Trackside Lounge - Spring '09 Edition

[CNW 6000]

Holy Nice Trip Report, Carl!  Sounds like it was a fun time.  I hope you & Pat make it home safe.

Been seeing lots of DM&IR ore jennys going past my locale: north AND south bound.  I presume they're going to Shops (NFDL) for some kind of work, but I'm not sure what.

[Modelcar]

Carl.....Don't forget about our 30 plus mile great bike / walking trail here thru Muncie in one of your possible Summer ventures.....

[Deggesty]

Carl, it seems that you are as able to keep up with the distant world as we were on our trip last month (except when we were on board trains; VIA just doesn't provide internet service on the Canadian, nor does Amtrak on its long distance trains. Did you have to pay for any of the connections? We paid for one, at a Hyatt in Washington, but felt it was worth it to check on what we felt needed checking on. In Banff, I joined Fairmont Hotels' "President's Club," (no cost) and simply entered my membership number when connecting in a Fairmont Hotel (three more on the trip). Only one service was extremely slow, almost requiring a book in hand to while the time away while waiting for the service to carry through.

Johnny

[mudchicken]

Odd sight of the day yesterday:

Former VIA double-door baggage car (ex-RPO?) RRIX 9688 being trucked south on I-25 through downtown Denver. The car was heavilly graffittied and the trucks were removed. Heading to Canon City?

[zardoz]

mudchicken

Odd sight of the day yesterday:

Former VIA double-door baggage car (ex-RPO?) RRIX 9688 being trucked south on I-25 through downtown Denver. The car was heavilly graffittied and the trucks were removed. Heading to Canon City?

Don't ya just love seeing things like a railroad coach being transported by a truck?!? What does that say to the general public about a railroad's abilities? Talk about great advertising for the trucking industry.  Is this shipment so time-sensitive that it must move by truck? Or are the railroad's rates so high it's cheaper to move by truck?

Same as when I see a load of ties or wheel sets cruising down the highway on a flatbed truck (and NOT a 'company' truck).

[Willy2]

Nice trip report, Carl. I'm glad the rest of your trip across Nebraska went well. My parents and I will have to get back to Chicago sometime in the not too distant future.

[CShaveRR]

Johnny, the only success we've had with free Internet service has been at the Holiday Inn Express. That's why we returned to the same hotel in Fremont, and are sitting in this one in Burlington, Iowa (we had been planning on staying in Des Moines, but got there before lunch, so we pressed on, and will now return home a day sooner, following the old CB&Q at least as far as Mendota). Other places advertised free wireless Internet service, but we're not configured for wireless, so we couldn't do anything.

Compared to "original-UP" lines east and west out of Fremont, the former CNW line between Fremont and Mo Valley twists like a corkscrew. I wouldn't be surprised if UP eventually replaces a lot more than the bridge over the Missouri River.

If there's anything that could make me feel better about the relative lack of traffic on the UP's Overland Route, it would be that we saw virtually nothing on the BNSF where it could be followed between Ottumwa and Burlington. I hope we have better luck tomorrow.

[Deggesty]

CShaveRR

Johnny, the only success we've had with free Internet service has been at the Holiday Inn Express. That's why we returned to the same hotel in Fremont, and are sitting in this one in Burlington, Iowa

Carl, we had real wireless in only one or two hotels on our trip, and the quality of the service was not good. The other places, even though they may have advertised "wireless," had a cable connection--which we had to be careful about and not move the computer much lest we lose the connection. The Fairmont Hotel service was quite good. Actually, we did not link up at only one hotel; we arrived in Seattle a little before bedtime, and our train for Vancouver left before a decent breakfast time. The instructions in the hotel rooms for connecting to the internet were not always correct, and in one particular room the wire connection was quite hidden--the bellman succeeded in finding it, though he had to hunt around for it.

All in all, modern communication is quite different from what it was even ten years, much less forty years, ago. We did take advantage of two hours of free wireless service in the Sacramento station; I asked a ticket agent about it, and she gave me a slip of paper with a password on it.

Six years ago and earlier, we were limited to landline telephone. Two years ago, I carried a borrowed cellphone and used it often. Last year, I obtained what is to some people a binkie,  and made use of it. This year, except for talking with you, I used it on two occasions--to call the hotel in Albany and ask that their van be sent to pick us up at the station in Rensselaer, and to call Enterprise (car rental, not the space ship) in Washington and ask that someone (not Scotty) come pick us up.

Safe travelling, and watch out for the idiots on the roads.

