Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
CShaveRRActually, right now the outing is a little scary. We saw that Chicagoland was hit hard by storms yesterday and overnight, and our house is in a low-lying area. We'd been dry, for the most part, for many days before that, so the ground should have been able to absorb some, if it didn't fall like it did in Milwaukee. The dungeon, however, is among the lowest of the low...
I hope everything is ok, Carl. Midway Airport got 9.09" of rain last night alone, and O'Hare got about 6.00". Those totals are coming close to what you would typically get from a tropical cyclone.
Willy
-ChrisWest Chicago, ILChristopher May Fine Art Photography"In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration." ~Ansel Adams
CShaveRRI'm seriously thinking we should go back home rather than to the cottage, at least to check things out
.......I just witnessed terrible flooding in the western Chicago area on the ABC Evening news....and wondered about Carl's location as I saw him write about being Located in a "low spot"......Hope it is not "that low"...!
Quentin
CShaveRRQuentin, we live on Green Valley Drive; my girls went to Green Valley School (now closed), and the nearest station to us on the CA&E was named Green Valley. People like Joe, Chris, Willy, and Jen, who've been out our way, can tell you that it's downhill to our place from two directions, and we're not far from the low point of the other street. (Neither the school nor the CA&E station were in the valley, by the way
With 9 plus inches of rain in the area, and it's downhill from two directions Carl, you still must have a good outlet for the massive downpour to escape.
Carl, you have been in Johnstown and perhaps know about the flooding over past years....The 1977 flood {if I remember correctly}, was partly created by a stalled weather system pouring down 11 plus inches of rain in a short time spread....Yes, there are river outlets, but just too much all of a sudden to allow it to get away fast enough.
And the '77 flood was not the worst one of some in the past.
Carl; I would tend to guess ( retirement) is a lifetime acheivement award.In addition to all else did you get the lifetime free pass to and from Lombard to CHG. ?? ~~ Have a great time.
Respectfully, Cannonball
Y6bs evergreen in my mind
Quentin; here in the high country at FLG. the recent fire at Parks Az. the Shultz ) has added more woes. Here comes the monsoon rains, with nothing to soak up the rain the flooding hits no. FLG. bringing ash and debris and mud. SR.89 is not a nice place to be right now. One 12yr. aged girl was washed away and was found 1/4 mi. down stream drowned. So sad all was caused by one careless person.
Cannonball
switch7frg high country at FLG. the recent fire at Parks Az. the Shultz ) has added more woes. Here comes the monsoon rains, with nothing to soak up the rain the flooding hits no. FLG. bringing ash and debris and mud. SR.89 is not a nice place to be right now. One 12yr. aged girl was washed away and was found 1/4 mi. down stream drowned. So sad all was caused by one careless person. Cannonball
high country at FLG. the recent fire at Parks Az. the Shultz ) has added more woes. Here comes the monsoon rains, with nothing to soak up the rain the flooding hits no. FLG. bringing ash and debris and mud. SR.89 is not a nice place to be right now. One 12yr. aged girl was washed away and was found 1/4 mi. down stream drowned. So sad all was caused by one careless person.
Yes, we saw the news of the fire a short time ago near Flagstaff......and I can imagine all of what you say happened. Water can and does do major damage when it gets "loose".
Sorry to hear of the young girls loss of life.
Modelcar [snip] The 1977 flood {if I remember correctly}, was partly created by a stalled weather system pouring down 11 plus inches of rain in a short time spread.... [snip]
Quentin, your memory is correct as to both the year and the event. I was caught in remnants of that same storm the next day in central Pennsylvania, while staking-out a long industrial siding for construction, and heard about that latest Jophnstown flood on the car radio - we had no doubts in believing it. That flood led directly to passage the next year - 1978 - of 2 major laws regarding stormwater in Pennsylvania, Act 166 regarding floodplain management, and Act 167 regarding stormwater management. However, the implementation of those is proceeding slowly - some improvements have been seen, but I think it will be at least another generation before significant changes have become effective, and another generation after that before flood damage to homes and structures becomes a rare event.
Carl, sincere wishes and prayers that your home and those of your neighbors were spared from any serious damage.
- Paul North.
Paul_D_North_Jr Modelcar [snip] The 1977 flood {if I remember correctly}, was partly created by a stalled weather system pouring down 11 plus inches of rain in a short time spread.... [snip] Quentin, your memory is correct as to both the year and the event. I was caught in remnants of that same storm the next day in central Pennsylvania, while staking-out a long industrial siding for construction, and heard about that latest Jophnstown flood on the car radio - we had no doubts in believing it. That flood led directly to passage the next year - 1978 - of 2 major laws regarding stormwater in Pennsylvania, Act 166 regarding floodplain management, and Act 167 regarding stormwater management. However, the implementation of those is proceeding slowly - some improvements have been seen, but I think it will be at least another generation before significant changes have become effective, and another generation after that before flood damage to homes and structures becomes a rare event. Carl, sincere wishes and prayers that your home and those of your neighbors were spared from any serious damage. - Paul North.
