Trackside Lounge: Sep.-Dec. 2009 Edition

[CShaveRR]

Well, Noah, if there were two trains involved (as the link on the wreck's own thread suggests), it might be both 486 and 487. The footage appears to show some switches, so it could have been where the CP leaves the UP line to join its own line north to Milwaukee. It's been a long time since I've railroaded over that way.

The article mentions a "railcar known as a 'Vulture'". I'll bet they meant "Hulcher's Vultures", as they are known to lots of railroaders. In which case, of course, they aren't railcars. I hope the grain is cleaned up before we get any significant weather.

[mudchicken]

"Vulture" = Sideboom CAT's? as opposed to a Brute?

If it is Hulcher, my condolences to the MTM (roadmaster) as his track structure gets torn up worse than it already is. If that's concrete tie territory....

The bridge may be the big casualty here.

[CShaveRR]

I guess we could send a Brute.

I should know, but don't: whose responsibility would the cleanup be? UP's or CP's? (I presume UP would repair its own track, but shouldn't CP take care of rerailing and clearing out its cars?) Is the cause of the wreck (not yet determined, in this case) a factor?

[mudchicken]

CS: You would probably have to look at the CP/UP contract. Most likely, cause will determine who pays the lion's share of the clean-up bill. UP calls the shots on-site, probably with a CP rep watching.

Wonder if it becomes a game in deciding between mechanical failure and track defect? (Appears to have been a mid-train incident) Lotsa fun if the cause is borderline and the bridge is seriously damaged.

[tree68]

Tee-Hee.

Everytime we have a thread about a grade crossing incident we end up rueing driver impatience.

Got a real chuckle along that line last night.

I knew the local was coming into town, so I swung around to a crossing where I could watch it pass.   I was thinking about trying a shot down the tracks with the lights reflecting off the rails (it was dark), but didn't quite make that.

The gates went down, per usual.  Cars stopped, the engineer was sounding the horn.  I saw a car break from the line of traffic.  Figured he was going to run the gates.   Nope - he just turned around, presumably to find a different route. 

Shortly thereafter the local came through the crossing.  Two units, five cars. 

Would have been an interminably long wait.... I'm betting it actually took him longer to "get there" than if he'd waited for the train... 

[CShaveRR]

Just vegging out here today, watching my UP stock go up...

If Pat were feeling better and we weren't dining out tomorrow, I think we'd go to a convenient buffet to celebrate.

[AgentKid]

There you go!!!

AgentKid

 

[Modelcar]

Been outside doing some prep things for Winter and checked in here to see W. Buffett has made his massive purchase....Kind of thought that might push the market highter, but at this point we're still down for the day.

[AgentKid]

Hi Carl,

I hope Mrs. Shaver is feeling better.

I was wondering if you or any of the other lounge visitors from around there have any more news about that CP train collision at Northbrook. Have they got things running yet? Was that bridge knocked out of commission?

It is not likely we will hear anymore about it, being this far down the track to the west.

Hope your UP stock is doing well today, I haven't had time to look.

Bruce

 

[CShaveRR]

Pat is basically fine, just not in the best voice at present (allergies).

UP stock is basically fine, just a tad down from yesterday (overreaction then).

I don't have any precise information on the current status of the line around Shermer (our name for the wreck site), but we've gotten trains in via the regular route, so something must be open. It would appear that the wreck occurred on the crossover switches, but the cause isn't known yet.

[AgentKid]

Thanks Carl. Any more news you can report would be appreciated.

That is one thing I miss since my Dad retired, hearing the aftermath of these things once the reporters go home. Often the aftermath stories are more interesting than the original stories you read about when it happens. Thanks.

 Bruce

 

[CShaveRR]

Thanks to all of the good Forum folks who wished me well during my recent absence. (Thanks also to the dozen or so charming ladies--and Dante--who made a rough time a little better by waiting on me hand and foot, finger and ear, heart and lung, shoulder and elbow...)

Back home today after a surprising bout with pneumonia beginning Thursday morning. No trains to report on--but thanks to Wi-Fi, plenty of trains to follow. I also finally got into the latest issues of Trains and Rail Classics I got out in time to experience, if not savor, the tail end of the 70-degree weather we've been having.

Even though you spend a lot of time in bed (I spent less time there than a lot of folks), the hospital's no place to catch up on rest. Ergo, I'm off until dark/evening, at least.

