Trackside Lounge: 1Q 2010 Edition

[Mookie]

Bruise long gone - memory remains!

[CShaveRR]

I wish you could come along, SJ. And we're stopping short of the diamond in West Chicago this time.

[Mookie]

What a nice story with a happy ending.  Kudos to the lady - in more ways than one.

Now about that train ride.....

[CShaveRR]

Good morning, everyone! Pat and I will be taking a train ride today, just for the sake of riding (and lineside research, to see where the new signal bridges will be).

This one's dedicated to Ms. Mookie:

http://www.viddler.com/explore/cheezburger/videos/283/90.242/

[The Butler]

mudchicken

If those rascals are empty, a competant railcar scrapper can scrap a car and load it out in a day and a half. If it's the local bubbas, figure longer with lessened resources.

  Since moving here, I have discovered we have a lot of "local Bubbas!"

[mudchicken]

If those rascals are empty, a competant railcar scrapper can scrap a car and load it out in a day and a half. If it's the local bubbas, figure longer with lessened resources.

[The Butler]

I hope your weather improves soon so you can get those kids out to see trains!  One of my earliest childhood memories was of my dad taking me up to the C&NW platform at Irving Park Road in Chicago.  He knelt down and held me as an express "Scoot" came through on the near track.  I still remember the thrill as the bulldog EMD got closer and close, the fear of the size, noise and speed as it passed, and the excitement when it was all over.  Today, I wonder if the metal "weather shelter" we were in helped amplify the experience.

[CShaveRR]

James, you gave yourself a dunce cap for not thinking of cutting them up. Now I have to give myself one for not thinking that they could have been loaded! The load would have to be salvaged somehow--possibly loaded into trucks if the railroad was "out of service"--and then the cars could have been moved or cut up.

I'm not really sure on the duration of a car-scrapping session. Can't see the actual cutting taking much more than a day; loading the pieces could take longer.

_________________

Something that bodes well for me: we went out to brunch today with my daughter's entire family. Somebody mentioned "train", and my 19-month-old grandson started quickly looking around. He didn't say, "Where? Where?", but you could tell that was what he was thinking. I understand he was totally engrossed with the monorail at Disney World when they were there last week. Grandpa's just got to get those kids out for some serious train-watching...maybe when the weather improves. Trains run in any weather, but (according to my daughter) grandchildren don't.

[The Butler]

tree68

If they sat around that long, it's entirely possible there were insurance issues ("you pay!", "No, you pay!") or the cargo wasn't all that important and the owner took its time getting it out of there...

I can see the pay issue.  These rails look in very rough shape and in the two years prior (since moving here) I had never seen a train that far West of Ste. Genevieve on this line.

[tree68]

If they sat around that long, it's entirely possible there were insurance issues ("you pay!", "No, you pay!") or the cargo wasn't all that important and the owner took its time getting it out of there...

[CopCarSS]

Morning All,

Carl, the bit of Latin was from a book I attempted to read awhile ago, Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Literally, it means "They can kill you, but they can't eat you. It is a sin." However, Wallace used it a bit more poetically when translating it as the motto of the private academy in the book: "They can kill you, but the legalities of eating you are quite a bit dicier." Couldn't resist after I saw your gladiator entry.

As for me, it was a bit of a dull weekend. I had some photographic plans -- including kicking off my CCC project -- this weekend, but schedule and weather conspired against me. Oh well, I guess there's always next weekend. I might actually take a picture of a train one of these days, again, too!

Hope you all have a great week!

[The Butler]

I never thought of cutting them up. Any idea on how long that would take?  I did notice the cars spilled some kind of white powdery stuff.  This is a UP line from Ste. Genevieve to Derby Junction (according to SPV's atlas) in Southeast Missouri.

[CShaveRR]

I think it would depend on the condition of the cars. The carbodies could have been trucked out of there if there were any chance that the cars would be fixed up. Large rubber-tired cranes would probably be used to put the cars on flatbed trailers. However, judging from the length of time between removal of trucks and removal of carbodies, they could have been cut up on site.

