Busier than expected with those CN box cars; didn't finish with them until last night, and the Tradewater-CN-C&O-HLMX connection still needs to be done. So far, I've had 27 files creep in because of one old sighting; I don't expect any more to come up from this one (the CPWX series is finally done, too).Today was an over-the-rivers-and-beside-the-tracks day for us. For the first time since we started frequenting the restaurant we discovered in Gary, we encountered a couple of NS freights while we were there. One has to step outside to see the trains on NS, and those on CSX might not be visible yet. But I'm still planning a day-long visit using this place as a source for acquiring and getting rid of food sometime.Also on this trip: the first time I've ever seen the new NICTD bi-level cars in action. Last time I saw them was when they were coming through Proviso as they were being delivered.
But for the next few days, we're in the Land Of No Trains. So, if I can get relatives to ignore me for a while, I'll possibly get a chance to catch up on yesterday's and today's sightings, and maybe get to those TWRY hoppers.If, on the other hand, I'm kept busy for the next few days and can't get in, please have safe travels and a meaningful Thanksgiving celebration with family or friends. And do me a favor? Don't go out shopping on Thursday...that just further cheapens a holiday that already has strayed too far from its original intent.
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)
I heard about today's clean miss, Dan. I feel your pain...we went out for lunch and nothing came through. We had library and pharmacy errands to run on the way home, and were rewarded by two scoots--no freights at all.Wondering whether crossover switches are being installed at Wheaton yet--scoots run only every two hours on Saturday, and they could have held freights to accommodate this work. The scoots were on their regular tracks (perhaps the center tracks were getting switches?).Meanwhile, on the home front, I spent all day yesterday working on prior numbers (one, sometimes two per car) for a 400-car CN series of box cars. The intermediate numbers were in an ICG series, so we had to get some information there. That, in turn, has led to several other series that needed to have things adjusted (or written in), and two new files, so far. But mysteries have been solved, so I'm not minding the work. (I still have to finish with that CPWX bunch, too.)
And tomorrow, I provide C&O numbers for a bunch of Tradewater Railway hoppers (many of which found their way back to the C&O, in another series).
CShaveRR Well, Dan, your "tomorrow" is now yesterday. I hope things went as well as expected for you. Had I known you were in Milwaukee and environs Friday, we might have been able to get together (our hotel was in Germantown).The southbound CN train at Duplainville had a blue BCOL unit as the second of three. I'm still working on some interesting cars I saw there...a series of Canadian Wheat Board covered cars that has already gone through two or three intermediate operators before I saw them as NDYX cars.The temperature dropped dramatically here yesterday evening and overnight. After being close to 70 on Sunday, we didn't get above freezing today. Low tonight in the 20s, which should conclude Pat's allergy season for a few weeks. Today when I was out retrieving the car from a routine shop appointment I saw a few snowflakes in the air.
Well, Dan, your "tomorrow" is now yesterday. I hope things went as well as expected for you. Had I known you were in Milwaukee and environs Friday, we might have been able to get together (our hotel was in Germantown).The southbound CN train at Duplainville had a blue BCOL unit as the second of three. I'm still working on some interesting cars I saw there...a series of Canadian Wheat Board covered cars that has already gone through two or three intermediate operators before I saw them as NDYX cars.The temperature dropped dramatically here yesterday evening and overnight. After being close to 70 on Sunday, we didn't get above freezing today. Low tonight in the 20s, which should conclude Pat's allergy season for a few weeks. Today when I was out retrieving the car from a routine shop appointment I saw a few snowflakes in the air.
Last couple days I've been prepping for deer hunting...so I may be away for about 10 days...but we'll see what I see on Saturday morning.
