zardoz zugmann: Railfanning made the national spotlight! ....unfortunately. http://youtu.be/1IWtPwOCCHc Sheesh! I wonder if he wet his pants.
zugmann: Railfanning made the national spotlight! ....unfortunately. http://youtu.be/1IWtPwOCCHc
Railfanning made the national spotlight!
....unfortunately.
http://youtu.be/1IWtPwOCCHc
I've been away for a while...be coming back a bit more. TTFN.
Dan
To paraphrase another thread currently on page 1: He's not a railfan, he's a terrorist!The crossing gate is for the track that these units are crossing, CN's former EJ&E line. This was taken at West Chicago, Illinois, where UP crosses the J. (I thought I heard some sort of commotion that day...he was only ten miles from our house.) This must have been fairly early in the careers of these units. I do remember staying out until very late one night (having to work at 6:30 the following morning) to see a train powered by three of the six units. I was not alone that night, and there were videos taken, but we let the power speak for itself, as it were.
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)
So why did the gate not work?
zugmann Railfanning made the national spotlight! ....unfortunately. http://youtu.be/1IWtPwOCCHc
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
I had plenty of good train-watching at Elmhurst--the signals at Park were almost always showing something coming for the hour I stayed during and after lunch (I had a dental appointment there, and followed that up with lunch trackside from one of my favorite hamburger joints). But the most interesting experience for me today was the ride in and the immediate aftermath. I got on the scoot in Lombard, on time, from the Track 1 platform...perfectly normal. There was an eastbound train at the Tollway, sitting on Track 2, and a westbound on Track 3, which had stopped for some unknown reason beyond the signals at Finley Road. He cleared up shortly before my scoot arrived. Our scoot went through the crossovers from Track 1 to Track 3--the first time I've ridden through the crossovers from one track to another. When we got to Elmhurst, a westbound train of coal empties was headed out on Track 1 (which is obviously why we couldn't stay there!). After leaving Elmhurst, the scoot moved from track 3 to track 1 at Park (this is just one track over at this point) so the westbound scoot could use track 3. Before the westbound scoot got in (and before the empty coal train had cleared), I could see that the signal for Track 2 had a lunar aspect, so the eastbound train that had been sitting west of Lombard could follow the scoot in on Track 1 (sounds strange, but it isn't really--there are three tracks west of Elmhurst and two east of there [for now!], so moving from track 2 to track 1 is a straight move).The crossovers, by the way, ride very smoothly--the forward inertia is just slightly disrupted, or I wouldn't have noticed anything.
I figured they had a reason. Just one of those things that made me look twice.
I always liked the ABOX marks.
"That's ABOX!"
"Why, yes it is. And that is AHOPPER!" Ok, so it's more funny at 4am after switching cars all night.
Those plug doors serve as auxiliary openings, adding six more feet to the opening when the normal ten-foot sliding door just isn't enough. When closed, the interior of the plug door is flush with the interior of the car, so it normally serves as part of the wall. It would have been an ABOX car; that was the reason for the distinction in reporting marks.
For the resident carcheologist:
We had a railbox in town (with either RBOX or ABOX marks) that had a weird hybrid door. Had the normal sliding boxcar door, but also had a little (about half size, length-wise) mini plug door right next to it.
Any reason for this?
CShaveRR Unless he was using this as a rationale for failing to stop his bus at the crossing.
Unless he was using this as a rationale for failing to stop his bus at the crossing.
Carl, That's exactly what I mean---this guy was saying that bc he had never seen a train here in the middle of the day, he basically ignores the tracks!!! He was guessing when they would be at a crossing based on his past experience!
He is far from the brightest bulb in the box to start with, trust me on that one. You can tell that as soon as you meet him. He was not cracking off, he was serious!!! I think/hope he now knows better!!!!
PS I have called his company (once for a driver who blew through a crossing at traffic speed) in the past but no one there returns phone calls. So very sad it will take a tragedy before anything will change.
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
Nance, I'd just consider a person like that a blowhard, and ignore it...
Unless he was using this as a rationale for failing to stop his bus at the crossing. Then I'd be doing whatever I could to get him out of that seat. They don't have a "smiley" for one to angrily bang someone else's head against the wall, do they?
No news here today. Fantastic weather, and I wish I could be out in it. But errands keep us occupied, precluding any stays trackside for very long. Also busy on one of my bigger carchaeology projects...one car seen, 150 cars involved, three or more prior operators apiece. Lots to document and organize!
