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Trackside Lounge: 1Q 2010 Edition

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Trackside Lounge: 1Q 2010 Edition
Posted by CNW 6000 on Thursday, December 31, 2009 5:46 PM

Here's the obligatory link (http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/p/159482/1825209.aspx#1825209) to the last version.  Welcome 2010 (in a couple of hours anyway lol) and I hope it's a good one for everyone.

Anyone care to list any 'resolutions' they might have?

Dan

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Posted by tree68 on Thursday, December 31, 2009 6:42 PM

I have a ton of "decluttering" to do.

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
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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...

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Posted by CShaveRR on Thursday, December 31, 2009 7:47 PM
I have a few...

Restore (with help) my health. Outpatient heart surgery in two weeks will be a start.

Lose the fear of retirement.

I'm a poor de-clutterer, so I'll try and restore the clutter into a usable, organized, entity in the dungeon.

Get back to freight-car research (and dissemination) that keeps pace with the sightings.

Keep in touch with the friends I've made on this Forum--and hopefully meet a few more!

Carl

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Posted by zardoz on Thursday, December 31, 2009 9:00 PM

CNW 6000
Anyone care to list any 'resolutions' they might have?

I have one:

1) To not make any New Year's resolutions.

2) To not break my New Year's resolution.

 

Wait a minute........

Oops

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Posted by Modelcar on Thursday, December 31, 2009 9:52 PM

CShaveRR
Lose the fear of retirement.

 

Don't see why you fear retirement Carl......You live right in the heart of railroad land and and other aspects of it surely are secure.....I will admit it really took me most of one year to really finally "do it"....But haven't looked back.

Quentin

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Posted by Deggesty on Thursday, December 31, 2009 9:58 PM

CShaveRR
I'm a poor de-clutterer, so I'll try and restore the clutter into a usable, organized, entity in the dungeon.

Organized confusion?

Happy (and better) New Year to all!

Johnny

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Posted by CNW 6000 on Friday, January 1, 2010 1:52 AM

zardoz

CNW 6000
Anyone care to list any 'resolutions' they might have?

I have one:

1) To not make any New Year's resolutions.

2) To not break my New Year's resolution.

 

Wait a minute........

Oops

LOL Jim!  I was going to say 1024x768 and/or 8.1 MP...but...Smile,Wink, & Grin

Mine:
1-Get a better job.
2-Be a better Husband/Father
3-Try to ask one good question per day (if possible)

Dan

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Posted by Bob-Fryml on Friday, January 1, 2010 3:17 AM

CNW 6000

Anyone care to list any 'resolutions' they might have?

Sure.  Burn through the last of my 35mm Kodachrome before I can't get it developed anymore!  Other than that, be a little safer in my everyday activities than I was last year.  

HAPPY NEW YEAR Everyone!

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Posted by CShaveRR on Friday, January 1, 2010 9:48 AM
Interesting story:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1966874,ferruginous-hawk-nursed-back-to-health-123109.article

I guess the incident happened last summer. The CP train terminated at Bensenville.

Carl

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Posted by AgentKid on Friday, January 1, 2010 11:59 AM

Happy New Year everyone!

I will keep this brief since my right hand is still messed up from the fall I took on Dec. 10.

I will have to unpack my clutter that was packed hurriedly after the flood in Nov. so I can de-clutter my clutter and then repack said clutter in a more orderly manner.

Curling is now a bust for the rest of the season. I will have to leave the realm of participant and join the ranks of couch potatoes and watch it wherever it occurs. TV, streaming video or whatever.

Bruce

 

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 CShaveRR on Friday, January 1, 2010 12:26 PM
To My Friends....

After serious and cautious consideration, your contract of friendship has been renewed for the New Year 2010!

My Wish for You in 2010

May peace break into your home and may thieves come to steal your debts.

May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills.

May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips!

May happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be those of joy.

May the problems you've been having forget your home address!

In simple words...

May 2010 be the best year of your life!

Carl

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Posted by Bob-Fryml on Sunday, January 3, 2010 1:30 AM

CShaveRR
To My Friends....