Dan
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
jeffhergert ...On the other side of Iowa...the new bridge over the Mississippi at Clinton and the new yard complex at Low Moor has been placed on the back burner. That project seems to cycle between hot and cold, and is now on the cold setting. It was also announced that we will be losing 8 trains... Jeff The loss of 8 trains, one fears, may have contributed to the Mississippi River bridge replacement being placed on the back burner for UP's capital projects. Also, the state of Iowa (no doubt with UP urging) has applied to the feds for a TIGR grant to fund at least part of the project, on the grounds that a new bridge will mean a wider channel and less chance of river traffic ramming the abutments and piers (supposedly the existing century-old Tinker Toy structure ranks among the top three or four hazards to waterborne navigation on the Mississippi and Missouri river system, and removing the hazard with a structure of improved design ranks high on the wish list of the Coast Guard, which is charged with maintaining waterway navigation). Iowa's TIGR grant did not get approved in the most recent round, but it's a pretty good bet that UP would love nothing more than to have the feds underwrite, say, $15-20 million of the capital cost of the new bridge, which is a big ticket item, and so it's willing to wait until the feds come through with some bucks. One looks for Iowa to re-apply next year, and the year after, until fed funding is announced.
...On the other side of Iowa...the new bridge over the Mississippi at Clinton and the new yard complex at Low Moor has been placed on the back burner. That project seems to cycle between hot and cold, and is now on the cold setting.
It was also announced that we will be losing 8 trains...
Jeff
The loss of 8 trains, one fears, may have contributed to the Mississippi River bridge replacement being placed on the back burner for UP's capital projects. Also, the state of Iowa (no doubt with UP urging) has applied to the feds for a TIGR grant to fund at least part of the project, on the grounds that a new bridge will mean a wider channel and less chance of river traffic ramming the abutments and piers (supposedly the existing century-old Tinker Toy structure ranks among the top three or four hazards to waterborne navigation on the Mississippi and Missouri river system, and removing the hazard with a structure of improved design ranks high on the wish list of the Coast Guard, which is charged with maintaining waterway navigation). Iowa's TIGR grant did not get approved in the most recent round, but it's a pretty good bet that UP would love nothing more than to have the feds underwrite, say, $15-20 million of the capital cost of the new bridge, which is a big ticket item, and so it's willing to wait until the feds come through with some bucks. One looks for Iowa to re-apply next year, and the year after, until fed funding is announced.
Thanks, Jeff! It's updates like these that I wish we could see more often.
I'm a little surprised to hear that the Mississippi bridge is being deferred. With the projections of fewer trains, I can see where the railroad could be less interested, but I would think that the Army Corps of Engineers, or whomever else is responsible for maintaining the waterway, would still be interested in clearing the channel and the hazards that the swing span creates.Not sure I'll be able to get trackside today...plenty of business in my own back yard, not to mention here on the computer. But a run does have to be made eventually; we'll see what develops.
It was announced tonight at our union meeting that between Kennard and Arlington (Blair double track project) there will be a third track. Someone said "another parking spot" but I think with a third track they'll always have two open when one is blocked by a train in trouble on Arlington Hill.
On the other side of Iowa, although the above is in Nebraska, the new bridge over the Mississippi at Clinton and the new yard complex at Low Moor has been placed on the back burner. That project seems to cycle between hot and cold, and is now on the cold setting.
It was also announced that we will be losing 8 trains. It wasn't actually said, but I'm sure they are talking coal trains because that number was said to include one coal train that's already stopped running and another coal train that was previously announced to end around the first of the year.
The other night they ran a 12000 foot North Platte to Proviso manifest. Lately it's been in the 10K foot range, sometimes with a mid-train DP, sometimes all power up front. The 12K had a DPU. They had problems with it most of the way across. They ended up using two crews on each crew district between North Platte and Clinton. (I don't know how the Proviso crews made out, for all I know they too had to be recrewed enroute.) The original East Iowa crew never got farther than about 5 miles out of Boone before being relieved after about 11 hours on duty. Partly because they were on duty way before the train arrived due to problems while on the West Iowa. The first problem was two long drawbar cars right ahead of the DPU. With the slack being pushed in, it allowed the air hoses to hang low enough to get snagged. The first East Iowa engineer said the West Iowa crew had to replace an air hose about 50 miles out and by the time it got in, the air hose had a hole worn in it from scrapping the ties. It was finally decided to set out the problem cars and in the process of doing that the lead engine developed problems and had to be replaced. Some days you just can't win.