Paul:
We by chance, were scheduled to visit our home area just one week after that flood, and we drove downtown Johnstown and witnessed the high water marks on properties, etc.....and much debris was still spread all around and about.
Item:
That incident was the final gasp for the famous Penn Traffic Department store.....a top notch full line of products sold on 5 floors of the large building. Think that is Washington St.
Every time Jean and I would visit Johnstown, it seems the Penn Traffic was one of our first stopping places.....especially the cafeteria for perhaps lunch or some desert....One would walk into the first floor and it was an elegant setting.....Marble columns and floor, and of course the high profile scent of the perfume sales area near the entrance.....and so on. Remembering the tone sounds calling for someone to call a dept. etc......
The basement level had been flooded {of course}, and a water {dirt}, mark was part way up on the first floor.
That was the end of the Penn Traffic. The building is still there and houses all kinds of activity....businesses, and I'm not sure what all now. It sure was a first class structure and business.
Remember the elaborate and detailed large model train {operating}, system display in one of the large show windows at street level at Christmas time. As a youngster, that was a must see during that season for me....
CShaveRR Willy, you done good--the weather up here has been amazing! They're talking highs in the upper 70s for Thursday and Friday. We've taken our morning walks along the Lake Michigan shore, and it's been early enough in the day that the water's actually warmer than the air or the sand. We stay in during the heat of the day, so we aren't too badly sunburned. Pat has a quilt she's working on (one of four for the cottage "bump beds", as our four-year-old grandaughter calls them, and she's speaking from experience!), and the two of us are editing a sci-fi book that Pat's brother has written.
Willy, you done good--the weather up here has been amazing! They're talking highs in the upper 70s for Thursday and Friday. We've taken our morning walks along the Lake Michigan shore, and it's been early enough in the day that the water's actually warmer than the air or the sand. We stay in during the heat of the day, so we aren't too badly sunburned. Pat has a quilt she's working on (one of four for the cottage "bump beds", as our four-year-old grandaughter calls them, and she's speaking from experience!), and the two of us are editing a sci-fi book that Pat's brother has written.
Glad to hear the weather is cooperating for you! Sometimes even I take a break from severe weather, even though it is my specialty!
CopCarSSGood luck, Carl! I still remember '96 when 19 inches dropped in 24 hours in Aurora.
Was that 19" of rain or snow?
Just kidding.
I remember back on July 31, 1976 while I was vacationing in Colorado. My original plan was to camp out in Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park overnight; however, the weather looked kinda nasty for camping in the mountains, so I decided to stay in Loveland that night and watch the storms come over the mountains and head towards the plains. The storms did indeed build, but they did not move out into the plains--they just sat there over the mountains dumping their copious amounts of rain.
Unbeknownst to me, while I was enjoying the show of clouds and lightning taking photos, 145 people were drowning in the Big Thompson Canyon flood. When I found out about the flood the next day, I felt terrible for having enjoyed myself during the storm. That was the first time in my life that my fascination and thrill of storms began to fade, as I then realized that almost any storm is causing someone grief and/or pain. That's when I switched from being a storm chaser to being a storm spotter.
I am still fascinated by the physics that goes into making the weather (especially storms), but I will be quite content to never have to live through another severe weather event.
zardoz That's when I switched from being a storm chaser to being a storm spotter.
That's when I switched from being a storm chaser to being a storm spotter.
I've never been storm chasing, but I hear that it's really just a zoo. You've got the public out gawking, college students racing around at 100 mph, and plenty of other people who think they know more about the weather than they really do. Then it's tough for the few professionals to actually do their jobs. Sometimes I wonder if storm chasing is actually more dangerous than the storm itself?? I figure I'll let the weather come to me, rather than go out and put myself and others in danger.
I've long been a student of the weather as well, so more or less enjoyed my stint in USAF as a weather equipment technician (which included support for the National Severe Storms Lab one spring). My daughter shares my fascination, including having taken a meteorology class at Al Roker's alma mater (Oswego). I just refreshed as a SkyWarn spotter.
Z brings up the quandry of chasing - the worse the weather, the more exciting, but that bad weather all too often has a price measured in lives and property lost.
