Thanks, Carl, should have said it was in the same size cars as clay slurry, was too far away to read the markings outside of the reporting marks. Caustic soda would make sense, they use that in papermaking too....
I do remember quite a bit of open space around there, would be fairly simple to do the flip, outside of the logistical nightmare during realignment, similar to what the UP North line is going through with the bridge rebuild (if they ever got that back off the ground, last time they tried, it raised a big stink).
Restored lawn order this past Friday, realized that I should not have bought a 2-gallon gas can, I filled it up in May, and still have half the contents left. May have to dump what's left after mowing season is over into my parent's car, as my truck runs on good ole #2 diesel.......
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
zardoz Did someone say, "Puzzle switches"? Flickr Link
Did someone say, "Puzzle switches"?
Flickr Link
I wonder: are they called puzzle switches because the engineer (or the flagman or conductor who is manning the monkeytail) has to puzzle out just what track he will end up on? I recall that, when going into New Orleans, the crew did not always know just which side to open up on until the train was almost to the bumping post. Such uncertainty could make for quick work in shifting the luggage that had to be taken off from one side of the vestibule to the other before the passengers (hand baggage first, and then passengers) could detrain (and, sometimes, there was no one on the ground to take the baggage; occasionally I would hand it down to the porter (both IC and KCS) who had to get off and take it so the vestibule could be cleared quickly).
Johnny
tree68 zardoz: Did someone say, "Puzzle switches"? Well, somebody has a green light - but to where? (Rhetorical question....)
zardoz: Did someone say, "Puzzle switches"?
Well, somebody has a green light - but to where?
(Rhetorical question....)
CShaveRR Bruce: dare I suggest that half of that mystery train might be empty (you'd know better than I if that was a possibility).
Bruce: dare I suggest that half of that mystery train might be empty (you'd know better than I if that was a possibility).
Grain cars west bound, west of Alyth, would be loads. But I can't figure out the Procor tanks though. They didn't have that hollow sound like they were empty, but I'm not sure where loads would be heading. I think most of those cars either go east, or down to the US. And those GE's were definitely working.
When you see a seriously overpowered short train heading west, it is a good guess that it is going to pick up more blocks of cars at Keith. But this train's power seemed pretty well matched to the train it was pulling. Sadly, my grasp of current operating practices is getting to be less all the time.
Bruce
So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.
"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere" CP Rail Public Timetable
"O. S. Irricana"
. . . __ . ______
Jim: Yep! Them's the ones! Single-light LEDs have replaced those faux-semaphores, though.
Randy: Yes, Western Avenue and A-2 are one and the same. And yes, I believe that is the plan--east by what we used to call Noble Street, and a swapping of at least some trackage. That would be a win-win situation for everyone, as it would give longer stretches of unobstructed trackage east of the coach yards.
As for TELX, the last I knew that was the reporting mark for Atofina Chemicals (which has ELF Atochem, Pennwalt, and Pennsalt Chemicals in its corporate history). I doubt that it was a clay-slurry car for that reason...perhaps caustic soda?
Still construction work going on at the control point: I can hear the horns from passing trains. But today is a day for me to maintain lawn-order here at home.
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)
zardoz Did someone say, "Puzzle switches"?
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...
CShaveRR Who thinks a puzzle switch should be preserved in a museum somewhere?
Who thinks a puzzle switch should be preserved in a museum somewhere?
Or install it in a great big classroom at one of those universities that have resumed teaching railway engineering courses,
I went out yesterday and watched trains again. This time I was farther west, at Edworthy Park, a lovely public park and picnic area. There is one lone picnic table at the south entrance to park where the River Pathway system crosses the Laggan Sub. at Mile 4.43. It was a perfect place to put my travel mug of coffee, and my scanner, and sit back waiting for trains. I saw three west bounds all with GE power, but nothing the size of the potash train I saw on Saturday.
