I'm no expert on such things. I would guess that total car throughput might be down (I don't have figures for that), but we still keep very busy on the hump--the receiving yard was hovering around 1000 cars all day today. But my myopic perspective could be caused by many other factors, including problems elsewhere in the yard, problems with equipment (we had a couple of retarder failures today, and I heard that last night was a picnic as well), or other such things that cause the backlog to increase.
They did cut the yard extra board from 50 to 39 people recently (or so I was told), but what's left of the board is moving merrily. Nobody has been furloughed around here (not sure what exactly happens to those who can't hold the extra board!), and new-hires are still being trained on remote operation.
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)
Max,
You definately get to see some interesting stuff! Thanks for taking the time to share your pix here.
As for me, this weekend, I did something I haven't done in awhile. I took out my very first SLR -- a Mamiya/Sekor 500DTL that my dad passed down to me -- threw a roll of TMax 100 in it and went out taking pictures with a film camera. I like to exercise all of my cameras from time to time (it keeps the lubricants from hardening up), but I had forgotten how much fun it is to take an amazingly simple, mechanical camera out. The feel and sound of a good mechical camera is definately a joy for the user!
Unfortunately, I don't think I got anything really spectacular. I was out on the Greeley Sub for the better part of half of a day and managed to see one train. I did see some interesting patched power in LaSalle (2 patched DRGW units, 1 patched SSW unit and 1 patched SP unit along with a GATX lease unit), but didn't get any really great pictures. LaSalle doesn't offer a lot in the way of good photo locations on public property.
Having no trains to shoot, I did wander around a couple cemeteries looking for photo ops (Bergie kind of inspired me, I guess). Yes, it might be a little morbid, but it can be interesting. Some of the headstones are genuine works of art. Since it was film, I can't share the photos right away, but this gallery shows results from another outing (with some fairly dramatic foggy conditions).
I was thinking about Bergie's shot, and I think there are some possibilities for a train/cemetery shoot. I think it would work best with another foggy day, but those have been kind of rare in Denver lately, so I'm not sure when I'd get a chance to pursue it.
-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
No problem at all, Chris! Sure beats complaining!
Interesting stuff has only recently begun to appear around these whereabouts. I've been noticing that more and more special equipment has been coming to Altoona in the past few months. I believe it started happening around easter when 1995 made a visit. Then I've seen lots of stuff since. loads of SD70Ms, one of the olympic units, 6936 with a business train, and now these interesting test cars. I'm very excited to see what summer has in store for me up there. Trains have even begun to sit in the yard till the afternoon recently. That means I will have MUCH easier time catching and photographing them. I might start spending whole afternoons out there come summer.
And of course CNW rolling stock hasn't faded at all. Most of it malt hoppers, but I haven't been looking as much lately. I usually shoot them from my bike. But i'm after autoracks and the 175-series betonite hoppers. namely the green ones and the yellow ones. With any luck I'll catch 1 or 2 by the end of summer.
And you can bet I'll share the pictures!
Your friendly neighborhood CNW fan.
Lord Atmo wrote:Most of it malt hoppers, but I haven't been looking as much lately. I usually shoot them from my bike.
I get to see those, too! I usually see a few of them on the beer run coming from Coors. Oddly enough, I see them while I'm on my bike, too!
Yeah i guess they still are the primary malt carriers still. I thought for sure they could be used for other loads. I guess there's a lot of malt shipped around here. hence why i see so many of these hoppers.
Though they're always on manifests. Never on locals. So I'm guessing the twin cities use them. only oddity about that is i see them set out at the yard a lot. and if no locals use them, it seems unnecessary to me. i've always wondered why that happens. i gotta look into the locals more often i guess. the one that runs up the old main to Itasca has gotten rather big lately. many hoppers on it. Maybe a few malt hoppers are sent to the WN or something. I'm chasing that and the WN train this summer.
I was out and about on Sunday, near Winfield, and discovered, that just west of Winfield Rd, the UP is elevated on a rather tall embankment (20+ feet?) and I noted that it would be an excellent place for photographs., Always on the lookout for a new place to shoot from, I shot a photo from behind a little mini mall that backs up against the tracks, nice angles, so I shall get out there again..... Perhaps with a new camera, if the girlfriend is nice to me on my birthday next Monday..... hmmmmmmm
I shot one photo from behind the mall, and it turned out okay. The only problem I could see with where the elevated section is located is that I would have to park the car and walk about two blocks, but that's not big deal. I am looking for different ways to shoot, different angles, such as depressions, bridges, and curves, etc.... The standard "wedge" gets a little repetitive.
Carl, it is the north side of the tracks, along High Lake Rd. I looked at Google Earth so I could give you a better location. I copied an image from Google Earth and notated it, so anyone who might be interested can see what I mean. I think, due to lighting conditions, catching westbound trains in the evening would work better, but, I'll have to get out there and take another look.
