Trackside Lounge: 2Q 2010

[Deggesty]

tree68

Well, I'm ready for another year on the railroad - rules class was today.

Larry, that reminds me of my having to take three or four different classes--forklift, hazardous materials, hazardous tools, etc. (in house) each year because of my responsibilities. Once, I had to bring the instructor up to date on the quantity of sulfuric acid we used; our usage had been reduced because we had about stopped using piranha baths, and were using tools that required much less, in one section of Production. I also had to be re-certified in air transport of hazardous materials every other year and I needed to be re-certified in ground transport of the same every three years.

Once a Federal inspector came to the plant and looked at our handling of hazardous materials (he had been called into the area to check on another company)--and I could not find my latest certificate. I requested a copy from the certifying compnay, and faxed it to him--and, of course, I found the original after that.

[CShaveRR]

We'll be anxious to hear how well you did, Larry!

The church kids did well, and Buona does good ribs!

Tomorrow we head to western Michigan to celebrate Mom's birthday (hope you've got your ears up, SJ!). We'll visit Pat's mother first, spending the night in Grand Rapids. Tomorrow will be a leisurely trip up--among other things we'll check our facts on U.S. 12 east of Gary, to see whether I knew what I was talking about when I mentioned this stretch on the biking thread (the memory isn't always reliable, I'm afraid!). Tuesday will be a mad dash home after dinner with my mom and both sisters. That will be somewhere between three and four hours, including a fuel stop in (relatively inexpensive) Indiana. I hope to be home by bedtime; the hour time difference will work in our favor.

[tree68]

CShaveRR

Hope you did all right on the rules test, Larry--good scenery or no, that's probably a trip you wouldn't want to have to repeat!

It's two hours to where I normally run, so it really wasn't a bad trip.

If I have any problems with the tests, make-ups will be done at our Thendara station.   Last year, with all the human factors stuff added, some folks did have a problem and there were a couple of make-up sessions.  I'm confident I did well.  Hope so - I'm working opening weekend.

[CShaveRR]

Hope you did all right on the rules test, Larry--good scenery or no, that's probably a trip you wouldn't want to have to repeat!

We have a frost advisory for much of the area tonight--this morning made the heat kick back on, and was jacket weather for me, and tomorrow will be even more extreme. Tomorrow after work we're going to see a play put on by the kids at our church (these productions now get two performances--one at the church service and one in the afternoon!), then dinner at a local outlet of a slightly-less-local chain as a benefit in honor of a friend of ours who has multiple sclerosis.

[tree68]

Well, I'm ready for another year on the railroad - rules class was today.  Aside from spending five hours on the road to get it (the class was in Saranac Lake - 2/12 hours each way), it wasn't too bad.  Even the scenery is nice on that trip.

Hopefully, however, I saw my last snowfall of the season up there today.  It didn't stick, but it did snow...

[blhanel]

  Making good time- must not be anything in the way.  I think I'll pass on trying to eyeball him at 10:30; kinda defeats the purpose of getting a mug shot of 30517.

[CShaveRR]

Just checked...can you stay up until about 10:30 tonight? He's already past Clinton. I don't know if he still has all nine units on him or not. The ninth unit was a GP15-1, and could have been set off almost anywhere. Other power could have gone only as far as West Chicago, for example, or Rochelle.

I have no idea why the auto train stopped where it did, blocking one of the crossings in town. Fortunately, it started moving again soon after the gates timed out and lifted. He had gotten a pretty good roll on (in spite of being awfully long for a single unit), but that stack train overtook him startlingly fast. Stackers are allowed 70 on our line, and this guy was doing most of that. MPRCB sounded like it was struggling to keep moving at about 40, so I don't think all of those units were on line (most of the cars were empties).

[blhanel]

 Let me know if it's coming through CR at a decent hour tomorrow, I'll snap a picture of it...

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

Interesting that the auto-racks have been sidelined, but . . . the UP 30517 just keeps going and going and going . . .

[CShaveRR]

Well, somebody's gotten a brainstorm: the string of racks hasn't gone anywhere since we humped it Wednesday. I hope that something intelligent is done about them before they move again.

