Yesterday was an amazing day, weatherwise, with our temperature getting up near 80. It was almost a non-event railfanwise, though. We went to the railroadiana show out at the College of DuPage (saw only one familiar name, and purchased nothing). It was interesting to see the prices that some of the books in my library could sell for.
In Lombard (CP Y019), one more switch was put in, on Track 1. I happened to see it after the switch was down and just before the work train ran over it to dump ballast. This leaves just one more switch to install, perhaps next weekend.
While we were at lunch in Glen Ellyn, three freights went through. On a later bicycling errand, I caught a stack train that included a car that had been bugging me--reporting marks SMW. Looked new, but it turned out that it was rebuilt, stretching the well to 53 feet from 48. There will be nearly 600 of these SMW cars eventually, when they rebuild all of the old CRLE single wells. (Yes, I do know...SMW is the St. Marys Railway West.)
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)
The train-watching drought is over! 'Twas a very good trip!
In Lombard, I saw two trains: westbound scoot and eastbound manifest. They were on Tracks 3 and 1, respectively. Track 2? It had a big hole in it, where the next crossover switch was going to be placed.
Missed the next train, an eastbound manifest, which went by while I was on the Great Western Trail (the former CGW main line) in Villa Park (I knew it was a manifest when I could see through to a crossing).
Ran into a co-worker on the Illinois Prairie Path (this is the former Chicago, Aurora & Elgin right-of-way) on the way east (he's fine--maybe a little dusty). Caught up on the same-ol' same-ol' at work, and he'll pass on my greetings when he goes in tonight.
Elmhurst: business before pleasure...had to do some banking, pick up some stuff for Pat (at least they didn't give me a pink bag to carry around!), then grab lunch at one of my favorite spots there: Hamburger Heaven. Took the lunch back to the tracks, and waited about 20 minutes for the first train to come.
It was the westbound scoot, followed quickly by the eastbound scoot...ATWS activated west of the depot.
After just a few minutes, a stack train came out of Global 2. Power included UP Olympic SD70M 2002 as the second unit, and UP 4000 as the third unit. As soon as he cleared the plant, an eastbound freight was lined into the yard.
It took him about ten minutes or so to get to us...inbound stack train. Before he got there, the headlight of westbound ZSKDL (the reefers) showed up...ATWS activated again, but hard to hear over the passing trains.
I finished the letter I was writing (yes, writing--the computer stayed home today), and another eastbound freight got the lineup. I thought I heard his horn, so I finished the letter, packed up, went across the tracks to mail it at the Post Office, then came back. Still, no train, so I went to the hobby shop.
So, naturally, while I was at the hobby shop, here she comes...an inbound manifest from North Platte. As soon as I could pay for my purchase, I got out and chased the train east, catching up with the power just as the road ended. There were a few interesting cars that I would have missed otherwise. I waited for him at a crossing, and, after he cleared, noted that another inbound was going to go around the yard. Before I could get out of town, this train--a stacker--came. After he went by, I looked east and saw the headlight and ditch lights of a westbound in the yard. Decided to leave anyway, as there was no telling how soon he'd be on the move. Turned out he moved just a few minutes after I did, and beat me to Villa Park (I could tell that it was a stack-car repo move, though).
The footings for the new signal bridge at Villa Avenue are in (forgot to mention that the new approach signal bridge in Elmhurst was up, with signals covered). No trains went through while I was in Villa Park (the footings were in at Addison Road as well).
Back at Lombard, the new switch was in place, less than three hours after I witnessed the hole in the track. The eastbound scoot tiptoed past the two tampers and sweeper that were working over it. Just west of this was the usual work train (same GP15-1, five ballast cars, and ex-MP caboose, but five additional flat cars for removing the track panels from where the switch now rests--and maybe the previous weekend's installations, too). Before I left the tracks, the eastbound scoot made it to the station and left. I watched the signal at Finley Road turn red before heading home.
Sorry...no camera for any of this, hence the need for thousands of words.
That was good enough, Jeff!
(At least this is a series I haven't seen before.)
UP 93000-93499 (500 cars) are being built by the Greenbrier Companies, probably in Mexico.
There may be some other series that I haven't seen, either. There are other Greenbrier cars in UP series 92000-92274, and a series built by National Steel Car (in Canada), UP 92500-92999.
Looks promising for my trip out in a couple of hours (after "Car Talk" and "Wait-Wait Don't Tell Me"). Sun's out, streets are dry (and I hope the bike path isn't too soupy).
Carl, I thought it was just another April 1st prank! Quite a few of them on here today.
Carl, IIRC they were in the UP 93000 series with low numbers, such as UP 93054 etc.
I'll keep watch for them.
Jeff
artschlosser Don't frequent this place much but has there been a time warp? Second quarter of 2010? What happened to the last 12 months? Maybe I just woke up from a dream, like in Dallas, the dream ends and Bobbie's back!
Don't frequent this place much but has there been a time warp? Second quarter of 2010? What happened to the last 12 months? Maybe I just woke up from a dream, like in Dallas, the dream ends and Bobbie's back!
Thanks, Art! I just caught that mistake by myself, and repaired it. It's embarrassing enough (today was payday--I hope I wrote the checks correctly!). Last year at this time I was still working, maybe a little heavier, and planning a trip to Michigan and Ohio. I wonder what I would have changed if I'd had this year to live over again. Not too much, I'm thinking...I may have shut up a time or two instead of saying something that has caused some hurt.