They were lettered either CNWX or CPWX, for the Canadian Wheat Board, and operated in the service of either CN or CP, respectively. There was some confusion between these cars and some CNW maintenance-of-way cars back in the day; I guess we could be thankful that they never used to come down this way very often.I think these cars have been largely assigned to CN and CP. This series, it turns out, was an exception. There were 250 cars here, CPWX 605302-605551. Most of these cars were relettered CTRW (the Carlton Trail Railway, a former CN line in northern Saskatchewan). Of those, about 240 survived...192 were transferred to CN and renumbered into the DWC 382700-382891 series. 49 more went to CP 392000-392048. It was the DWC cars that have been relettered and renumbered into NDYX series 814250-814499 series. Note that the NDYX series has a range of 250 cars--the cars were numbered in such a way that there's room for those CP cars if they ever are returned. And everything is in order based on the old CPWX numbers.I just finished renumbering tables for the cars in this group, in all of their incarnations, today. As I said when I mailed the results to my freight-car-freak friends, "Read 'em and whoop!"
CShaveRR I'm still working on some interesting cars I saw there...a series of Canadian Wheat Board covered cars that has already gone through two or three intermediate operators before I saw them as NDYX cars.
I'm still working on some interesting cars I saw there...a series of Canadian Wheat Board covered cars that has already gone through two or three intermediate operators before I saw them as NDYX cars.
Just got some good news from over on TrainOrders.com: The distinctive station building at Berea, Ohio (west of Cleveland on the Water Level Route), has been reopened as the Union Station Taverne. It sounds a little upscale, but ought to enhance this as a good train-watching spot. I'm hoping there's still room in the parking lot along the tracks to the west!Today we saw an eastbound stack train in Elmhurst, powered by CNW Dash 9s 8646 and 8701...they're back together again!
Glad you had some luck at Duplainville Carl. That's one of the places I still need to see. Spent some time in Milwaukee/Oak Creek last night...what a blast. One of the best gatherings and photo viewing/bull sessions I've ever had the privilege of attending.
One of the things I'm most excited about for my new desktop is the ability to use Adobe Photoshop Elements 8. I have a full version and wasn't able to get it working on my XP machine. Hope that helps my post processing.
I have a feeling tomorrow will bring BCOL, IC and CN SD60s...
We're back from our foray beyond the Cheddar Curtain. Yesterday, going up, we drove into Elmhurst so I could buy one for the road (a Diet Dew, for the caffeine I needed to wake up). An eastbound stack train on Track 1 helped us get into town, and stayed back to clear a few grade crossings while a westbound was headed out of the yard (conflicting route). Oh, good, I thought, I'll be able to check out the westbound. Turns out it was just an empty Com Ed train--nothing new or unusual there--so I went into the store. But when I came out, the "hopper train" on Track 2 was eclipsing a westbound manifest on Track 3. That train must have come from in the city, because it cleared at about the same time as the hopper train. Somewhere to our west, there were grade crossings blocked by three trains.The next little detour was to Norpaul Yard, where we saw sitting in the yard the Ringling Brothers circus train that had eluded us a week and a half before. It will be there for a while--the circus is playing in Rosemont now, and in Chicago into December, I think, and Norpaul is their base while they're playing both venues. Getting back to our regular route, we encountered a lot of crossing-blocking action at Franklin Park (the east end of Bensenville Yard) on the CP.The rest of Friday was the Wisconsin Quilt Museum and a couple of quilt shops. Yes, a railroad runs through the towns we visited, but we weren't so lucky.
Today, we checked out a string of covered hoppers I'd found on the way to the hotel yesterday. Got a good ex-WSOR car, but the ones that attracted me to the string were just faded cars with their old numbers re-applied.
