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Trackside Lounge, Milepost 0906.01--no defects

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Posted by CNW 6000 on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 5:22 AM

However it happened...it's still sad for the folks in the car and the cab.  I just don't get it.

Dan

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Posted by Willy2 on Monday, July 13, 2009 9:02 PM

I think you were correct the first time, Carl. The westbound Zephyr is still scheduled to arrive in Omaha on time, but the eastbound is scheduled into Chicago over six hours late. It must have been the eastbound.

Willy

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Posted by CShaveRR on Monday, July 13, 2009 8:47 PM
The Tribune article states that the train was westbound, so my apologies for getting the information wrong. The concern was that the crossing was near the high school (was it in session?), so they initially thought it might be school students involved. According to an Amtrak spokesman, the car was "obstructing the tracks". Five people in the car--three dead, two injured and taken to hospitals.

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)

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Posted by Willy2 on Monday, July 13, 2009 7:16 PM

CShaveRR
Not again!

 

Saw reports on this evening's news about an Amtrak train (#6, the eastbound Zephyr) hitting a vehicle at a grade crossing on the way in to Chicago. Definitely fatalities, possibly as many as five...high school students again. The crossing did not have flashers or gates, just crossbucks and a Yield sign.

More geniuses? I had no idea we shared the planet with so many brilliant people.

EDIT 8:30 PM... The Chicago Tribune article cited below states that two of the deceased were in their 80s.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-trainvehicleaccid,0,5883547.story

Willy

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Posted by CShaveRR on Monday, July 13, 2009 6:51 PM
Not again!

Saw reports on this evening's news about an Amtrak train (#6, the eastbound Zephyr) hitting a vehicle at a grade crossing on the way in to Chicago. Definitely fatalities, possibly as many as five...high school students again. The crossing did not have flashers or gates, just crossbucks and a Yield sign.

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)

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Posted by CNW 6000 on Monday, July 13, 2009 4:49 PM

I tried local news outlets...even a source I have with the OPD: bupkis.  Oh, well.

Anyone going to IRM for Diesel Days this coming weekend?  I'll be going on Sunday with a few friends.  Looking forward to seeing some of the equipment down there.  I'll probably have my uber phone on me so I can email or text you back.

Dan

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Posted by CShaveRR on Monday, July 13, 2009 4:42 PM
I don't see anything on my sources, Dan--perhaps your local news outlets would have something.

Little of consequence to report here. Waiting for the 4449 invasion this weekend, followed by the Omaha invasion the next weekend, and the California invasion (return of daughter for a couple of days) the weekend after that. Then two family reunions in two days, where we'll all get to see my sisters, our cousins, and her aunts. Then comes vacation...as usual, a week will be spent in an area mostly isolated from railroads and the Internet.

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)

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Posted by CNW 6000 on Monday, July 13, 2009 4:17 PM

This site works fine on my Blackberry Pearl...I dunno.

I heard a long, continuous horn blast last night from something on the CN.  It was followed by the sound of squealing/bangs/grinding.  A check of the scanner and ONW website revealed nothing.  Hopefully nobody was hurt in whatever happened.

Dan

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Posted by AgentKid on Friday, July 10, 2009 11:19 AM

AgentKid
since I switched to Firefox browser last Friday I have been receiving two of every e-mail from each thread I have posted to since then.

 

It just hit me from the blue what was causing this problem.

Before I installed Firefox I signed out of each site I was signed in to using IE8. As I was installing Firefox I remembered that I had not signed out of Trains.com. I was surprised after I got everything installed that when I went to Trains.com again I didn't receive a message to sign in or that I couldn't sign in because I was already signed in. I just now signed out of Trains.com using Firefox, then I shut it down and started IE8 and went to Train.com and found I was still signed in. So I signed out again. I then shut IE8 down and restarted Firefox and signed into Trains.com in the normal manner. I think now that I am signed into Trains.com only once that my double e-mail problem should be solved. I'd like to thank everyone for the suggestions they offered.

AgentKid

 

So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.

"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere"  CP Rail Public Timetable

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Posted by CNW 6000 on Friday, July 10, 2009 9:45 AM

I'm still on IE7 but mine doesn't work.

Dan

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Posted by zardoz on Friday, July 10, 2009 8:11 AM

AgentKid
. If anyone out there has recently made the switch from IE8 to Firefox 3.5 and know about this problem, I would appreciate the help.

I don't used Firefox, but I do believe my computer recently upgraded itself to IE8 without my permission (curse you, Microsoft). (I have my computer set to notify me of Microsoft upgrades, but not to download them nor install them).That is when the "last arrow" stopped working for me.
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Posted by CNW 6000 on Friday, July 10, 2009 6:43 AM

CShaveRR
On the subject of the "last post" arrow not working, there used to be a link to which such problems could be reported. I don't see it now--did Bergie take it with him? Is anyone else out there paying attention?