Jeff, thanks for thinking about us freight-car freaks, at least. Over on Trainorders.com there was a post about a train of new UP hoppers...but all of the photographs were of the engines (which were nothing unusual)! Given one road number off a new car, I can probably figure out how many there are, and who built them. If the UP class is painted on the car, that would be useful. I'm telling you this now because it seems likely that you'd probably see them again before I do.
Had about three trains go through in the half-hour or so that we were at lunch, but I didn't see anything unusual (or fresh) on them. I hope to break the drought of the past couple of days tomorrow--if the dry, seasonable forecast is accurate, I should be able to do my payday errands in Elmhurst on my bike, linger a while in that area, and check out the signal installations on the way home.
Modelcar CShaveRR: I've never used the word "Snerk" before, but I'm very tempted to, at the news that Wisconsin now wants Federal help to upgrade the Chicago-Milwaukee corridor. Wisconsin....especially now, calling for Federal help....!!!! I don't have any words for it....Let the Gov. figure it out.
CShaveRR: I've never used the word "Snerk" before, but I'm very tempted to, at the news that Wisconsin now wants Federal help to upgrade the Chicago-Milwaukee corridor.
I've never used the word "Snerk" before, but I'm very tempted to, at the news that Wisconsin now wants Federal help to upgrade the Chicago-Milwaukee corridor.
Wisconsin....especially now, calling for Federal help....!!!! I don't have any words for it....Let the Gov. figure it out.
I live in the state, and still have not figured out Walker. He was on the morning news, and I thought to myself that he looks a little bit like the former IL governor. (don't ask me how to spell it!) This whole state is one big mess right now.....
Looks like all the downtown trackage in Burlington will be gone in the not-too-distant future, the switch for the old Murphy Feeds was pulled out last summer, and I noticed yesterday that the rails for the siding had been pulled out up to the Adams St. crossing. This crossing used to have four tracks when CPI used to load grain downtown, before they moved over to the ex-MILW line in the 1980s.
Randy Vos
"Ever have one of those days where you couldn't hit the ground with your hat??" - Waylon Jennings
"May the Lord take a liking to you and blow you up, real good" - SCTV
I saw a couple of new things on my last round trip to Nebraska and back.
On the trip out, I noticed in a manifest train we met (one of 3 we had to wait for due to single tracking around lots of maintenance in the way out there.) Uncle Pete has some brand new covered hoppers. No graffiti, no dirt, UP initials instead of using premerger marks. The date on the new cars was 3/11. (I wrote down the number series, cubic capy, etc for Carl since I know he likes freight cars, but I unfortunately didn't keep the paper. Sorry.)
On the trip home I saw some of the tracks used for bad order setouts or MOW equipment to tie up on now have the "jump frogs" that were discussed sometime back. The ones I saw were tracks that have had their normal frogs removed for some time. They had been straight railed so the tracks were unusable for a while. One double ended track has a normal frog on one end, a jump frog on the other.
Photo linkes contained within: view at your discretion.
CN is merging with BNSF, I have photographic proof!CN 2149http://flic.kr/p/9tepo3
CN 2196http://flic.kr/p/9tepoW
We've had the EJE 666 in/around Neenah for months now. Finally we got a new one to see, EJE 671:http://flic.kr/p/9tepoW
I was excited to shoot this. One of each kind of "new" Dash 8 in consist together. Think of the lineage here: former ATSF, BNSF, CNW, & UP in one picture with CN.http://flic.kr/p/9tbWLP
Ever see a GP40-2LW as it's own DPU?http://flic.kr/p/9tYvCp
The same Geep is 'Set and Centered'. Literally I had to keep driving past this shot as traffic wouldn't let me stop or slow beyond the 10 mph I had to for a truck ahead. Not bad, IMNSHO.http://flic.kr/p/9u2vFd
Artsy shot at an at grade crossing. http://flic.kr/p/9tYSai
A colorful consist leading a Coke train to Green Bay.http://flic.kr/p/9tZ5X6
Repainted CN 2400 (GE C40-8M). Paint shop must've been bored.http://flic.kr/p/9uzxif
BCOL version of the same model.http://flic.kr/p/9uzCC3
Missing a loco? I found a couple...or 8...http://flic.kr/p/9uKDYK
WC...now & then.http://flic.kr/p/9uKE1e
A little altitude helps perspective. Good timing does, too.http://flic.kr/p/9uKE2v
Enjoy. More pictures (roster and "other") can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/danbraun/
Dan
CShaveRR I've never used the word "Snerk" before, but I'm very tempted to, at the news that Wisconsin now wants Federal help to upgrade the Chicago-Milwaukee corridor.
Quentin
I couldn't get in for about 15 minutes now...WTF! Back now, so I'll live.
http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/p/184828/2073860.aspx#2073860
Link back to the last edition. Moving on!
Hey...where's Dan?
Our usual "opener" hasn't arrived yet. Still, the business of railroads is our pleasure! I'll let Dan or anyone else post the backwarding address of the old Lounge, for reference purposes.
April 1. Our thoughts are with Nora and her family, who haven't missed an opening-day ball game at Cleveland in Goodness-knows how long...but will have to sit through what might appear more like a snowball fight today!
Closer to home, an article in the local paper gives a tentative time-line for improvements on the line through town (directly from Mark Davis, one of UP's PR guys):
The crossovers in Lombard will be completed in the third quarter of this year (seems like it should be sooner, but that could be only three months away!), and the crossover in Wheaton (not yet started) will be in by the second quarter of next year. Completion of the third main track around Proviso and through Geneva to Peck (not sure about West Chicago to Geneva) is set for 2013. No mention of the pedestrian improvements for Lombard and Wheaton.
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