Did this site go down for almost a day or am i having server problems again ? RON
I think you are right . It may be employee parking for some of the nearby buildings . RON
I do not know, but....Watch it about 5 pm, or a little after...and you will see people start to leave. Just like a business parking area.
Quentin
From watching the cars that appear in that parking lot (same cars, but not always in the same places, and several empty spots off and on during the day), I would guess it is paid permit parking for some business in the area (maybe city permits). There are several other parking lots and buildings in the area that may be public parking.
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
Wow saw two trains passing each other and a Sperry truck went by. Most I have seen when checking out the camera.
Does anybody know if that parking lot that runs along the tracks is public parking for the hotel or public parking for Roanoke in general? I think when I make my trip there I might have found a train watching spot.
I commented on increased speeds in my post of 13th.instant.
It does seem that since all the track work done after the recent wreck that line speeds ahve been increased. It is more pleasing to see a train at this greater speed - well, it does help to count cars more easier.
Alan, Oliver & North Fork Railroad
https://www.buckfast.org.uk/
If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there. Lewis Carroll English author & recreational mathematician (1832 - 1898)
The museum cam is almost worthless . On my computer it takes anywhere from 20 to 30 seconds to update . I don`t even go there anymore . Also , after dark it is so blurry it bothers my eyes . RON
WELL! THIS WAS DISTURBING!
I am testing my new StopWatch program for measuring the speed of the trains and had the Hotel cam on screen, waiting for a train. Saw a headlight appear in the west and slow to a stop. I thought that maybe it might have one of the cabeese on the end and the lighting would be such that I could get a good screen shot of it. So I turned on the VMT cam and had both on screen at the same time.
NO TRAIN visible on the VMT cam! ANYWHERE! WHAT?!?!?!? The engine was still visible on the Hotel cam and it was stopped just west of the pedestrian viaduct and should be plainly visible on the VMT cam.
I checked the time on my PC and the time shown at the bottom of the VMT cam display. My computer showed 4:24 PM (CST) and the VMT cam showed 17:14 EST. I checked a couple of other clocks in my house, including my cell phone and they all jibe with my PC. Taking into account the time zone differences there is a 10 minute error, with the VMT cam being 10 minutes behind realtime.
It was updating about once every 5 to 10 seconds and as I am pondering what is going on, the engine visible on the Hotel cam begins to back up. Then the time on the VMT cam suddenly jumped to being only about 5 seconds behind. But by then the train had backed out of the viewing area.
Now the sun has gone down and the lighting is too poor to get a good image even if it comes back (not to mention that the VMT cam has been failing to respond at all quite often here of late, so it would probably die before the train comes back anyway).
I think I do have the stopwatch program working well and will post it someplace when I am sure it won't screw-up too badly in somebody else's PC. I am also thinking I will convert it from simply displaying the time and allow the user to enter a distance and the display will show the speed directly. Anybody wanna be a beta-tester for me?
Just saw a coal train go through town faster than i have seen any train go through roanoke . It had to be doing 25 or 30 mph . RON
I saw the shelter you all were talking about today . I don`t know why i never noticed it before . It appears to be right on the rail walk . When i am in roanoke next month i will check it out . RON
The Google street view is good to look at in Norfolk Avenue, Roanoke VA. Not only does it show the viewing shelter it also shows the railroad artifacts which are situated by the sidewalk nearest the tracks.
Admittedly it is a past time view but as those items seem to be permanent fixtures it does not matter.
Interesting views of the yards and locomotive depot are well worth looking at: all of which helps get the 'feel' of the place
Yeah , i wish we could control the camera . I frequent a web site and cam in naples , florida . It shows naples bay and you can move the cam left & right , up & down , and zoom in and out . It allows you to see a lot of boating activity . I haven`t found another camera like it . RON
j610 I will have to check it out tomorrow in the daytime . I don`t know why i never noticed that before . RON
I will have to check it out tomorrow in the daytime . I don`t know why i never noticed that before . RON
I hear ya, Ron! I had to save some screen shots of the view (AM, PM, Night) because every once in a while I notice something and think, "When did they built THAT!" and then I look at old saved images and see that it has been there all along.
And then there is the problem of a 2-D image of a 3-D world...