I asked selector.

selector

Dan, I don't know if they have found anyone, or even if they intend to.  I am not privvy to such decisions, as you would understand, and they don't seem to have wanted to keep the user mods apprised of any dealings.  It may stay as it is.

Dan

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Posted by CShaveRR on Friday, July 10, 2009 5:43 AM
On the subject of the "last post" arrow not working, there used to be a link to which such problems could be reported. I don't see it now--did Bergie take it with him? Is anyone else out there paying attention?

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)

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Posted by CShaveRR on Thursday, July 9, 2009 6:47 PM
I believe it's in about another week (7/15 or 7/16). I don't expect it to have any effect on me or others working my job, so I haven't been paying too much attention to it.

Nice to know that those CP guys have a job lined up right after they finish their training--what if they wash out at the end of the class?

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)

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Posted by Noah Hofrichter on Thursday, July 9, 2009 5:38 PM

That's quite the interesting visitor to the Adirondack Larry! I never realized they weren't bidirection either.

Carl, when do the new Hours of Service rules go into effect? When we were coming back from Adams on Sunday we picked up the CP dispatcher on the scanner talking to an inbound train at Portage. He told them to tie the train down as the new crew was on duty but was "still in a training class." We guessed it was about the new Hours of Service regulations, and it got me to wondering about when the changeover occurs.

Noah

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Posted by CShaveRR on Thursday, July 9, 2009 4:05 PM
I didn't know, or expect, that something like that would require turning. Truly amazing!

Got some good news, though--a dozen of our furloughed yard brakemen (who are also RCOs) are being recalled. Unfortunately, this probably has more to do with upcoming changes in the Hours of Service regulations than with a recovering economy.

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)

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Posted by tree68 on Thursday, July 9, 2009 1:31 PM

A little excitement on the Adirondack Scenic this past week - the FRA's $7 Million track geometry car paid a visit to the Adirondack Park.  We passed with only a few minor issues to resolve.

Now, you'd think that in the process of building a $7 Million rail vehicle that they might have made it bi-directional, at least to facilitate moves in a reverse direction.

No such luck, as the picture below shows.  Having finished its mission northbound, the car waits at Thendara for two 60-ish F units to tow it back toward Utica...

Leading will be former Alaska RR F7A 1508, followed by  F10A 1502 (former a GM&O F3, upgraded by IC to an F10, then to MBTA before coming to us).

LarryWhistling
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Posted by AgentKid on Thursday, July 9, 2009 1:13 PM

Thank you very much Dan.

That weather excitement last night left us with a chilly morning, so our Stampede Breakfast only ended up serving just over 200 people. That is down about a hundred from the last couple of years.

We had folks from Kitchener, ON to Vancouver, BC to New Zealand. Good eats, good band, a good time had by all.

AgentKid

 

So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.

"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere"  CP Rail Public Timetable

"O. S. Irricana"

. . . __ . ______

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Posted by CNW 6000 on Thursday, July 9, 2009 8:02 AM

AgentKid
As for the tornado situation, it turned out to be four separate "cold core"Question funnel clouds, two near Calgary and two further out.

From Wikipedia: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funnel_cloud)
"Cold-air funnel clouds

Cold-air funnel clouds (vortices) are usually short-lived and generally much weaker than the vortices produced by supercells. Although cold-air funnels rarely make ground contact, they may touch down briefly and become weak tornadoes or waterspouts.

A shear funnel extending from a generic cumulus cloud. Observed in northern Texas by a member of the VORTEX project.

Unlike the related phenomenon associated with severe thunderstorms, cold-air funnels are generally associated with partly cloudy skies in the wake of cold fronts, where atmospheric instability and moisture is sufficient to support towering cumulus clouds but not precipitation. The mixing of cooler air in the lower troposphere with air flowing in a different direction in the middle troposphere causes the rotation on a horizontal axis, which, when deflected vertically by atmospheric conditions, can become a funnel cloud.[1]

They are a common sight along the Pacific Coast of the USA, particularly in the spring or autumn.[1]

"

Dan

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Posted by AgentKid on Thursday, July 9, 2009 7:29 AM

+2 for the last post problem and speaking of two's, since I switched to Firefox browser last Friday I have been receiving two of every e-mail from each thread I have posted to since then. I had a lot of trouble writing a post on Friday, not necessarily related to the browser change, but I wonder if my false start posting has upset my e-mail or is it really a problem related to the browser change. If anyone out there has recently made the switch from IE8 to Firefox 3.5 and know about this problem, I would appreciate the help.

As for the tornado situation, it turned out to be four separate "cold core"Question funnel clouds, two near Calgary and two further out. And speaking of Strathmore, which I mentioned in my post yesterday, there was the most amazing pictures from there on the TV yesterday. There was so much hail coming down and on the ground it looked like a winter blizzard scene, and they had one of the four funnel clouds near them to boot.

