A picture of a dispatcher and the tools of his trade from days past. The various "tools" are marked.
http://www.halcyon.com/tawhite/dsequip.html
Jeff
Got out this afternoon to run the payday errands. Since the day was sunny (but still cool), this trip included a bike ride to and from Elmhurst and a check of the intervening signal-bridge installation sites. Not much has changed over the past ten days. However, there are signs in Lombard saying that the St. Charles/Grace Street crossing will be closed Monday, May 16, for ten days (good timing this year...Lilac Festival ends on the 15th). That should give them time for making the finishing touches on the control point--the crossing itself was relaid and surfaced last year.
Had one somewhat thrilling experience while train-watching in Elmhurst. The first freight I saw was a westbound train of empty EDGX coal gons. Two of GE's finest on the point of about 135 gons. They pulled out of the yard, through the Park crossovers at a steady pace. When the train got through the crossovers, speed immediately picked up, accompanied by the cloud of black exhaust and a noticeable noise from the GE at the hind end, still a couple of blocks away. The speed increased noticeably right away, and the train was rolling at 40 or better by the time the DP passed me, still accelerating. The timing of this move was perfect in sight and sound--made all the more thrilling by the knowledge that it was orchestrated from the head end, a good 7000 feet down the line. There's nobody back there!
And more good timing, orchestrated from Omaha: as soon as the train cleared the crossovers, the signal on track 2 changed to permit an eastbound train to enter Proviso. Coincidentally, it was a loaded EDGX coal train for Sheboygan.
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)
CShaveRR you might have heard the expression "O.S." for reporting a train's passage. "O.S." stands for "On Sheet",
you might have heard the expression "O.S." for reporting a train's passage. "O.S." stands for "On Sheet",
Oh dear, I really hate to take exception to what you say, or it could be a Canada/US thing but I learned even before I could read that OS stood for "Out of Station".
Further on in the discussion there was a point raised that even has me going. How were the passages of trains at lineside stations recorded. The three stations my Dad held were all Divisional Points; where one Sub. joins another, but weren't crew change points, and we had Train Registers.
Train Registers were filled out by the train conductors, and the content and form were remarkably similar to that of the Train Sheets in front of the Dispatcher. However in the interests of train flow most sub's would, in their special instruction in the ETT, list exceptions to the rules where Registers had to be filled out.
But this still raises the question of where did Station Agents record the passage of trains. I do know there was nothing that looked like a Train Sheet or register. Given the railway's fondness for paper work and redundant checks and balances there had to be something. I am going to have to look into this further.
Bruce
So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.
"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere" CP Rail Public Timetable
"O. S. Irricana"
. . . __ . ______
See "SIMPLE EXAMPLE OF STRATEGIC PLANNING - THE TOOLS - TRAINSHEET" at: http://www.halcyon.com/tawhite/just/exe1.htm and then these webpages with simple illustrations:
http://www.halcyon.com/tawhite/just/exe2.htm
http://www.halcyon.com/tawhite/just/exe1a.htm
http://www.halcyon.com/tawhite/just/exe3.htm
This series of short articles may be of interest: http://www.halcyon.com/tawhite/just/justnx.htm
- Paul North.
Carl.........Had lunch once again {today}, with our couple we've mentioned in our conversation of "Tom's Steak House", and that means {Sherry}, the one with the very sharp memory, and we had a chance to discuss the attachment you emailed me a few days ago. I had emailed it to her.
Her answer to my question "was that it..." ? She thought it very well was. I did a bit more thinking about when it was and I believe it was 48 years ago. We talked about it mentioning the rather high price now, and she related it was "expensive" when we were there.....I agree, but the steaks sure were good. She agreed with me of the open brick like oven where one could see them being prepared.
So much for that trivia run....but it was fun.
Quentin
jeffhergert A picture of a dispatcher and the tools of his trade from days past. The various "tools" are marked. http://www.halcyon.com/tawhite/dsequip.html Jeff
In the Diner they're celebrating Nanaimo Dale's birthday (Happy birthday, Dale--miss seeing your "reference" posts in the Forum!); elsewhere they're celebrating Star Wars Day ("May the Fourth be with you"). Pat and I just have too much going on today. Might get a couple of swings by the tracks in, though (though I'd prefer a good bench or lawn chair...ha!).
(I couldn't find the 'groan' emoticon.)
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
Yeah, well...
Everyone's making all of these jokes now about a boatload of mayonnaise being lost at sea. The actual explanation of Cinco de Mayo is slightly more uninteresting: it's a proposal to downsize the usual quart-sized jars of the stuff by 20 percent. An effect of inflation, you know.
Happy birthday to Cher, over in the Diner.
Our sympathies to a certain gal with a broken foot...mend quickly!
And condolences to family, friends, and acquaintances on the passing of Richard Steinheimer. Somebody I wish I knew. As is the case with Alzheimer's, he probably "died" a long time ago, and his passing yesterday is just a release.
Few trains yesterday; too busy. This afternoon we have to keep an eye on a couple of grandchildren, far away from any tracks. Maybe I can get some work done.