[CShaveRR]

Haven't seen this from too many news sources, but Metra is planning on building four new stations along its UP Northwest Line, all in McHenry County. Two of them--Prairie Grove and Johnsburg--would be on the line's McHenry branch from Crystal Lake. The other two would both be between Crystal Lake and Woodstock, and would put stations as close as a mile and a half apart. One would be in Ridgefield near the McHenry County College, and the other would be outside Woodstock, near a minor league baseball stadium that is due to be constructed soon. These new stations will alleviate the parking crunch at Crystal Lake's two existing stations. Metra says that trains would not make all stops in this area. Going forward on this work would depend on gaining access to Federal funding, and if everything falls into place this work could be completed in the 2013-2016 time frame.

[CShaveRR]

I can't find our thread about the plane that overshot the airport at the Twin Cities, and the likelihood of that happening on the railroads. Well, folks, here you go:

http://www.utu.org/worksite/detail_news.cfm?ArticleID=49650 Initially this article appeared right next to the one about the MBTA driver who stopped short of the drunk on the tracks at North Station, but the latter article was removed as a duplicate.

[tree68]

Ya know - every now and then you're gonna miss.

We miss one of our platforms with a certain amount of regularity.  Something about lining a 20' wide door with a 20' wide platform that tends to be a bit of a challenge (it's the place where we load canoes).  It all depends on how the engineer is running and how the conductor calls the stop.  Most of the time we're right on, sometimes we're short or long. 

[CShaveRR]

This wasn't a case of just missing the platform--they completely missed the station stop! And the conductor was reportedly just as ignorant as the engineer--he apparently thought they hadn't yet arrived at Princeton Junction when the passengers were telling him that they'd passed it.

I wonder how Forum poster "Emmar" is doing. Last I heard, she was going to Princeton, and I'd almost expect her to weigh in on this one.

______________________________

I was able to get out by myself this morning, to run payday errands and grab lunch while Pat was dining with the ladies. The UP main line was active, if not busy. The trains usually went by in pairs.

Footings for a new signal bridge have been poured just west of Finley Road in Lombard. I would suspect that this will be a distant signal for crossovers further east, as the "control point on a curve" scenario is not the best when it can be avoided. One of these times we'll have to do an inspection of the line, courtesy of Metra, and see if we can locate all of these new footings. Two crossovers are supposed to be installed: one in Lombard and one in Wheaton.

[Modelcar]

CShaveRR

I can't find our thread about the plane that overshot the airport at the Twin Cities, and the likelihood of that happening on the railroads. Well, folks, here you go:

 

....Overshooting the station stop does happen.....Remember back decades ago when a GG-1 powered train overshot it's stopping point at Washington Union Terminal....and ran right into the main concourse and broke down thru the main concourse floor to the level below.....!

And Carl...I missed the info of you having some health problems, so  belated good wishes for a quick return back to normal.

[CShaveRR]

Back to work in an hour or so. They might have to get the student to re-train me. He probably could, knowing who his instructor was.

All of the regulars are up there. Looking forward to returning, though I might have some 'splainin' to do.

Good omen: They just played the entire Bachianas Brazileras No. 2 by Villa-Lobos over the radio. Bonus points to anyone who figures out what connection that has with anything!

[CNW 6000]

Is there now a Metra stop at Caipira? 

[zardoz]

CShaveRR

Good omen: They just played the entire Bachianas Brazileras No. 2 by Villa-Lobos over the radio. Bonus points to anyone who figures out what connection that has with anything!

 

Is that the Brazillian version of "I've Been Working On The Railroad"?

[CShaveRR]

Dan, I'm impressed!

Probably, but only for the little trains.

[AgentKid]

Well I'm back. There was a pipe burst in an apartment above me about 2:30 last Friday and I had to do some fancy footwork to shut my computer off without electrocuting myself. I suffered no contents damage, but the landlord is going to have to replace the flooring and repair and repaint the walls. I was able to turn the computer back on about 2:00 today. All times M.S.T.

In the interim I had to spend 4 nights at the Holiday Inn @ 42 Ave. and Macleod Tr. This was not as bad as it might seem, as my room was about 200 feet away from the Macleod Sub. with an unobstructed view. This sub. is part of the line from Calgary to Lethbridge, and points south (U.S.A.). It is the most time I have spent watching that line in my life. Unfortunately, it does not see as much action as I would have expected.

It was all very routine with one exception. I saw a covered hopper that had to be at least 70-75 ft. long. We are talking passenger car lengths here. The pairs of chutes on the bottom were spaced so far apart, a normal hopper would have had 3 pairs where this car had two. There were four pairs altogether. It was at night so with the street-lighting being the way it was I was only able to see the car in silhouette and could not make out any reporting marks. It seemed to be white or light gray in colour.