Now It's time to get ready to work at our housing association "Stampede Breakfast"CowboyYEEE-HAW

AgentKid

 

So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.

"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere"  CP Rail Public Timetable

"O. S. Irricana"

. . . __ . ______

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Posted by locomutt on Thursday, July 9, 2009 7:23 AM

CShaveRR
Is it just me, or has the "last post" arrow quit working on this site?

 

FWIW it seems to not be working on all the Forums (threads) on this web site.

Being Crazy,keeps you from going "INSANE" !! "The light at the end of the tunnel,has been turned off due to budget cuts" NOT AFRAID A Vet., and PROUD OF IT!!

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Posted by CNW 6000 on Thursday, July 9, 2009 5:21 AM

CShaveRR
Is it just me, or has the "last post" arrow quit working on this site?

+1 and for several days now.  Otherwise the revamped format is still working nicely.  Maybe a bug like that's caused by a large thread somewhere.

Saw something I didn't think I'd see on CN yesterday: a 'shutdown' run.  Single GP40-2 hustling SB one block behind a manifest train (had to be running on yellows) hauling a single, loaded boxcar.  Reminded me of the CNW.

Getting up in the middle of the night isn't too bad...but trying to get going 'in the morning' may require a little extra oomph from time to time.  I don't know how single parents do it...dang.

Dan

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Posted by CShaveRR on Thursday, July 9, 2009 5:19 AM
Is it just me, or has the "last post" arrow quit working on this site?

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)

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Posted by CShaveRR on Thursday, July 9, 2009 5:12 AM
Well, yes, Johnny, you've missed a lot of pleasures, 2:30 wake-ups notwithstanding. Of course, that's easy for me to say now--I don't have to live with my grandchildren. All three of them are under age five, and they're very pleasurable for the most part. Haven't had to change any yet, but have fed the youngest on occasion.

Just wait until you're our age, Dan--you'll still get up in the middle of the night, and you won't have the kid(s) to blame!

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)

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Posted by CNW 6000 on Thursday, July 9, 2009 2:31 AM

Deggesty

Dan, it's good to hear that Aedan is doing as he should be, and that Misty is improving. I can't give you any advice on young children; Ricki's youngest was five when we married.Just think of the pleasures that I missed!

Johnny

Speaking of that...he woke me up 20 min ago to have me say hi...

Dan

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Posted by Deggesty on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 9:51 PM

Dan, it's good to hear that Aedan is doing as he should be, and that Misty is improving. I can't give you any advice on young children; Ricki's youngest was five when we married.Just think of the pleasures that I missed!

Johnny

Johnny

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Posted by Deggesty on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 9:46 PM

Noah Hofrichter
I come bearing a few new photos too. On Sunday I went after the UP's Operation Life Saver special at Adams.
 

Yes, nice pictures, Noah. Ricki and I have ridden three of the Operation Life Saver runs here--once almost to Ogden (we stopped about at the junction for the line north and west), once to Provo, and once almost to Provo (we were late leaving Salt Lake City, and we had to shorten the trip so that a particular group of people who would be on the next trip would not have to wait and wait for us to return). The dome car used on at least the last two is a former Burlington car; a sleeper and a flat-top coach were also in the consist. Ricki's younger daughter is a judge in Salt Lake City, and she was able to invite us to make the trips.

Johnny

Johnny

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Posted by locomutt on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 8:31 PM

 Hmm, "Weather wise" today has been very calm, although we did have a hard shower of rain at at "O darkthirty" this morning. (to the best of my knowledge, nothing severe.)

Both Noah and Dan; good pictures, enjoyed looking at them.

Dan, am very glad both Mom and baby are seemingly doing well.

Had a Very Good email this evening; came from Kozzie (David Everest)

Seems he's alive, doing well, and VERY busy!

 

Being Crazy,keeps you from going "INSANE" !! "The light at the end of the tunnel,has been turned off due to budget cuts" NOT AFRAID A Vet., and PROUD OF IT!!

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Posted by CShaveRR on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 7:44 PM
I'm sure Willy could elaborate more, but the fact that you had hail and "intense" showers would suggest that your storm wasn't too far removed from being a tornado producer. (Duh!--it produced a photographable funnel cloud!) My home town used to consider itself tornado-proof (supposedly protected by dunes to the west of most of it), but something caused a lot of tornado-like damage in that area several years back. And waterspouts have been seen in Lake Michigan off the local beach.

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)

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Posted by AgentKid on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 7:28 PM

Well, fortunately that was much ado about nothing. They lifted the watch at 6:00 PM MDT.

All I got here was two quick intense showers, one clap of thunder and a bit of tiny hail. The TV weather said there were four funnel cloud sightings but there was speculation that it may have been four pictures of the same funnel cloud. I guess you can tell we are none to tornado savvy around here. Any way I guess it is back to normal now.

 

AgentKid

 

So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.

"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere"  CP Rail Public Timetable

"O. S. Irricana"

. . . __ . ______

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