Uh....................like I said, there is no 'groan' emoticon; we need one! Actually, it's sad but true; they ARE downsizing products but raising the prices!
Happy birthday to Cher.
Thanks for the good wishes; we thought it WAS healed but I was, unknowingly, too quick to ditch the cast boot, so now I get to pay with a min of four more weeks (at least it's removable for the shower!) Haste makes waste.
Sympathy to the friends and family of this gentleman.
Well, look at it this way, your day will still be fun and interesting, just in a different way!
I'm hoping to get more studying done but we'll see how the day goes! If so, I'm pretty sure - I'll be back, with questions!
Carl and Nan, thank you both for the birthday wishes! Much appreciated.
cherokee woman Carl and Nan, thank you both for the birthday wishes! Much appreciated.
Dan
Might take advantage of good weather today and appropriate a platform bench somewhere. Or ride into town and see if some PRR E units have arrived. Can't do much on Train Day tomorrow, so today just might turn into my Train Day.
Much later edit: didn't do any of the above. Relaxed at home, nursing a jumpy tummy, and working on sightings from the vacation. It can now be told: I got 17 new (to me) reporting marks from private companies. A few more were unusual for me to see, but looking back in my records I found those.
Came to one decision today...we may be (temporarily) lifting our boycott on trips to Wisconsin next week. (Political protest--I won't go there in here.)
Now the clouds have moved in a bit, and the sky has been spitting on occasion.
CShaveRR Came to one decision today...we may be (temporarily) lifting our boycott on trips to Wisconsin next week. (Political protest--I won't go there in here.)
Oh no Carl, did you swallow Mexican jumping beans?
I hope you feel better soon!
CNW 6000 How far north?
How far north?
Depends, Dan! Any excitement that you can stir up around Oshkosh or FDL Thursday morning? We have a pre-dawn date with Lake Michigan somewhere, and an afternoon date in Cedarburg (and have to be home in the evening).
Happy Mother's Day to all to whom that applies (and, by extension, to anyone who's ever had a mother!). Couldn't be a nicer day here...sunny, seasonable, and lots of flowers out there (not too many lilacs yet, but they're coming!). One of the mothers in my life (the one I'm married to) is giving a guided tour of Lilacia Park this afternoon. I'll go along to help out at the beginning, but may sit the tour out on a bench by the tracks.
I echo all the good wishes, Carl. Hope you guys enjoy a wonderful day!
PS Carl, do you know anything about the derail in Peoria?
CShaveRR CNW 6000: How far north? Depends, Dan! Any excitement that you can stir up around Oshkosh or FDL Thursday morning? We have a pre-dawn date with Lake Michigan somewhere, and an afternoon date in Cedarburg (and have to be home in the evening).
CNW 6000: How far north?
Jim, I don't think so...we are going to the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts in Cedarburg. Anything we should know about the schoolhouse?
Nance, I only know what I've seen in the pictures. It was on our Peoria Sub (some distance north of Peoria), and it took out one of the distinctive CNW-style Whipple (?) truss bridges. Haven't heard whether the line has been opened again, but it's a fairly important route to the UP for intermodal from southern California to Chicago (at least it was before Global 4), and for trains from Iowa to St.Louis. (I remember the bridge--we went past it in January.)
CShaveRR Jim, I don't think so...we are going to the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts in Cedarburg. Anything we should know about the schoolhouse?
CShaveRR [snipped] . . . it took out one of the distinctive CNW-style Whipple (?) truss bridges.
"The Whipple truss gained immediate popularity with the railroads as it was stronger and more rigid than the Pratt. . . . They were usually built where the span required was longer than was practical with a Pratt truss.
Further developments of the subdivided variations of the Pratt, including the Pennsylvania and Baltimore trusses, led to the decline of the Whipple truss."
The Pennsylvania and Baltimore trusses were developed and used by those railroads of the same name.
Notably, this one doesn't appear on any of the several indexes of historic or significant bridges that I checked quickly tonight - more's the shame. Glad at least some photos of it exist.
I think there is a thread on it. too
Thanks, Jim! Pat got her book out, so we'll be hitting that place as well. Sounds like a good one for her. And good for Kathy!
Still no updates here on the S.I. derailment. I remember how fast they were at getting a new bridge in at Galt, Illinois (on the main line), when a wreck took that one out, but this line probably doesn't have quite the urgency--there are ways to get around it that weren't available back in CNW days.
WMNB4THRTL I think there is a thread on it. too
Carl or Jeff - Do you know where any others like that one would be ? Thanks.
Not really sure, Paul...but just about every time I see one of those, I think, "There's a C&NW bridge!" And I'm usually right.
These might be possibilities:
Probably the most visible to people riding trains: the bridge over Metra's MILW-North line (also used by Amtrak) at Shermer, Illinois. Two tracks.
The UP main line over the Rock River, between Nelson and Sterling, Illinois. Two tracks, multiple spans.
I'm pretty sure that there's a bridge (single-track, multi-span) remaining in the Peoria area, closer to Pekin. Perhaps part of the drawbridge over the Illinois River?
Crazy thing--you don't notice details like this when you're on these bridges, and during my career I would have been on all of them at least twice.