My understanding of rail-car design is that you try to carry up to 100 ton's per car with the shortest car length possible, without it being top heavy or having other performance problems. I think this car must carry puffed wheat or marshmallows! This thing was huge.

I would appreciate any ideas about what this car is actually for. Now it is time to start catching up on all the action in the other threads that I missed.

Bruce

 

[Deggesty]

CShaveRR

Good omen: They just played the entire Bachianas Brazileras No. 2 by Villa-Lobos over the radio. Bonus points to anyone who figures out what connection that has with anything!

Is that Brazilian Bacchanal #2?

Johnny

[CShaveRR]

We're having a couple of leaks fixed at our place, too. They ought to dry out the dungeon somewhat.

Freight cars with a gross rail load of 286000 pounds can usually carry up to 110 tons, versus the older 263K cars, which were rated at 100 tons but rarely had a capacity that high. The bigger covered hoppers these days carry plastics and dry distiller's grain (DDG, an ethanol byproduct). Trinity Industries has built thousands of DDG cars, with a capacity of 6351 cubic feet, and an overall length of (are you ready for this?) 70'0". Nice call!

[CShaveRR]

Johnny, the Brazilian composer wrote nine (I think) sets of music that were inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach as well as scenes or dances from the Brazilian countryside. They were written for widely varying combinations of instruments, sometimes including voices. The second of these pieces (written for full orchestra) has a Toccata as its fourth movement, which is commonly known as "The Little Train of the Caipira." I figured that hearing that before leaving for my first day back at work was a good omen--and my day at work wasn't bad at all, except for the repeated trips downstairs, courtesy of the antibiotic I have to take.

[Deggesty]

CShaveRR

They just played the entire Bachianas Brazileras No. 2 by Villa-Lobos

After my last post, I searched for Bachianas Brazileras, and found this performance of Bachianas Brazileras No. 5. http://www.yendit.com/videogratis/L0hxvMcmbM4/villa-lobos-bachianas-brazileras-no-5-kerem-trio.html Very nice, and definitely NOT bacchanalian!

Johnny

[CShaveRR]

Johnny, your video showed an interesting adaptation of No. 5, which was originally written for eight cellos and a soprano (wordless).

[Deggesty]

CShaveRR

Johnny, your video showed an interesting adaptation of No. 5, which was originally written for eight cellos and a soprano (wordless).

Carl, if you trust Wikipedia, here is an explanation of the "soprano:"  "Instruments made according to an older pitch standard, used principally in wind-band music, include Db piccolo, Eb soprano flute (the primary instrument, equivalent to today's concert C flute), F alto flute, and Bb bass flute." Apparently someone at Wikipedia thinks that the letter "b" is a proper substitute for the symbol for a musical flat.

Ricki says she had heard the composition, but she did not know its name. I may have heard it, but I did not remember it.

Johnny

[CShaveRR]

Johnny, the piece was written for soprano (vocalist).

[CShaveRR]

I was probably mistaken about the location of the new crossovers. Tonight we discovered some more new footings east of Park Boulevard in Glen Ellyn, suggesting that that will be the approach signal, and the one at Finley Road will be a home signal, for crossovers just to the east, on the curve.

Coming home from work today, I saw the first sign of one heck of a merger coming up ! An eastbound CN train on the Iowa Division (IC--CC&P for a time) was led by a wide-nose NS GE unit, followed by a UP SD9043MAC and a Draper-tapered CN unit. It was a long train; from the cars I'd say it came off the WC, and used the old EJ&E to get from Mundelein to the IC connection (Munger?). This is one of the lines that will supposedly be downgraded once the EJ&E is fully assimilated.

UP was in the middle of a disabled-train incident at about this time. As I crossed the line at Addison Road, I saw the headlights of what I thought was an approaching eastbound. When the gates didn't go down behind me, I realized it must have been stopped, far enough back to permit the crossing gates to rise. The tail end of the train was just east of Grace Street in Lombard--or so I thought! I soon encountered more cars west of Grace, also on Track 1, and realized they must have cut the crossing. The train continued on for the half-mile or so to the Lombard station, blocking the platform, and past Milepost 20, then blocking Elizabeth Street, and barely clearing Finley Road. That time I knew it was the end, 'cuz the marker was there. That was very close to two miles' worth of manifest! Metra Train 50 apparently got caught behind this train, making it only as far as Glen Ellyn. Passengers on that train sat for an hour until Train 52 came along (on the center track) and picked up its passengers. Lombard passengers had to detour via the Main Street underpass, presumably, and board Train 52 from the opposite side.