____________________

Broke out the bicycle for the trip home from work today. Took the scenic route into Lombard, and was treated to an excellent demonstration of why we need three tracks. They came in order--Track 1: an eastbound auto train powered by only one SD70M, which stopped near me and started up again after only a minute or so. Track 2: an eastbound stacker, with three units on the point and a DPU at the end--blew by that auto train like it was standing still! Then, before the gates could get completely up, Track 3: A 9000-foot MPRCB, with nine units on the point. That's 132 cars, including one UP 30517, near the hind end.

[CShaveRR]

Now for something completely different:

Tonight's Newswire reports that Illinois Governor Quinn has chosen the route that will be used for the projected Amtrak service between Chicago and Dubuque: It will utilize Metra trackage from Union Station to Elgin (the Milwaukee West route), where it will switch to the UP's Belvidere Subdivision to reach Rockford, then CN's ex-IC Iowa line for the rest of the trip to Dubuque.

This is a sensible route, serving the largest population centers in northern Illinois. Elgin would be an obvious stop: large city, casino, good commuter service. A logical stop in addition would be either Franklin Park or Bensenville, from which shuttle service could be operated to O'Hare. Still another good stop would be Huntley, which is probably growing faster than Elgin these days. A flag stop at Union (Illinois Railway Museum), and a regular stop at Belvidere, as well as Rockford. The IC route should include whatever stops were on the old Black Hawk route, probably Freeport and Galena (if Galena wasn't a stop, it should be!).

The Newswire piece says the UP line will need upgrading, but I suspect that the CN line needs even more--on our end it's still stick rail and visibly rough.

[CShaveRR]

tree68

Are we sure that this isn't just a case of SIT (storage in transit)?  Not sure where to send them, so just send them "there."

I'd think that if that were the case, we'd be seeing a change in destinations, but all of these cars have a specific destination and a consignee. One possibility is that the track program under which the crossing surfaces were to have been installed may have been delayed--if you go to Rochelle and vicinity, there's still one track with wooden ties; I'd have inspected concrete ties to be installed a year or two ago.

[tree68]

Are we sure that this isn't just a case of SIT (storage in transit)?  Not sure where to send them, so just send them "there."

[CShaveRR]

That's the crazy thing. These cars aren't among the "lost" cars that UP posts on its employee site every day, because you can look in the computer and find out right where the cars are (as long as we've got 'em, in the case of the rack shuttle). The right people (maybe that should be the "proper" people, because they aren't doing the right thing) know about this, because things have been modified on the records. But the cars are almost as predictable as Old Faithful.

Meanwhile, the two people who usually notice it (today's hump conductor and I) shared a mutual smile as UP 30517 was classified toward Council Bluffs again today, for lack of a better place to put it. I expect the racks back tomorrow.

[mudchicken]

Those cars will eventually show up on the side of one of Uncle Pete's milk cartons when the Junk Man's incessant whining starts rubbing the great god OmaHa the wrong way.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

  Thanks, Quentin. 

I wonder if this episode doesn't demonstrate and undercut the 'corporate conspiracy' believers - if not even UP can get this straightened out, how could they plot something really big and evil and pull it off ?  As someone - probabaly either John Kneiling or Robert Townsend - used to write, ''They couldn't plot a pastrami sandwich on rye'' . . .

- Paul North.

[Modelcar]

Paul_D_North_Jr

As usual, the troops in the field often know more than the generals . . . maybe it is just like the Army - today, move that pile of dirt from here to there; tomorrow, move it back . . .

 

Don't forget...day after tomorrow, did a hole to put the dirt back in...

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

Let the games continue . . .      At least it keeps some good people employed and paid a little bit more . . .  

These'll make a couple of great stories someday for 'Railroad Reading' someday . . .  As usual, the troops in the field often know more than the generals . . . maybe it is just like the Army - today, move that pile of dirt from here to there; tomorrow, move it back . . . All it takes is for those cars to come through on different shifts on different days, and no one would be the wiser for a long time - if they even noticed the repetition, it would seem to be just a normal 'turn-around' move . . . what the heck, it's not hurting anyone much - maybe this will be another object lesson in how and why things can get cut too far and too long, so that no one is really in charge or knows what's going on out there anymore . . . I'm just amazed that the work orders or waybills or charges for these repetitive moves aren't catching more attention and raising someone's eyebrows . . .

