Why should I, who live 1608 miles from Chicago via the CZ, receive (last week) my issue of Trains before Carl, who lives just down the road from the publisher?
I don't know how many of you remember receiving the month's issue towards the end of the month, but this was the custom for a while in the sixties. Kwitcherbellaking.
We had more snow Monday night-Tuesday morning, and it was powder. Katie was able to use my snowblower (put the power cord on, choke, prime, and push the button--Vroom!). Mine clogs up with wet snow, and hers does not--but hers is hard to start, with its Armstrong starter. We are still short on snow this winter, and there is the threat of having to let grass die this summer--MC, how is your snow supply? Can you send some back across the mountains between us?
Johnny
Our mail service has been lousy this winter.I can't fault Kalmbach; the problem isn't there. You see, I received my issue of Classic Trains about a week ago, And normally, all of my Kalmbach magazines come on the same date. But so far, no Trains or Model Railroader (which I get purely for prototype information).We are at the end (or one street end, anyway) of our carrier's route. Last night the mail (sans magazines, of course) came at about 9:15 p.m. Since then, we've had another six inches of snow. We're shoveled out, including a path across the neighbor's yard between our front doors, but there's no guarantee that everyone does that for our poor gal.Time to tromp outside to the Historical Society and banks. Maybe I'll become immobilized trackside for a bit, though Metra seems to be having a few problems on our line as well.I hope it's not wrong to put RailPictures.net shots on this site. Credit is given. Heck, it might even fit in the "anticipation" category. And look at all of those doomed signal styles: Pennsy position lights, CNW searchlight signals (their backs to the camera), and CNW horizontal color lights, all in one shot. Johnny, do you recognize the location?http://www.railpictures.net/photo/468663/
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)
Cool picture.
Around here, though, I'm sure the fire department would have been called out at least once...
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...
Hey, guess what finally showed up in my mail today (both of them!)!I got an ad over my e-mail today suggesting that Kalmbach will be putting out an expanded version of the Historical Guide to North American Railroads. The first two editions were done by the late George Drury; this appears to be more of a Trains staff project. They promise new maps and color pictures this time, on 328 pages of a larger format than the old "pocket books". I've already obtained permission to acquire one.
If Carl had looked out his window at about 2-3PM today at the snow swirling around his humble abode, he would have noticed a Boeing tin bird and a mudchicken mixed-in with the snow. Flew around the house in a holding pattern for about an hour until it was safe to land at the postage stamp called Midway. Almost got diverted to QM's turf. Once on the ground, we couldn't leave for 2 hours. Long trip home just to leave again tomorrow. Last I heard, DFW was a tad chilly.
Curious to hear if the flip book is an improvement over the old one.
You should have squawked a little louder, MC! About that time of afternoon I was basking in our southern exposure. Pat said I was napping; I have no conscious memory of having done anything like that!Little news here; my fellow carchaeologists and I are dealing with a strange series of covered hoppers...numbers in the 10800 and 10900 series keep cropping up, and we can't figure out where they were first, just yet.We have sun today and low temperatures; I have to take my Valentine to our museum to hear a talk on early days of the practice of sending these cards around. I'm hoping that sun, low wind, and proper bundling up will permit me to linger a while by the tracks, and that said lingering will be worth it. Somebody has already beaten me to the first sighting of a 2014-built freight car.
Carl - speaking of 2014 built cars, CN should be seeing some new ARI products to replace some of the jennies that got torched in the pileup at Twin Harbors a while back. No word on when but "this year". We'll see.
May have to invest in some more flash drives - it's been a productive winter photographing trains so far. May have to see about getting some shots linked here. Speaking of...I hear L588 is heading my way with a CN cowl-body SD60F and a pair of NS motors...off I go!
Dan
CShaveRR Hey, guess what finally showed up in my mail today (both of them!)!I got an ad over my e-mail today suggesting that Kalmbach will be putting out an expanded version of the Historical Guide to North American Railroads. The first two editions were done by the late George Drury; this appears to be more of a Trains staff project. They promise new maps and color pictures this time, on 328 pages of a larger format than the old "pocket books". I've already obtained permission to acquire one.