For the longest time I thought those black circles were painted on the parking garage wall!
And I could not make sense of the north end of that building. When Iooked at it on Google Earth I could see that those walls are CURVED and the roof is sloped (they are the spiral drive up (East side) and down (West side) in the garage). Now the 2-D image makes sense!
I really like using Google Earth and Street View, but I wish the two forms of viewing the area were from the same date... And more recent... And not so blurred! Of course, I get so used to zooming in and out and panning around to see more, I get frustrated when I can't do the same with the web cams!
SV
We are on the same page. And thanks to you for the suggestion about Google's Street View, which I never even thought about. I'm sure after looking at that it is an observation deck. Now all I need to do is explain to my wife why we should visit Roanoke.
Tom
Pittsburgh, PA
It is not very big in the view... it is directly below the rightmost of the three double-head signals to the right of center. (Well... it is not physically below the signal, but from the 2-D image it is below it! )
About all you can see is the triangular open gable end, the center "Y" (or trident) post holding it up, and the north slope of the roof. The ridge is parallel to the tracks.
EDIT: on the hotel cam.
My eyes are not nearly as good as they used to be , but i don`t see what you are talking about . Which cam are you seeing this on ? RON
Ron - I don't think we are talking about the same thing. The shed like roof I'm referring to is not connected to any building. It sits betwen Norfolk Ave. and the tracks. It looks like the roof covers part of a flat car on display and what might be an observation deck.
I haven`t had much luck today . Everytime i log on , nothing . Can`t complain though , i usually catch a lot of traffic . RON
I just saw a train (15.00 ET approx) travelling west to east at a speed I never saw before. It was fast compared to all the movements I have previously seen over some period of time. Two locos on the point and a helper pushing at the rear - and it was pushing as exhaust smoke was visible.
It is a pedestrian crosswalk to cross over from the link museum to the transportation museum. The building it is attached to is the link museum . The other side leads to the street and there is a railwalk from there to the museum . You can see the white tracks of the railwalk from the museum cam . RON
I have never been there, so I have no 1st hand knowledge of what all is there, but using Google Earth's "Street View" feature you can see the shed and it appears to be a display of a passenger boarding area, (maybe?). There is a ramp on both ends so you could walk up and stand in the shade to watch trains, but I see no benches or seats to sit on while you wait.
On the street side of the shed a really nice looking flat car is displayed.
I have a question for those who are familar with the area seen on the webcam. Today for the first time, I noticed the shed like roof across the tracks near the parking lot. Is this an observation deck for railfans? If it is, is it part of the Museum's walkway? This area just might end up as a little side trip this summer. Thanks.
Just saw three units running light . Two NS led by a SOO unut . RON
I am sorry i missed that consist , Richard . I haven`t seen anything today so far . RON
Rich
Those that desire, find a way..... Those that don't, find an excuse.
Big day at the museum tomorrow . Offically starts the display of 614 . Model railroad club also has an open house . RON
Thanks , conductor & norm . I am back in business . You don`t know how much you appreciate something until you lose it . RON
Try typing this "http://128.173.197.94:443/RRCmov" (do not include the quotation marks). It will take you directly to the web cam's address without going through the link from Trains. Then, bookmark the page.
The quality is much better. I used the link in Trains this morning and it was almost as jerky as the VMT cam.
Norm
switch7frg Quentin; have you and her got those strap on Ice and snow grippers for the shoes or boots ? They are really good safe way to get about on foot. Course the biz. owner and wood floors frown on them. They are good on wet vinl . tile also ha ha. Hope you and Jean have a good recovery. Cannonball
Quentin; have you and her got those strap on Ice and snow grippers for the shoes or boots ? They are really good safe way to get about on foot. Course the biz. owner and wood floors frown on them. They are good on wet vinl . tile also ha ha. Hope you and Jean have a good recovery.
Cannonball
Cannonball.....just a few days ago I checked out here on the internet, the "grippers" of which you speak. And found suitable ones for 20 dollar range. No, we have not had any, but I'm seriously considering getting some. This area seems to get more than our share of ice.
Upon reading about just what these items are, I'm interested.
So, we'll probably get some for use here....perhaps have them for next season. I had never seen them before, and just was made aware of them recently. But, it sure sounds like a good idea to me.
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