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...
CShaveRR: Darren, some folks will go to any length to seek out good weather! Hope you've had an enjoyable time.
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...
CShaveRR Darren, some folks will go to any length to seek out good weather! Hope you've had an enjoyable time.
Darren (BLHS & CRRM Lifetime Member)
Delaware and Hudson Virtual Museum (DHVM), Railroad Adventures (RRAdventures)
My Blog
Darren, some folks will go to any length to seek out good weather! Hope you've had an enjoyable time.Happy birthday today to RJ, known as "Miniwyo" on this Forum. Hope it's a great day for you!
Today, after I cut the grass (it finally needs it!), I have to descend to the STYX for a while. Last week I saw a covered hopper car with "STYX" lettered over the previous reporting mark (DOWX). The fact that Styron, L.L.C., had secondhand covered hoppers wasn't news to me, but the fact that they also had some ex-DOWX cars is...now I have to find these cars (there could be several hundred, with random numbers) and note the DOWX series from whence they came...then note the numbers on the DOWX listing and describe the cars in the STYX listing. Then, since Dow also owns the Union Carbide cars now, check to see whether some CCBX cars were similarly relettered, and repeat the rest of the process. I should do this today, because when we go to our cottage in Michigan, I won't be permanently tethered to the Internet.
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)
Brian - Pretty cool. It's a unique experience that not many fans get.
Our F-10 (nee GM&O F3) has a modern stand it it, so I don't have to deal with the "cans." When we get our RS-3 back in service it'll be manual transition and a 6 brake...
Push move? Try 10 miles through the Adirondacks, including near 1% grades, 5.5 degree curves, and a half dozen crossings! Just a day in the office, but with six miles of varying downgrade you better understand air brakes... And your conductor better know the territory, too. A downhill pinpoint stop on the conductor's sayso is a bit of a challenge, too (to pick up canoes).
Carl can probably tell you a bit about that ride.
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...
blhanel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEcpH2FoUPs&feature=vmdshb https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpblWC4B_k0&feature=vmdshb https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=840-p2a-GrQ&feature=vmdshb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEcpH2FoUPs&feature=vmdshb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpblWC4B_k0&feature=vmdshb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=840-p2a-GrQ&feature=vmdshb
Good Morning!
I've been out of town for the past 10 days and this might give you a clue to where I have been...
Very, very cool Brian.
Dan
Here's my train, Z...
MyTrain by blhanel, on Flickr
You can now also watch the videos at:
Brian (IA) http://blhanel.rrpicturearchives.net.
Used to happen at work fairly often, Jeff...ah, the things that disappeared with remote operations! Of course, other CROs could still reciprocate...
Congratulations, Brian! Watching Joanie's video over on Facebook as we speak!
zardoz Backward? Using mirrors or head out the window?
Backward? Using mirrors or head out the window?
Went around a train that was stopped to do intermediate work today. Going past the cab, it wasn't his head that was out the window.
Way to go Brian. The Boone & Scenic Valley is always looking for volunteers if you'ld like to continue sitting in the right hand seat. You could even expand to engines that move by boiling water.
Jeff
blhanel In other news, I now have alittle bit of experience running an F7 that's three years older than me, courtesy of the Illinois Railway Museum.....
In other news, I now have alittle bit of experience running an F7 that's three years older than me, courtesy of the Illinois Railway Museum.....
26L brake valve or the old 24RL?
With or without cars?
In other news, I now have alittle bit of experience running an F7 that's three years older than me, courtesy of the Illinois Railway Museum, and my wife Joanie got a cab ride out of the deal as well. Five miles out and back, both forward and backward operation. I feel alittle less like a pure foamer. Videos taken by Joanie using her Fuji FinePix camera are being uploaded as I type- stay tuned. Other pictures from my camera from that event yesterday as well as some shots this morning at Aurora and Rochelle will follow.
CShaveRR Top of the roster, hmmm?Maybe I am holding out for a buyout.
Top of the roster, hmmm?Maybe I am holding out for a buyout.
I hear there's one coming in a few years.
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
CShaveRR What a coincidence!This is a nice, round number for me, too!Congratulations to you!
