CShaveRRI took the bike out for an errand earlier today (it's just fine as long as one keeps moving!), and in less than half an hour I caught three UP trains, including an eastbound stacker with two nearly-new GEVOs, 7480 and 7486.
I'd certainly say you were moving, if you caught three trains....
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...
They were moving slowly through the work zone!
(I should have said that I saw three freights. I don't try to catch them; I just go trackside and let 'em catch me!)
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)
tree68 CShaveRR: I took the bike out for an errand earlier today (it's just fine as long as one keeps moving!), and in less than half an hour I caught three UP trains, including an eastbound stacker with two nearly-new GEVOs, 7480 and 7486. I'd certainly say you were moving, if you caught three trains....
CShaveRR: I took the bike out for an errand earlier today (it's just fine as long as one keeps moving!), and in less than half an hour I caught three UP trains, including an eastbound stacker with two nearly-new GEVOs, 7480 and 7486.
Johnny
Sounds like an eventful trip Carl. Glad the heat didn't bother you much. Our neighbor was in a bit of distress and ended up getting a visit from EMS. She turned out to be ok but was pretty dehydrated. I had to change the oil in several cars yesterday which took around an hour total to complete. I drank five 20 oz containers of water during that hour and still was thirsty when I was done. I'm staying inside today.
Zug,If you ever get to Illinois you should check out IRM in Union. They have steam, diesel & trolleys on the grounds. Worth the visit.
Dan
CNW 6000 Zug,If you ever get to Illinois you should check out IRM in Union. They have steam, diesel & trolleys on the grounds. Worth the visit.
It's on my list. Unfortunately, I haven't crossed anything off on that list in the past 5 years. At least today is my Friday. And luckily the weather gurus say that Thursday and Friday are supposed to be the worst of the week. I'll be home with the phone turned OFF. You see, the company decided to be cute and send a pair of out-of-town managers to weed weasel yesterday. Even though we are (and have been) desperately short on people, they managed to pull one guy out of service for a really dumb and piddly reason. They didn't bother us, but then again, we were working in the body of the yard where they couldn't spy on us from their air conditioned truck.
So sorry, but I'm not giving up a day off to bail them out of their mess. Let those managers come out here and work in the 100+ degree ballast if they need people so bad. Yeah, I'm a little ticked. Can you tell?
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
Yep, and I'd say rightfully so. You guys out in the heat have enough bs!
zugmann You see, the company decided to be cute and send a pair of out-of-town managers to weed weasel yesterday. Even though we are (and have been) desperately short on people, they managed to pull one guy out of service for a really dumb and piddly reason. They didn't bother us, but then again, we were working in the body of the yard where they couldn't spy on us from their air conditioned truck.
Have a good weekend, Zug...just don't go railfanning anywhere that you might be recognized.
(My railfanning is being done right here--computer says 96 degrees for Lombard; Arthur says it's 98.9 in our shady backyard.)
That's Arthur Mometer, for those who haven't yet tumbled...
CShaveRR Have a good weekend, Zug...just don't go railfanning anywhere that you might be recognized. (My railfanning is being done right here--computer says 96 degrees for Lombard; Arthur says it's 98.9 in our shady backyard.) That's Arthur Mometer, for those who haven't yet tumbled...
Railfanning? Nah. I'll pass.
Arthur...cute Carl! UP sent a C701 (loaded coal to Green Bay, WI/Pulliam Power Plant) north on Tuesday afternoon. En route one AC44 went b/o because of an electrical issue. I just got word that a second one went b/o this morning because of a major oil leak. That leaves an AC44/60 and one more AC44 to get them home. Bad timing!
Work has started around the 1899 swing bridge with the realignment of yard/spur tracks south of the bridge. If I understand things, the yard (keep in mind it's only 4 double ended tracks) might even switch to the other side of the main to keep the main from making any major "chicanes" in the alignment on the south end. The work that's started has been limited to grading and removal of a chain link fence in preparation for moving the industrial spur in question. If what I heard is right 14th Ave crossing will be impacted as well and a switch will get moved to the "Oshkosh Siding" from the mainline.
They ought to make it home with two units on the empties. Or at least to a good changeout/setout point.
The bridge work sounds like it's going to get interesting very soon! I've forgotten...what kind of bridge will be replacing the swing structure? Vertical lift? Fixed-span?
It's a lot less humid here today, and rain is expected. Pat and I want to get out and run errands on our bikes before it gets here. She'd be willing to do the trip herself, but since two of the three stops are near the tracks...
Good morning--
I am still confused by the term 'shelf coupler.' Can someone please help me? Thanks. (I did try to search this but it didn't help.)
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
I'll try, Nance.
If you have a picture of a "normal" coupler--or, better yet, a pair of these coupled together--you may notice that it would be possible to separate the cars by lifting one coupler above the other. In extreme cases, the cars can be separated this way (we used to get it fairly often on the "vertical curve" at the top of one of our hump leads, until they re-profiled it). In an accident, a separation of cars and subsequent pileup might result n one car sending its still-attached coupler through the shell of another (not the best thing with certain tank cars!).
So some coupler castings are built with an enclosure beneath the coupler, preventing the other coupler from passing through in that direction (yet still providing for the few inches of variance that are allowed. That is the "shelf". Some couplers have bottom shelves only, others have shelves both above and below the coupler. I'm hoping Paul or someone else can come up with a good illustration.
