Q, we smiled when we went past Somerset, and again when we saw a sign for Stoyston. The Alleghenies are beautiful at this time of year.Sorry you can't make your annual trip. But getting Jean back to 100 percent is the priority! Best wishes along those lines.(We're in Philadelphia now, for a day or so; we'll be seeing the city the way it should be seen.)
And we made it to Cassandra this morning. Good spot for photography, but for us researchers, not so much.
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)
Hi Carl / Pat...
Sounds like you are having a great visit to "our" country....at least some parts of it.
Enjoy, as there is plenty of RR stuff and history in the area, as I'm sure you know.
Our annual visit to the home area over the Memorial Day period for many years can't happen this year.
But Jean is recovering well from open heart surgery almost 5 weeks ago. Hopefully, we can make the trip a bit later this Summer.
Enjoy...
Quentin
I was wondering if you'd catch one. They've been through my town, but it's either when I'm at work, or at about 3:too early in the am on my off days.
Oh well... they'll be around for a while.
Still heading due east?
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
Late note, before we hit the road again...saw my first NS Heritage unit this morning; 8104, in Lehigh Valley paint, was on the point of an eastbound coal train outside the door. I barely got downstairs in time to catch it going away.
I took my pictures of Alto Tower today. There are some modern signals with heads covered, but it was nice to see the old position-light signals in action. And old PRR-style two-headed dwarf signals outside the home signals (I'm sure there's an explanation, but it came as a surprise to me).I have not been to Cassandra; maybe we can check it out tomorrow on our way out of here. I know it isn't far. Today we went to quilt stores in the morning, then to the walk across from the Altoona passenger station platform in the afternoon. A longtime friend of ours (Eric Neubauer...some Forum folks may know the name) joined us for a good five hours of watching and waiting. Most of the trains we saw were intermodal, but we had one garbage train and a couple of manifests to break the monotony. They were the same trains we would have seen at Cresson, but they were traveling a lot more slowly, which enabled me to harvest a little more information. And the pauses between trains enabled me to check out or log a lot of it.
Here comes an eastbound intermodal train past the porch....
CShaveRR Interesting, Larry...I remember C&O as at least having longitudinal hoppers for ballast, including a batch of 100-tonners built in the 60s. I never did see any ballast-dumping operations on the Muskegon SD (just the evidence, from time to time), though, to know what they used.Greetings tonight from the front porch of the Station Inn in Cresson, where the pace has lightened up from what it was an hour or so ago.
Interesting, Larry...I remember C&O as at least having longitudinal hoppers for ballast, including a batch of 100-tonners built in the 60s. I never did see any ballast-dumping operations on the Muskegon SD (just the evidence, from time to time), though, to know what they used.Greetings tonight from the front porch of the Station Inn in Cresson, where the pace has lightened up from what it was an hour or so ago.
My 2 favorite spots out there: Cassandra in the early am (best when nobody else is there), and the turntable behind the Juniata shops (neat to see what is being worked on).
And I'm sure you've heard, Alto tower is on it's very last days operating.
Carl - Any more details available on those C&O ballast hoppers ? Mainly, which type of longitudinal door did they use ? (I'm thinking Enterprise Type 'D', per John Kneiling ?) Also, who built them ? (Now I begin to understand and appreciate the merits of "freight car freaks" ! )
How does the pace at the Station Inn compare with back home ? (OK, no 'scoots' or 'dinkies', but lots of helper moves instead .) So to be somewhat consistent, let's limit it to the mainline freights and locals going by.
Hope the weather and train traffic are cooperative. I'd anticipate peak volumes overnight, early morning, and late afternoon - but "Your Train Count May Vary".
- Paul North.
Prove it- go stand out by the tracks and wave at the camera.
Brian (IA) http://blhanel.rrpicturearchives.net.
I started out my first year on the railroad trying to figure out why my legs were so sore. Finally figured out it was from walking in the rockin' and rollin' passenger cars.
Fortunately, for us a five car train is long, so walks on the ballast aren't quite such a challenge. Still, trying to walk on ballast nicely profiled at 45 degrees or so ain't fun.
I remember C&O using the tie method of levelling ballast. As I recall, though, they just let the front wheels of the rear truck push the tie along. Then it was jack and tamp, jack and tamp - although I do believe they were using a tamper, not track jacks and forks (or air chisels).