[The Butler]

Back in July of 2008, I saw two covered hoppers on their sides between a state route near here and a line listed as "out of service."  The trucks of these cars were placed in a "Four Square" pattern a little East of the cars.

Is this the type of companies and equipment that would have been used there?  The car's trucks were taken away quickly (by truck, my guess) but the cars remained for months.  Any guesses as to how UP got the cars out of there?

[CShaveRR]

You should see some of the really old ones!

Nice story, Larry! When Hulcher would pay us a visit, they'd have to assemble their Cats on site, too. We have a new company around here, I think their name's Maggio, that has two assembled Cats based right at Proviso in an improvised shed made up of stacked intermodal containers. When the smoke starts comin' through their plastic door/curtain, you know something's happened somewhere! Of course, we often know that something happened well before they get to that point.

[The Butler]

Tree, I didn't know they had locomotives in 1 B.C.

[tree68]

Got to the train show at Utica Union Station this morning only to discover not one, but two CSX trains stopped - one on each main.  One was apparently making a pickup and was having trouble getting one of the cars to test.

The other had a slightly larger problem.  AC4400 357 had apparently lost a traction motor - to the extent that it was completely locked up.  One report said there was dry chemical on and about the motor - indicating a possible fire there.

By the time I got into town, around 9:30, the disabled loco had been set out at the west end of the MA&N yard at Utica.

A couple of hours later (noonish) I went out to my truck, which was parked next to our (currently idle) train.  Lo, and behold, an R.J. Corman team was there with two "sidewinders" and a tracked bucket loader, as well as a locomotive axle sans traction motor. 

It was amazing - the grace and speed with which they assembled the sidewinders (which travel sans boom and counterweights).

In short order, they were working on the locomotive.  By the time I left the show at 3:30, everything was packed back up and the crew was headed home, which I'm guessing is the Albany area, as they headed east on the Thruway.

As of this moment (at least until it gets to the shop), CSXT 357 is a 1B-C locomotive.... 

[CShaveRR]

Dan, the power desk may treat them like any other engine, but there's a lot of pride in those units. Joe sent me a shot of the train, and the 1995 sure looked clean, compared to the other visible unit.

Pat and I walked a couple of miles this afternoon/evening when we went to a show downtown. My legs passed the distance test and the stair test several times over, and, now that I'm off one of the medications (permanently, I hope!), a lot of my energy has returned as well.

Bruce, get that hand healed! I know how it feels to have one thing lead to another, and sometimes it's hard to break that chain.

[AgentKid]

Hello Everybody,

Seems like things are going well here. There have been various topics I would have liked to jump in on but my hand is still healing.

I fractured my fingers back on December 10 and they tell me it will take two months for them to finish healing. But I was also told to untape my fingers and start exercising with a tennis ball, Now that has created a new problem and I have to go back to the Doc again this week.

I am glad to see the general tension level on the forum has lowered back to a pleasant level.

I found another photo of that steam engine that had been buried up to the sand domes in snow in southern Saskatchewan on one of the snowplow threads recently, and I have some really interesting new info to add about it. I just hope to be able to get to it before all of the snow you folks in the Midwest have been having melts.

Hope everybody is well, and those that aren't well get well soon.

Bruce

 

[CNW 6000]

CShaveRR

Bandages all came off last night. We'll be testing things with a series of longer walks today.

 

_________________

 

ZWASKP was delivered to CSX by 7:00 this morning. UP 1995 was still on it. I hope CSX takes good care of her, and maybe, just maybe, returns her as the lead unit.

I hope you're on the road to healed Carl!  In your opinion does UP treat the heritage units differently than other power?  Would one of them ever be used to pay back HP hours?  Or does the power desk see them only as 4350 HP SD70ACes?

[CShaveRR]

Bandages all came off last night. We'll be testing things with a series of longer walks today.