As an emergency responder I'm usually faced with responding to the result of bad weather, be it flooded basements, wires and trees down, or worse. So I really don't get a chance to chase what little really severe weather we do have - I know I'll have work to do right hear at "home" when it's over.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you 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...
Willy2I figure I'll let the weather come to me, rather than go out and put myself and others in danger.
Willy2 zardoz That's when I switched from being a storm chaser to being a storm spotter. I've never been storm chasing, but I hear that it's really just a zoo. You've got the public out gawking, college students racing around at 100 mph, and plenty of other people who think they know more about the weather than they really do. Then it's tough for the few professionals to actually do their jobs. Sometimes I wonder if storm chasing is actually more dangerous than the storm itself?? I figure I'll let the weather come to me, rather than go out and put myself and others in danger.
Driving past Neenah this morning yielded an EJE SD38 and a GTW GP38 working the yard while a pair of IC SD70s were on the mainline NB. Wierd seeing no CN logos on all those locomotives. Supposedly there are (were?) BNSF detours through my area but I've not seen or heard any as of yet. Maybe I'll see something this weekend.
Dan
zardoz [snip] That's when I switched from being a storm chaser to being a storm spotter. I am still fascinated by the physics that goes into making the weather (especially storms), but I will be quite content to never have to live through another severe weather event.
Something similar occurred to me in 1969 when our family drove from Alabama to New Orleans a couple of days after Hurricane Camille came ashore further to the east - for those who don't know or remember, Camille was a Category 5 storm with 200 MPH winds, and as such was slightly worse than Katrina. The destruction and disruption to people's lives in that region was astounding to see both in-person and on TV, and to read and hear about. Then 3 years later in June 1972 Hurricane Agnes caused record floods in many areas of eastern Pennsylvania. As a result, I have no desire to be anywhere near one of those - and no sympathy for those who refuse to evacuate and think it would be fun to chase them or 'ride them out' ("Please provide name, address, and phone number of your next-of-kin so that we can notify them afterwards.") My 'rule of thumb' is whatever the max. wind speed is in MPH, that's at least how many miles I want to be away from it !
For a synopsis, see the Sept. 2008 review by Alan A. Elsner at the Amazon website for the book at: http://www.amazon.com/Storm-Watchers-Turbulent-Prediction-Franklins/dp/047138108X We owe a surprising amount of credit for the now generally accepted 'wave theory' of weather to a barely-educated Norwegian farmer who had a lot of time on his hands to observe the weather and think about it out in those fields and over the long winters there . . .
CShaveRR We bought one of his CDs.
Johnny
Deggesty CShaveRR We bought one of his CDs.Ahh, nepotism.
Willy2I've never been storm chasing, but I hear that it's really just a zoo. You've got the public out gawking, college students racing around at 100 mph, and plenty of other people who think they know more about the weather than they really do. Then it's tough for the few professionals to actually do their jobs. Sometimes I wonder if storm chasing is actually more dangerous than the storm itself?? I figure I'll let the weather come to me, rather than go out and put myself and others in danger.
Willy2Sometimes I wonder if storm chasing is actually more dangerous than the storm itself??
Thought I would check in here after not posting for a while.
Had a bit of a sad week around here for fans of CPR stations. The former station at High River, AB, 40 miles south of Calgary, was damaged in a fire last Tuesday. For the last 40 years it has housed the "Museum of the Highwood". It was constructed in High River in 1912.
In a smaller town like High River volunteers were quick to gather to help the museum staff try to salvage as many of the artifacts as they could. I am posting a link about this cleanup. Looking behind the people, you can get some views of the former station itself.
http://www.globaltvcalgary.com/video/index.html?releasePID=6TCf4RmNePxplr5YFAx4df0H4D4glfFY
This building has an interesting history. In 1893 the CPR build a two building station in Calgary. One building was the regular station and a second matching building was a restaurant. They were joined by a covered walkway. When the CPR began construction of the Palliser Hotel in Calgary, these two buildings were disassembled, and rebuilt, as new stations at High River and Claresholm, AB, on the Macleod Sub. running from Calgary to Fort Macleod.
It looks like the good folks of High River are off to a good start rebuilding their museum. But as far as the station building goes, the sad part is as they say "It is only original once".
Bruce
So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.
"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere" CP Rail Public Timetable
"O. S. Irricana"
. . . __ . ______
tree68 Willy2Sometimes I wonder if storm chasing is actually more dangerous than the storm itself?? Kinda like foamers chasing a steam locomotive?
You hit the nail on the head!
Carl.....sounds like all that water did find a way to get you some of it....
But it also sounds like you can take care of cleaning it up.
Facebook: For now, just observing, trying to see "what" it is.....
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