The first train was another potash unit train with Canpotex cars, but with only two units up front and a single mid-train DP unit. You have no idea how hard it was to not type Robot instead of DP unit. For 30+ years those things were Robot units up here.
The next train had me somewhat confused. The first half was Procor tank cars, and the second half was grain cars. Both cylindrical hoppers and slab sided hoppers. But there was insufficient power, two units, to get it over the mountains. And it seemed to be too big to be just a transfer job to Keith Yard, on the west side of Calgary. However, I heard on the scanner that is exactly where they went. I have written about Keith before, but it is used sometimes as a staging yard to build trains to head west over the mountains. Trains come into Calgary from the other three directions that are too big to be hauled over the mountains. The left over blocks are sometimes moved out to Keith where DP units are pulled off of EB trains and used along with the units like I saw yesterday, to make new trains to head back west. I guess it is easier to turn the DP units back to Vancouver at Keith than to haul the whole train into Alyth and build new trains there.
And finally, just to prove there was order in the universe and all was well with the world, there was a 100+ car grain train heading west with two units up front and a lone DP unit on the tail end. At its core, that is what the Canadian Pacific Railway has been about. Grain off the prairies.
A great end to a weekend of train watching.
It's been quite a while since I've gone down to Fox Lake and taken Metra in, but I do remember quite a few puzzle switches on the north throat of Union station, and Tower A-2 has four of them (I think), plus the other diamonds there are moveable-point. If I'm thinking correctly, A-2 and Western Ave are one and the same, I'd like to see how they move that one further east, unless they move it to where the Milwaukee Line diverges to Union, which I think is a mile or two east of there, and they have the Milwaukee and the CNW swap sides down to A-2....
Carl: New (to me) reporting mark, TELX, was on a clay slurry tank car headed south on the CN today, what company is that?
Speaking of concrete ties, on my Amtrak ride back from Chicago last week, I saw what looked like a panel track made with concrete ties. I didn't know those existed.
James
Thanks, Jeff! No concrete at this particular location. I'll have to look at a couple of other intermediate signals recently installed around here and see if they've gotten the detectors.
I'm a little surprised that so many of these are going to the crusher (or cruncher). I do know that concrete ties last a bit longer if you keep flanged wheels from direct contact...
Carl, a lot of new intermediate signal locations have received dragging equipment detectors. Especially those where there are, or will be, concrete ties. A scanner won't help much though. These detectors usually talk on defect only.
Speaking of concrete ties, the other day we were stopped at Jefferson, IA. There is a private contractor grinding up old concrete ties. He has a tracked backhoe that has a device where the bucket would be. They load up 4 ties thru the top and out the bottom comes the re-rod and chuncks of gravel. It reminds me of a wood chipper, but it takes longer to grind up a tie.
These old ties are from a tie gang replacement project. There's a lot of piles of old concrete ties at different places from just "normal" replacement that these contractors should have good job security. It makes us non-MOW types wonder if the concrete ties are meeting all of their expectations.
Jeff
Good one, Johnny (the reference to "puzzle switches")! I think he was more impressed than puzzled. I suppose somebody should count them, but I suspect that Lake Street (the entrance to Ogilvie Transportation Center) probably has as many of these as Union Station's south throat, anyway (not as familiar with the north throat, where they'd mostly be underground).
There are also a couple of them at the Western Avenue interlocking. Eventual plans call for improving the Western Avenue crossing by relocating it further east. If the angle of attack is increased by this, double-slip switches won't be possible.
Quoting K. P ShaveRR: "Passenger sitting ahead of us thought he knew about switches, but had never seen a double-slip switch before. Lake Street had plenty of 'em for him!"
Was the passenger puzzled by the switches? Perhaps he/she should study the track layout at Union Station in Chicago, Washington, and St. Louis (the old station)? Birmingham Terminal had a few.
Congratulations on your millennial (and subsequent) posts, Bruce! That's a landmark, and your comments from a relatively remote area on the continent are always welcome (and we usually either envy or pity your weather!).