 

After serious and cautious consideration, your contract of friendship has been renewed for the New Year 2010!

 

My Wish for You in 2010

 

May peace break into your home and may thieves come to steal your debts.

 

May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills.

 

May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips!

 

May happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be those of joy.

 

May the problems you've been having forget your home address!

 

In simple words...

 

May 2010 be the best year of your life!

Carl:-

Whadda great list of sentiments.  I'm severely, sorely, and terribly impressed - my highest accolade!

Cheers to you too!

/s/ Bob 

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Posted by CShaveRR on Sunday, January 3, 2010 5:33 AM
Thanks, Bob! I wish I could say that it was original (it was forwarded to me by my sister).

Very rough day at work yesterday--I'm almost scared to go back there! We're starting out with a temperature of zero here, which won't make things easier. I'm so glad it's "Friday"--would have been worse if I'd had a full week!

Carl

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Posted by CNW 6000 on Sunday, January 3, 2010 9:29 AM

CShaveRR
Very rough day at work yesterday--I'm almost scared to go back there! We're starting out with a temperature of zero here, which won't make things easier. I'm so glad it's "Friday"--would have been worse if I'd had a full week!

So....

UP can't hump well when it's cold?  Smile,Wink, & Grin  Sorry, couldn't resist! LOL!

I wonder if the lumber business may be picking up.  The last couple of days on CN I've seen lots of empty centerbeam cars headed north.  We'll see if they start coming south again.  I'll send 'em to Murphy.

Dan

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Posted by CNW 6000 on Sunday, January 3, 2010 9:29 AM

CShaveRR
Very rough day at work yesterday--I'm almost scared to go back there! We're starting out with a temperature of zero here, which won't make things easier. I'm so glad it's "Friday"--would have been worse if I'd had a full week!

So....

UP can't hump well when it's cold?  Smile,Wink, & Grin  Sorry, couldn't resist! LOL!

I wonder if the lumber business may be picking up.  The last couple of days on CN I've seen lots of empty centerbeam cars headed north.  We'll see if they start coming south again.  I'll send 'em to Murphy.

Dan

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Posted by CNW 6000 on Sunday, January 3, 2010 9:29 AM

CShaveRR
Very rough day at work yesterday--I'm almost scared to go back there! We're starting out with a temperature of zero here, which won't make things easier. I'm so glad it's "Friday"--would have been worse if I'd had a full week!

So....

UP can't hump well when it's cold?  Smile,Wink, & Grin  Sorry, couldn't resist! LOL!

I wonder if the lumber business may be picking up.  The last couple of days on CN I've seen lots of empty centerbeam cars headed north.  We'll see if they start coming south again.  I'll send 'em to Murphy.

Dan

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Posted by CShaveRR on Sunday, January 3, 2010 3:39 PM
Brian, I mean, Dan!, whatever you're incineratin' there, keep in mind that I personally stay toasty warm and have no problems! Wink

My theory is that the worst problems may be caused by the switch lubricants, that seem to impede the movement of the points to a degree (sorry!) during cold weather. (Understand that no snow has fallen for several days now.) If it gets really bad, the points remain open, and we don't get the indication we require. One good reason why we are watching both the switches and our control panels very closely. We had several failures today, but no further incidents.

So far, I haven't seen any stark evidence of a business upturn, such as blocks of once-stored empties on the move to appropriate locations. But rumors persist that some of our yard jobs will be coming back soon.

Carl

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Posted by The Butler on Sunday, January 3, 2010 3:54 PM

Carl, you hinted at an answer to my question for you.  How do the sub-freezing temps. make your job harder?  The switch lubricants thicken (right?).  What else?  Do cars roll faster or slower?  How about slowing the cars?

Just curious! 

James


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Posted by CShaveRR on Sunday, January 3, 2010 4:20 PM
Cold weather (exclusive of any additional problems caused by snow and ice) definitely makes the cars roll more slowly. Things that normally slow cars down (such as track curvature and brakes not fully released) can conspire to stop a car, sometimes even on the leads. Everything seems stiffer, so we try and compensate to a degree by less retarding of the cars. Nonetheless, we still have to kick a few of them down into the track.