What a coincidence!This is a nice, round number for me, too!Congratulations to you!
You have all your green bars.. top of the roster. I'm down quite a few pages.
Hey... this is post #3000.
Now what?
Based on a train trip I took into the city, it would appear that the forest of signals between Bellwood and Provo Junction is getting some accompanying trackage. Tracks and switches, all on concrete ties, are being laid in this area.The subgrade for the third track between Bellwood and Berkeley, and on west toward Park (Elmhurst) is in, for the most part. I'm thinking that the new track (which will become Track 1 through here) is also going to be laid on concrete ties, as there were many carloads of them sitting on a spur in the yard.
East of Bellwood, the alignment of all of the tracks will shift northward, so the low route off the main line to connect with the IHB (Provo Junction) will have an easier curve, and speed will be able to be increased.
On the way back home tonight, our scoot went under a moving westbound freight on the new flyover at Provo Junction. In the old days, the freight would have to come over the connecting track, then cross over--definitely wouldn't have been done at the same time as the scoot going by, as happened tonight.
Basically, because aggregates are denser than coal. A shorter car fits the load better, eliminates some of the moving parts (these cars seem to still have their quick-dumping outlets), enables the remaining car to carry more load because of the weight reduction, and prevents damage resulting from overfilling the car. I'm a little surprised to see aluminum coal cars being cascaded to this service already, but these cars are 20 or 21 years old already (how time flies!).I think Quentin's right, Randy. If they were to lay the rail at these temperatures, it would pull apart in Wisconsin's arctic winters.
CShaveRR Couple of updates on the freight cars: I never would have expected to see that the FRKX cars were built in 2006; they looked much newer. They were originally owned by Florida Rock Industries.And yes, the PMRX hoppers are former UCEX coal cars, and they were shortened by 7 1/2 feet when rebuilt.
Couple of updates on the freight cars: I never would have expected to see that the FRKX cars were built in 2006; they looked much newer. They were originally owned by Florida Rock Industries.And yes, the PMRX hoppers are former UCEX coal cars, and they were shortened by 7 1/2 feet when rebuilt.
.....Isn't it a fact the CWR must be put down when the temp. is within the normal heat bracket it will will find seasonally.....?
And this Summer season, certainly has been way above normal in some, {many}, places. Noted in our morning paper, Indy will record the current July temps there to be the warmest on record.
Quentin
Carl: Navistar has a plant in Cherokee/Barton, AL, Used to be called National Alabama Corporation until several months ago. I had never seen anything sitting on their tracks or any kind of activity around that plant when I went to SCA next door, the plant was built in 2007-2008. Sorry for getting back so late, but I don't use the laptop out on the road much, and Trains doesn't have a mobile app for the forums yet......
Did a whirlwind run yesterday from Richfield, WI to Neenah, then Chilton, then to Black River Falls, then back to Richfield. The route I run follows the CN most of the way, saw a southbound stack at Neenah in the morning, then dry until coming back from Black River, a CN southbound and I topped Byron hill at about the same time, passed the head end at QuadGraphics (man, I just love this new Cummins engine, had 46,500 in the box, never dropped below 60MPH on US 41).
I have noticed that all the heat has put a damper on trackwork, the welded rail project on WSOR between Slinger and Milwaukee has been stalled for the past month, guessing due to the heat. I don't blame them, I don't like getting out of the truck during the heat either.......
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
.....Trivia: First experience of seeing Sodium lights {hope that was the correct identity, they were of the orange color}, in operation, period....was on the opening {about a week later, thereof}, the Pennsy Turnpike...and that would be Oct. 1940.
Thought they looked so strange....and futuristic...
I remember my first experience of seeing sodium lights in widespread use. I was used to the blue-white light of mercury vapor lighting, and it was jarring and ugly. Not being a drinker of Tang, I couldn't have come up with Zug's description. However, I think that newer, more efficient lighting is taking us back to a much more natural color.
