Thanks, zug!! I thought they might be but they looked so different than the others. Prob. just a diff. manufacturer.
(Ya lost me on the FEMA thing tho')
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
mudchicken BNSF/ATSF INSTRUCTIONS on Form "C" for extra dimentional loads was "SAPOHS" (Stop And Proceed On Hand Signals) driven by milepost location and what the obstruction was.
BNSF/ATSF INSTRUCTIONS on Form "C" for extra dimentional loads was "SAPOHS" (Stop And Proceed On Hand Signals) driven by milepost location and what the obstruction was.
Flickr link
You can see the conductor of the freight on the flatcar watching #8 approaching (at 5mph); he told the dispatcher that there was all of 8" clearance.
WMNB4THRTL (Ya lost me on the FEMA thing tho')
This might help you understand. Be sure to put on your tinfoil hat first, 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...
Oh, thanks...I think.
That "FEMA" thing is a running gag around here thanks to that article that Larry posted (and a number of others). Preposterous on so many levels, yet it refuses to die. Mention "shackles" on the Forum and you'll get the same reaction.
The cars are in fact two-unit articulated auto racks built by Gunderson (and other Greenbrier Companies affiliates). Their trade name is "Auto-Max", regardless of configuration, but most of them began life as trilevels, and you'll find a few converted cars that are now labeled "Bi-Max". The extra height allows them to carry two levels of minivans or pickups and a level of standard autos. Not sure what type of vehicles the Bi-Max modification carries.
Most of these cars are painted white. The "windows", if you get close enough, are just patterns of holes drilled into the solid sides. CSX does have some of these cars, as do just about all of the major railroads (with the exception of NS and CN), and a few minor ones (a lot of cars are lettered AOK, but I think the Arkansas-Oklahoma Railroad is also somehow affiliated with Greenbrier). UP's cars are lettered CMO.
In a way, I'm surprised that these cars have steel sides instead of aluminum, but auto racks in general come nowhere close to running afoul of gross rail loads, so the weight factor isn't important.
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)
There; thank you, Carl!!
zardoz - That's a really neat photo and caption, and well-composed with the signal as a photo 'prop' on the right side to balance it. The conductor down in that crouching pose adds a human element and some 'action' to an otherwise (unavoidable) 'still-life' type of view.
Much as I like the 'pictures of trains in pretty settings" genre of photgraphy, I like this kind of illustrative and explanatory photo - complete with a little story and some drama (only 8" !, so the 5 MPH) to enliven it. Thanks for sharing !
Got any more like it ? As an ex-rail, you may know of or get to see place the rest of us don't or can't. (More's the loss of those educational opportunities, what with the heightened homeland security concerns and paranoia . . . ).
- Paul North.
CShaveRRThat "FEMA" thing is a running gag around here thanks to that article that Larry posted (and a number of others). Preposterous on so many levels, yet it refuses to die. Mention "shackles" on the Forum and you'll get the same reaction.
That particular conspiracy theory is pretty broad - including not just Beech Grove, but a number of other 'interment camps' spread throughout the US. Of course, nobody has actually seen one, although a number of other fenced in areas look "awfully suspicious."
I remember finding a video on-line of a guy walking around a single head searchlight signal, musing on how it would be used to guide the trains of boxcars with shackles to said camps. It was hilarious.
Boxcars with shackles even got a mention here.
You will recognize some of the "characters." Others are folks who have come and (in some cases, thankfully) gone.
You just can't help but to feel sorry for this guy.
http://youtu.be/v7zR7NEzopw
* One could hope that the creator of that video was just doing it as a joke, but if you look at his youtube profile, well, I think he truly believes the crap he posts.
I did get a chuckle about the "skeleton cars". Have to tell the lumberyard they are using them wrong...
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
zugmann You just can't help but to feel sorry for this guy.
zugmann I did get a chuckle about the "skeleton cars". Have to tell the lumberyard they are using them wrong...
I'm surprised that he didn't think that the red, white, and blue shield on some of those FEMA carriers was for a new government agency. Just how ignorant of reality can one be?
