Oh great. Here comes FRA EO 29.
jeffhergert Speaking of agricultural related incidents, a UP train struck a grain bin in Edgar, NE the other night. I recently found out how to read train recrew reports (interesting and sometimes unintentionally humorous reading) and saw where a few trains had to be recrewed because one struck a grain bin. I found an article, I think out of the Lincoln paper, about high winds in a thunderstorm blowing over a metal grain bin onto the tracks. Jeff
Speaking of agricultural related incidents, a UP train struck a grain bin in Edgar, NE the other night. I recently found out how to read train recrew reports (interesting and sometimes unintentionally humorous reading) and saw where a few trains had to be recrewed because one struck a grain bin. I found an article, I think out of the Lincoln paper, about high winds in a thunderstorm blowing over a metal grain bin onto the tracks.
Jeff
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 MC - Are those govt. agencies are running little railroads themselves - or trying to regulate the big ones, such as at grade crossings ? The latter would indeed be within PUC jurisdiction, but the doctrine of FRA pre-emption of such local regulations also applies. Wonder if the govt. agencies' legal counsel is fully informed of what they're up to, and (expert and competent enough in this to understand) the implications ? - Paul North.
MC - Are those govt. agencies are running little railroads themselves - or trying to regulate the big ones, such as at grade crossings ? The latter would indeed be within PUC jurisdiction, but the doctrine of FRA pre-emption of such local regulations also applies. Wonder if the govt. agencies' legal counsel is fully informed of what they're up to, and (expert and competent enough in this to understand) the implications ?
- Paul North.
PDN: One of the former, three of the latter. One has a town attorney who thinks they can bully the PUC over what happens inside a town's jurisdiction. (must'a skipped that class in law school along with the tenets of malpractice)...really gets frightening when a US Senator decides to jump into the Quiet Zone issue on the behalf of others like them)
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
rvos1979Mud: sounds like me the other day, decided to take the direct route across western North Carolina from Asheville to Chattanooga, not one of my better ideas (two river gorges, did not look that twisty on the map).......
No, the former Southern line goes from Asheville to New Line (just south of Morristown) to Knoxville. there is a little mountain range in the way of going directly to Knoxville.
Johnny
Paul--did my response to the sprinkler thing go over your head? We welcomed our new grandson, Linus, on August 2, at a healthy 7 pounds 13 ounces. Mother and son are doing well; father is suffering from a bad case of euphoria.This was the fourth (and final, for now) person born into our extended family since July 10 (two grand-nieces, one grand-nephew, and now one grandson).Back home from the northern wilderness.
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)
Almost like this was staged (it wasn't, BTW).
And yeah, anchor management. Took me a day or two to get that one. I'm a little slow this week.
Nice shot there Zug. Is that a switching lead in the upper right?
Carl - congrats on the additions to the family. Sounds like things are doing well.
Worked "9 days" this week. My normal 5 full ones plus a second full shift driving a shuttle bus for EAA. Neat experience and I met tons of folks from all over. Now it's time to start thinking about fall...and hunting season!
Dan
CShaveRR Paul--did my response to the sprinkler thing go over your head?
Zug - very nice photo ! Calendar or book cover material !
But just make sure those units are tied down real well - wouldn't want anyone thinking they might drift off and roll over those brightly-painted wheel stops in the foreground (assuming the plow pilots don't knock them out of the way first) . . .
Paul_D_North_Jr Zug - very nice photo ! Calendar or book cover material ! But just make sure those units are tied down real well - wouldn't want anyone thinking they might drift off and roll over those brightly-painted wheel stops in the foreground (assuming the plow pilots don't knock them out of the way first) . . . - Paul North.
It's ok; if the wheel stops don't catch them, the locker room will!
At least somebody knew how to place the wheel stops correctly. BUT, if the end of track is within a carlength of a building, why wasn't a track bumper (Hayes WD, et al) placed to protect the structure? (for that matter, the current rage is the end of track berm (dirt and ballast pile - accountants love 'em as do trainmasters trying not to exceed the unit of property test after an operating "oops")
Berm = cheap
wheel stops = $350 (didn't stop anything in Denver on BNSF)
Track Bumper = $1600
Keeping an errant car/ locomotive out of an occupied building = priceless
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
No Touchee! (even if it is hydraulic)
zugmann Almost like this was staged (it wasn't, BTW). And yeah, anchor management. Took me a day or two to get that one. I'm a little slow this week.
Low flying Tree alert - Current plans include travelling to Michigan centering on the big festival in the old hometown (Milford). Also in the mix are a visit to Deshler (love that place) and a foray in to Illinois - ostensibly all the way to Rochelle, unless Carl shanghai's me sooner.