Here are my entries/ guesses for the 'pool':  The M/W people will come looking for their gon of crossing panels and get it unloaded on April 20th; and the auto-racks won't be discovered until April 25th. 

More seriously, these are similar to 'no-[way]bill' cars.  Someone ought to put a 'check' into the car-tracking computer programs to flag it out when the same car shows up in the same yard or vicinity more often than once a week or so.

Reminds me of a line from an F.H. Howard article that was really a collection of short stories:  ''That was real superintending - it wasn't done from an office chair.''  (This was about thinking to plug a leaking seam in a gasoline tank car with a bar of solder and a copper hammer . . . no chance of sparks that way . . . heck, until I read that article, I didn't even know there was such as thing as a copper hammer . . . )

Carl, thanks again or the update - please keep us posted on this long-running soap opera.  When it finally sees the light of day, it'll be real interesting to see what the resulting Memo or General Order says . . .  

- Paul North. 

[zardoz]

CShaveRR

CShaveRR

Meanwhile, we've got an even more aggravating thing going on. We have a bunch of old auto rack cars (I think the TTX flats may be reaching age limit, or perhaps they'll just get new racks) that are billed to CSX in Danville, Illinois, for scrapping. So we send them to the BRC......... And they (not sure whether "they" is BRC or CSX) send them back to us, for whatever reasons they have.

The trips don't take as long, just going back and forth across town--we see these same cars three or four times a week.

There goes UP again...running up it's ton-miles.  Although they'd do better using LOADED cars....

[CShaveRR]

I seriously doubt that anyone watches the cars themselves as closely as I do. Some of these dummies probably haven't tumbled onto two facts yet, namely that we're humping the same cars over and over, and that we're sending them all right back where they came from. Had to chuckle when these rolling wrecks were given the red-carpet treatment yesterday--put into a nearly-empty track (filled it up, by the way), and pulled right out the other end.

I'm waiting for the wild rumor to go around the yard that UP is getting rid of all of its auto rack cars--10 to 15 at a time, every other day!

[mudchicken]

Paul: You don't need those TM's and YM's anymore, haven't you heard??????? The eggbonces upstairs bought them fancy 'puters so things could really get screwed-up! Bought the sales pitch for the things so bad that there can't possibly be a problem!

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

CShaveRR

[snip] We processed the same batch of cars again today.

Oh, geez - time to start the comedy routine now. Don't they have TMs and YMs on that pike any more ? As Trains author W. M. 'Mike' Adams once wrote of his tenure on the MP, "The Chief Dispatcher called the next day and whispered in my ear, and so after that I ran no more 2800's [or whatever those large locomotives were in his story] to Gurdon." And remember about 8 years ago or so, then-Trains Editor Mark Hemphill wrote an essay about how some unfortunate lumber company with a spur at the end of a busy passing siding tried to switch to and become a railroad customer - and then watched its cars go by on various trains for several days in a row - but could never seem to get them delivered. These seem to be of like kind . . . - Paul North.

[CShaveRR]

You wouldn't want it, SJ--I don't have the pipes for it.

[Mookie]

CShaveRR

I intend to be an organ donor, and the state knows about that.

  Put me down for the Wurlitzer! 

[mudchicken]

CS: Must be the scrapper next door (to the west) of the Freightcar America Plant (old C&EI Shops) about 5 mile east of Danville and north of US-136 at Oregon Street

[CShaveRR]

I don't do bloodwork very well, but Pat just got home sans a pint of her finest, left behind at the local blood drive. Daughter Linda started donating after 9/11; don't know whether she's kept it up since moving to California.

I intend to be an organ donor, and the state knows about that.

____________________

MC, the name of the Danville scrapper appears to be Mervis Industries. Sound familiar? We processed the same batch of cars again today.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

I got started donating blood about 30 years ago when one of the office staff at the track contractor I then worked for had an ovarian pregnancy, and needed a lot of blood for/ from the resulting emergency surgery.  We all pitched in and within a couple months or so had essentially repaid/ replenished the blood bank, which minimized the costs to her.  Since I was working odd hours and on the road a lot which precluded most other community activities and groups or sports, etc., I adopted that as my community service endeavor.  Plus, until recently my wife had medical conditions and was too light-weight to qualify, whereas I'm a real horse - doesn't bother me a bit that way - and live almost like a monk, so I did it for both of us.  Now that I'm 3+ years after prostate cancer surgery with consistent 'non-detects' of PSA, I've resumed donating, and I'm happy if it helps anyone out. 

