Just a sign. That is all.
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
Paul_D_North_Jr From zugmann's "tag line": "Please it does not make hump to this railroad car." What - is that a "Pennsylvania Dutch" version of "Do Not Hump" ? - Paul North.
From zugmann's "tag line":
"Please it does not make hump to this railroad car."
What - is that a "Pennsylvania Dutch" version of "Do Not Hump" ?
- Paul North.
Nah, nothing that deep. We get boxcars from Mexico that have a Spanish "do not hump" sign on them, with the above English translation. A\lways makes me chuckle.
After a day of dealing with flood conditions around here, I went up to Michigan to join in the celebration of my mother's birthday. But guess what...at her house we also had to deal with basement problems, caused by saturated grounds and an elevated water table...first time we had seepage in that house since it was built almost 50 years ago.
Little to report in the way of trains on the trips up and back (especially back, when I probably took an extra couple of hours in the hunt, with no success). I did see plenty of action, but it was always in the distance. All of the trains held off on going through Porter until I had left the place and was stuck with a gasoline nozzle in the car (sour note there...got gas in the same place two days in a row, and the price today was 36 cents per gallon higher than yesterday!). Of course, CSX was hopping: I met no fewer than four freights between East Chicago and Barr Yard--and nowhere was I in a position to turn around and give chase. And Dolton and Blue Island were two places where they weren't.The bright note was discovery of a familiar reporting mark from the past being used on some new tank cars for the oil trade.
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)
[Compare with those in: http://ezinearticles.com/?Curious-Sayings-and-Humorous-English-Expressions-of-the-Pennsylvania-Dutch&id=93083 , for example]
CNW 6000 I thought I'd pop in and say hello as it's been a while. I took another promotion at work that will (hopefully) allow more vertical progression than lateral. Unfortunately it means less time to spend on the web, so that's why I haven't been around here much. It also means that I stepped down as a moderator here too. On a side note, coal trains are running (sporadically - which beats never) to Green Bay's Pulliam Power Plant again. Another UP powered load of black diamonds is on the way north...and with any luck I'll catch it this morning!
I thought I'd pop in and say hello as it's been a while. I took another promotion at work that will (hopefully) allow more vertical progression than lateral. Unfortunately it means less time to spend on the web, so that's why I haven't been around here much. It also means that I stepped down as a moderator here too.
On a side note, coal trains are running (sporadically - which beats never) to Green Bay's Pulliam Power Plant again. Another UP powered load of black diamonds is on the way north...and with any luck I'll catch it this morning!
Good to see you Dan. Don't worry, not missing much on here unless you are into conspiracy theories and long winded government rants.
Updates from around here...the main entrance to Proviso (for Global 2 and other vehicular traffic) was under several feet of water, the Berkeley station was closed due to flooding (that brand-new pedestrian tunnel), and the underpass at Main Street in Lombard was also closed (first time I've seen that since they put it in--it has since reopened). While we were out this noon we saw a westbound scoot moving very slowly through the control point at Grace. When we were crossing the tracks afterwards we could see why: standing water across all three tracks--if it wasn't above the top of the rails it was close in places. It was definitely a good idea to enforce a no-wake zone there. There is still a bit of a dip in the tracks there--hardly nociceable until you see something like this--where the CNW used to go under the old CGW overpass, which hasn't been around since 1986.Metra's schedules have taken quite a hit. One round trip on UP west was annulled, but it probably wasn't noticed too much because the previous train was an hour or more late. The signal problems at Lake Street seem to have persisted through the rush hour, at least. Over on BNSF, they're feeling the cascade effect--train is late, equipment for next trip back arrives late, and on down the road. Not only were pedestrians hamstrung at the new underpass at Belmont, we saw a picture of vehicles up to their roofs in the road under the tracks there.Closer to home, the dungeon is mopped, and we're waiting for the next onslaught, in about an hour or so. This one might skirt us to the south, and not be quite as intense here. Our 24-hour total as of now: 7.8 inches of rain (factor of ten for snow, anybody?).
All this rain reminds me of a saying I heard once:
"Rain is like a long-los relative. It doesn't take long to catch up."
Dan
Glad you came in this morning, Dan! Here...help with the bucket brigade!At the local reporting station (a.k.a. our front yard), we've had over seven inches of rain in the last 20 hours. The dungeon is damp (putting it mildly), and schools in the area are cancelled.Brian reported 3.5 inches of rain in Cedar Rapids earlier this morning (I remember how bad it got there a couple of years ago).Chicagoland is struggling with flooded streets and impassable expressways during this morning's rush hour. My e-mail file is also flooding, with Metra service alerts for UP West and BNSF (those are the only two lines I follow). UP is having signal problems at Lake Street, right downtown. BNSF is reporting pedestrian tunnels flooded at Belmont (the brand-new station area) and Naperville (one of their busiest).I understand that there is flooding at O'Hare, too, but CTA is reporting no delays on its trains so far.