Good afternoon! "K. P. ShaveRR" here (imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, or envy!), with yet another
UP Geneva Sub A&B Report:
Part 1 (of 1-3): CP Y019 (Lombard).
As reported by this forumist, the eastward home signal bridge for the Lombard crossovers (Control Point Y019) was erected yesterday morning. By early this afternoon the westward home signals were also up.
Yet to be installed: plenty of cable (the black conduit material has been laid). New at the site today: the eight blowers necessary for forcing hot gas-heated air onto switch points in snowy weather.
Part II (of 1-3): Proviso and east
Dragging his wife with him on only twenty minutes' notice, this observer decided to hop onto a Metra train and check out progress on this and other spots along the line.
The new signal bridge for the approach signals to the Park control point (Elmhurst) appears to have the paddles for a dragging-equipment detector squarely underneath it. (That will have to be checked out officially sometime...or possibly with a scanner.) It did not appear to have the appurtenances for detecting overheated bearings, though in the opinion of this Forumist a case could be made for such an installation, over twelve miles east of what's currently the easternmost detector on the Overland Route.
Grading for the new third track (north of the existing track) starts abruptly at the Bellwood Station. It is interrupted by the existing connecting track from the yard to the main line for Provo Junction, but continues beyond that track, joining with a new connecting roadbed from the yard. The combined grading climbs a fill and reaches a new bridge, crossing Addison Creek (or Mud Creek, depending on whom you talk to), then swinging across the two (soon to be three) mainline tracks to form a higher-speed connection with the Indiana Harbor Belt.
Our main lines have been given a kink to get them under this bridge as well as the original IHB bridge (in one of the first CREATE projects, this IHB bridge had received an additional track). The grading for the new UP main line is south of the two existing tracks as it goes under the IHB bridge. It is assumed by this poster that tracks will be straightened out a bit before they get to 25th Avenue.
But wait! The control point currently known as 25th Avenue is not going to be there much longer. A new control point, known as 19th Avenue, will replace it, some 2000 feet to the east. Although all existing signals are still in use, new signals have been erected: a cantilever bridge for the eastward signals along the main line and a full signal bridge for the westward signals. Not yet observed: what kind of signals eastbound freights out of Proviso will receive.
Part C (of 1-3): Sights
If this writer had to describe what he saw, there wasn't much in the way of sightings, but plenty of sights:
The sight of a clear signal ahead as one races around the curve at Addison Road is a thrill! At the next signal (Villa Avenue), every train on Track 1 will be treated to an Advance Approach signal (unless it's more restrictive); the default aspect for this bridge seems to be Advance Approach, as all three tracks had the flashing yellow as we passed.
Trains: met the westbound scoot just east of Elmhurst (not too far ahead of where we should have met him), then a westbound auto train at Berkeley, and a westbound train of NORX empties just past Provo Junction. Another westbound, headed for Proviso, was sitting on Track 1 between River Forest and Oak Park, which meant that we had to use Track 2 from Vale to Kedzie. Some folks at Oak Park didn't get the message (never mind that the end of the freight was just west of them!), and we waited for them to run down to the tunnel beneath the tracks and back up to the proper platform.
Passenger sitting ahead of us thought he knew about switches, but had never seen a double-slip switch before. Lake Street had plenty of 'em for him!
Part 4 (of 1-3): The return home
More sights: the westbound train between Oak Park and River Forest was still sitting there on Track 1, we were westbound on Track 3, and track 2 was occupied by a working rail grinder headed east, followed by a hy-rail pickup truck making sure the foam spray had done its job.
Westbound train for Des Moines (I guess) was ready to leave Proviso and follow us west...but not before the eastbound scoot came by. West of Elmhurst again.