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...
zugmann Aww, nothing like a moonlit walk in the ballast at night. A man alone with his thoughts (which made it a lonely trek in my case).
Aww, nothing like a moonlit walk in the ballast at night. A man alone with his thoughts (which made it a lonely trek in my case).
Paul_D_North_Jr zugmann, you should write up that chapter on your unforgettable night with the ballast train now, while it's still fresh in youir mind, even if you then just file it away for future use or reference. - Paul North.
zugmann, you should write up that chapter on your unforgettable night with the ballast train now, while it's still fresh in youir mind, even if you then just file it away for future use or reference.
C'mon...those tales are awesome.
Dan
To answer a few questions/thoughts:
1. Yeah, "Star Wars Trains" because of the automatic, GPS, computerized, hi-techy stuff.
2. Power source - there's solar panels, and one of the cars has a diesel generator mounted under it, if I recall right.
3. Maybe someday I'll pound out the story. Or not. I always figured I won't miss what I can't remember. Maybe I'll post it to this thread, though the zugtales of prior always got a lukewarm reception at best.
I remember watching that done once--the tie had bolts in its ends, and was chained to the hopper just ahead of the following truck. These days, the folks doing the work (including the train crew) would be given some sort of face mask, but not then. That was a standard 70-ton triple hopper. In my earliest days on C&NW, we did a similar job, but at least we had longitudinal hoppers. As the senior brakeman (three whole months' experience!), I was able to claim the job of providing grade-crossing protection, so wasn't always up close to the action. Never thought I'd see the day when a light rain was the preferred weather...it kept the dust down!
Even that photo posted by zardoz above is a huge improvement over the old traditional method of diverting and using just regular coal hoppers instead (not as much demand or need for them in the warmer weather when most MOW work is done), with a tie either wedged in front of the wheels, or held in position by chains, and regulating the doors with a 'come-along', etc. The cars in that photo are/ have specialized ballast hoppers on the botttom, and appear to be remote-controlled in 'real-time' by that fellow sitting on the 'bosun's chair'. In contrast, the Herzog trains are pre-programmed with location and amount of ballast to dump, inside and outside of each rail, etc. Also, the old way of doing it with the tie sliding along the tops of the rails tended to provide the same amount of ballast - full up to the top of rail - regardless of how much ballast as actually needed in that section of the track.
Star Wars, never heard them called that but I'm sure it's because of the satellite control. When you're old enough to remember having to dump ballast with a tie jammed under the hopper for leveling off the ballast, a Herzog train is a wonder to behold. It amazed me how they could stop dumping at road crossings and open deck bridges, all because of the satellite.
Those MILW/Soo cars seem to have remote-controlled dumping, so that fancy chair is a bit of an improvement from the old method of walking along and manually opening the doors. And those doors are an improvement from the ones that you had to gradually let down via chains and ratchets.
The video was great--I didn't know that different types of trains (PLUS or SMART) existed. Something else to find out...which cars go to which type of train.
First day of the trip was rocky. I thought our hotel was closer to Berea than it is, and we had to struggle a little to find it (and now that I'm here, I'm not so interested in going to Berea). Tomorrow should be better.
zugmann http://www.hrsi.com/railroad_services_plus_train.php Neat video on there ^ ^ ^
http://www.hrsi.com/railroad_services_plus_train.php
Neat video on there ^ ^ ^
zugmann http://www.hrsi.com/railroad_services_plus_train.php Neat video on there ^ ^ ^ Locally, we call them the "Star Wars Trains" and I've had several of them to unload. Usually we were told to keep the speed at 16mph. I had one night with a Herzog train that I could write a chapter in a book about. One of those nights on the railroad I'll probably never forget.
Locally, we call them the "Star Wars Trains" and I've had several of them to unload. Usually we were told to keep the speed at 16mph. I had one night with a Herzog train that I could write a chapter in a book about. One of those nights on the railroad I'll probably never forget.
Interesting video; I wonder where the ballast cars get the electric power to receive commands and operate the doors? Were those solar panels I saw on the top of the hoppers? I suppose the solar could supply sufficient power to operate a circuit board, and send signals to an air actuator, but how would that work at night and in tunnels (as the video advertises)?
zugmann I had one night with a Herzog train that I could write a chapter in a book about.
I had one night with a Herzog train that I could write a chapter in a book about.
