Carl,
You're welcome! I also gave Zardoz a call (did you catch 'em?). The last information I had about the location of the train was that it was "Past Midway (Chicago) 21:20" from a friend who was in a position to see it there. Interestingly enough...around three hours after I saw the U780 train a 50 car train of nothing but loaded, sealed-bottom gondolas filled with ore went south with a unit on each end. I think that's significant because, according to one source I have relative to ore loading & transportation, this train (U780) was 'supposed' to be 200 cars but was 'only' 150. Perhaps there weren't sufficient jennies around when loading this train and it had to leave to keep schedule. I will do some digging to see what I can find.
Pictures (thumnails are clickable & take you to my Flickr page):
The last ones are for Carl as I recall you saying you'd like to see those cars. Those are the best I could grab where the whole car is in the frame. Did I mention he was flying pretty quick? I hope they're of some use to you!
The first of these ore trains went south on 1/1, and empties back north on 1/5 or 1/6. There were about 5 days from seeing loads to empties and then the next loads going south. If the timing of this train is similar to the last one, we should see empties moving back north Sunday or at the latest, Monday. Then the next loads should be moving south by or around Friday 1/21.
Dan
Dan, thanks for your call earlier this evening about the CN ore train. As Pat said, I was negotiating rush-hour traffic on I-55 about then, during a Winter Weather Advisory. We chased the storm home from Missouri, nipping a little too closely at its heels a couple of times (a stop for gas or a meal at times was all it would take to let the storm get ahead of us again). We're home again, after having left Steelville at about 11:30 this morning.
I suspect that the ore train will probably pass through this area tonight sometime. I hope Jim gets to see it and prove me wrong (I'd so enjoy hearing those ore cars hit the diamonds on our three-track line at West Chicago!).
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)
Dan, I used to lift the wheels off the rail regularly with the retarders, but they'd settle back where they belonged...most of the time. In the times that they actually went out of line with the rails, I'd hope that they were going slowly enough for the rerailers at the end of the retarder to work properly.
Couple of things about your sightings, though. While it may be true that gravity should take over and plunk the airborne wheels back down on the rail (six inches isn't going to be enough to worry about the center of gravity on a car on which the load--or lack of load--is evenly distributed), there is little, if anything, keeping the opposite side from falling off and between the rails during that moment. I'd say that the train in that spot is entirely at the mercy of the drawbar forces. You'd probably get the most positive response by talking to a roadmaster-type. This doesn't sound like a routine tamping problem.
Center-beam cars (empty ones, especially) are the ones that always worried me the most. I had one instance where a cut of these cars that I was controlling hit some other cars standing on a curve. I'd intentionally kept the coupling speed up somewhat, hoping that I could get those cars moving, and just praying that the joint would make. It didn't, and one of those center-beams started leaning very precariously. I had to set up the retarders quickly and stretch the slack--and when the car settled back, hope that the rail hadn't turned under the force of the impact. But I was lucky--everything settled on the rail, and, although they had to be shoved down and tied onto the preceding cars (I made sure they did that, instead of just kicking them down the track), everything was all right...that time!
_________________
Currently we're in south-central Missouri, and the snow has begun to fall. I'm hoping that we can follow the plows home tomorrow. Willy tells me to expect 2-5 inches during this storm. I feel especially vulnerable down here in the Ozark foothills, because state highways don't seem to rate guardrails between the edge of the road and the precipices.
Thanks Zug...I hear ya on the cold factor. Do you think I should notify CN of the wheels lifting in the corner?
Nice shots Dan. Makes me want to get off my lazy rear and go find some trains... but it's too cold and cloudy, and I have to drive too far to see mainline action. That's the worst part of working outside - when I'm off (the rare event), I just don't want to GO outside.
As far as wheels lifting up - that ain't supposed to happen. I've never seen any trains catch air out here, and I wouldn't stand too close to any that were.
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
Thanks for the compliment. I've got lucky with timing and light for a change...usually I get "Murph'd" (sorry Norris!)...as in "Murphy's Law"...on at least one photographic aspect. I did manage to catch the northbound A49191-10 this morning but missed the next three southbounds...oops.
Anyone with technical knowledge feel free to jump in here:On A491 I saw a large string of empty centerbeam cars. As the cars went around a minor bend in the rail the wheels on the outside truck actually lifted off the rails by what looked like 4-6 inches...both axles in the same truck. For references here (http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=44.01760,-88.53152&z=17&t=S) is the crossing where I saw this. Having never seen a pair of wheels on a freight car "get air" like this...and it wasn't just the centerbeams doing it...is that "ok" or normal?