Part The Fifth (of A-C): The aftermath
Knowing that the westbound freight should be following us shortly, I decided to linger around the tracks for him (might have missed a few good cars). As there was an eastbound manifest from North Platte staging at Finley Road, I biked that way (Pat, meanwhile, biked home...had a show she wanted to watch), and on to Glen Ellyn, checking out the hind end of the staged train on my way. Looking east from Glen Ellyn, I saw nothing on the straight track, but one block (railroad block) along the way back, that westbound to Des Moines came through, moving right along. When I got back to Lombard (there hadn't been any more good sightings for me), there was another westbound manifest (for North Platte), not all that far behind the first one. I biked back to the new crossovers, checking out the site and possible access to the east end of it (tricky, but doable). Before I got to the street, another westbound came through...empty TGNX coal gons. When I came back to the street, an eastbound stack train came through. As I got up to the eastward home signal I heard crossing bells again: another westbound! I got back to Elizabeth Street...that eastbound was still sitting at Finley...so I headed home. Got about a block away when the bells rang and the gates went down for another eastbound stacker. It looked long, but went by fast. There were two DP units on the hind end, coupled nose-to-nose!
I got home one hour, nine miles, and seven freight trains behind Pat.
Next Report: Really, what are you waiting for? It doesn't get much better than this!
zugmann Hey, it's raining.
Hey, it's raining.
Started raining in Old Forge, NY at about 4 AM. It was still raining (and blowing) when I left at 5 PM. Not that I noticed - I was soaked. Our newest conductor had a cold and no wet weather gear, so I suited up and did all the "grunt" work. I still got soaked.
On the up side, I did get to spend some time at the throttle, when I wasn't on the ground (the regular engineer (and instructor) ran then).
We did cancel our first trip of the day for lack of riders, but didn't do bad on the later trips, considering that most "day trippers" probably didn't show, and a number of the campgrounds closed Saturday in the face of the oncoming weather.
When I got home tonight, I found that it had hardly rained here at all...
Hello, I thought I would drop by and thank everyone here in the Lounge, and over in the Cafe, for this, my 1,003 post. I couldn't have done it without your help.
The thread talking about calling signals over the radio inspired me to get out yesterday and do some train watching. I went out along the River Pathway system which parallels the track west out of town. I found a spot midway between Sunalta and Brickburn on the Laggan Sub., and settled in to see what I could see. I barely got my radio turned on and I heard a crew call the next signal west of my position, and right after that a WB double stack train came through. He had two units up front and one DP unit fairly far back in the train compared to what I remember as usual. This must be an example of what CP calls the new "Digital Railway" on their website. I guess they have developed new software to determine where to cut in DP units. It seemed to me a few years ago that kind of train would have left Calgary with only two units on the point. The extra HP from the third unit must enable the train to maintain this "Constant Speed" part of their new plan. If you can get all trains, EB and WB, loaded or empty, to travel over the line at almost the same speed you can get more trains over the line.
Not more than 15 minutes after that they were followed by a potash unit train. This was a big one, all Canpotex cars, with POTX and various finance company reporting marks.. Two units up front, two mid-train, and one on the rear. The three DP units were really slamming. Making a living the old hard way. All eight units I saw were GE's.
At the location I was at I was looking south at the tracks, and the Bow River was behind me. As the doublestacker was almost by, I heard a bunch of barking and yelling from a raft on the river. These people had taken their dog with them on their ride down the river, and the dog saw the train. I guess the dog wanted to jump overboard, swim to shore, catch the train, and drag it home with him. I almost wanted to turn around and say to hem, "Hey! I'm trying to watch a train here!" I didn't want to have to get my cellphone out and call 911 to report a drowning incident. The whole thing kind of spoiled my mood, and I was actually on my way home when I saw the potash train.
I hope everyone enjoys their Sunday.
Or maybe not, zug! Some of the companies have called things off. Good luck at any rate!!
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
CShaveRR Hope you folks in the eastern states come through this all right, and with a minimum of inconvenience. Hang on tight! ("My" signal bridge went up this morning; perhaps the one at the other end will go up tomorrow.)
Hope you folks in the eastern states come through this all right, and with a minimum of inconvenience. Hang on tight!
