The Trackside Lounge 3Q 2012

[zugmann]

Looks like we got our posts counts back, but they stole some.  I was just over 3000 before the revamp. 

Hmmmm/

[CShaveRR]

We didn't let a little rain stop us from biking, after all.  And it was a good trip!

As we were crossing Finley Road on the bike path, an eastbound stack train that had been sitting there started up.

We got to Glen Ellyn, and I was able to make the railroad work for us:  a westbound scoot arrived at the same time we did, blocking two busy main streets so we were able to cross them unhindered.

We got to the third grade crossing in Glen Ellyn as the scoot was starting across (using Track 3, as is normal).  Before it was across, an eastbound manifest came through on Track 2.  Then, before it had cleared, we got another westbound... this one--another stacker--was on Track 1, of all places!

After Pat's lab checks (no problems, thankfully!), we dined at the 2Toots in Glen Ellyn.  Our lunch was interrupted only by a westbound scoot and an eastbound WPSX coal train (Are these the ones that go to Weston, Dan?).

I then had to do my volunteer work for the historical society.  As I was preparing to cross the tracks, a westbound Railex reefer train came through.  I was then hailed by Colin "MetraKid2" Mucha, who says he doesn't post much anymore, but lurks from time to time.  He was 12 when I met him; he's now 18 and in college...he hopes to be able to get a job with the UP sometime.  While we were talking, another westbound manifest came through.

I plan on spending the rest of the day keeping cool--it's nearly 90 out there.  Time to hydrate...

[CShaveRR]

Wow--I hadn't realized that this car had been relettered. 

By all means, write your escapades up when you have time.  I'm still waiting to hear about Chris' foray into Wisconsin.

No word yet on Willy.  Something should have happened yesterday--either a successful removal of the breathing tube, or surgery.

Spousal medical examinations being done today in Glen Ellyn.  It was supposed to be a bike trip, but it's actually sprinkling out there.  So it will be driven (which means that it could be extended to check out construction along the tracks in Wheaton).

[CNW 6000]

CNW 1 is a former UP LNG fuel tender.  CN acquired it.  Here's a shot of it:

 

I need to do a thread about some of my recent adventures & catches...

[CShaveRR]

CNW 1?  Not familiar with any CNW fuel tenders.  What's with that?

I got a nice surprise this morning--Chris "CopCarSS" May wanted to meet me for lunch in Oak Park, where he was visiting to pay homage to Frank Lloyd Wright and his architecture. I took the scoot in, we ate at Five Guys (very good burger there!). We caught a westbound manifest before getting off the platform. While at lunch we talked about mutual friends, people we'd like to meet, and plans for future trips. Great conversation!

(Heads up in Waukesha--Chris will be visiting Kalmbach one of these days!)

The tracks were busy in both directions--we met two westbound freights on the trip in, and met two trains and overtook one more on the trip out. One of the departure tracks west of Proviso has been severed; I suspect a switch might be going in at that point. Alongside the yard, the third track has rails and ties from Berkeley to Wolf Road, and a well-defined subgrade as far east as the Mannheim bridge. From there, I still lose track of it. New tracks have been put in around there, and I think that the existing tracks will be shifted to the new alignments between Bellwood and the Mud Creek bridge before too much longer.

One thing bothers me about the construction at the Berkeley Station. It looks like the commuter platform and pedestrian tunnel will go between the new track and the two existing tracks. Is this going to limit all access to the platform from the north? I can understand the scoots using only the existing track and the new one being for only freights, if that's what's intended. But it would have been very upsetting to me, in the course of my employment, if I could not walk to the north from the platform to get to work, or if I couldn't legally take my bike across the tracks there.

[CNW 6000]

Love this weather!

Saw the former-UP fuel tender "CNW 1" go through last night on Q196.  It's being repainted/shopped for use with some experimental locos for CN.  Will be interesting to watch what happens with that.

[CShaveRR]

Cut up, huh?  That must have gotten pretty costly.  It couldn't have been too kind to the signals and crossmember they were installing, either.

Good to hear that you'll be around a bit more often.  I know the quality here is better, but still don't like to see the Lounge dropping off the first page under this revised Forum design.

Now the bad news:  so far Willy hasn't recovered from his lung problems.  Tomorrow will be two weeks since he entered the hospital, and every time they remove the tube his lung collapses again.  It sounds like the doctors are somewhat befuddled.
 
Also, watch out for the mosquitoes this year.  We just got word that Lombard's Village President has passed away, at least in part due to West Nile Virus.  It's not a kind disease to older folks, particularly those undergoing treatment for other ailments.