_________________

ZWASKP was delivered to CSX by 7:00 this morning. UP 1995 was still on it. I hope CSX takes good care of her, and maybe, just maybe, returns her as the lead unit.

[CShaveRR]

Not too much. But hazardous tank cars have to be stopped for and handled (and some shoved to rest). Auto racks are now shoved to rest, along with the next car after them, dimensional loads, same thing, stack cars, same thing. We didn't have to deal with a lot of that stuff years ago, and some (like the stack cars) didn't exist then. It's safer today, and I don't like seeing things messed up, so I don't mind a bit.

[The Butler]

CShaveRR

Nowadays, if we get 800 cars, we're doing well. But in the day of shorter cars, no restrictions on car handling, and less emphasis on quality classification, they humped over 1300 cars in one night--with me in Tower A, handling every last one of 'em!

Could you elaborate on the car handling restrictions?

And, as always, thanks.

[CShaveRR]

Nowadays, if we get 800 cars, we're doing well. But in the day of shorter cars, no restrictions on car handling, and less emphasis on quality classification, they humped over 1300 cars in one night--with me in Tower A, handling every last one of 'em!

[The Butler]

It is also a place to ask a question you don't think needs a whole thread.  Such as: Carl, what was the most cars pushed over the hump in one shift, at the yard you work?

[CShaveRR]

Mr. Krump, it would appear that you have found the Diner--and this isn't it! No cyber-food here, just discussion about railroads, railroading, and other things that might be of interest to Forum members. Not everyone has to be interested in my recent travails, but somebody might be, so I mention them, along with railroady things that I find from time to time. We try to remain friends here, not engaging in putdowns or political discussions, and try to keep the conversations on an intelligent level. People who aren't interested may stay away--we don't mind, no questions asked.

[krump]

  Hi All,

haven't been here in awhile - is the new diner ?  I seem to be double-tracking ... how is you all ?  greetings from BC, Canada 

"top honours" means that you guys buy my dinner, right?

[rvos1979]

Sadly, Carl, our company does not pull intermodal anymore, though when they come out with new hours of service rules, that could change again.  Some of our older trailers are still set up for it, though.

Last time I was in Rochelle, loaded up at Del Monte in town for the Atlanta area, was just before that big snowstorm in December, It rained on me from LaSalle all the way down to Effingham, where I stopped for the night.  Didn't see much activity, but the city is making a new road to access Del Monte so we don't have to run down residential streets to get there.

[CShaveRR]

Thanks for the update, Randy! We've been following your escapades as regularly as you post them, and wonder if you've ever gotten into Global 2 with a load. Be sure and PM me if that should happen and you should get a few spare minutes.

That was a great time in Rochelle. I've tried to get my son-in-law out there all the time, but every time they're around it's a truly nasty day. Longing for spring here!

_________________________

Feeling almost normal today. Will feel even more normal after I'm allowed to take a shower.

_________________________

The C&NW Heritage unit (UP 1995) is just short of Fremont, Nebraska, headed east on ZWASKP. That means that it could visit the northern reaches of CSXT between Chicago and Rotterdam, New York. Its current schedule says it will get to Boone at about 4:00, Cedar Rapids at about 8:00 tonight, Proviso at about 9:30 tomorrow morning, and Barr Yard tomorrow noon. The weather, anyway, is such that the train is likely to gain on this schedule. The bad news is that the 1995 is not leading the train.

[rvos1979]

Hi Carl, thought I'd drop in here and say hi to you, have not seen you since the outing with Mookie in Rochelle some years back.  I switched jobs since then, now driving semi for Millis Transfer, hauling assorted items.

Anyway, headed up the spine of Virginia today, might get lucky and catch some action along the Norfolk and Western today, but doubt I'll see much from I-81.  Should be interesting getting to Rhode Island tomorrow, running up the northeast corridor, with a forecast for sleet and snow.

See everyone later..