Aside from being in Milford on Saturday (esp in the evening), nothing else is cast in stone, including my departure from here. Gotta be back in time to recover for duty on the railroad the next weekend, though.
Wheee!
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...
I would be happy to shanghai you whenever (I take it that you'd be coming this way after the 11th?). Or to tag along on the trip west to Rochelle. Just keep us informed. Not sure the guest room is in shape yet, though--we're still slowly moving things in and around.Another possibility would be for me to set up my nets in Indiana somewhere and point out a few good spots to my east.
mudchicken At least somebody knew how to place the wheel stops correctly. BUT, if the end of track is within a carlength of a building, why wasn't a track bumper (Hayes WD, et al) placed to protect the structure? (for that matter, the current rage is the end of track berm (dirt and ballast pile - accountants love 'em as do trainmasters trying not to exceed the unit of property test after an operating "oops") Berm = cheap wheel stops = $350 (didn't stop anything in Denver on BNSF) Track Bumper = $1600 Keeping an errant car/ locomotive out of an occupied building = priceless
Everything survived this long, and this trackage is all getting abandoned within a couple months, so it's all good.
CShaveRR I would be happy to shanghai you whenever (I take it that you'd be coming this way after the 11th?). Or to tag along on the trip west to Rochelle. Just keep us informed. Not sure the guest room is in shape yet, though--we're still slowly moving things in and around.Another possibility would be for me to set up my nets in Indiana somewhere and point out a few good spots to my east.
Carl -
Most likely headed that way after the weekend (or maybe Sunday - depends on what goes on at Milford, friends-wise). May touch base in Deshler first - depends on when I leave. Have an as-yet unscheduled meeting this week.
Figure I should make the pilgrimmage to Rochelle - and maybe some of your local hot-spots as well.
On crew on that following Friday, so have to be home in time to get a little rest and repack.
MC - That's clever !
"abandoned" ? Fear not - NS isn't getting out of zug's market, but instead is just relocating to a new yard and terminal nearby, as a result of a complicated deal between the town, RR, and a local college (university ?). I won't say the new facility is or will be "improved" because as I understand it from zug, that's open to debate. I'll leave it to him to expound on the merits (or lack thereof) of the new location and new configuration, etc.
Paul_D_North_Jr I'll leave it to him to expound on the merits (or lack thereof) of the new location and new configuration, etc. - Paul North.
I won't expound on anything. That stuff if way above my pay grade. I just throw switches and try to get cars in the right tracks.
Hey, expounding fans...
Tuesday is supposed to be a slower day on the railroad around here, as the freight corresponds to the shippers' weekends. But thankfully, it wasn't quite true for us today. Pat and I had to do some shopping, bill paying, and barbary (oh, sorry...we got haircuts) today, and that brought us to downtown Elmhurst. The first thing that we encountered was an eastbound manifest blocking our usual route into town. I turned to get ahead of as much of it as I could (it was moving slightly slower than we were). We stopped at one of the crossings to wait for what was left of it, and after a few car-lengths it stopped. I took advantage of this pause to see whether I could get any detailed research done on freight cars before the brakes released. Brakes released, I hightailed it back to the car, and the train started rolling...then stopped again, in a carlength or so. This time, we drove as far east as we could, and I got much more information off some cars that I'd only glanced at the first time.Before the manifest cleared Poplar Avenue (he was on Track 2, headed into the yard), an eastbound stacker came up on Track 3. He was short enough that we weren't delayed much longer. We parked, and decided to dine Chinese, on one of the outside tables at the Red Dragon. As soon as we'd ordered, I had to bolt...a westbound manifest was coming. Lots of good stuff, including a Kansas City Southern de Mexico locomotive for the third unit (GE, with radial trucks). It had just cleared when an eastbound ComEd coal train came in. That was about the time our food arrived. Pat was commenting on the pink rotary-coupler ends on the 9000-series gons (they were red when the cars were new!).After lunch, I saw Pat off to the car, and she went off to do the grocery shopping and get her glasses fixed. I made the loan payment, then headed back trackside, where a train of small-cube covered hoppers was headed east (that kept me out of the hobby shop for a little while!). Might have been empty frac sand cars. After it cleared, I went to the hobby shop, then back to the station. This time an inbound auto-rack train was going by.I decided to catch the next scoot in, so I could check the progress on the new-track construction around Proviso. The train was announced, but its signal at the control point remained red-over-red. Another announcement informed people that the westbound scoot was going to be late due to "switch problems". The train was "now arriving", but no train...it had to come in very slowly, due to the Automatic Train Control holding it down in advance of the red signal. We boarded, started moving, then stopped for the signal.The late westbound scoot came past us, and "Ding!"