rixflix aka Captain Video. Blessed be Jean Shepherd and all His works!!! Hooray for 1939, the all time movie year!!! I took that ride on the Reading but my Baby caught the Katy and left me a mule to ride.
Hi everyone,
Sorry I have been scare for the last little while. I have only had internet acess on and off. I did upload a couple of train pictures from my recent trip to Bound Brook, NJ.
I am not sure what the maintenence person is doing, but he went out after every train to that same spot and banged on the rail a little then went back to his truck until the next train came after which he would do it again. I saw him do this for at least five trains.
Should have pictures of the Dinky on here tomorrow.
emmar
Junctionfan wrote: Hey Guys and Gals, Long time no see. I have been extremely busy finnishing off college and starting to get involved in politics. I recently finnished off my term as President of Student Council at the college and as a college committee chairman and now can't wait to finnish although I believe most of the college's senior management and administration hopes I will run again. It's funny how even though I am done, the College Board of Governors and my former Board of Directors seems to miss me-LOL. I guess I made a better impression then I thought.
I see you already have received career advice above from an individual who must be wildly successful.
Do whatever makes you happy. Congratulations.
rixflix wrote: Junctionfan,beat your feet out of there and fast.If you are already wanting to become a politician, Lord help us.If the school loves you, you are part of their same old tired brand.Go out into the world today and get a JOB!!!Most of these motormouth politicians seem to survive without a hint of how the rest of us live."I'm not talkin' and that's what I got to say". Was that the Yardbirds cover of (I know they dug Robert Johnson) or...Rod Stewart or John Mayall help me here...for now, it's time for "Smokestack Lightning"RIXFLIX
Well I am not sure why they liked me as much as they did because I would quite often challenge their reasoning for some of the actions they made. As for being a politician, I am no ordinary kind of politician-I am the kind of one who tells it how it is but also not afraid to say answer "I don't know". I think most politicians especially the higher ups need to realize that nobody is infallible and it's ok to make mistakes as long as you learn from them and are not arrogant when participating in the life long learning curve. Also, I think a big problem with politicians is that they depend on being voted in as a career politician which in my opinion is dangerous because then you are opened up to people who unfortunately will say anything and do anything to try and hold on to their power rather than honestly carry out your feduciary duties to the best of your ability. Right now I can honestly say that I am only interested in running for City Council because they are not full time councillors. They have other jobs they must do which is often why on certain issues that come up, they declare conflicts of interest if it relates to their employer for example. Also a key point for me is that I am not doing this for self-glorification. I actually like to try to help people and do what I can to help others with various things even to the point where I sometimes fall behind on my work and have to work harder to catch up.
I do respect your opinion though as want to assure you that I believe I have reached a maturity to not let anybody intentionally influence me to do anything that would later damage my moral conscious. I also do plan on remaining steadfast in entering the workforce as either a customs officer or a customs broker but likely a security guard for somewhere first until I complete my firearms trainning and upgrade my first aid trainning too.
Thank you again for your advice and your concerns.
Ok, as promised here are a couple of pictures of the Dinky.
This is of the Dinky at Princeton station. It was only one car today and was #1313 which I have never seen here before. The locomotive (or whatever it is) is a Arrow III MU.
And this is a warning sign on top of the train. It is intended for employees, but it is probably serves a dual purpose as a warning to stupid college students as well.
I do have a question about the Arrow III's. They have cab controls in both ends of the car that are accesable by the public, so is there some way that one set of controls can be locked out so that they don't have two people trying to drive the same train? (I imagine there must be since they leave the controls ungaurded with college students around).
Sorry for the smilie overload, but I got my first picture accepted to railpictures.net!!!!!! (I have only been trying for two years). It was the first picture in my last message.
Yippie
Brian (IA) http://blhanel.rrpicturearchives.net.
blhanel wrote:So will these posts be from the jury box during the case?
Hey, you never can tell...perhaps I will get on the case of the inebriated guy who drove onto the BNFS tracks near Downers Grove last week and was pulled from his car just in time to save him...stay tuned.
emmar wrote: Sorry for the smilie overload, but I got my first picture accepted to railpictures.net!!!!!! (I have only been trying for two years). It was the first picture in my last message.Yippie emmar
Emma,
Great shots and congratulations on your acceptance at RailPix! Thanks for posting the shot of the dinky, BTW. It's an interesting little train.
....I agree emmar...That's a very nice an extremely clear photo.
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