Trackside Lounge: 3Q 2010

[CShaveRR]

Just got back home after lunch in Elmhurst with Tina ("MBKCS"). Linda shares the musical background with her, and she found some things in common with Pat and Chris, as well. She's on her way to Indianapolis to meet her husband before they attend a class reunion (if her husband can make it--the railroads are keeping him kind of busy!). I understand that Joe and Matt are going to visit with her sometime next week. Tina said she saw several trains before we got there (by train), and several more went by while we were together.

Earlier this morning, I caught a three-fer at the Grace Street crossing: eastbound manifest (MDMPR?) with a mid-train DPU, overtaken by an eastbound stack train, and met by a westbound stacker. And by the time I could bike the 0.9 miles back to Elizabeth Street after that, the Signal Department had a backhoe blocking all three tracks. And all of these people will soon be working for me (paying my pension!)!

Quentin, you supply some information to Facebook to enroll, but they don't supply it to others. And you have control over what information of yours becomes public knowledge--none of it has to be. There are some people who post nothing at all (or next to nothing), and others say a bit too much (I'm probably guilty of that, though I most of my activity is commenting on what others say). But we don't put ourselves at risk. And anytime these games and groups come up (and they will, as many of your friends enjoy these games), you can hide them. If you get a request you can either accept or ignore it.

[Modelcar]

CShaveRR

Pat was not very happy about that initially, and thought nothing good could come of it.

 

Carl.....Same conditions on this end as was your experience with the better half.  So, for now....as I mentioned, I'm just "there".....I'm not familiar enough yet to see how one really can control just what he might "want out in the gen. public".

CShaveRR

Tonight we had dinner with both daughters, their spouses, and our grandchildren. I thought people lost energy as they aged,

 

I believe you can rely on the above statement....it is true at some point....Perhaps we're all different, but it is there, somewhere forward, for us all....I'm finding mine....

[CShaveRR]

Quentin, Facebook may not be the easiest thing to observe without actually making a few friends. I was invited to join by Jen (Mookie), and accepted--'cause she's my "sister". Pat was not very happy about that initially, and thought nothing good could come of it. But it's been very useful--I've learned a lot about people I wanted to know better, and have groups of friends among my high-school classmates, my family, Pat's family, our more immediate family, our church, the Forum, and former co-workers. Pat has decided that it's been very helpful, as long as I don't get involved in the games and other activities, and don't associate with certain people that I wouldn't associate with otherwise. It has helped us plan trips, and get together with people whom we possibly wouldn't have even thought about before. I have a little fun "sparring" with our former Student Council president--now a prominent attorney down in Florida--and have found that one of my classmates, who nobody expected to amount to much, is now very happy as a musician and poet--he can write as well as I do, and often has more original ideas.

And tomorrow, thanks to Facebook, Pat, Linda, Chris, and I hope to be meeting another respected Forum member for lunch in Elmhurst. Details afterwards, if all goes as planned.

Tonight we had dinner with both daughters, their spouses, and our grandchildren. I thought people lost energy as they aged, but these kids must still be below the cutoff point. They can be wild, rambunctious, and uproariously funny (sometimes at their parents' expense!), but my best time was when Emily snuggled down with me to discuss her book on animals. Older daughter threw supper together, and, as usual, outdid herself.

[Modelcar]

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.....

[CShaveRR]

Things are much improved in the dungeon, looking (and smelling) much better. We'll need to give the floor a final scrub and waxing, but that can wait until vacation is over. Today I have to make the drive in to O'Hare to pick up our California kids; I'm angling for lunch by the tracks afterwards. I can make Bensenville Yard part of the journey to the airport.

________________

Found out more about the interurban book: 18 chapters, over 200 photos, due out around September.

[CShaveRR]

I'm back in Illinois again, with enough mail to go through to keep me busy for days. But we also have a mop-up job to do in the dungeon. Fortunately, my archives and the Macasaurus are intact (one of the first post-retirement projects will be to retrieve files of freight-car archival information off that thing, convert them [twice!] and get them into this computer and functioning properly). We did a preliminary hose-down today, tomorrow (after the bike ride) we'll start moving things around.

__________________

I missed the perfect photo op at the opening of the quilt show in Coopersville last night. In the "hall" where the Featured Quilter's works (guess who) are shown, there were a good dozen people. All of the women were looking at the quilts on the walls--all of the men were looking at the model railroad that shares that alcove!

__________________

Speaking of photography, we purchased a coffee-table type book entitled Above West Michigan, which has nearly 100 gorgeous photographs taken from the "author" 's airplane. Definitely some views of my old stomping grounds that I don't ever expect to see in person. It is amazing how nice and beautiful everything looks from a distance.