("My" signal bridge went up this morning; perhaps the one at the other end will go up tomorrow.)
we're far enough inland that we probably will just get some rain. Or a lot of rain. And some wind tomorrow morning. And guess who has to work? Heh.
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
Glad to hear you are feeling better. You weren't sounding so good in yesterdays post.
This might be the weekend, after all! Signal heads for the eastward home signal at CP Y019 (Lombard) are mounted and bagged. Lots of people at work this morning, though nothing has been done to set up the support piers just yet.
Cold has been kicked, and perhaps shaken a bit. I almost feel good enough for a longer trip this afternoon.
AgentKid Sad but true, somehow railroaders do get used to those 30 and 40 hour days. Bruce
Sad but true, somehow railroaders do get used to those 30 and 40 hour days.
I don't think they ever get used to it. Just something you have to do, though.
CShaveRR Your dad was no doubt counting on a good nap before resuming work...
Your dad was no doubt counting on a good nap before resuming work...
__________________
I ca'd shage dis code...id sugs!
I did, however, manage to get out on the bike and look at the progress at CP Y019. They've put the two sections of the west signal bridge's crosspiece together, and signal heads are wired through, but not yet attached. I think they're waiting for paint (gray, applied to the back of the signal heads) to dry.
The home signals at this control point will have two heads, three lights apiece. Thus it would appear that (a) there will be no signal distinction to distinguish between passing through one crossover or two at this control point, and (b) a Restricting signal, if one ever appears, will have to use a flashing red aspect.
I also noted that the two heads over a given track will not share a pole in common--they'll both be wired through the bridge. The lower head will be mounted above the bottom surface of the crossmember, and the upper head on top of the crossmember. There are walkways on both surfaces, and handrails as well (open in the direction that the signals will shine).
Although it's conceivable that the bridge could be put up this weekend (the footings are now there, too), I think it might take a little longer. They still have to erect the vertical supports (which are on hand). I suspect that they'll use a Saturday or Sunday to do the work, since that gives them nearly a two-hour work window between the scoots' schedule times.
I haven't ventured east of Grace Street to see whether they've made as much progress on the other new signal bridge. That would be best observed by train.
Thought I would share this story that my Dad always thought was one of the more humorous ones of his career. I see on a Canadian forum that in the, this day in history section, August 22, 1950 started the railway workers strike on the CPR and CNR that ended up giving non-op employees the 40-hour work week.
He was working at Lake Louise, AB at the time. There were about four or five single guys living in the bunkhouse. However, due to Banff National Park regulations about erecting residences, the bunkhouse was actually a MOW gang car still on its trucks and on rails, parked in a corner of the yard that was there then. At that time, Lake Louise has no electricity, telephones, AM Radio, or television service. The way the guys found out when the strike was over was that at certain pre-appointed times someone would go into the station "crossing the picket line", step on the talk pedal of the Dispatchers phone, and see if anybody answered. If they did, that meant the strike was over.
One afternoon they were playing cards when all of a sudden there was knocking on the bunkhouse door. It was the owner of the Imperial Oil "Esso" service station saying he thought they had to go back to work. He had heard on his battery powered shortwave radio that the strike was over. It took several tries to get someone to answer the Dispatchers phone, but eventually they went back to work at midnight that night.
The memory of that guy knocking on the bunkhouse door got a laugh out of my Dad for the rest of his life.
I have a brother-in-law, Tom, who does similar work. I thought he was making a living off just that (cartoons, illustrations, and figurines), but he has now opened a coffee shop: Art and Joe (in Steelville, MO).
Yours is far, far better than anything I could do!
_____________________
Just got back from lunch with daughter and grandkids, including a granddaughter who was very disappointed when she didn't learn anything on the first day of school. I told her they'd teach her to read in first grade (she's been a good reader for a year or more already), and the Look I got in return was priceless.
(Also the first day of Kindergarten for Emily; Nico will be going to preschool, as well.)
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