I don't know whether this will work, but over on Trainorders.com they have a nice down-on view or two of the construction I've been blathering about in the vicinity of Bellwood and Provo Junction:
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,2974051
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)
MC, much of that IHB line is gone now. From Ivanhoe to Gary is reporterdly still there, but by the time it crosses U.S. 12-20 and the Toll Road on those big NYC-esque bridges, it's gone. (Toll road bridges are gone, too, but the bridge over U.S. 12-20 is still there. The industries around Dune Park are still in; I think this is now the Lake Michigan & Indiana Railroad (LMIC). They connect with CR in the Burns Harbor area, but I don't see a connection with the South Shore.Are you saying that there was a another line parallel to this? Which side of it?
I didn't notice if any racks came through Utica yesterday, as I was generally tied up with the train show. It would have been a good day, though, as everyone was slowed down due to signal work at CP239 (CSX is replacing the old NYC signals along the Chicago Line).
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...
Let us know when you're here, MC, and we'll join you for lunch at the Great Lakes Cafe in Gary! (I have books on the initial and final plans in the Dungeon, but if you say that segment isn't there I'll take your word for it.)
Today's the day the architect and contractor come over and we discuss the addition to our house. Details are still sketchy, but we expect something constructive to come out of this session.
Carl:
3257 is SUPPOSED to be next door to you, owned by CR/NS and used to be operated by IHB prior to 2005 when they gave up on it, CSSHegewich may go by it some days in his travels daily. The problem is, nobody seems to have a complete set of USRA/ CR line code numbers anymore. Does not appear in either of CR's final or proposed system plans because CR and its NYC predecessors, going back to 1906, never operated the line ....Ivanahoe-Gary-Miller-Dune Park. (A related line exists as 3250 and is still IHB operated/CR owned) ....I may have to be there soon (figures, just as the thermometer takes a dive)
Cripes Carl...I have been seeing them for a while. I'll get you some numbers.
Dan
I'd help if I could, MC!
The following was shamelessly stolen from a Facebook post.Thanks to the desire to run my errands with my bike on the last day of the January Thaw, I was treated to another demonstration of why the railroad needs three tracks through town.As I approached Main Street from the post office, I noticed the eastbound scoot arriving on Track 1, as usual and close to on time. I had to wait for the light, so by the time I got up the hill to Park, it was leaving. Before I got to Elizabeth, though, the gates were going down again. I got to the crossing at the same time as the westbound train of CWEX coal gons on Track 2.Then, coming out from behind the cars around the curve was the headlight of another westbound on Track 3. This one had four units on the point and a trainload of auto racks (loads from various automakers combined by destination in Indiana and delivered to UP near Proviso). He wasn't initially moving as fast as the CWEX train (had I still been at Grace Street, where I'd crossed the tracks for the post office, all three tracks would have been occupied at once by fast-moving trains, possibly to the point where it would have been impossible to determine which of the three had dropped the gates).As I continued to watch (not much choice there...had to get to Walgreens), the auto train started to pick up speed--it appeared that they were matched before the CWEX train's DP unit went past (you don't always see 'em, but you could hear this one--still leaning into it). The auto train had one of the racks that I'd been looking for, but it was moving too fast for me to catch the one-inch-tall lettering that would have told me when the flat car was built. Fellow railfans, please do me a favor if you can. If you see one of those new WRWK auto rack cars, please shoot me the number (starting with 300000; don't know for sure how high) and the build date. We know that the racks themselves (white frames, with commemorative logos for the Kansas City Southern's 125th anniversary) are new, but I still don't know whether the flat cars themselves are new or "repurposed".
Conrail/USRA Line Code 3257, where art thou?
Yes, Johnny, it's a cruel world out there. I can't run off and stay anywhere for long enough to see the things I want to. Pat would be bored if she accompanied me (she's got a cold now, so she's not going out anywhere). I have tried staying at Elmhurst until it gets cold or dark, but the railroad doesn't cooperate (as I've mentioned before, I prefer Elmhurst to Lombard because the trains--even though they're the same ones I'd see here--tend to move more slowly, giving me a chance to either get more info or be more accurate on what I'm able to glean from the passing equipment).Doesn't matter at the moment, though. I got an e-mail with a few prior-identities for box and tank cars I'd been curious about. I also have found myself a website that helps dig out origins for the tank cars on one of those small-time leasing companies that get the big guys' worn-out cars and try to breathe a little more life into them. I'll be busy here most of the day, and the morrow, and the next week...But I definitely want to get out in today's weather--we're at 42 now, and the temperature's not supposed to plummet until the high winds come this evening (advisory says 7:00). They're threatening subzero lows for two or three days from now. No major snow forecast.
I don't like Dan's avatar. Makes me think I'm at work.