Then it was off to Duplainville. In just under an hour, we had a westbound CP manifest, two northbound CN manifests (guess they're westbounds as well, officially), then a CN manifest in the other direction.Next stop was Trainfest. Lots of little kids with their parents, plenty of layouts of all gauges, and a photo-up for Forum members (see related post). Coming home this afternoon, we made a quick detour to Shermer Road, to see if any progress had been made toward replacing the bridge that collapsed under a UP coal train in July. But, at least from the north, all we saw was the fill over the street--only the barricades in the road suggested that there ever was anything but a large fill there--in fact, some of the signals for the Shermer control point seem to be on track where the bridge should be.The last hurrah was a westbound manifest that crossed our path in the last mile of our trip. It was notable because of what appeared to be a string of brand-new Railgons (GNTX) behind the power.
Paul: Sad to say, but I have not, looks like I'll have to put the Trains Magazine collection on CD-ROM on my list of items to get when I have the money again.....
Sounds like Carl had a good time at Trainfest today, my dad and I will be going tomorrow. Hope Carl had a good day along the CN, every time I went over the crossing in Burlington today, the signals were lit at Nestle North, and I did see one southbound while fueling at our new Kwik Trip in town this afternoon.
In other news, looks like Athearn is releasing Ready to Roll GP35s in Undecorated, which has given me an idea for building several of Wisconsin Central's units, as well as the GP35ms. Just another item on my ever-growing list of modeling projects......
rvos1979 Johnny, that part of the country is very beautiful, especially in the fall. The only downside? The grades on many of the roads we use out there are between four and nine percent, some hills I'm down to about 20 miles an hour by the time I hit the top. It's fun when the snow flies, too....
Randy, ever read these articles ? (I'm pretty sure Johnny has)
Mr. McCall was then a tank truck driver in the western-southern North & South Carolina region back then, and often combined the two subjects in his essays. Your comment above reminded me of them.
- Paul North.
Whilst getting the snowblower out this afternoon (it's not snowing yet, but it's just a matter of time...) I found a few gas company credit card payment stubs from 1974 that must have spilled out of a box of such records in the garage attic.
Monthly gas bills were all in the range of $20, with the exception of one that was around $50. As I recall, virtually all of our gas purchases were on the card at the time.
Today one fill-up with the truck is equals about four mounths of those bills...
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...
Johnny, that part of the country is very beautiful, especially in the fall. The only downside? The grades on many of the roads we use out there are between four and nine percent, some hills I'm down to about 20 miles an hour by the time I hit the top. It's fun when the snow flies, too....
Jeff, sounds like Saturday night in Atlanta.....
Reminds me of a bad incident on I-75 south of Atlanta several months ago, guy was pulled over, found to be drunk, and put in handcuffs. Somehow, he bolted from the cops, and decided the best way to evade them was to cross I-75 on foot......
He never made it to the median, one of our trucks (I never found out if he was loaded or not, presumably he had glass or beer in the trailer) cut his life a bit short, our driver never saw him until too late.....
jeffhergert CShaveRR Don't say, "Now I've seen everything!"...'cause just when you think you have, something even more amazing will happen. Didn't actually see it, but.... Coming into Omaha last night around 9 or 930pm, another train reported a trespasser near the tracks around 16th street. A white male, about 20 years old, stark naked was the description given. We were instructed to go at restricted speed and use plenty of bell and whistle, but we didn't see him. We did see the patrol car sent out to look for him. He got away, but the deer and opossum a few miles out of Council Bluffs weren't so lucky. Jeff
CShaveRR Don't say, "Now I've seen everything!"...'cause just when you think you have, something even more amazing will happen.
Don't say, "Now I've seen everything!"...'cause just when you think you have, something even more amazing will happen.
Didn't actually see it, but.... Coming into Omaha last night around 9 or 930pm, another train reported a trespasser near the tracks around 16th street. A white male, about 20 years old, stark naked was the description given. We were instructed to go at restricted speed and use plenty of bell and whistle, but we didn't see him. We did see the patrol car sent out to look for him.