Had a visitor to my regular train-watching site at the Elizabeth Street crossing today; he was a retired IC dispatcher who currently lives in northwestern Indiana. We managed to keep him occupied for about twenty minutes with no fewer than five freight trains (three manifest, one westbound FEMA-carrier train, and a wreck train). It was clever how somebody out east repurposed those carriers to handle cars and trucks, which could be seen through the "louvers". I'm not sure where the "wreck train" was going; it had about ten of the CNW 791000-series ballast cars with covers to keep the ballast dry during long-term storage, and two or three flat cars with panel track. It was headed east, toward Proviso (which should have one of these trains at the ready, too).
Pat and I had lunch after this activity, during which we were treated to only one scoot and a westbound train of "chemical thermas bottles" (ethanol tanks). On our way back home we were blocked by a westbound train of WEPX empty gons (if that guy knew about rotary couplers, I'm sure there would be a mass-grave explanation for that train!).
tree68 CShaveRR: That "FEMA" thing is a running gag around here thanks to that article that Larry posted (and a number of others). Preposterous on so many levels, yet it refuses to die. Mention "shackles" on the Forum and you'll get the same reaction. That particular conspiracy theory is pretty broad - including not just Beech Grove, but a number of other 'interment camps' spread throughout the US. Of course, nobody has actually seen one, although a number of other fenced in areas look "awfully suspicious."
CShaveRR: That "FEMA" thing is a running gag around here thanks to that article that Larry posted (and a number of others). Preposterous on so many levels, yet it refuses to die. Mention "shackles" on the Forum and you'll get the same reaction.
Of course nobody has actually seen one. Once you're in you never come out again. Just ask my friend who has a friend who knows a guy who has heard of a guy who's second cousin's barber's son went missing after posting on a railroad forum about box cars with shackles.
Jeff
(OK, I made it up. It was actually the guy's first cousin.)
I spent nearly 30 years working on a federal facility that reportedly has not one, but two such "internment camps." Having covered most of the installation during those years, I can't remember seeing anything that fits the bill.
On the other hand, there are plenty of fenced-in areas (a la Beech Grove) with security lighting, and in one instance, guards at the gates. I've been inside those gates and didn't see any "prisoners..."
These folks are strange....
Paul_D_North_Jr zardoz - That's a really neat photo and caption, and well-composed with the signal as a photo 'prop' on the right side to balance it. The conductor down in that crouching pose adds a human element and some 'action' to an otherwise (unavoidable) 'still-life' type of view. Much as I like the 'pictures of trains in pretty settings" genre of photgraphy, I like this kind of illustrative and explanatory photo - complete with a little story and some drama (only 8" !, so the 5 MPH) to enliven it. Thanks for sharing ! Got any more like it ? As an ex-rail, you may know of or get to see place the rest of us don't or can't. (More's the loss of those educational opportunities, what with the heightened homeland security concerns and paranoia . . . ). - Paul North.
Actually, I don't have as many unique photos as one would think (stories, yes; photos, no), considering my 20 years in the cab. Of course, during that time I kept my FRN-ishness secret, so as not to invoke the wrath of the disgruntled. And as I have been away for 18 years, I have lost contact with most of the people I knew; indeed, when trains go by on my old division, I rarely recognize anyone, but I suppose those with that much seniority are working regular jobs such as suburban, so I wouldn't see them out on the freight lines.
I'll post a few more photos soon.
Happy birthday to Pat!
No, not my Pat (hers will be here soon enough). This Pat is better known around here as "Boss Hen". Hope it's a great one for you!
Happy Birthday, Pat! I hope it's a real nice day for you and yours. Enjoy!
.....What keeps this subject alive....??? "Shackles...Skeletons", how crazy can one get. Guess it fits in with Halloween coming up fast.
Each time I read, hear of this silliness, I'm taken back to what was NOT a funny time with people and box cars...!...Just my
Quentin
Sobering thought, Quentin...we know that it's silliness now, but your memories are just as valid. If you were one of those people who fought for an end to such things (as was my father), our deepest gratitude.
ModelcarEach time I read, hear of this silliness, I'm taken back to what was NOT a funny time with people and box cars...!...Just my
On the one hand, they occasionally offer some convincing arguments. On the other, they offer little (if any) hard evidence to back up their claims. The whole "boxcars with shackles" thing is just our particular piece of the pie.
....Well...I won't dwell on the subject. I've just been thinking those thoughts for some length of time now, and just had to say it.
Copying my Facebook post...