Z, that is why I first turn to the Railroad Reading Section of each new Classic Trains Magazine when I receive it. I can't get enough of stories like that.
As you may have read on Newswire, or regular media, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference has issued a strike notice against the CPR effective Wednesday morning. The TCRC represents Conductors, Trainmen, Engineers, Yardmen, and Rail Traffic Controllers, in Canada only, which totals 4,800 members. After reading that number several times, an interesting thought occurred to me.
Dad told me that when he started as an Operator in 1948, he was number 480-something on the Calgary Division Seniority list of the Order of Railway Telegraphers, which represented Operators, Station Agents and Train Dispatchers, and their relief men. The Calgary Division was only two main Subs. in SW Alberta, out of CP's total Canadian operation, and the ORT represented only one of the main five groups represented by the TCRC, and yet they had 10% of the total modern membership. Railroading really was once a significant part of society, wasn't it.
Thank you Carl for clearing up that reporting mark issue with Procor. I could never figure out why I couldn't find countless photos of their equipment on the internet, compared to the countless other photos of freight cars out there. Once you put PROX and Procor into a search engine, away you go!
Hope everyone is doing well.
Bruce
So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.
"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere" CP Rail Public Timetable
"O. S. Irricana"
. . . __ . ______
CShaveRR Glad they caught that in time, Dan! Hope you continue to hear good news about it.Your first photo shows some of the Herzog Contracting Corporation's "PLUS" ballast cars. These are converted from old steel coal gondolas--the flat (or twin-tub) bottoms have been replaced by slope sheets and four selective discharge gates (selective--they can dump either between or outside of the rails, at varying rates) that are automatically controlled from a safe distance--possibly the locomotive cab--and at high speed. At any rate, I'm right now at work on determining the origin series for these cars (there are over 2000 of them now). So far, there are at least ten different immediate origins, and some of those cars were either second- or thirdhand. It gets fun, sometimes.
Glad they caught that in time, Dan! Hope you continue to hear good news about it.Your first photo shows some of the Herzog Contracting Corporation's "PLUS" ballast cars. These are converted from old steel coal gondolas--the flat (or twin-tub) bottoms have been replaced by slope sheets and four selective discharge gates (selective--they can dump either between or outside of the rails, at varying rates) that are automatically controlled from a safe distance--possibly the locomotive cab--and at high speed. At any rate, I'm right now at work on determining the origin series for these cars (there are over 2000 of them now). So far, there are at least ten different immediate origins, and some of those cars were either second- or thirdhand. It gets fun, sometimes.
CNW 6000 Met up with Jim (Zardoz) briefly Saturday. Sadly...CN didn't cooperate with any traffic. Of course...before and after he was here...
Met up with Jim (Zardoz) briefly Saturday. Sadly...CN didn't cooperate with any traffic. Of course...before and after he was here...
After we parted company, wifey wanted to stop at the Fond du Lac mall on the way home. So I dropped her off and went down to Lost Arrow road to sit in the shade and wait. No sooner did I turn on to the road when my scanner announced a train going south over the Lomira detector--so I missed that one by about 5 minutes. Isn't it amazing how the trains go into hiding whenever I show up? At least now I have a witness.
It was nice seeing you again, also.
CShaveRR Thanks, Dan, but I don't think photos would help very much. There's no way I can figure out how to determine the owner by just looking at them, unless there are perhaps stamped numbers that would not show up in roster shots.
Thanks, Dan, but I don't think photos would help very much. There's no way I can figure out how to determine the owner by just looking at them, unless there are perhaps stamped numbers that would not show up in roster shots.
Sorry Jim! Nice seeing you again though.
Enjoy, you two!!
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
Taking the show on the road later today...I'm hoping there are a few people on the Forum that I can see again, or meet for the first time. We're going up (but down), through the land of rusty belts, burning rivers, bent rails, garbage trains, limestone slurries, North and South, and if-I-had-a-brother-I'd-love-'im! Pat's along for the ride and will probably be the material girl, historian, and intrepid hiker.
Thanks CW.
Carl - would you like photos of any of those? If so...shoot me your email and I'll get ya a pile. I see them all the time.
Sorry to hear that Dan! Hope you'll be feeling better and be good as new in no time.
Thanks Nance & Carl.
Zug - I could always slip you some skin.
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