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
"The starvation diet of manifest trains continues for me. " You poor man! Are you going to waste away to nothing? Can Pat do anything to help?
Johnny
The starvation diet of manifest trains continues for me. A trip to Chicago netted one such train...on the adjacent track, too close (and too fast) for me to see much of anything. Lots of stack trains observed today, though, and an auto train (also too close) with one of the common-but-evasive WRWK trilevels (I see their KCS commemorative logos, but can never catch a build date off one of the flats).The triple-track project is making slow progress. There is rail on the new Track 1 up to Bellwood Station from the east, and sub-ballast all the way past the station and under the bridge. It's now possible to see more clearly where the three tracks will be shifted through there.
On a sadder note, the Lake Street tower at the north throat of Union Station (not to be confused with Lake Street at the throat of Ogilvie Transportation Center) has been leveled. That was an attractive building--not at all deteriorated--right up until the backhoe hit it.
rvos1979 Carl: UP still runs to the power plant in Sheboygan, and I'm not sure who has the contract right now for the Pleasant Prarie plant, but I think that one is also UP..... Also had a doctor's appointment today, was happy that I lost about 23 pounds......
Carl: UP still runs to the power plant in Sheboygan, and I'm not sure who has the contract right now for the Pleasant Prarie plant, but I think that one is also UP.....
Also had a doctor's appointment today, was happy that I lost about 23 pounds......
True dat, Randy, but those trains run with EDGX and WEPX gons, respectively.Congratulations on the weight loss. Instead of weight, I lost ground...
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
Johnny: yes, of course!
Good news, though--the outcome was nothing like that. My blood PSA level was no longer elevated, so I'm good to go.Dan, I saw a WPSX train headed east and hanging a left at Elmhurst. Is there some other plant that these go to, besides the one you're concerned about?
Lots of people working at the crossover site in Wheaton, but no more new switches have been installed. Still can't find the footings for the westward absolute signals, either.
Johnny,
Reading your posts makes me think about things I shouldn't be thinking about.
"Tender:" is that a noun or an adjective?
The best part of my doctor's appointment today is that I can take the train to it (Lombard to Winfield and return); I'll check on any progress at the Wheaton crossovers while I'm on the trains.The worst part is that I'll probably be feeling like a steam locomotive when I'm done. (You know, with a tender behind.)
Before the Civil War most of the smart money in the country was invested in canals. While canals were expensive they connected natural waterways (such as Lake Michigan and the Mississipi River) which were free. Canal boats could carry far more cargo than a railroad car and more cheaply. Government favored canals as a much safer investment for the people's money than a railroad. The whole idea of building an iron road much of which only paralleled natural waterways certainly was absolutely ridiculous or so it seemed. Railroads might have some limited use to go where canals could not but their only purpose was to get to the closest waterway.
Somehow things didn't work out that way. Railroads wound up putting many canals out of business. The old Morris Canal which used to run near my house is an example. Ultimately a railroad, the Delawre Lackawanna and Western put it out of business. The railroad could carry coal from Scranton, PA to the Hudson River more cheaply than the canal could.
And the inclined planes were a Rube Goldberg invention if ever there was one.
Canals are pretty important here in the Chicago area as well. It's the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal that's the key to connecting Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River (and why the Chicago River flows upstream, and why the river level in the downtown is a few feet below that of Lake Michigan). The most notable canal, from a historic standpoint, is the Illinois & Michigan Canal. It didn't cut through the divide between the lake and the river, but it started at the portage that was later cut through, and followed the Des Plaines and Illinois Rivers as far as LaSalle. Much of the Rock Island's main line between Joliet and LaSalle is never far from the canal. The entire length of the canal and environs is now a national historic site, one can bike or hike along the old tow-paths, and still view some of the lock sites, aqueducts, and spillways.Another canal that's important to navigation (probably more so than the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal these days) is the Calumet Sag Channel, connecting the Calumet River with the Illinois Waterway (the I&M Canal's modern-day replacement) near the Saganashkee Slough (that's where "Sag" comes from in the name). This is the canal whose bridges one can't miss while railfanning at Blue Island.On two occasions I was able to take a (pleasure-boat) ride that made the triangle including the Cal-Sag Channel, Calumet River, Lake Michigan, Chicago River, Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal, and Illinois Waterway as far as the Cal-Sag Channel. One passes through locks on the Calumet River to get up to the level of Lake Michigan, then down to channel level again at the mouth of the Chicago River. If I had a boat of my own, I'd be spending a lot of time giving railfan tours of the fascinating bridges along this route, both highway and rail (unfortunately, since I took my trips, they quit using the Hulett coal unloaders on the Calumet River...those machines in action were thoroughly fascinating to everyone in my extended family, young and old (my youngest niece considered them the high point of the trip).