Johnny

[CShaveRR]

Some motels that don't have usable in-room Internet service may have a "business room" with a computer in the lobby--that's how I got online in Boone. I couldn't handle e-mails with that set-up, but I can do that, too, here.

Pat enjoyed your Enterprise allusions--especially since we had to use them soon before we met you folks in Chicago.

I was going to do a bit of exploration around Burlington in the morning before we headed east, but, upon obtaining Mr. DeLorme's assistance, I find that all of those really neat freight cars I was seeing as we were headed into town are in an Army ammunition plant, and I have gotten as close to them as I can expect to.

[Deggesty]

CShaveRR

Some motels that don't have usable in-room Internet service may have a "business room" with a computer in the lobby--that's how I got online in Boone. I couldn't handle e-mails with that set-up, but I can do that, too, here

We go to www.hotmail.com for our email when traveling. It does not work the same as our access at home (for that matter, Ricki's email at home does not work quite the same way as mine), but we are able to keep up with various matters.

Because Enterprise "...will pick you up" it is our preferred drive-yourself carrier. However Hertz has an office right in the station in Jasper, so we used Hertz there. We have also made use of an agency in the station inWashington, but you have to walk quite a distance to get between the desk and the garage. The first time we used one of those (2003), we both walked to the garage, and I let Ricki off at the front of the station before returning the car (a redcap took charge of her there). Two years ago we arrived in Washington late, and could not get Enterprise to come pick us up after we went out front, so Ricki stayed out front while I went in and rented a car. Again, when we returned the car, I let her and the baggage out front, and a redcap took charge of her, and took our large suitcase to be checked. 

Johnny

[CNW 6000]

CShaveRR

 [snip] Other places advertised free wireless Internet service, but we're not configured for wireless, so we couldn't do anything.

Belkin makes a USB plugin (similar in size to a large memory stick) that is a wireless network device.  I found ours for around $25.  It's pretty much plug 'n play.  It prefers a USB 2.0 slot but is backwards compatible with 1.1.

I hope you have some luck in spotting some more trains!

[CNW 6000]

We had a 3d ultrasound on Tuesday.  Our little guy is getting big!  July 8th sure is closing in fast.

[zardoz]

CNW 6000

We had a 3d ultrasound on Tuesday.  Our little guy is getting big!  July 8th sure is closing in fast.

He looks just like you.....

Congrats, Dan.

[CShaveRR]

Little guy looks ready to eat in the second shot!

Dan, your wishes must have helped a little--we caught coal action before we even got out of Burlington (one in each direction), and chased the loads east a bit (OK, we caught up to them after paying a visit to the Burlington Junction Railway and seeing their maroon-and-blue C415 at work). Other trains were seen along the route, including a UP stack train on the former ATSF at Galesburg, and Amtrak trains at both Galesburg and Mendota.

Caught a BNSF intermodal and a westbound reefer train at Rochelle (the house still sells souvenirs there, but "the hobby shop is gone", according to the girl (evidently a city employee) who was "running" it (she attempted to interpret the location board for me, and assured me that the reefer train on Track 1 was going to go into the yard [snicker]). East of Rochelle the UP also seemed lighter than usual, but we still caught four or five trains before breaking off the hunt at West Chicago.

Joe, the car is being checked over shortly; we should be good to go for Saturday. From Deshler (or wherever we wind up Saturday night) we'll be visiting our mothers on their day (or the day after).

[bubbajustin]

Again congrat's Dan! Hay, has anyone seen Chris? I've been looking for him all over. Well, if you see him, tell him that the car company has told us that thay will have the car at Union Station, and thanks for the offer! when we get there. (He will know what I'm talking about.) Thanks a lot!

[CNW 6000]

Thanks for the well wishes folks.  Baby seems to really respond to my voice...which is kind of cool!  Last night I jokingly told him to 'get momma' and sure enough about a minute later she felt him kicking and moving.  Pretty neat to think about.

[CShaveRR]

You're right about that, Dan, though it isn't necessarily a "liking" of your voice that's being demonstrated. Our older daughter, in the womb, would kick and otherwise show displeasure when Pat's clarinet was being played in the band (of course, Pat was sitting down; I'm sure that caused some vibrations). However the nearby flute seemed to have a calming effect on her.

My second granddaughter has the middle name "Mia"--for Mia Hamm--because my daughter (yes, the same one!) swore that she was running around and kicking like a soccer player. At nearly three, she's still a bundle of energy.

And Pat swears that I used to play "poke" with both of my girls, and they'd play back!