[rvos1979]

Carl:  Was in the area when that happened, was interesting to listen to on AM 780.  They had to cut the crane up on site, which took four hours.  The UP west line got a lot of use, the normally half-full trains were leaving standing room only......

Might be on here a bit more, figured out how to post via my phone, so should see a bit more of me if I see something interesting.

See everyone later....

[CShaveRR]

Just got word that a crane installing a new signal bridge on BNSF in Westmont, Illinois, has collapsed, blocking all three tracks.

Nobody injured.

This effectively puts an end to Metra service on that line, at least west of Westmont.  We hope they can get it cleared off in time for the Dinky Parade.

Update:  Dinky Parade is definitely going to be affected--some trains have been halted, others turned around.  People are being advised to use the UP West Line as an alternative.

Further update:  the line was reopened at about 4:40 p.m.  I'm writing this over four hours later, and there are still delays and schedule modifications going on.  However, Metra assures us, the public, that things will be back to normal tomorrow. 

TV coverage showed a few grousing commuters, but most acknowledged that this was an unusual occurrence, and not Metra's fault.  Union Station was described as "congested, but not chaotic".

[CNW 6000]

Prayers for Willy!  I had a cousin go through that a few years back...not fun.

Nice report Carl.  Bonus for catching CNW 8701 leading.  8646 was last in KS on a rock train last I heard.

CN was to run a customer special w/passenger equipment late yesterday/today...but one car had a hot box and last I heard the people got bussed back to Markham.  Not sure if it'll run today or not.  

[CShaveRR]

Willy's still having problems--can't keep that lung filled without a tube.  Please keep him in your prayers and kind thoughts (my thought wasn't so kind, unfortunately...had to do with a tire pump).

_____________________

We returned from our ten-day vacation in Michigan yesterday (yay for good neighbors, dry basements, and rain in the gauge). Car goes in for an oil change tomorrow, 1000 miles overdue.

We couldn't do much yesterday, so I was long overdue for a train fix (where we were in Michigan, NOTHING was moving--good for researching standing freight cars, but not for the thrill!).

Thus it came to pass that today errands needed to be run. As Pat was doing quilt work in the Museum, I bought her (us) lunch from Johnny Dog, then went on to Elmhurst on my bike. When I got to town, the signals appeared to reflect the impending arrival (in about 15 minutes) of the scoots from each direction--they usually meet at or near Elmhurst.

So I went to the first bank, then back to the tracks--no scoots yet. To the other bank...no scoots yet when I was done. To the hobby shop (more later on the book I bought)--when I got back trackside, both scoots were gone.

But the control-point signal at Park looked pretty good--two more eastbounds lined up! Track 3 had a yellow on the bottom for a train headed into the yard, and Track 2 had a lunar-white on the bottom. When it changed to yellow on top, I knew that the lineup was for a train to hold the main line and follow the eastbound scoot.

That train on 2 was the first to show up--it snuck up slowly, but opened right up when its signal changed from yellow to high green. A stacker, and the lead locomotive was CNW 8701--one of only two locomotives still carrying its original number and paint job for my alma mater, the Chicago & North Western.

As that train was moving past, the ATWS started sounding off: "Danger--another train coming!" The train was another stacker, westbound on 3, moving at roughly 50 m.p.h. There was a DP unit working hard in the middle of this extraordinarily long train. Both of these trains cleared the York Road crossing at about the same time.

The eastbound on Track 1 then showed up, moving pretty fast. By the time he got past me, the air had been applied pretty hard (I didn't hear any dynamic brakes as the power went by), and he slowed down to a speed more appropriate for going into the yard. This was a manifest, made up entirely of loads of soybean meal and soybean oil, no doubt originating in the Des Moines/Eagle Grove area of Iowa.

After the manifest cleared, I crossed the tracks at York Road. Looked left--another headlight! Another stack train, westbound on Track 2. This was another long one. As it was passing, I went east to the Haven Avenue crossing. It looks like the eastbound home signal at Park is going to be revamped soon, to accommodate the third mainline track that will be going in to the east of there. I may have to learn these signals all over again once this track gets up and running.

But the existing signals finally showed all red, so I decided to head back home. It was about 15 minutes before the scoots were due to arrive, and as I crossed the tracks by the gravel pit, I could see that the signals were lined up for them, once again.

[CShaveRR]

Yes...coil cars with properly matching covers are rare.  At least, those from the earlier generation are.  Quite often the newer coil covers will be stencilled as belonging to a specific series.

Willy's in surgery this afternoon. 

I found a 20-mile bike trip pretty exhilarating today, in cooler temperatures, remote areas, and so on (unfortunately, Pat had to be rescued after not quite making it 15 miles).