Very nice shots, Dan. I took a look over on Flickr; thanks for sharing.
Nothing interesting in the weather dept. here, which makes me happy. The most exciting thing today in my world is: the maintenance man is coming soon to replace my baseboard heaters. It's so nice of them to pick the coldest day to do so. Oh well, I'm sure I'll survive! Have a safe day.
Nance-CCABW/LEI
“Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” --Will Rogers
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right! --unknown
It was a good, albeit long, day trackside today. I was able to get out starting around 7:30 this morning for two and a half hours during which I "only" saw 4 trains + the yard switcher. Then a couple more this afternoon yielded some nice surprises:-1st northbound DPUs I've seen (on Q199 no less),-North Shore Mining SD40-3 & Northwood (Canadian company?) Genset,-a few more BCOL C40-8Ms (or EF-640s to some )-my 'total' roster shot count now stands at 976 units...closing in on the 1k mark. It's proving difficult as repeat numbers are hard not to find now.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danbraun/ if anyone's interested.
G'night!
Yes, It was a shock. Only yesterday we were listening to the news in which border patrols were worried about Mexican-style violence coming into the United States. This may have had nothing to do with that, but the timing was a sad punctuation. I understand that a suspect is being held?
WMNB4THRTL, When I said "electronically" in the DPU explanation, I basically meant that the units have no cables running through the train to connect them--it's done by radio.
__________________
Tomorrow we're heading out for a quick trip into Missouri--Pat's brother's father-in-law passed away suddenly, and we're the only people from Pat's brother's extended family who can go down and attend the viewing and funeral. We're going to be covering the ground more quickly than we did on our trip down there last fall, so I don't expect to be able to go train-hunting. Still, we'll be ready if trains should happen to come within sighting range.
I just wanted to offer my condolences and prayers for those killed and injured in the mass shooting in Arizona today. This is clearly not how the democratic process is supposed to work.
I had been an active participant in the political process here for 15 years at all three levels of government. This has really shook me up. In the offices where I worked we had policies in place to deal with "unhappy" constituents, but the reality was there really is no good defense against something like this if you want to have an open democratic process.
Let us hope for a speedy recovery for all those injured.
Bruce
So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.
"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere" CP Rail Public Timetable
"O. S. Irricana"
. . . __ . ______
For a simplistic explanation of DPU, think of remote control. As in RC air planes or RC cars, except we don't have to steer. The trailing consist(s) can be operated in sync with the lead control, or sperately.
In synch mode, the DPU(s) will do whatever the lead engine does. Go up a notch on the throttle on the leader, the DPU(s) will also go up a notch. Go from power into dynamic braking on the head end, DPU(s) will do the same, and so on.
In operating the DPU(s) separately, called putting up the "fence," you control the DPU(s) by using the buttons on the computer screen/control box. You can change throttle or dynamic brake settings on the DPU(s) independent of what the lead engine is doing. You could even have the head end in dynamics while the DPU(s) are in power.
A DP train will have one lead controlling consist and up to 4 trailing DP consists, that why I used (s) so often. All the trains I've had so far have only had one trailing DP consist. Mostly on the rear, but a few where it was cut into the train.
Jeff
Great info; thanks, Carl!! Now I understand, at least mostly. The only thing I'm not quite getting is how they are "connected to each other electronically (radio)?" What does this part mean? Thanks.
You probably don't see these too much yet on the Water Level Route, but DP Units (that's how I like to refer to them) allow the motive power to be distributed through the train, instead of all of the units being concentrated at the front. Most often you'll see a unit or two at the rear of the train, but recently there have been many instances of the power being somewhere mid-train, usually toward the rear.
The units usually do the same thing at the same time as the lead units, as they're connected to each other electronically (radio), but they can also be programmed to do something differently at times when that would be advantageous. Use of DP Units has permitted trains to become longer while still maintaining control. Because brakes are being applied from two (or three) points along the consist, a brake application travels through the train faster. Anything beyond this brief overview should probably come from some of our engineers who are qualified to operate these units.
Great; thanks! Only thing is though, I don't know what that means. Can anyone pls explain it to me? Thanks again.
WMNB4THRTL Not anything exciting here in the weather department, so I'll move on to my question. What does DPU mean and what is it? I think it stands for Distributed Power then is it Unit? I know this is a very 'basic' question (sorry). I'm new, but eager to learn. Thanks in advance and make it a safe weekend.
Not anything exciting here in the weather department, so I'll move on to my question. What does DPU mean and what is it? I think it stands for Distributed Power then is it Unit? I know this is a very 'basic' question (sorry). I'm new, but eager to learn. Thanks in advance and make it a safe weekend.