Retarder function isn't impaired by the cold so much, because a retarder in regular use gets warm in a hurry. As mentioned in previous posts, though, mechanical and hydraulic functions of the retarders can be affected. And, of course, ice on the retarders or the cars going through them can affect their ability to hold the cars.

Carl

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Posted by mudchicken on Sunday, January 3, 2010 7:04 PM

Carl:

IF your yard is like most yards, that switch lubricant is an organic red or white grease instead of the black/grey graphite & petroleum based stuff? The organic stuff is lousy near zero (hardly viscous) and turns to an ucky gel that mixes with engine sand and dirt to become reddish asphalt. The manufacturers claim you can put the stuff on with a paint brush, but a stick or spatula is a more appropriate tool even in warm weather. 

Used to be I would see ground monkeys sneaking around this time of year with carman's long-neck journal oil cans in the yard because the track department refused to oil switch plates acct. threats from the environmental engineers and upper level supervisors on inspection trips.

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
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Posted by CShaveRR on Sunday, January 3, 2010 7:08 PM
I really don't know what they use, but the spatula sounds familiar. (I'm not seeing red!)

Used to be, in CNW days, the signal guys found a certain type of waste oil that did better than anything else they ever had, and was cheap (free!) and easy to obtain. However, it "wasn't approved", so it's no longer used.

Carl

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Posted by blhanel on Sunday, January 3, 2010 8:11 PM

CShaveRR
Brian, whatever you're incineratin' there, keep in mind that I personally stay toasty warm and have no problems!

Hey, don't drag me into this!  (He's Dan, I'm Brian)

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Posted by CNW 6000 on Monday, January 4, 2010 7:52 AM

blhanel

CShaveRR
Brian, whatever you're incineratin' there, keep in mind that I personally stay toasty warm and have no problems!

Hey, don't drag me into this!  (He's Dan, I'm Brian)

I had to read his post twice and go back a page just to make sure...lol.  So what do you do in IA then to stay warm? 

Dan

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Posted by blhanel on Monday, January 4, 2010 9:29 AM

I'm sure we're doing the same things as everyone else to keep warm, Dan, but I wanted to make it clear that I wasn't the one broaching the subject for discussion in the Lounge. Wink

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Posted by CShaveRR on Monday, January 4, 2010 10:00 AM
Sorry about that, both of you...the mind is the second thing to go at my age. Maybe "Brian" and "Braun" are too close for me.

Carl

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Posted by espeefoamer on Monday, January 4, 2010 1:37 PM

I resolve to ride as many trains as I can, as often as I can.

This is the same resolution I make every year.

Ride Amtrak. Cats Rule, Dogs Drool.
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Posted by CNW 6000 on Monday, January 4, 2010 3:45 PM

blhanel

I'm sure we're doing the same things as everyone else to keep warm, Dan, but I wanted to make it clear that I wasn't the one broaching the subject for discussion in the Lounge. Wink

For the record...I was referring to car handling in the cold weather!  Smile,Wink, & Grin  I will now resume lurking.  Things have gotten "interesting" around here...

Dan

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Posted by blhanel on Monday, January 4, 2010 9:51 PM

That they have- I'll join you, except for contributing to answering railfan questions concerning my neck of the woods...

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Posted by CShaveRR on Tuesday, January 5, 2010 8:20 AM
I would hope that this Lounge could become a refuge from all of that--kind of flying above the radar, as it were.

(What do I know about flying?[%])

________________________

Facebook now has a group for Railfans of the Cajon Pass:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=264297480621

I'm in.

Carl

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Posted by CNW 6000 on Tuesday, January 5, 2010 8:42 AM

CShaveRR
I would hope that this Lounge could become a refuge from all of that--kind of flying above the radar, as it were.

 

(What do I know about flying?[%])

I'll buy that. 

Dan

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