Thanks for the clarification, Tim. When Chris took us over on the south side, it was to the parking lot near the baseball diamonds. I've biked along High Lake Road many times, and can remember when everything west of the river was cornfields.
If you can see the signals to the west, they're the best indication possible of an approaching train. Anything other than yellow-over-red-over-red is a positive sign at this one: if it's all red, there's likely something coming at you from the west (or you just missed a westbound!). If it's anything else, there's a westbound on that track. And if you're scanner equipped, the defect detector is just a short distance west of the signal (this is the approach signal for the control point now known as Turner, formerly NI).
Edit: it's been a while since I went that way; there may be only two lights over each track at that point. Same difference--yellow-over-red is the default indication; anything else on any track indicates action.
Thanks Carl.... I plan on heading back out there either on the weekend, or next week.... possibly armed with a new camera!!
TimChgo9 wrote: ...possibly armed with a new camera!!
Oh, do tell!
CShaveRR wrote:Pat and I had a good hour or so by the tracks, as part of our butterfly day today (we help the butterflies every day we don't use the car at all). In the hour we were at the bank and the restaurant, there were two scoots and five freights. The first freight we saw, MPEPR, had UP 1995 (the CNW Heritage unit) on the point.
What a great outing, Carl! Did you have any clue that 1995 was headed your way, or was it a sweet bit of serendipity?
Not to change the subject...
After I got done roaming the area around Carter Station last Sunday, I had a bite to eat and headed home, but not before making a side trip to Onekio to take some GPS readings of the former siding there. It was a mile and a half walk from where I could park the truck. The tracks are still officially a snowmobile trail until tomorrow, but I still kept an ear out.
Just a little south of Onekio (you probably won't find it on a map) I got this late-day shot of the tracks disappearing through a rock cut on a 3 degree curve.
This place is about in the middle of nowhere - it was nearly totally silent. Kinda neat.
When I narrate our trips through this section, I use the rock cuts to describe the difficulty of the construction of the line, even though Webb managed to get it finished in a little less than two years - not bad for over a hundred miles of railroad.
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...
...Nice photo. Track appears to be in rather good condition for jointed rail. Is this a seasonally used track...?
Quentin
CopCarSS wrote: TimChgo9 wrote: ...possibly armed with a new camera!! Oh, do tell!
I am hoping (praying!) that it is going to be the Fuji S8100fd 10 megapixels, 18x optical zoom, and it has slots for more than one storage card, and you can switch cards while shooting and store one group of photos on one card, and say, videos on the other. It's going to be a birthday present, so we shall see. I played with one at Wolf Camera the other day... it's a sweet little camera. The budget won't allow for a Digital SLR....perhaps one day.
Modelcar wrote: ...Nice photo. Track appears to be in rather good condition for jointed rail. Is this a seasonally used track...?
May through October. There may be traffic on it tomorrow (May 1) as we need to bring a couple of cars down to Utica from Thendara. It's good for 40 (I forget what track class that is).
Larry... I like that photograph. Is this line part of the tourist line you work for, or is it a siding?
Carl, here is a photo taken from that parking lot I indicated on the aerial photo. Is the signal bridge in distance the one you were talking about?
Tim - I don't know a lot about the Fuji you listed, but I will say that Fuji seems to be one of the best at getting the most out of a given megapixel count (with perhaps the exception of Foveon sensors). It should be a good camera, and that zoom should cover a lot of possibilities. Your other shot just posted looks really good! I'll have to check out that location next time I'm back home!
Larry - Nice shot. It has kind of a melancholic feel to it. Have you tried a B/W conversion on it? I think it would be a great spot for action, too.
TimChgo9 wrote: Larry... I like that photograph. Is this line part of the tourist line you work for, or is it a siding?
That's the main, about MP H54.5, looking north.
Here's MP H55, at Onekio. You can see where the siding I was recording starts at the lower right of the photo. That's not the same curve/cut you see up the line. Grade there is ~.3%. This picture wasn't take for scenic value, rather to record the relative postions of everything.
There was a hotel on the left, about 100 feet off the tracks. It also served as a station, chiefly for a nearby development (imagine that - around 1900 no less) that visitors traveled to by buggy or wagon.
Onekio had a number of mills.
CopCarSS wrote: CShaveRR wrote:Pat and I had a good hour or so by the tracks, as part of our butterfly day today (we help the butterflies every day we don't use the car at all). In the hour we were at the bank and the restaurant, there were two scoots and five freights. The first freight we saw, MPEPR, had UP 1995 (the CNW Heritage unit) on the point. What a great outing, Carl! Did you have any clue that 1995 was headed your way, or was it a sweet bit of serendipity?
