Chatterbox.1

[blownout cylinder]

Good Evening.

Been a dull drab miserable cold day for us here. Never got near 40 even...stayed around 30F all day ...going down to 17F tonight ...then we get a spicule of sun tomorrow then back to more wet snow and freezing rain...weekend looks to go down the toilet.....  

MudChicken....Did you see any goats around?

[Murphy Siding]

Modelcar

....Kinda sad....

Skimpy participation on this thread recently.

Like most folks on here, I suppose, my life right now is mostly just the same old, same old. A few exceptions:

      . We got a couple inches of snow Wednesday night. There was deer tracks across our front yard- two sets of larger tracks (mom and dad?) and one set of smaller tracks. The larger tracks were parallel to each other. The smaller tracks were all over the place- like the kids in the Family Circus cartoons.......


     . We had our annual building contractor appreciation dinner tonight for work. Two of the big door prizes were a heavy duty air compressor with hoses, and a carrying case for metal coil stock. They were won by the only two women in the audience, neither of whom knew what she had won, or what to do with it.


     . I was talking to a woman today about residing her house. The brickmould trim around her garage door was all roughed up at the bottom. She said that she had had a problem with raccoons chewing on the wood trim. She rubbed bar soap on the trim all summer until the raccoons gave up and found something else to eat. Then her brickmould started to deteriate. 'Seems the paint wouldn't stick to the soap.



.     It's the first day of spring, and we had highs in the upper 50's. Woo Hoo!

[Murphy Siding]

I guess the forum software decided we don't need no stinkin' paragraphs....or smilies....or font size options.

edit:  The 'pooter now allowed me to go back and edit the post.

[Deggesty]

Murphy Siding

I guess the forum software decided we don't need no stinkin' paragraphs....or smilies....or font size options....

I had that problem a while back, and it went away.

Perhaps the system is selectively annoying?

We are having a week or so of mornings with the temperature close to freezing and rising to the high fifties or low sixties during the day. A few days ago, we had some light snow  at our altitude--and the ski resorts received several feet. May we not have an early thaw as we did thirty-one years ago, and had water running in the streets downtown--and people catching fish in State Street.

[Paul of Covington]

Deggesty

Murphy Siding

I guess the forum software decided we don't need no stinkin' paragraphs....or smilies....or font size options....

I had that problem a while back, and it went away.

Perhaps the system is selectively annoying?

   I like Semper's comment:

   "Computers are neither smart nor dumb... They are just plain MEAN!"

[tree68]

Paul of Covington

I like Semper's comment:  "Computers are neither smart nor dumb... They are just plain MEAN!"

Small sign on a shelf over my computer "center" - "Our policy is always to blame the computer."

There are so many browser platforms available now, and in multiple generations for each, that I would imagine it's hard for everyone to keep up with each other.  The HTML (and variations) developers are trying new things, the browser developers must keep up with those changes and have ideas of their own.  An endless circle.

When I fire up one of my email programs with one browser, it tells me that it works better with a "modern" browser.  I think I'm about two generations behind on that one.

Everyone wants to have the newest and the bestest, but sometimes I wonder if just settling in and working with what we've got for a while wouldn't be the best approach.

[Paul of Covington]

   Tree, your comments remind me of the dinosaur age when I used to work on computers.   (Remember when your monthly bills used to come on cards with a bunch of holes punched in them?)    When I arrived at the customer's site, I was greeted by, "We're six hours behind because of your machine!"

    I asked, "How long has it been down?"

    Reply: "About an hour."

   After I got it fixed, I didn't have other calls so I stuck around to make sure it was OK.   About 20 minutes later the machine was sitting idle.   I asked, "Is there another problem?"

   "Naw, we're caught up"

[Norm48327]

tree68

When I fire up one of my email programs with one browser, it tells me that it works better with a "modern" browser.  I think I'm about two generations behind on that one.

I'm up to date running Win 7, but Windows Live Mail was a real pain in the neck till I got used to it. Totally user unfriendly.

Everyone wants to have the newest and the bestest, but sometimes I wonder if just settling in and working with what we've got for a while wouldn't be the best approach.

Didn't want to shuck out big bucks for a new and meaner computer so I upgraded mine to Windows 7, added RAM and a second internal hard drive for more storage.

[tree68]

Paul of Covington

(Remember when your monthly bills used to come on cards with a bunch of holes punched in them?)  

Heck, I used to punch those cards, by the box full, albeit not for bills.  Had to run a lot of them through the "interpreter," too, so the appropriate information would print in the right spots on the cards.

I'm such a dinosaur in data processing and telecom that I remember five-level teletype tape...