___________________

There's another book I heard about today that I'm waiting to see (it hasn't been published yet): an illustrated history of the Grand Rapids, Grand Haven & Muskegon Railway, the interurban line that linked those three cities and may have done more than most people realize in shaping the area. It was active from 1902 through 1928, and one could still figure out the route it took through Grand Haven by tracing the commercial development of the town. Also, if one knows where to look, there are vestiges of the line and its right-of-way still around. The Historical Museum in Coopersville (next to the Farm Museum, which is where Pat's quilts are exhibited) is housed in an old GRGH&M powerhouse, and one of the interurban cars is being restored outside the building, after having been rescued from near oblivion. One of the project leaders (I hope he's an author!) is an old acquaintance of mine, Dr. Carl Bajema. (He was a biology prof at Pat's and my alma mater, but my acquaintance with him is due to his stature as a Michigan railroad historian.)

[Willy2]

tree68

Willy2

Sometimes 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!

[AgentKid]

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

 

[tree68]

Willy2

Sometimes I wonder if storm chasing is actually more dangerous than the storm itself??

Kinda like foamers chasing a steam locomotive?

[zardoz]

Willy2

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.

Very wise and very mature!!

[zardoz]

Deggesty

CShaveRR

We bought one of his CDs.

Ahh, nepotism.

Well, he is from Chicago (home of "Vote early, vote often").....

[CShaveRR]

Johnny, there was somebody in there taking all kinds of photographs of Nik and the trio, as well as audience shots (I'm glad she got a good shot of the older couple who got up and danced during the two "waltzes"--they were good, especially considering the limited available floor space!). He definitely has some fans, and he's good. If you knew my mother-in-law, you'd know that this wouldn't be her style of music (she sang in the GR Symphony Chorus for years). But of the four of us there (she, Pat, Pat's brother [Nik's dad] , and me), she was the least tired, and she really seemed to be enjoying herself.

We're back up in Ludington again, borrowing the wi-fi. Quick bout of shopping before we go home; I got another good look at the cars in the yard. The yard up here is a spectre of its former self, with the brick depot and concrete coaling tower still intact. Lots of "foreign" covered hoppers being stored up here, too.

[Deggesty]

CShaveRR

We bought one of his CDs.

Ahh, nepotism.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

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 !  

More intellectually, a book that me, my wife, and daughter found fascinating - and which I believe many of the members of this forum would enjoy - is Storm Watchers: The Turbulent History of Weather Prediction from Franklin's Kite to El Nino, by John D. Cox:

Hardcover: 252 pages

Publisher: Wiley (August 19, 2002)

ISBN-10: 047138108X

ISBN-13: 978-0471381082

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 . . .

- Paul North. 

[CNW 6000]

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.

I have gotten within half a mile of a couple of tornados around this neck of the woods.  If the storm is near a populated area everyone and their brother (plus his friends) will be out and driving around, especially if there's standing water.  My experience is that in more rural events are usually not 'chased' as much.

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.

[CShaveRR]

Willy2

I figure I'll let the weather come to me, rather than go out and put myself and others in danger.

Kind of the way I feel about railfanning!

Up late tonight, after listening to a local-favorite singer-songwriter in Grand Rapids perform. He did all right--not that I'm prejudiced or anything, being his uncle--and seems to have quite a following. We bought one of his CDs.

[tree68]

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.

[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.

[zardoz]

CopCarSS

Good 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.

[Willy2]

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.

Glad to hear the weather is cooperating for you! Sometimes even I take a break from severe weather, even though it is my specialty!

[CShaveRR]

Thanks, everyone, for your expressions of concern. We still haven't gone back home...I was talked out of it, and am trying to have a good time until we return in about a week.

We've been keeping close to the cottage, which means no Internet, no cell phone, no TV...not to mention no trains. We are in Ludington today, and have three of those four basic necessities here. And Pat's reading, so we don't need the TV for now. After a bit of shopping, we'll go back to viewing Lake Michigan sunsets and bright overnight moonlight.

Jim, I will put in for that pass. I was surprised to learn that Metra gives the retired employees free transportation on any and all of its lines. From what I've heard, it's like a book of stamps. It would definitely be handy for going into Chicago, but other uses might be found as well.

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.

[Modelcar]

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....

[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. 

[Modelcar]

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

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.

[switch7frg]

  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]

  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

[Modelcar]

CShaveRR

Quentin, 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.

[CShaveRR]

We're still hearing traffic reports describing closed roads that are very familiar to us, including the underpass under our yard leads (necessary for coming home from the yard). But one of my Facebook friends took a ride past, and said our neighborhood looked dry.

Quentin, 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.)

[Modelcar]

CShaveRR

I'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"...!

[CopCarSS]

Good luck, Carl! I still remember '96 when 19 inches dropped in 24 hours in Aurora.