[CNW 6000]

True enough Carl.  It's amazing how much some of my thoughts have changed already because I'm thinking "family" instead of "us".

[CShaveRR]

Vacation trips are over, for now. (I still have to sneak into the yard for some computer work that will allow me to go back to work Wednesday--my computer doesn't have the proper browser!)

Saturday was a quick trip to Deshler for a Crossroads Park fundraiser; we saw Joe, Stacey, and Matt, and met a few of the other regulars. Good food, good fun, except that allergies bothered the heck out of Pat all weekend.

Saw an endless string of stored stack cars on CSX's Altenheim Subdivision in Chicago (we didn't see either end, anyway, and that was about three miles' worth!), which is used by the Wisconsin Central, but probably not more than one track's worth.

Sunday we drove from Toledo to Grand Rapids via Hillsdale again (some of the stored cars had been moved since last summer!), and had our Mother's Day dinner at Clara's in Lansing, a popular downtown eatery in the 1902-built passenger station. Hmmm...70 years or so as a passenger station, over 35 as a restaurant! We might have seen a signal lineup for an eastbound CSX train, but didn't want to risk sitting there for hours after dinner.

[CNW 6000]

Saturday I was going to sit trackside to try and catch the DRGW Ski Train that was on the CN after I got done at my local Model Railroad Club.  That ended up being around 1:00 AM when I got done.  About 5-10 min later I heard a GEVO blowing for a crossing NB.  I was tired so I said forget it...sure enough it ended up being that train.  Guess I blew it!

[CNW 6000]

I might try to see what CN has going on the Fox River sub today.  Pics later this afternoon.

[CShaveRR]

Good luck, Dan! Wish I could do the same--'tis a very nice day today--but yard work (domestic, not railroad) and automotive servicing (routine, finally, thank Goodness!) will keep us close to home. Patricia and I got out trackside on a bicycle errand earlier this morning, but all we could conjure past is one scoot. There was a stack train staging at Finley Road, but they didn't cut him loose while we ere out

I know what's going to happen, though: while I'm out mowing the North Forty I'll probably hear a half-dozen trains go through.

According to Railway Age, General Electric is now touting the ecological advantages of its new A1A-A1A locomotives:

http://www.railwayage.com//content/view/855/121/

[CNW 6000]

I do have an alterior motive, ok well two of them.  I have to head that general direction to drop off a payment and also to look at a riding lawn mower (found one for $75) that I'm going to peek at.  Gosh darn, there happens to be tracks along the way.  Look...I'm sad!  LOL!  I just hope something is running this afternoon.

Only 7 weeks until our baby is born.  The house is finally looking like it'll get done on time.  We should be finishing up the baby's room Saturday/Sunday.  Final mudding of the drywall, prime/paint, install trim, and then laminate flooring.  Should keep me busy!

[CNW 6000]

Saw nothing on the Fox River Sub.  Not even a peep on the scanner until I got back to Neenah.  Train 352 was getting set to leave Neenah and 341 was waiting to go in.  A slow afternoon!

[CShaveRR]

Still, two trains in the same location doesn't sound too bad.

I'm home from work today, totally wiped out with a sore throat, significant fever, and no voice (except for the keyboard, which wouldn't cut it at work). My cough makes me sound an awful lot older than I really am.

[blhanel]

Sounds like you better go get checked for the H1N1 virus, Carl, although I don't think a sore throat is one of its symptoms.

[CShaveRR]

I caught whatever this is from Patricia. Went into a walk-in place just now, and initial tests for strep are negative. So I'll just let it run its course, and hope it hurries up about it. I feel just fine, as long as I don't talk...or cough...or breathe. I want to be back to work tomorrow.

[zardoz]

CShaveRR

Still, two trains in the same location doesn't sound too bad. My cough makes me sound an awful lot older than I really am.

Wow! That must be one nasty cough!!

[CShaveRR]

Oh yeah! I felt like I should be in some retirement community! Never heard a cough like that coming from me before. And James (who isn't that much younger than I), I figure it would take me at least twenty years to grow into a cough like that.

Time for a nap--Enforcer's orders!

[Deggesty]

CShaveRR

Oh yeah! I felt like I should be in some retirement community! Never heard a cough like that coming from me before. And James (who isn't that much younger than I), I figure it would take me at least twenty years to grow into a cough like that.

 

Time for a nap--Enforcer's orders!

Yes, Carl, take your nap like a good little boy,so you can soon be back squeezing flanges! Shame on Pat for giving whatever-it-is to you. How did she come by it?

Johnny