We had more snow in the mountains today--and rain at the lower elevations, even up here at a little over a mile high.
Why, Johnny! I am shocked....shocked!...that you'd think I'd have to make any sacrifices or concessions to acquire this book!(Truth is, I'm just as shocked that when I mentioned it, Pat just said said to go ahead and order it. They have a prepublication offer saving postage, but I think I'll wait until I can acquire it at the hobby shop or a bookstore.)I lingered for a little while after the Historical Society show. Other than the staging train of auto racks at Finley, all that moved while I was there were the two scoots that were due, running pretty much on time. And a surprise move of a UP switcher with a Metra cab car and coach in tow, eastbound. Don't know the story behind that one, but it may have had something to do with "mechanical problems" earlier in the week.
I've been made VERY aware about how some of the CN, NS, CSX and other folks have thrown all of their resources at fighting snow the past few weeks. There are some really tired folks out there clearing switches and flangeways with dwindling resources. Snide comments from some of the clowns out there on another thread aside (who are too lazy to clear the snow on their own sidewalks and driveways), these tired & sore folks are working hard to keep their outfits fluid.
MC, you remind me of an item in David P. Morgan's account of a trip that he took in December of 1952 (I think it was that year; it may have been the year before), riding the North Coast Limited west. He mentioned seeing a section gang huddled in some sort of shelter as they took a rest from clearing switches as the passenger train went by. Truly, these people, who are spread thin, are to be thanked for their efforts to keep the railroads fluid.
Hope you didn't take my remark about "taking the heat" seriously, MC. I've seen (can't say I've participated much) in the work needed to keep things running on the passenger side. Heaven only knows that it's been the same in our yard.P.S. Pat and I have our driveway and sidewalks wide open...today!
MC. After taking in all the problems RRs have had this year you are right on the mark. Also the past is not as glorious as some think.
mudchicken I've been made VERY aware about how some of the CN, NS, CSX and other folks have thrown all of their resources at fighting snow the past few weeks. There are some really tired folks out there clearing switches and flangeways with dwindling resources. Snide comments from some of the clowns out there on another thread aside (who are too lazy to clear the snow on their own sidewalks and driveways), these tired & sore folks are working hard to keep their outfits fluid.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danbraun/5554737812/
I took that shot a couple years back and it's STILL one of my favorites. Nothing but RESPECT for those folks.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_25147824/pueblo-mom-dumps-2-week-old-train-tracks
North end of BNSF's Pueblo Yard on the joint line. Grateful for yard limits and low speeds.
Chicagoland was pretty well hammered by yesterday's snows, in the vicinity of four to seven inches' worth. Some of the travel times on area expressways were in hours--too large to express on some of the roads' signs. We heard plenty about that on the news.Meanwhile, Metra appeared to me to be working just fine. True, I monitor only two of the eleven routes (UP West and BNSF) for delay reports, but those two had bupkus in that department.UP Northwest hit a car in Des Plaines (collision was caught on video; the driver got out all right), and BNSF derailed a freight (yard move) later last night, blocking all three mains for a time (it caused some delays this morning). But BNSF and UP West, which seem to be lines most susceptible to winter weather problems, did great in the worst of it all. Kudos to anyone involved with that!This morning, UP had some switch problems near the terminal. Things were restored in about 10-20 minutes.
sunny and skies are Carolina blue along the speedway to sunshine
How long was the driver stuck at Des Plaines before Metra cleared the crossing?
Of to straighten out another knotheaded rubber tired engineer ....You don't build new crossings with switches in them if you can avoid it......Might work on his toy railroad in his basement, but not in the real world.
We're hearing that because of the winter weather that the Twin Cities and the Spine are plugged. That Proviso is on the verge of being plugged up and that North Platte is filling up because those other terminals are having trouble taking trains. When I went to work at Fremont today, there were 4 trains for the Twin Cities (3 manifests, one from the 14th, 16th and 17th and a coal train) tied down. One manifest and the coal train are tied down on MT 1 about 40 miles west of Boone, The other two manifests were originally tied down in Omaha, but were dragged up to Missouri Valley and put in the new siding. Another manifest from today was coming up, but I think they were going to tie it down too.