[zugmann]

tree68

I have yet to visit Deshler without seeing a coil car.  Or a bunch of them, actually.

 

The coil car wasn't the rare part.  The rare part is having a Conrail coil car with two Conrail covers.

[Stourbridge Lion]

A little something to pass the Lunch Hour by with...

watch?v=xxQcvlLnzTY

 

[tree68]

I have yet to visit Deshler without seeing a coil car.  Or a bunch of them, actually.

[CShaveRR]

I can occasionally get away and comment on what's happening.

It used to be that all coil cars had covers, two per car.  But the "standard" coil car was made for "standard" coils, and could only handle steel coils of that size. 

Cars built without covers may be for hot metal that gains nothing from being kept covered.

The single-covered coil cars are shorter than the traditional cars...42 feet inside, versus 49.  These concentrate the load in a shorter overall length, and can haul lightly more payload, due to reduced tare weight.

A lot of the cars with covers with unusual shapes are designed to handle coils of varying sizes, including those larger than in traditional coil cars.

Thank you.  Now, back to my vacation.  I hope to be able to see a few freight cars before returning to the cottage in railroad-free Oceana County tonight.

Before I forget, thoughts and prayers, please, for our weatherman friend Willy.  He went into the hospital Sunday with a collapsed lung (he says it happens to skinny guys for some unknown reason).  He doesn't know how long he'll be in there.

[CNW 6000]

The markings seen on the coil car below (my picture) were seen in Neenah, WI on a train going to Green Bay, WI.  All I'm gonna say is yikes...

http://flic.kr/p/bHNKza  Direct link to Flickr.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

Note the different style and much longer cover on the car to the rear, from the pair of covers on the closest car. 

[Mookie]

Zug - we see coil cars thru here every so often.  Just not Conrail, altho we have had some Conrail marked rolling stock. 

Someone once told me that a coil car with a "lid" was pretty unusual, but we still see more covered than not.

[zugmann]

Since Carl is on vacation, I'll fill in for a freight car post:

 

Conrail coil car, and two conrail covers.  Taken last week, and it's a site that isn't as common as it used to be. 

 

[AgentKid]

Good evening.

I was catching up on a week or so worth of posts from my favourite Canadian RR forums, and found a couple of items I thought might be of interest. Don't you just hate it when reality intrudes on your hobby reading time?

The two EMD SD9043MAC's, 9142 and 9134, that had been retrofitted to be EPA compliant and then turned loose in the US, have been sent back to Winnipeg about July 22 to be put back into storage. Another good idea gone bad, I guess.

And there has been speculation on several threads about what EHH has been planning to do with the 2816 steam program. I don't know about that, but... the GP38-2, 3084 that had been painted in the old maroon and gray paint job and otherwise outfitted to work with the 2816, has gone back into the regular service pool starting August 1.

Hope everyone is well.

Bruce

 

[Mookie]

mudchicken

Mookie:

CNW 6000:

One never knows...maybe he used catnip for cologne!

 

^~^ ?

 

Shhh! - Driver's "secret" is out.....

[mudchicken]

Mookie

CNW 6000:

One never knows...maybe he used catnip for cologne!

 

^~^ ?

Shhh! - Driver's "secret" is out.....

[Mookie]

CNW 6000

One never knows...maybe he used catnip for cologne!

^~^ ?

[CShaveRR]

I understand that Lombard got hit by some good storms today.  I hope to watch them roll in across Lake Michigan later this evening.

Nothing railroady to report.  We're on our annual foray to the County Where Railroads No Longer Exist.  (Good thing they leave their rights-of-way as usable bike trails!)

[CNW 6000]

One never knows...maybe he used catnip for cologne!

[mudchicken]

I-R-Confuzzed Department:

In 1996 BNSF spins off 120 miles of branchline that becomes the Nebraska NorthEastern.....NOW they are buying it back (?)

The Forum Cat got to Warren Buffet?

[blhanel]

No kidding... although right now I don't think 6+" over all of Iowa would even bring the river back up to normal, let alone cause a flood...

[CNW 6000]

Remember that high water mark at the restaurant we met at Brian?  Be careful what you wish for!

[blhanel]

mudchicken

Stourbridge Lion:

CShaveRR:

Darren, some folks will go to any length to seek out good weather!  Hope you've had an enjoyable time.

 

It was about 30F cooler in Alaska then Denver and we also got away from all the Political Ads and Shooting News which was nice too.  Was sure tough to come back to work today...

 

Appreciate you bringing the water with you on the way back.

So how about you send some of it this way?