[Murphy Siding]

tree68

There are so many browser platforms available now, and in multiple generations for each, that I would imagine it's hard for everyone to keep up with each other.  The HTML (and variations) developers are trying new things, the browser developers must keep up with those changes and have ideas of their own.  An endless circle.

When I fire up one of my email programs with one browser, it tells me that it works better with a "modern" browser.  I think I'm about two generations behind on that one.

Everyone wants to have the newest and the bestest, but sometimes I wonder if just settling in and working with what we've got for a while wouldn't be the best approach.

   This reminds me of a line from Tim Allen on Home Improvement, after his son explained how he fixed something on Tim's computer:  "Ten years ago, nobody would have  understood what Larry is saying in the above quote.  Now, I'm the only one."

[Paul of Covington]

   Tree, you reminded me of something else.   If you worked with teletype paper tape, you probably have seen the teletype model 35 printer at work.    It always amazed me that it worked at all, let alone that it worked at all.   All those dogs, clutches, levers flying about frantically at high speed.   They were a bear to work on.

[Murphy Siding]

What can you feed wild deer that wander through your yard at night? We have some pretty regular visitors that my wife thinks we should be helping feed.

[JoeKoh]

good morning

took Mom out last night for her birthday. Matt is at G+G house.Ma nature is going to keep us on the cool side until later in the week.Time to get breakfast then chores to do.Tomorrow it's church and Sunday school.We are then heading for a train show in Findlay Ohio. They are working on an N&W caboose as part of their display.My boss just gave me a cusion from a bunk of an N&W caboose.(his dad worked on the RR).We will also see what CSX and NS are up too.Hopefully we can catch a train on the Toledo Branch at Mortimer.

Stay safe

Joe

[Mookie]

Murphy Siding

What can you feed wild deer that wander through your yard at night? We have some pretty regular visitors that my wife thinks we should be helping feed.

birdseed?  Peanuts?  Leftovers?  Dog/cat food?  Tell your wife that if she feeds them she will have her hands full of nuisance, unless you live on 80 acres of "I don't plant" ground.  Otherwise add hay to the grocery list. 

[CShaveRR]

I guess I'm a NIMBY when it comes to deer.  Unfortunately, I don't like guns or venison.

The Chatterbox wouldn't open again for me this morning.  I've found a solution, though.  There's a small line giving a progression of pages that the website goes through to get to the Chatterbox.  Click on "Chatterbox" on that line.  It will take you to the first post.  On the index of pages, click the arrow on the right, which will take you to the current page.  Doable, but a pain nonetheless...one has to be a real devotee to come through the door (or, as SJ puts it, the window)!

[tree68]

Murphy Siding

What can you feed wild deer that wander through your yard at night? We have some pretty regular visitors that my wife thinks we should be helping feed.

In New York, nothing.  It's illegal to feed the deer.

Meanwhile, I shoveled the driveway this morning.  Where's that danged groundhog?

[tree68]

Mookie

National news tonite from Colorado Springs - subdivisions buried under tumbleweeds! 

Did someone say "tumbleweeds?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2rIi5S-zDAc

[blue streak 1]

CSX here is getting very serious about upgrading its ROW.  Couple weeks ago it completely rebuilt a grade crossing of both main and siding with new long crossties re ballast and concrete crossing panels both tracks.  Now they are dropping crossties at a rate that indicates every other tie will be replaced. None dropped yet for siding.  Today they are using Hertzog cars to drop ballast outside of rails on both tracks.

They parked the crosstie train on the siding headed up by a BNSF  SD-70MAC.  ( thought about posting picture with a "where is it caption"-.  The ballast train was also on the siding headed up by two first line C-44s.

Also of note all crosstie timbers of both ends of siding are being replaced. 

 

During rebuild of the crossing one interesting sight was a train diverting onto the siding with a red over yellow over a flashing green.  Have no idea what that meant or to call it ?  Have seen indication there before following another train of red over yellow over  green but never flashing green.  Would the flashing green possibly mean main beyond siding had 3 blocks clear ? Or maybe something at next siding ?

For information signal mast top head is standard green, yellow, red and has never shown a flashing green for main.   Middle head is yellow and red,.  Bottom head is green, lunar, red head. 

Any ideas ?

[Mookie]

BC - that's the window I use to get into the CB.

Tree - what part of the prescription was that?

Blue Streak - how interesting.  Will be fun to read the input from "those in the know".

I hope you will stay out there and post more sightings.  I can't seem to get trackside because of either the weather or like yesterday, MOW was doing our crossing.  Enjoy reading others experiences.

 

[tree68]

Mookie

Tree - what part of the prescription was that?