"Carchaeology"...I wish I could take credit for coining that one. It fits perfectly!
If this {required} CDL driver is driving a school bus, I assume he must be stopping at each one of those tracks everytime he approaches them.
If a commercial bus driver.....Then he better be alert everytime he crosses those "hardly used" tracks.
Quentin
OK, so here's a very, very scary one for ya--
I was on a bus recently and as we approached the RR tracks, the driver began to tell me all about this shortline's schedule and how they usually only run at this certain time, and he's never seen a train here at that time....and saying that you really don't have to worry about them because they only run at this time or that time....
Uh, REALLY??!! How many folks want to take a wild guess that he just might have picked the right ('wrong?') person to say THAT to??!! (In case you don't know, let's just say I doubt very highly he will ever THINK those things again, let alone SAY them!!!! I was polite but emphatic!!) Scary thing is, this man--who is supposed to hold a CDL--crosses RR tracks every day he works, probably multiple times a day!!!!! AAAHHHHHH!!!!
Woo Hoo!
I decided to upgrade my train simulator to Trainz 2010 (in part because my 2006 version seems to have issues with the CD).
Imagine my surprise, when I fired it up, to find the CSX Saginaw Sub as one of the included track profiles! Why is this significant? Because I grew up near the line (former Pere Marquette/C&O) and saw many trains on it.
They even did a half-decent job of representing my old home town (Milford). Would have been even cooler if they had included the "arch" over the Huron River (instead of a trestle), but I'll take what I can get.
I'll have to take a few more rides over it to see how they did on the rest of it, as best as my memory can recall.
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...
.....Carl...at least it's not "swellingbelly"....!
Greetings from western Michigan, where we found some of our missing snow for this winter.
The trip up had a few interesting train sightings, but nothing of any use. As we went under the UP (ex-C&EI) main line on 80/294, a manifest was headed south. Later, on I-94 we passed over the old B&O main line as a manifest and stack train (in opposite directions) went beneath us. Nothing showed up while we were in Porter or Chesterton, but when we left, we saw a train headed toward us in the distance on Amtrak's line. We continued on our route, and saw the same train clear the crossing a mile or so ahead of us. Easy enough, when their speed limit was twice ours!
We discovered a nice eatery in Michigan City, in the old Michigan Central passenger station. Good food, fast service, a reasonable bill, and a view (beyond Amtrak's main line) of Lake Michigan and the channel leading to it. The name of the place is Swingbelly's--the food's a lot more appealing than the name.
I guess there was more damage in Branson than met the eye from the news-photos I'd seen earlier...check out today's (March 2) Newswire. I hope they can run.
After spending a good part of today (about 90 minutes) doing my taxes, all I can say is, Railroad Retirement is great! The refund should cover a couple of trips we have in mind...
We're under a winter weather advisory for the rest of today. I'm hoping things will be fine for when our friends drive in from Iowa tomorrow. Nothing really frightful is expected, but I think the people of Harrisburg may have felt that way when they went to bed earlier this week. Right now it's raining, but the snow isn't too far off.
Sorry to see that my old boss is being sidelined by pancreatic cancer. I never heard anybody say anything bad about Mr. Young (the railroad's performance speaks for itself). I wish I could say the same about the cancer.
This unusual Winter seems it might be changing into a possible extreme Spring, meaning unusual / strong storms. The lower mid west has just seen some of the posibilities over the last two overnights.
Bad loss of life and of course extreme property loss.
I have taken note we're in some of the red zone for Friday....Not sure just when Fri. they are referring to yet. This is something we have no control over, but we can prepare for whatever is coming at us...if we know it IS coming.
This is a real two headed monster - severe storms in the mid-south and blizzards in the northern realms. It's snowing here now.
Some of those storms hit during the night - always a hard time to get warnings out.
Oh no, first I have heard of those fatalities. T&p out to the families. Everyone, pls be careful, whatever your weather!
We had warm temperatures and breezy conditions today. Not a great day to be out on a bike, but there I was, waitin' for a train. (Not much exciting for me on the train--a routine-looking stacker.)We near Chicago are lucky...we didn't get the severe weather that went through Kansas, Nebraska (according to Willy), Missouri, and Illinois. Branson, Missouri, was hard hit, but any damage sustained by the Branson Scenic Railroad in town appears to be superficial. Harrisburg, Illinois, 'way downstate, suffered six fatalities in an EF-4 tornado.We had a series of delays on Metra's UP West line this afternoon when wires blew down across the tracks in Chicago. One inbound and one outbound scoot were each held up for at least 35 minutes until the tracks were cleared.