In my town (Bloomfield, NJ) Canals are the big topic. The Morris Canal ran through the town and there was at least one inclined plane here. The canal carried iron from western New Jersey and later coal. Before the canal was built it was cheaper to import iron from Britain than to haul it 30 miles from western New Jersey to New York. Canals were certainly important.
But railroads were important too. Locally there was the Newark and Bloomfield railroad which was built before 1850. The line still provides commuter service with two stations in town. It has been improved so gentlemen passengers are no longer required to get out and push it up the hills.
zugmann Murphy Siding Don't sell yourself short. Besides, the avatars aren't THAT small. For example, in the recent one, where you have a picture of yourself in it, your face isn't that clear, but I can make out that you're wearing a hat. I never had one with a picture of myself in it. Now if you are confusing me with the raccoon, I don't know whether to chuckle or be offended? I'll chuckle. And as an update - I did get the airhose hooked up. Just need a regulator, moisture trap, and some paint would probably help. Next days' off project.
Murphy Siding Don't sell yourself short. Besides, the avatars aren't THAT small. For example, in the recent one, where you have a picture of yourself in it, your face isn't that clear, but I can make out that you're wearing a hat.
Don't sell yourself short. Besides, the avatars aren't THAT small. For example, in the recent one, where you have a picture of yourself in it, your face isn't that clear, but I can make out that you're wearing a hat.
I never had one with a picture of myself in it. Now if you are confusing me with the raccoon, I don't know whether to chuckle or be offended?
I'll chuckle.
And as an update - I did get the airhose hooked up. Just need a regulator, moisture trap, and some paint would probably help. Next days' off project.
CShaveRR I had a packed house (about 35 or so people) for my talk on the local railroads for our historical society this afternoon. I got some compliments, and nobody walked out (at least not beyond the refreshment table). My talk kicked off the Historical Society's series of "Second Sunday" talks. I wished them better luck next time...the talk will still be about "railroads", but they'll take it underground.
I had a packed house (about 35 or so people) for my talk on the local railroads for our historical society this afternoon. I got some compliments, and nobody walked out (at least not beyond the refreshment table). My talk kicked off the Historical Society's series of "Second Sunday" talks. I wished them better luck next time...the talk will still be about "railroads", but they'll take it underground.
Years ago (10+ now) there was a local restaurant/bar that used to have a day of railroad speakers. Everything from slide shows to historical talks. Lasted a few hours and they packed the place. There's very few things like that anymore around here it seems. Even the local museums don't do squat - and this area is very rich in RR history.
zugmann Murphy Siding I think we're all looking forward to some original avatar artwork from you now. The pressure's on. Nah, I pretty much suck at art. I just do it for fun. Besides, with this new forum software the avatars are so tiny you can't make out half of them.
Murphy Siding I think we're all looking forward to some original avatar artwork from you now. The pressure's on.
I think we're all looking forward to some original avatar artwork from you now. The pressure's on.
Nah, I pretty much suck at art. I just do it for fun. Besides, with this new forum software the avatars are so tiny you can't make out half of them.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
And hopefully by the end of the week, I'll have this job thing squared away.
zugmann Deggesty Zug, I have known what National Pipe Thread is, but what is BSP?--I may have been familiar with fittings using this type of thread, but did not know it by that designation. Does it have to do with small tubing? 3/4" down to 1/8" is quite a reduction, is it not? And Carl - I am not 100% sure what I'm going to do with this thing yet. I haven't done much art since I took this current job.
Deggesty Zug, I have known what National Pipe Thread is, but what is BSP?--I may have been familiar with fittings using this type of thread, but did not know it by that designation. Does it have to do with small tubing? 3/4" down to 1/8" is quite a reduction, is it not?
Zug, I have known what National Pipe Thread is, but what is BSP?--I may have been familiar with fittings using this type of thread, but did not know it by that designation. Does it have to do with small tubing? 3/4" down to 1/8" is quite a reduction, is it not?
And Carl - I am not 100% sure what I'm going to do with this thing yet. I haven't done much art since I took this current job.
zugmann And I got myself a new toy - a new airbrush. Always wanted to try it out, so finally got me one. Now if I can figure out how to connect the damned thing to my compressor we will be good. That will be the challenge for the weekend. (Compressor has a 3/4" NPT while the airbrush is 1/8" BSP. And I didn't even know those acronyms a few days ago.....)
And I got myself a new toy - a new airbrush. Always wanted to try it out, so finally got me one. Now if I can figure out how to connect the damned thing to my compressor we will be good. That will be the challenge for the weekend. (Compressor has a 3/4" NPT while the airbrush is 1/8" BSP. And I didn't even know those acronyms a few days ago.....)
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