One more set of searchlight signals in Chicagoland has fallen (or, as of today, was teetering on the edge). The home signal bridges on the UP for JB Tower (in West Chicago--the crossing with CN/EJ&E) have been replaced with new aluminum bridges, and the color-light signals on them are operational (the old bridges still stand, with signals deactivated).Further west, work continues on the grade separation for Illinois Highway 38, which will go over the UP main line. Pilings have been driven, and--even though only two tracks go there now, it appears that there is sufficient room for three, or even four, tracks under that bridge.
__________________________
After the terrorism incident in Boston yesterday, Metra issued a systemwide alert suggesting that people expect extra security personnel to be on hand, both at the downtown stations and on board trains.
I needed to take another train ride yesterday (April 11), for my coronation.The ceremony was a brief one, and I was ready to return home ten minutes after the ceremony began (and about an hour after I arrived in Elmhurst).However, this marks the first time, in over 40 years of using our line for commuting, that I made a round trip on which the return precisely reversed my outward trip.I boarded the train in Lombard from the normal north platform (Track 1), but we immediately crossed over to Track 3 at Grace, and took that for the rest of the way into Elmhurst. It turned out that the coal train that had been ahead of our scoot by about 10-15 minutes hadn't cleared the Park control point in Elmhurst, so keeping the scoot on Track 1 would have delayed it for an indeterminate amount of time (from what I observed, only a couple of minutes at most, but still...)When I was finished with the coronation, I got on the train in Elmhurst from the platform on Track 3, perfectly normal for westbound scoots. We passed an eastbound stack train sitting on Track 2 between Addison Road and Grace (a very short train, to fit comfortably in that place). But just after we passed his hind end we slowed down and crossed over at Grace, coming to a stop and letting me off on the north platform (Track 1)! I don't know why they were routed that way, as Track 3 was clear to the west of town, but there still could have been work at the new Wheaton crossovers, or a train in the way anywhere between Glen Ellyn and Turner (east of West Chicago). I forgot to mention that on the previous trip, I noticed that the small gap of the new Track 1 that existed underneath the Mannheim Road bridge and near the Bellwood station has been closed, and the track is almost solid from Elmhurst to Provo Junction. The next step in the triple-tracking the line will almost certainly be connecting this new track to the existing Track 1 somewhere beneath the IHB bridges. After that, the Bellwood station platform can be rebuilt and the existing track 1 tied in with the Track 2 at the east end, then the existing Track 2 will become the new Track 3, and completed along a new alignment through to the 19th Avenue control point. The connection from the new Track 3 to the IHB at Provo Junction will be at about the same place as the current connection from the existing Track 2, but the angle of attack will be easier, and the curvature will be less sharp, permitting speeds to be increased. Work on these track shifts might go fast...we'll try and stay informed.Oh...and I also forgot to explain the whole coronation thing: my dentist is in Elmhurst, and the new crown I'd been fitted for was dropped into place, with no adjustments needed. Long live the crown! Long may it chew!
Well, Jeff, the project is on hold. We got rain yesterday morning and earlier this morning (the entire week is slated to be rainy). Our contractor, bless his heart, is unwilling to run Bobcats, air compressors, and whatever over our clay-soil lawn if it's soft. We don't have to pay him again until after the concrete work is done, so we aren't too frustrated.I'm going to be taking a trip into the city later today to attend a concert at my daughter's Alma Mater. I should make a note of how many westbound scoots I encounter, as it will be pretty much during the peak of rush hour. I don't think I can keep my cell phone running and making a video the whole way--though from Kedzie on in is a temptation.
Update, the following afternoon: I didn't have much luck with videography-- phone kept cutting out on me. However,I got a good scoot count. Normally, when going from Lombard into the city, I see two opposing scoots: one around Elmhurst and one between Western Avenue and Ogilvie.Yesterday, however, I counted nine, including one that went through Lombard about ten minutes before my train arrived. We then met scoots:
--at Villa Park
--at Melrose Park--just east of River Forest--by Austin Boulevard (the Chicago City limits)
--passing the M19A shops
--crossing at Western Avenue about the same time we did
--on the straight stretch in the vicinity of Halsted
--leaving Track 1 as we were arriving on Track 2.--When we were approaching Western Avenue, we had to wait while two westbound scoots (one right behind the other!) and one eastbound scoot crossed in front of us (not really surprising--at that point, this Metra-owned line is funneling three commuter routes into Union Station). And after we crossed the diamonds, we meat an outbound Amtrak Hiawatha Service train--power on the point, Cabbage on the rear. Closer in to our terminal, we met an outbound scoot for either the North or Northwest line.
So being on the eastbound scoot that arrives at 5:50 (No. 56, I think) is kind of fun. The downside: no freights running at that point.
zugmann Went from snow 2 weeks ago to 80s yesterday. I guess we may not have a spring this year. I wonder where the cool kids hang out anymore?
Went from snow 2 weeks ago to 80s yesterday. I guess we may not have a spring this year.
I wonder where the cool kids hang out anymore?
Why, the Trains forum of course.