He got away, but the deer and opossum a few miles out of Council Bluffs weren't so lucky.
Sounds like a 'normal' night in East London ....
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
...and we're back live again. My 10 year old Windows XP machine finally died...so now I'm on an AMD powered Windows 8 version. Learning curve isn't too bad...and wow...is this fast and quiet!
For those keeping score in the train department - I've seen 5 of CN's "new" SD60s in the last two days. I also want to report that EJE 666 "The Devil" has now been repainted in CN colors. Seems the unit was in a sideswipe accident after July 1 of this year. That's the latest picture of it in "J" colors that I've seen.
rvos1979 tree68Picked up my railroad reading material at the PO this morning (MR, Trains, Classic Trains). Finally got started on the reading over supper tonight and promptly found an error in the map in Trains. Highest point on the New York Central was on the Adirondack Division, at Big Moose, an elevation of 2035 feet. I've got to do some digging in my sources, but the 2% grade at the Detroit tunnel may have been matched by the grade leading up from Carter to Big Moose, and that's about 5 miles worth. Time for an email to the editors... I'll need to do that, too, found an error in a photo in the back of the magazine, the bridge at Narrows is not Virginian, but N&W, built after they bought Virginian. The original VGN main between Narrows and Glen Lyn is now the eastbound lanes of US 460. Ah, US 460, how I love/hate thee..... Barely recognized an area I was in today, the last time I was out there, was on the steel wheel. How times have changed in seven years......
tree68Picked up my railroad reading material at the PO this morning (MR, Trains, Classic Trains). Finally got started on the reading over supper tonight and promptly found an error in the map in Trains. Highest point on the New York Central was on the Adirondack Division, at Big Moose, an elevation of 2035 feet. I've got to do some digging in my sources, but the 2% grade at the Detroit tunnel may have been matched by the grade leading up from Carter to Big Moose, and that's about 5 miles worth. Time for an email to the editors...
Highest point on the New York Central was on the Adirondack Division, at Big Moose, an elevation of 2035 feet. I've got to do some digging in my sources, but the 2% grade at the Detroit tunnel may have been matched by the grade leading up from Carter to Big Moose, and that's about 5 miles worth.
Time for an email to the editors...
I'll need to do that, too, found an error in a photo in the back of the magazine, the bridge at Narrows is not Virginian, but N&W, built after they bought Virginian. The original VGN main between Narrows and Glen Lyn is now the eastbound lanes of US 460. Ah, US 460, how I love/hate thee.....
Barely recognized an area I was in today, the last time I was out there, was on the steel wheel. How times have changed in seven years......
I have also been through Rich Creek on 219, going by bus between Bluefield and a farm that is right on the Monroe-Greenbrier county line (one of my sisters-in-law was born in the farmhouse).
Johnny
zugmannI am trying to remember if I had hair when I went to work this morning. Don't think I have any now.
Don't think I have any now.
Zug, there is a reason I have my head shaved, can't grab any hair that way.....
I remember days like that when I was a yardmaster. Kept my hair...gained an ulcer or two.
Anything that happened today, if you survived it, will be an experience that should help. Don't say, "Now I've seen everything!"...'cause just when you think you have, something even more amazing will happen.
zugmann I am trying to remember if I had hair when I went to work this morning. Don't think I have any now.
I am trying to remember if I had hair when I went to work this morning.
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 found that my local hobby shop (not the one I usually patronize) had discount tickets to the big train show in Milwaukee this weekend. That was worth a bike trip over there to buy a couple. Pat and I will be there for the Forum photo session Saturday noon.
UP was having a grand time with its crossovers yesterday. In about half an hour along the tracks, out of six trains observed (including two scoots, two manifests, a stacker, and a coal train), at least three of them went through one or more of the crossovers.
Happy birthday to the Mutt over in the Diner...in people years, he's 62.
(Young whippersnapper!)
Picked up my railroad reading material at the PO this morning (MR, Trains, Classic Trains). Finally got started on the reading over supper tonight and promptly found an error in the map in Trains.
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