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We had to go down to Urbana to deliver a daughter to dozens of admirers at the symposium on British music today; she'll be shipped back home on Sunday. We were in a hurry to get rid of her (not really), but on the way home we had time to explore the former IC "Main Line of Mid-America", from about Rantoul to Chebanse (south of Kankakee). We caught one CN freight in motion, a yard engine in Gilman, and saw several grain elevators along the way with their own switchers, including an EMD, an Alco, and a Trackmobile. There was also a Loram undercutting train at work on the main line, and some of CN's own surfacing equipment. It apparently needs work--places with muddy rails betraying pumping ballast were numerous, especially right by grade crossings.The neatest part for me (not so thrilling for Pat) was discovering a "road" that allowed us to get closer to some cars in a yard in Gilman (it was single-lane, stretched on forever, and looked like it was paved primarily with ballast...but in the city it carries a name, and nowhere did we encounter a "no trespassing" sign!). We saw some nice-looking aggregate hopper cars bearing reporting marks FRKX (Vulcan Materials Company). The cars had four-digit numbers, most of which were zero...we were fortunate enough to see FRKX 0001!Another series of aggregate hoppers might be interesting. These were PMRX cars in the 92000 series. They appear to be relettered only. They have aluminum sides, with yellow panels behind the reporting mark and number. I'm thinking that these were former coal hoppers, reduced in length for aggregate service (There are some PMRX coke cars reduced in length from woodchip hoppers, so this isn't entirely unprecedented.).
____________
Heard from Nance today. She's hoping to go home from the hospital tomorrow, but has a lot of rough going before this nasty internal infection is eradicated.
zugmann 2120. Or as I called it, the "BeeGee" (B unit genset..) I don't know details, I'd have to dig up the photo. I used the white balance setting for "ugly yellow lights roughly the color of urine from someone that drank way too much Tang". So in reality, that photo would have that magnificent orangeish hue, but I made this my new reality.
2120. Or as I called it, the "BeeGee" (B unit genset..)
I don't know details, I'd have to dig up the photo. I used the white balance setting for "ugly yellow lights roughly the color of urine from someone that drank way too much Tang". So in reality, that photo would have that magnificent orangeish hue, but I made this my new reality.
I'm going to try for a new technique this weekend if I can time things right: back curtain sync. Open exposure for a time, then a flash at the end to freeze the motion. I'd rather do that than set up flood lights at night to blind crews!
....Sorry, applied the praise to the wrong person {for the night shot}....So it was Z-man.
And of course I know the word "genset"....but couldn't think of it at the time.
zugmann The 101 I posted is a 3-engine Genset. The little lunchbox looking thing behind it is a 2-engine cabless Genset (equipped with RCO gear) rebuilt on a switcher frame. Aren't bad little pullers - impressed me. I'm not a photographer - just been playing around with cameras for longer than I care to admit. But the stars have to align just right for me to go out and actually take shots. Then the moon and sun have to further align with the stars for me to edit and post such shots.
Aren't bad little pullers - impressed me.
I'm not a photographer - just been playing around with cameras for longer than I care to admit. But the stars have to align just right for me to go out and actually take shots. Then the moon and sun have to further align with the stars for me to edit and post such shots.
I was wondering about the photographic details: how long of an exposure, what f-stop, what 'film (?) speed' setting, etc. ? Also, did you have to do anything special with filters or post-processing, etc. to keep the floodlights in the upper left background from bathing the locos in an odd-colored hue of light and distorting the color balance, etc. ?
- Paul North.
edblysard Rebuilt from a GP 38, has a lot of the same parts as an MK1500D, cab and nose were built by Motive Power (Bosie Locomotive) now a part of Wabco...looks like it has a CAT dual prime mover...would have to research it some. Great shot by the way, so beside a science fiction fan, hes a photographer too!
Rebuilt from a GP 38, has a lot of the same parts as an MK1500D, cab and nose were built by Motive Power (Bosie Locomotive) now a part of Wabco...looks like it has a CAT dual prime mover...would have to research it some.
Great shot by the way, so beside a science fiction fan, hes a photographer too!
The 101 I posted is a 3-engine Genset. The little lunchbox looking thing behind it is a 2-engine cabless Genset (equipped with RCO gear) rebuilt on a switcher frame.
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