--the ATC cleared up, and we moved ahead, crossing from Track 1 to Track 2. Why? The answer was evident when we arrived at Berkeley--the headlight of a westbound auto-rack train on Track 1 between Wolf Road and the Bellwood depot. He must have just come down off the flyover, and there's no way for him except to go to any track except Track 1 (or into the yard). Track 3, by the way, was out of service yet, with a tamper and other equipment east of Bellwood. The entire track is in place, and looks properly ballasted. The connection at Provo Junction is also fully laid at our end, with ballast underneath and around the concrete ties. A split-point derail is near the switch to our main line...don't know if it would keep errant cars off our track after they rolled down that grade (I hope we never get to find out).I expected our scoot to cross over from Track 2 to Track 1 at 25th (or is it 19th?) Avenue...we did not. At Maywood Track 1 was occupied by an eastbound train from the Norfolk Southern headed into Proviso. I expected our scoot to cross over from Track 2 to Track 1 at Vale...we did not. Nor did we stay on 2...instead we were routed down Track 3. I got off at Oak Park, where two CSX AC4400s were sitting at the head end of a westbound train of empty ethanol tank cars on Track 2. An eastbound stacker came by us on Track 1.It didn't take long for me to figure out that the train on Track 2 was unoccupied. One of the two units was shut down, and the other was idling very fitfully (it's a GE...they often sound sick like that). Just for the heck of it, I checked...yes, hand brakes were applied on the locomotives and the first several cars of the train (this has been a touchy subject due to that runaway in New Brunswick a month ago today).When the eastbound stacker cleared, so did the westbound signal on Track 3. I didn't have to leave the platform to catch my scoot back out. But then we got the announcement that it was being delayed due to signal problems "east of Kedzie". As my scoot headed west, we met the eastbound scoot between Maywood and Melrose Park. At the west end of the yard, we stopped at Berkeley, and I noticed the tail end of a westbound stack train getting out of the yard. We paralleled him as we headed toward Elmhurst--we crossed over from 2 to 3; he came from the outbound to 1 to 2. We had gained on him before stopping at Elmhurst, and gained even more on him before the Villa Park stop. I was hoping we'd pass him before we got to Lombard. But there is no way to cross tracks other than at the platform crossing at Lombard, and they don't want anything else going through when a scoot is at the platform (c'mon, underground passage!). So the stop at Villa Park was a little more leisurely than usual, and the stack train was long gone when we got to Lombard.The signal at Grace was lined up for an eastbound on Track 1, but I figured that it was probably the next eastbound scoot (due in 20 minutes), so I didn't wait around.I came home to a lot of e-mails from Metra, telling me what I knew from experience--the westbound trains were being delayed with signal problems at Western Avenue--and so were eastbounds, it turns out. This is the second major malfunction of Western Avenue in recent months...makes us look forward to the day when this plant will be replaced by a new one further east, around Noble Street (one can hope this will be done, as it will solve a lot of problems).
Hey Carl, I think I'm getting the ethanol train you saw. Two CSXT engines, I can't tell the type until I can get on a company computer, with the required UP leader.
I didn't note the precise numbers. One was in the 400s, and had CW44AH stenciled over the CW44AC, the other was a 200-series CW44AC. Would the relieving UP crew be permitted/required to arrive in a locomotive, tie it on, and perform the required tests and adjustments, then take their train west from Oak Park?
Checking some notes Carl...could have been CSX K648. Wonder where it's going on Uncle Pete...
CShaveRR I didn't note the precise numbers. One was in the 400s, and had CW44AH stenciled over the CW44AC, the other was a 200-series CW44AC. Would the relieving UP crew be permitted/required to arrive in a locomotive, tie it on, and perform the required tests and adjustments, then take their train west from Oak Park?
The CSX numbers I had were 974 and 973, so I guess it wasn't the one you saw. They are both listed (Uncle Pete's designation) as ES44AH models.
I imagine the outbound crew would bring out the UP leader and put it on the train, do the tests and rearm the EOT.
Rumor has it there will be a Tree in the train-watching shed in Rochelle...we're going to have to check that out in the morning tomorrow. Come out if you can--he plans on being in Deshler tomorrow night.
Speaking of things B&O (as Deshler certainly is!), I've been proofreading the manuscript of Volume 1 of the Encyclopedia of B&O Cabooses. What a work this is going to be!
CShaveRRRumor has it there will be a Tree in the train-watching shed in Rochelle...
I'll be the tall guy with the NYC herald on his back (and the ALCo Historical Society logo on the front).
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