I've been admiring the shopping list of track and other improvements Amtrak will be receiving, courtesy of the state of Florida, which turned the money down. I just hope that there is nothing that will interfere with this money being spent in the way it's now directed. (Please, keep the politics away!)
NORTHEAST CORRIDOR (NEC)
Amtrak – NEC Power, Signal, Track, Catenary Improvements
$450 million to boost capacity, reliability, and speed in one of the most heavily-traveled sections of the Northeast Corridor, creating a 24-mile segment of track capable of supporting train speeds up to 160 mph. New York – NEC Harold Interlocking Amtrak Bypass Routes
$295 million to alleviate major delays for trains coming in and out of Manhattan with new routes that allow Amtrak trains to bypass the busiest passenger rail junction in the nation. NORTHEASTERN REGION
Connecticut – New Haven to Springfield Track Construction
$30 million to complete double-track segments on the corridor, bringing added intercity rail service to a route that plays an important role in the region, connecting communities in Connecticut and Massachusetts to the NEC, as well as Vermont. Massachusetts/Maine – Downeaster Track Improvements
$20.8 million to construct a 10.4-mile section of double track between Wilmington and Andover, MA. Track upgrades will increase schedule performance and dependability for passengers traveling on the Northern New England Downeaster corridor. New York – Empire Corridor Capacity Improvements
$58 million to construct upgrades to tracks, stations and signals, improving rail operations along the Empire Corridor. This includes replacement of the Schenectady Station and construction of a fourth station track at the Albany - Rensselaer Station, one of the corridor’s most significant bottlenecks. Pennsylvania – Keystone Corridor Interlocking Improvements
$40 million to rebuild an interlocking near Harrisburg on the Keystone Corridor, saving travelers time and improving passenger train schedule reliability.
REGIONAL EQUIPMENT POOLS
Next Generation Passenger Rail Equipment Purchase – This state-of-the-art rail equipment will provide safe and reliable American-built vehicles for passenger travel, while boosting the U.S. manufacturing industry. • Midwest Corridors – $268.2 million to purchase 48 high-performance passenger rail cars and 7 quick-acceleration locomotives for 8 corridors in the Midwestern States: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri. • California Corridors – $68 million to acquire 15 high-performance passenger rail cars and 4 quick-acceleration locomotives for the Pacific Surfliner, San Joaquin, and Capitol Corridors in California.
MIDWESTERN REGION
Illinois – Chicago - St. Louis Corridor
$186.3 million to construct upgrades on the Chicago - St. Louis Corridor between Dwight and Joliet, IL with trains operating at 110 mph for more than 220 miles of track. This investment will reduce trip times, enhance safety and add more seats on the corridor, increasing the number of people who can conveniently travel by train. –Michigan – Kalamazoo-Dearborn Service Development
$196.5 million to rehabilitate track and signal systems, bringing trains up to speeds of 110 mph on a 235-mile section of the Chicago to Detroit corridor, reducing trip times by 30 minutes. CALIFORNIA AND NORTHWEST REGION
California – Central Valley Construction Project Extension
$300 million for a 20-mile extension along the Central Valley Corridor. This will continue to advance one of the highest priority projects in the nation that will ultimately provide 220 mph high-speed rail service from Los Angeles to San Francisco. The work funded in this round will extend the track and civil work from Fresno to the “Wye” junction, which will provide a connection to San Jose to the West and Merced to the North. Washington – Port of Vancouver Grade Separation
$15 million to eliminate a congested intersection and bottleneck between freight and passenger tracks. By elevating one set of tracks over the other, travel along the Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor will experience reduced delays and passenger trains will not have to wait for crossing freight traffic.
There are also a number of studies for other improvements being funded.
I'm sorry about my own short-sighted feelings, but, as a railfan, I see these projects as genuine improvements to the status quo, so--regardless of the behind-the-scenes work--I just want to see them done, and see people benefiting from them.
I've never really paid attention to the bridges. I had to look at Paul's link to bridge basics to see what a Whipple was. (The only Whipple I'm familiar with was always telling people to stop squeezing the Charmin.)
After looking at the link, I think there might be a few of these on the main line. Here's a link to one at Denison that looks like it has the characteristics.
http://www.cnwhs.org/memberphotos/displayimage.php?album=8&pos=3 (The caption is slightly wrong. The single track on the right wasn't the IC but a siding. The siding was lifted a couple of years ago.) There are a few other pictures of possible bridges on the CNWHS website that look like the Whipples, too.
As for others on the east/west main line, I'll have to pay attention next time. I'm working west, so it may be awhile until I see the ones on the east side.
The wife would like to see me back on the extra board, but I don't know. I guess it depends on how badly I want that block signal.
Yes, Jeff, I believe that one is, though the angle is so shallow it's hard to see or tell. But the preceding picture in that set definitely is a C&NW Whipple truss (at Algona, Iowa), and is almost a 'broadside' view so those characteristics can be seen pretty easily - here's the link to that photo:
http://www.cnwhs.org/memberphotos/displayimage.php?album=8&pos=2
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.