This morning, no fewer than six people came up to me at church to ask why the trains were sounding their horns in the wee hours of last night. As a retiree who's pretty much out of the loop when it comes to current events on the railroad, I couldn't say for sure. But one thing is certain: it's not done capriciously. It would either be for a grade crossing (two longs, a short and a long) when there is a second train in the vicinity, or a warning for employees working on or near the track (a long and a short, followed by two shorts repeated until they are by all of the workers).Anyway, the horns started blowing again at about 9:30 tonight; it was the warning for workers. After letting it make me curious for a while, I hopped on my bike (which is still equipped for night rides) and went to the tracks. No trains were in the area, but there were workers in three of the signal bungalows: the two at the new signal bridges for the new control point, and the one by the Grace Street grade crossing. So yes, it's for people working on those new signals (even though they aren't in service yet) at that ungodly hour. I can see two possibilities here: either there's a problem with the installation that's interfering with existing cab signaling and automatic train control, or they are conducting tests prior to putting the new signals (and the switches associated with them) into service.I, of course, am hoping for the latter.
Carl: Cutover and the FRA related testing would be a smart thing to do over the weekend and at night. Cutovers always have "bugs" and delaying scoots and other trains would create unwanted headaches that would bog down the system even more.
Productivity at night drops, but somebody has to weigh the options, costs, benefits and detriments. It's probably less of a nightmare to deal with than track, but I still cringe at people working tired in a safety sensitive areas. (remembering the grade crossing disaster on SPCSL not that long ago in McClean County)
Good morning (yet another one...wish this could continue!)!
Two very important birthdays to celebrate today: one (speaking of the weather) is that of our resident meteorologist, Willy2. He hasn't been in here much lately; I suspect college is keeping him busy enough.
The other is my wife Pat's. She suggested that we celebrate with a bike ride...to a fabric store and lunch. (Just the fact that she suggested the bike trip makes me very proud of her!)
Well, hearty Happy Birthday wishes to Willy2 and to Pat!! I hope you both enjoy a wonderful day!!
PS ...and continue it will, at least in 6 days!!
The celebration(s) will, anyway, Nance! I can think of at least three other birthday folks this coming week. Unfortunately, the weather won't be as good. We could have rain here as early as Wednesday, and high temperatures in the 50s by the weekend (we're at 72 right now, which is cooled down from much of last week--the average high for today is 65).
Seems to be a popular week--in church yesterday three birthdays were mentioned, and Pat's wasn't even one of them.
The bike trip was fine; I think I helped her with some color ideas in the fabric store, and we had a good meal at Buona (Nora knows about this place!). We like to go there every so often; they offer free (soft) drinks for seniors.
Today I visited with a corresponding friend (a TrainOrders.com poster) from California, who met me at the Elmhurst station for a couple of hours' worth of train-watching. Unfortunately, the railroad didn't get the memo...the trains all went through before he got there and after he left. When I arrived at Elmhurst, a pair of scoots met a short distance west of the station. I was then treated to two consecutive meets right at the platform: inbound coal/outbound autos, then inbound stack/outbound manifest. All of this within the 20 minutes or so before Walter got there.Still, four scoots and two freights seemed to impress him. One of the trains was an eastbound "Salad Shooter", which blew through there at 50 on a high green. The other was a 10000-foot stack train that opened up as soon as he cleared the yard.Walter had to leave (his next stop: Rochelle) before the next inbound train came (as did I, for a quasi-emergency bike repair job). But when I got back to Lombard, I was treated to an outbound scoot being met by two inbound manifests, running nearly neck-and-neck (one of them had a midtrain DP unit).
Happy birthday today to another of the women-behind-the-guys-who-bring-their-experience-to-the-Forum: Aimee (Mrs. Ed) Blysard!
Well, birthday wishes going out to Aimee! Hope it's a great day for you and yours!
Another day, another birthday...today we salute Chris "CopCarSS" on his special day! Hope it's a good one for you. And a great year, too.
Busy day today...no guarantee of any trains, though. It will be the first day we've used the car after seven days without! (I hope it recognizes us!)
The car remembers us, and is performing well.
On a sad note, one of Mudchicken's "boyz", Angus (Gus) passed away this morning at nearly 11 years of age. Our sympathies to MC, Boss Hen, and the surviving pooches.
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