Yesterday had rain and some thunder in the early (330am) morning leaving Clinton. (Carl, I hope it didn't "rain" to badly on your parade/project.) Heavy at times, but ran out of it around Belle Plaine, then fog until Tama. Sat there for about an hour letting a couple trains get around us. By the time we reached Boone it was sunny and 70. The train had a pick up there and the yard wasn't ready for us, so a normally 6 hour trip turned into a 11 hour trip.
Today it's rainy and cloudy, temps back into the 50s (News said that NW Iowa in the 40s/SE Iowa in the 70s) with talk of a chance of snow in the next few days. At least if we do get some snow, it won't last long.
Jeff
Been debating getting a new camera body. Still undecided. And in doing some looking around the internets, it seems social media and cell phones have really taken their toll on the once popular photo sharing sites. Many of them are ghost towns, or full of cell phone mirror snapshots. Progress, I guess. A little discouraging as well. I wonder where the cool kids hang out anymore?
Who or where is Burnling? Poor locals.
And once they get the name wrong in a story like this, it's a slippery slope from there.Please forgive me...still feeling cooped up. Too windy to get out and do much, even though we probably won't be getting any more rain (just enough to keep the contractors away).
Amtrak from Everett to Seattle was hit by landslide this morning. Here is a quote from the Spokane newspaper.
No injuries reported by Burnling Northern
Those cars (there were only 100 of them) date from the last days of CNW. There were four batches of cars bought in those last few years: these, the 490000-series covered hoppers, the 237000-series small-cube covered hoppers, and the 880000-series rapid-discharge open hoppers. The 490000-series covered hoppers are being repainted for UP fairly quickly (they keep their CNW reporting marks and numbers), but the other groups, including these, seem intact.Pictures like this make me stir-crazy! It was supposed to rain today, but so far the sun has been out, and it's breezy but nice out. I'm hoping the rain will hold off until tomorrow, because that's when the concrete people will come and work on taking out the old patio and floor behind our house (they won't do it in the rain for fear of making one huge mudhole out of our back yard). But if they do come, with Bobcats, jackhammers, and the like, I'll be very happy to leave the house, rain or shine, and go trackside.
Hey, Carl - guess what I found sitting on a siding between the NYS fairgrounds and the CSX Chicago Line today? Sorry about the glare - I couldn't get over on the other side of the tracks.
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...
They do have big signs saying "Do not stop on tracks." I don't know if the traffic light turns green when the crossing lights activate... I still remember the school bus in Fox River Grove.
I almost hate to say it, Bob, but that might be a typical Florida thing--ignorance of the railroad. A couple of months ago (maybe more) I had to chide a niece of mine for posing on the tracks with a group of girls (bridal party?). She said she didn't think the tracks were used much. Very poor defense (and I think she now realizes that).Up by us, if there's a traffic light near the tracks, the grade crossing is usually accompanied by white (mandatory) "do not stop on tracks" signs. In cases where the clearance is as small as you describe, there will be yellow (warning) signs giving the distance in feet of available room beyond the tracks (semis, take heed!). In addition to the "do not stop" signs, some grade crossings are protected by yellow flashing traffic signals that light up when the traffic signal beyond the crossing is either yellow or red. Never having been to Florida (!), I don't know whether they have such signage down there, but it certainly wouldn't be a bad idea.If the crossing is sufficiently close to a signaled intersection, the traffic light for the intersection is on the near side of the tracks, or repeated there, with a separate stop line. Bravo to the policemen who hand out tickets! One can hope that passenger trains become frequent enough in Florida to once again become part of the culture.
spokyone Barbara and I were in Ft. Pierce FL for a few days. The FEC track is only one carlength away from the Old Dixie Highway. I don't understand why the second car in line, waiting on the light, stop on the tracks. Then the next car pulls right up behind them.. Years ago we saw a deputy handing out tickets nearly everytime we drove by.
Barbara and I were in Ft. Pierce FL for a few days. The FEC track is only one carlength away from the Old Dixie Highway. I don't understand why the second car in line, waiting on the light, stop on the tracks. Then the next car pulls right up behind them.. Years ago we saw a deputy handing out tickets nearly everytime we drove by.
Johnny
Thanks for opening the place up, Dan, and thank you, Tom, for helping with the decor!I've been away...not from the computer, but definitely away from trackside, due to pressing needs around here (the old flat-roofed afterthought has been cleared out for demolition, and fresh concrete should be poured by this time next week. I won't have a new area underneath the dungeon, but there should be some usable crawl space alongside it.).However, I got out today, and in the space of ten minutes saw four trains: a westbound scoot on Track 3, an eastbound manifest (with a DPU in the middle) on Track 2, an eastbound coal train on Track 1 (which the manifest had just passed up) with a DPU on the end, and a westbound manifest on Track 3. I have a few sightings to work with, in addition to a stack of research worm-cans that can no longer be closed.
Looking at some old photos today. How about this one? I'm not a big fan of this new photobucket. May have to start looking for an alternative.
Thanks, Dan.
A link back to 1Q:http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/p/213329/2380382.aspx#2380382
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