There is a company in New York somewhere called "My Brands" (www.mybrands.com) that specializes in hard-to-find products. We had a special salad dressing that I like on ordinary green salads and Pat uses for coleslaw...one chain (Meijer) used to carry it around here, but no more, and we can't get it in our usual stomping grounds. My Brands carries it, and gives you price breaks for quantities, so we usually buy it in boxes of six. If a product has been dropped and your store can't (or won't) stock it, I'd recommend this outfit.
Keeping railroading in here: I got my current issue of Railway Age today, and it had a cover story on CREATE. Oh, boy, was I looking forward to it! But it turned out to be primarily about the Englewood Flyover on Chicago's South Side...nothing new, and some interesting but uninformative artist's conceptions of something in the area that showed only one of the two routes in question. Bummer.
tree68 Q - I've found that the best way to get something taken off the store shelves is to like it. Seems as though as soon as I get used to a certain store carrying a given product, they almost invariably drop the product.
Q - I've found that the best way to get something taken off the store shelves is to like it. Seems as though as soon as I get used to a certain store carrying a given product, they almost invariably drop the product.
....Yes, Larry, that really does sound familiar...!
I do not know how many times Ricki has been upset because a food item she has liked was discontinued--because the market for such had fallen off. To me, if an item has become a poor seller, the merchant or wholesaler is justified in discontinuing it.
Johnny
I'll vouch for that--it has happened to me countless times!! It is maddening, for sure or at the very least, very disappointing!
Carl....we lived thru the "trout" episode ok at Ruby Tuesday, but it did take a move on our part and move to another restaurant. Applebee's.
Our Ruby Tuesday is really a nice one....just a few years since it opened now, and we've been well pleased with it.
The dropping of the excellent entree such as the trout was a real surprise to us...And disappointing. We'll give them another try soon, and see how we make out. Then decide.
Today we celebrate a milestone birthday for someone who probably won't see or hear about this...
Happy birthday to John Bromley, former PR chief at Union Pacific, and more recently chief at the UPRR Museum in Council Bluffs. He retired recently, hopefully to many, many more years of railfanning, painting (the artistic variety), grandchildren, and reminiscing.
Congratulations also to Andy Cummings, after five successful years on the editorial staff of Trains. He has vowed that we haven't seen the last of him...
_________________
Quentin, I haven't been to a Ruby Tuesday for quite a while. There are a lot of things that they do well, but usually another place will do any specific thing a bit better. Still, they hold a special place in my heart, for many reasons: Pat and I were introduced to them by no less a personage than Mookie herself, and one of their establishments was the site of the great forum summit in Lincoln in October 2005. A Ruby Tuesday was also where Granddaughter Emily, at age 18 months, endeared herself to staff and customers alike by toddling around the place (under the watchful eye of parents, grandparents, and aunt and uncle), telling everyone, "I love you!" Sorry about the trout, Quentin.
Project report: on the most recent backup I exceeded 3000 files with information or organization (not sure how many of these are folders). I am still working hard on sightings from a week ago today. One has already given me over 600 more words in one file and probably several hundred in another, and another one has led to interesting discoveries, as the cars are now on at least their fourth operator. We also found, in that batch of sightings from last week, some third-hand box cars new enough to have been built for BNSF.
.....Thank you posters for all the good wishes.
Item: Recently, I've discovered Ruby Tuesday has great Trout with almonds, and lemon butter on the filet's....Along with my chosen sides.
This has been some time now and I've been doing my share of going there. Well, Jean and I headed there about 2 this afternoon. I'm all set for some more of this good trout.
First we noticed, new menus....Thinking well, new prices, and perhaps that is true, but looked thru and found no trout....Questioned the waitress about the new menus, and she explained of doing away with 3 items on the menu and adding several new offerings. Trout..? Yep, one that was eliminated...! Finally, I'd found a great item I really liked on our local Ruby Tuesday menu...and now gone...!
So we talked it over, and decided we would choose to leave. Appologized to the waitress....{not her fault}, and she was very nice about it.
Ended up at Applebee's....Did ok, but a bit put down...wondering why they would abandon such a good entree on the menu at R T's....
Just about 10 days ago we were talking to a female mgr. there and I related how great the trout was, etc.....She even ended giving us some coupons of $5.00 each.
Oh, Happy Birthday, Quentin!!! Hope it was a very nice one for you!
(Better late than never Carl.)
I have been cooking and cleaning up a storm today!
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