I knew that the 1995 had left Proviso for Peoria (in fact I reported it here). That was the only clue I might have had. The Peoria train, believe it or not, runs only twice a week, and I had no idea when the train(s) from Peoria to Proviso ran (outbounds are Wednesday and Sunday). But when I saw the 1995, I knew right away which train it was on (cars in the consist bore that out).
TimChgo9 wrote: Carl, here is a photo taken from that parking lot I indicated on the aerial photo. Is the signal bridge in distance the one you were talking about?
Yes, that would be the one--only two heads per track, I see! Remember, signals on this line are pretty rare, due to the ATC. In fact, the next fixed signals to the east on that line are by the stone quarry in Elmhurst, a good 12 miles away.
tree68 wrote: Not to change the subject... After I got done roaming the area around Carter Station last Sunday, I had a bite to eat and headed home, but not before making a side trip to Onekio to take some GPS readings of the former siding there. It was a mile and a half walk from where I could park the truck. The tracks are still officially a snowmobile trail until tomorrow, but I still kept an ear out.Just a little south of Onekio (you probably won't find it on a map) I got this late-day shot of the tracks disappearing through a rock cut on a 3 degree curve.This place is about in the middle of nowhere - it was nearly totally silent. Kinda neat. When I narrate our trips through this section, I use the rock cuts to describe the difficulty of the construction of the line, even though Webb managed to get it finished in a little less than two years - not bad for over a hundred miles of railroad.
Larry, sometimes (not often!) I envy you, being able to walk or be along a quiet stretch of track, with the silence and all. It doesn't happen much around here, but when I was growing up, I had a lot more patience and could wait for hours for the three-times-weekly local to arrive. No wooded cuts, but it was still pretty quiet. And it still had its construction/maintenance challenges--including a fill that would slowly disappear into the marshy ground, causing a dip between a drawbridge and a wooden trestle, both of which were obviously pretty well-founded.
Now THAT is a cool setting. I'd love to see some SD60s come crusing down that curve. Make for a neat shot.
Speaking of photos, I took one in Altoona this morning. Not much action, but at least there was SOMETHING there:
Now this bears an interesting question. When UP used SD40-2s, they typically ran 3 per consist. But now that they've "upgraded" the power around here to SD70Ms, why the trios still? It seems like 2 SD70Ms would be suitable, right? I mean I'm not complaining. I love that I can put more in my roster as a result, but I'm curious
Lord Atmo wrote: Now THAT is a cool setting. I'd love to see some SD60s come crusing down that curve. Make for a neat shot.
Would be interesting, but even if we borrow power from MA&N, you'll have to settle for an ALCO (RS3 or C424) or a GP9 (or an F).
Those big SDs would be in very unfamiliar territory - as mentioned, the curve shown is 3 degrees, and we've got at least on 5.5 degree curve on the line, not to mention some 4's.
Never mind the motive power, watching a long train snake around the esses would be fascinating...
tree68 wrote: Lord Atmo wrote: Now THAT is a cool setting. I'd love to see some SD60s come crusing down that curve. Make for a neat shot.Would be interesting, but even if we borrow power from MA&N, you'll have to settle for an ALCO (RS3 or C424) or a GP9 (or an F).Those big SDs would be in very unfamiliar territory - as mentioned, the curve shown is 3 degrees, and we've got at least on 5.5 degree curve on the line, not to mention some 4's.Never mind the motive power, watching a long train snake around the esses would be fascinating...
Now, seeing a couple of RS-3's coming around that bend, in say, a Pennsy-ish maroon with yellow stripes, or even a couple of old Burlington Route GP-9's in the black and grey with the white striping on the short hood, THAT would be a treat, and a heck of a photo.
tree68 wrote:Never mind the motive power, watching a long train snake around the esses would be fascinating...
ahh pardon my love for modern (er...ALMOST modern) diesels. Sometimes fogs my logic on these things.
yes i must agree. any train at all would be a treat to see on that line. who owns that track and what trains use it? I'm gonna guess autoracks (my favorite freight cars for over a decade) are out of the question
TimChgo9 wrote:Now, seeing a couple of RS-3's coming around that bend, in say, a Pennsy-ish maroon with yellow stripes, or even a couple of old Burlington Route GP-9's in the black and grey with the white striping on the short hood, THAT would be a treat, and a heck of a photo.
Settle for one, in it's original paint scheme and number?
Taken about a mile downgrade from the other pictures and edited into a "watercolor", hence the lack of photo sharpness. I don't have the original file with me right now.
Well, this morning brought more excitement to Altoona:
First off is the olympic unit leading the LTB60 into Altoona. The second time I saw this locomotive here.
And here's the rest of the consist. I had a limited frame I could shoot these in, so I had to shoot the units as they appeared.
.....What's the maximum grade on the line you fellows run Larry...?
By the way, from your photos....the line seems to be well ballasted.
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