Here's hoping tomorrow is a productive day!
Oh, Carl, that is such a shame and so sad. It is hard to lose such great talent, especially so close together. My sympathy to all who knew both men.
And today, we received the news of the passing of yet another railroad publishing icon: Robert G. Lewis, past editor and publisher of Railway Age Magazine. I own two of his books: Handbook of American Railroads (second edition, written in 1956, obtained by me in 1958, and very well-worn!) and Off the Beaten Track, a recent collection of some pretty amazing photographs taken by him, shown in order of the railroad's names...pick a railroad, any railroad, big or small. He was a railfan before Jim Boyd was even born!
I met Mr. Lewis once, at a trade show in Chicago. Diminutive in stature, he was as sharp as a tack and much more spry than the younger folks around him. When Off the Beaten Track was published, he was still doing daily head-stands in his eighties!
That is sad news, Chris. I'd met him a couple of times, and he was a guest speaker at a C&O Historical Society convention many years ago. He had a wacky sense of humor--his slide show at that convention ended with a sequence showing his VW beetle driving toward him, opening its trunk, and devouring him! I told him about seeing a box car with "Jim Boyd goes to Fotomat" chalked on the side. His only response: "Shhhh!" His knowledge of just about everything railroad, especially EMD and the Midwest, will be missed. But I'll always smile when I think of him.
Hey All,
Just heard some bad news. Jim Boyd, longtime editor of R&R and great railroad photographer passed away today. He'll certainly be missed. I remember reading many of his "Camera Bag" columns growing up, and I've always enjoyed his photographic endeavors. A sad day indeed.
-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
CShaveRRWait until he picks up the remote...
Oh, he understands remotes. Hasn't quite figured out how to make them do his bidding just yet, though...
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...
I tried, and couldn't bring the camera up (never attempted to use this camera before). I don't know of any reason a Metra engine would be down that way, but I guess nothing's impossible!
Hey Carl, have you taken a look at the Roanoke webcam in the last few minutes? Is that a Metra engine sitting there?
EDIT: Too late, they just headed off to the west.
Brian (IA) http://blhanel.rrpicturearchives.net.
Now that kid knows how to be observant! Wait until he picks up the remote...
Saw the summary of CREATE programs getting funding in last night's Newswire. It's nice to see a few things coming together. (All we're missing there now is grade separations at Argo and McCook...)
WMNB4THRTLOh Carl, that makes me laugh!! Kids; aren't they amazing, at least most of the time?!
Daughter related the other day that grandson (1.5+) went to DVD player (off limits to him, but read on), opened it, removed the DVD that was there, placed said DVD in the correct box, then found the DVD he wanted, put it into the player and closed the drawer.
Daughter wanted to call him on it, but was too busy being amazed...
Yes they are Carl. Unfortunately, we won't be seeing the Weston trains any longer. They will be taking the Adams Sub north and going around the loop at Necedah to the CN there.
Would those be the WPSX hoppers, Dan?
(I'm assuming they leave UP at West Chicago and go north on the old EJ&E to the old WC.)
Well...saw some UP power for a change today. Seems that the UP coal contract has kicked in. C70191-05 was powered by UP 6565 & 6003 this evening.
UP Coal Train
I thought I was going to get lucky and catch the next ore train too...but the symbol turned out to be a potash extra...doh!
Oh Carl, that makes me laugh!! Kids; aren't they amazing, at least most of the time?! Too bad those tracks didn't cooperate either but, I guess there's always next time! See ya later!
No luck with Emily, so I didn't push it. Daughter says she was a bit cranky today, anyway, so a nap was probably a far better option. Instead, Pat and I did some necessary shopping before returning home (we gave the local tracks a chance, but they didn't take us up on it).
My poor grandson (2.5 years old) picked today to decide to order his own lunch. But wouldn't you know it, they didn't have eggnog at Five Guys! He was devastated...for all of three minutes!
Howdy!
Carl, I hope you get to take your granddaughter train watching; what fun! Think of the wonderful memories she'll have for evermore!
Pretty quiet here; just had maybe an inch or two of snow yesterday. (yawn)
Well, just in time for all the planning that so many of us do this time of year, I've pulled the 'US Guest Engineer Programs' thread back up out of 'storage,' so to speak. It's under Gen. Disc's. Stop by and check it out! These programs are awesome for almost any railfan, especially if you've ever dreamed of getting your hand on the throttle!! Travel safely and I'll see you on the tracks!! Enjoy and make it a safe day!
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