Carl.........I understand the "shelf" couplers for tank cars, etc...One question comes to mind.
What if two of these "shelf" couplers are facing each other.....Can they couple...? Are the shelves bulit to "pass" each other when that happens....?
Or is this {for some reason}, not an issue..?
Quentin
On the excursion train yesterday we saw a KCS 286641 hopper. On the side it says, "Do not hammer on car." I heard lots of explanations, None made sense to me.
What is the reason to warn people not to hit a freight car with a hammer?
While we're at it, I have (at least) one more question.
This am, I saw an entire pole, complete with lights, gates, and crossbucks, on the ground. (I did call the RR-better safe than sorry.) My (?) is: would the crew(s) most likely be under an order to protect this crossing? Would they most likely be required to go slowly, or stop and flag it, or what? What's the usual in a case like this? The other side of the road's system appears to be fully intact; this one was taken out by an auto. TIA.
spokyone On the excursion train yesterday we saw a KCS 286641 hopper. On the side it says, "Do not hammer on car." I heard lots of explanations, None made sense to me. What is the reason to warn people not to hit a freight car with a hammer?
Check out the picture below by clicking on it. Someone didn't listen...
Carl,I'm sending you a PM with more info on the bridge.
Follow up question. Why do people hit freight cars with hammers?
spokyone Follow up question. Why do people hit freight cars with hammers?
I saw that the warning was repeated in Spanish as well.
Quentin, I haven't looked closely at cars with shelf couplers together, but I'd have to say that they're designed so that overlapping isn't an issue. I think that not too long ago a picture was shown with a tank car supporting the end of the car next to it after its truck on that end had derailed and vanished...anything that strong wouldn't be able to bend or move out of the way for another shelf and still be effective.
Bob, you only see this non-hammering admonition on covered hoppers. The reason people would hammer on the car is to loosen any commodity that they think would be stuck to the sides, or in a nook (no crannies in covered hoppers that I'm aware of). This is plausible because some commodities (grains, etc.), probably contain and release a bit of moisture even though they are considered to be dry. The reason for not wanting people to use hammers is, as others have stated, the fragile seal of material that the car is lined with. Flaking of the lining contaminating this load is one possibility, but even a barely-detectable crack in the lining might contaminate a future load that comes into contact with oxidized steel, or (gasp!) create a cranny for future loads to get hung up on.
A lot of covered hoppers are equipped with vibrator brackets, to which pneumatic or mechanical vibrators can be attached. If some commodity needs to be loosened, that would be the proper way to go about it, short of thoroughly cleaning the car.
Add to that, in winter some lading with moisture freezes up. Inevitably, some knucklehead somewhere roasts a hopper car to failure every winter. A cement plant here in Colorado was famous for finding new ways of destroying coal hoppers every winter.
*Yawn!*
Finally, some much-needed rain! We received about 1.5 inches of it on Friday morning (of which 1.3 fell within a very short time), and lost power here for about two hours.
Then this morning, Round 2 began with a nearly three-inch rainfall. Lots of lightning and thunder, the road by our house running like a stream...then, after the storm abated they blew the warning sirens and woke everybody up. .
CShaveRR *Yawn!* Finally, some much-needed rain! We received about 1.5 inches of it on Friday morning (of which 1.3 fell within a very short time), and lost power here for about two hours. Then this morning, Round 2 began with a nearly three-inch rainfall. Lots of lightning and thunder, the road by our house running like a stream...then, after the storm abated they blew the warning sirens and woke everybody up. .
BTW, the weather term for when storms all follow one another and dump lots of precipitation (like you had) is called TRAINING. It happens when weather fronts are not moving, and the convective storms just follow along the near-stationary frontal structure (which acts like train tracks guiding the storms).
I went out on my bike late this morning and wound up getting thoroughly sprinkled. I wish these trains carried markers!
OK, so even after all this, I'm still confused on this. (sorry)
Facing point switch vs trailing point switch. I sort of get it, I think/hope, but poss. a photo would help? Thanks a bunch, as always!
Not a picture-poster, Nance, but this should help. A facing-point switch and a trailing-point switch are the same switch; it just depends on how you look at it!
If your movement comes upon a switch, and it gives you the choice of which route to take, you must be facing the points--hence it's a facing-point switch.
If you come across the same switch from the opposite direction, you face the frog first, and the points trail behind it. (There's also the possibility of trailing through such a switch, which would likely get you into a whole heap of trouble!)
WMNB4THRTL While we're at it, I have (at least) one more question. This am, I saw an entire pole, complete with lights, gates, and crossbucks, on the ground. (I did call the RR-better safe than sorry.) My (?) is: would the crew(s) most likely be under an order to protect this crossing? Would they most likely be required to go slowly, or stop and flag it, or what? What's the usual in a case like this? The other side of the road's system appears to be fully intact; this one was taken out by an auto. TIA.
Standard protocol for inoperative/missing crossing devices would be to stop and flag - unless someone is already there to provide flag protection (RR cop, signal maintainer, etc)
Ah, very good! Thanks to you both!!
With re: to the switch (?), one would think after 6.5 hrs today, I'd have it down, wouldn't ya?!
CShaveRR I went out on my bike late this morning and wound up getting thoroughly sprinkled. I wish these trains carried markers!
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