If there's such a thing as an overdose from a prescribed burn, that was it.  Not much you can do but watch if Ma Nature starts throwing lighted tumbleweeds around.  The story that went along with it said they ended up burning about an extra acre over what they had planned.

[CShaveRR]

Makes one wonder if tumbleweeds would be a good cash crop, perhaps ground up, as animal feed or something else useful (biofuel?).  I saw the news reports of the residential area where plows were needed to clear them.

[blue streak 1]

CSX worked today spreading ballast and crossties both on siding and miles each way on main.  A strange thing happened as after the ballast spreading outside the rail the wheels of passing trains are squealing on all the track as far as one can hear.  This appears to be an indication of out of gauge but how would spreading the ballast cause this ?

Only rebuilt crossings were quiet !

[JoeKoh]

morning

yesterday quite the logjam on CSX.They were working between North Baltimore and Galetea on track 1.Caused quite a back up. Bluestreak as far as the signal it would be a Medium approach Medium although I would think they would be going slow through a work area like that.Chores and errands to run today.Tomorrow ma nature will send more cold and snow.Doesn't she know we are on spring break this week?

stay safe

joe

[Mookie]

Guess we were down to single digits on Sat nite!  But by next weekend - we will hit 70?  Going to go watch something trackside.  Right now, would watch anything moving on the tracks.  Getting desperate!

[tree68]

Mookie

Guess we were down to single digits on Sat nite!  But by next weekend - we will hit 70?  

That's reassuring.  

Ma Nature has had the "sunny" part down for the past few days, but seems to have forgotten to add the "and warm" to the recipe...

[samfp1943]

Hope Everyone had a great weekend!

    Weather around here has been a little schizophrenic...Comfortable in the day ( High 60's and 70's) and at night down in the 20's-30's.   Pretty good sleeping weather!

    Sunday started out pretty good... Weather was sunny and cool,  Went into Wichita, wife had a house to show.  Spent time watching and listening to KU and Stanford play ball..

    Was pretty disappointed that KU lost 57-60, and then the agony of defeat again:. WSU lost to KY 76-78. And you can bet there was a lot of WSU fans out here taking that one pretty hard.

    While coming back we made a wrong turn and wound up down at the K&O yard and shop area.. That was interesting, as I had never been exactly in that area. They had painted a (nee: CNR) GP 40-2 to honor WSU 'Shocker' Basketball Team's 35-0 winning record.  Was surprised to see a couple of more of those GP-40-2 there and a couple of the former (nee: UPRR) Alleghany & Ohio units there,as well.

  Overnight, there seemed to be quite a bit of traffic seemed to start about 1 AM ( judging from the Air Horns at the area crossings ). Got up this morning for our morning walk, and the morning JBH COFC/TOFC was crawling thru WB, Then there was another WB COFC EB and then a long, EB hopper train ( practically all two drop hoppers). Heard another one heading west, but did not see it.  Nice to Know BNFS's stock holders are rolling lots of traffic.

  Watched the News this morning and was greeted with pictures of a CTA (Chicago Transit Train) that was taking an escalator at the O'Hare Airport Terminal...  What's with THAT!   The "reporter' said that it was suspected that "excessive speed", was involved!  YA REALLY THINK?

Have a great week everyone, and you guys up in the NE get ready seems they are predicting more Winter Snow and yuck for your new week! Stay Safe.

  

 

[Modelcar]

Very nice sunny morning here in central Indiana.....but below normal in temps....However, dry and we're ok.

One year ago tomorrow, I mowed my lawn...!  No signs of any thing like that this season.  Too much Winter to push away and hopefully, I'll get it rolled first anyway.

[CShaveRR]

Blue Streak, I think your squealing-tracks noise comes from the new ballast itself.  Some fine particles may have gotten on the rails.  One stone on the rail being run over would generate a "ping" as it was either shot off or pulverized.  Just multiply that by a few thousand smaller ones.  Once the dust is worn off and the wheels come into contact with shiny steel again, everything will sound normal.

Back-window entry again this morning.

Trying to digest a couple of news stories this morning:  A CTA train attempting to climb an escalator at O'Hare, and General Electric selling 18,500 older box cars to General American.  I'm wondering if the sale includes some of those boxcar-owning railroads like HS and EEC.

Reports to do, book chapters to edit, newsletters to mail.  No time to stay out and watch today (too cold for the next couple of days, anyway).  

[mudchicken]

Carl: Let us know when the white stuff is no longer on the ground so we can visit.

The squealing is low speed wheel climbing aided by the dust. Pinging is a combination of friction and the rocks which will also come at the joints as they adjust. Assume you are also getting the wet stretched rope or wrung out rubber fabric noise.

 

[Mookie]

I am thrilled beyond words!