A couple of wry observations:

- The 'delicate' questions that they have to ask, and that you have to answer . . .   Let's just say that for those who are in or parents of those who are in 'dating' mode, that an interesting 'screening' question is whether the prospective suitor donates blood.  A 'No' answer isn't terribly revealing - unless you want to probe with a ''Why not ?'' - but a ''Yes'' answer is tantamount to saying that the person is celibate or monogamous, and lives a relatively unadventuresomel life . . .   So Chris, that ought to be a real 'plus' for your lady friend . . .

- It appears that donating blood may be one way to help you live longer, through inducing an iron-deficient condition, especially for men.  I'm no medical doctor and am not qualified in any way to provide medical advice, so I'll refer you instead to the following report on ''Living to 100'' from WBUR's ''Here and Now'' program of Tuesday, December 23, 2009.  Besides, if you listen to it, you'll catch the little inside joke in this regard. 

http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/12/rundown-1223-2/#4 

''Living to 100 - What’s the secret to living longer? Is it exercise, a healthy diet, or just good genes? We revisit a conversation with Dr. Thomas Perls, director of the New England Centenarian Study. He studied 1,500 centenarians and shares what he learned from them.''

Listen to Audio (approx. 7 mins. 59 secs. long) at - http://www.hereandnow.org/media-player/?url=http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/12/rundown-1223-2/&title=Living%20to%20100&segment=4&pubdate=2009-12-23

- Paul North. 

[CopCarSS]

Johnny,

My dad had a lot of transfusions when he went through chemo. As soon as I could (at 16 in IL), I started donating blood. When I moved to CO, the donation center I switched to informed me about automated donation. When I learned that I could donate platelettes every 2 weeks and that those would be used for cancer patients on chemo among others, I was definitely in. I'm also fortunate to have fairly high platelette counts, so I usually donate a "triple" unit of platelettes. I can help up to three people every two weeks with my platelettes!

It usually takes me about two hours. I use the time to catch up on reading. It's simple and easy and I leave knowing that I've made a difference. To me, it doesn't get any better than that.

[Deggesty]

CopCarSS

I've had the fun experience of actually unnerving the "vampire," instead of the other way around as it usually is. I donate platelettes (and sometimes plasma) every two weeks and so I see my phlebotomist crew very often. Last year when I was still doing my Self Portrait 365 project, I asked if I could get a shot of getting poked for that project. The one phlebotomist suddenly was rather nervous, and had to get her crew leader for the "poke." Sadly, the picture of the actual poke didn't turn out too well. If you're not too squeamish, the picture I did use is here.

Chris, I really appreciate the people who donate these essential things. Three and a half years ago, when I was taking liquid chemotherapy, I had to have a platelet transfusion. There were a few weeks that I did not get the chemotherapy because my white corpuscle count was low, but nothing but a rest from the therapy could help that. If my red corpuscle count was low, I could be given a shot to help alleviate the matter.

[Deggesty]

CShaveRR

When I was in the hospital, Johnny, I had one person wake me up and introduce herself as "the vampire". She made her preparations, then recited, "One, two, three/You hate me!" as she stuck the needle in. She took what she needed, then said, "This has all been just a bad dream," and left. Definitely one of the more memorable visits I had!

I also had an interesting interaction with a nurse at night. I had been taking a certain antibiotic for some time before my January trip to the hospital, and it was to be taken at least two hours after ingesting milk or milk products, and I had to wait at least four hours after taking it before ingesting more milk or milk products. It was to be taken twice a day, so two o'clock and two o'clock worked well for me (I would be up in the middle of the night). The nurse wanted me to take the antibiotic about ten at night, and I explained the requirements to her (I had drunk milk with my supper), she then looked its particulars up, saw that I was right, and let me have my way. Thankfully, I do not currently need any antibiotic.