Today it was nice, temps got up to the upper 50s. When we climbed on the engine, the previous crew had the H/ACV set to "low cool." Not often you see the AC on during February.
Jeff
I guess she couldn't get up the slight grade, to the crossing, and for whatever reason couldn't back away, either. I know the crossing, and can't quite make sense of the video...it looks like the scoot was on the near track, when it should have been on one of the other two (it's not CTC there). Perhaps I just couldn't see an intervening track. But if the train were on one of the proper tracks, she should have been able to get out of the way. But that is not a good crossing, and that was the third accident there since January 2013, from what I've heard.You're talking grade crossing with the switch, right (I'm visualizing a few non-rhomboid shapes in the trackwork otherwise)? I've seen crossings with switches through them, but not with frogs or points in the crossing (and not very wide, and no sidewalks!).
Switch stand and points to frog in the middle of a 4-lane crossing. Something is moving, I need to see what I move first. (I can just visualize a switchman/ conductor on his knees on a busy crossing fishing for the trap door handle on a submarine switch stand - yech)
mudchicken Switch stand and points to frog in the middle of a 4-lane crossing. Something is moving, I need to see what I move first. (I can just visualize a switchman/ conductor on his knees on a busy crossing fishing for the trap door handle on a submarine switch stand - yech)
Be awesome to keep dirt/debris/snow out of those points.
I am not too crazy when the switch stand is even just right next to a roadway. Have to be careful switching at spots like that, and do your best to make sure you completely block the crossing while making your moves, lest some drivers try to sneak around the knuckle of your train. Really cute with those long drawbars and cushion underframes...
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
Yet another example of why the designers / engineers of anything - track layouts here, software, toasters, cars, copiers, etc. - ought to have to use it out in the real world a few times. Sure would prevent a lot of silliness and dis-functionality . . .
One possible solution (short of moving the entire turnout out of the crossing, which would be the best): Maybe go to a higher frog number --> longer lead (PS to PF distance), which will move at least the switch itself (points to heel joints) outside of the crossing, and result in a more regular curve from the heel joint to the frog, and a shallower curve from the main to the rest of the siding ? (Just a thought for the benefit and education of the general membership here . . . I know you're fully capable of figuring this one out all on your own ! [I spent a fun Friday with MC at a Railroad Surveying 101 seminar about a week ago, but I knew that long before then anyway.] )
- Paul North.
PDN -
Mookie
She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
I want to doubletrack the x-ing. and simplify everything as much as possible. No matter what, the PUC gets involved and both tracks are used regularly. Shortening up the switch would involve a 12 + degree compound curve behind the switch, NOT going there.
mudchicken I want to doubletrack the x-ing. and simplify everything as much as possible. No matter what, the PUC gets involved and both tracks are used regularly. Shortening up the switch would involve a 12 + degree compound curve behind the switch, NOT going there.
Sounds perfect for the local using a couple of SD40-2s. Squeal, squeal?
If knuckles don't get bypassed first.(Or your old beasts and their charges quit squeeling and learn how to climb up and over - little metal flakes all over)
Road switchers get in here and sort (a lot) before wandering on down the line.
mudchicken If knuckles don't get bypassed first.(Or your old beasts and their charges quit squeeling and learn how to climb up and over - little metal flakes all over) Road switchers get in here and sort (a lot) before wandering on down the line.
Squeal, squeal, snap, snap, pop, thud...
Quick, get me some blocks of wood and about 85 gauge bars!
Meanwhile, back in zugmann's territory, then there was the March 1976 (or maybe 1977) day when an all-black Penn Central (soon to be ConRail) GP38 got trapped behind a minor derailment of its train at the Middletown East End Warehouse. The Trainmaster wanted it out ASAP, so they kept on going ahead, around a 38 (+/-) degree curve (150 +/- ft. radius)* to where they could get out on another track. I'm convinced that only because they were creeping and it was a cold, wet, windy and rainy day to slicken up the steel some kept it up on top of the rails.
*I know, that's almost sharper than they're supposed to be able to negotiate, but it was a 'light' engine (no cars coupled to it, so coupler swing didn't restrict it), and the track did shift a little bit under the trucks. These data sheets indicate that the maximum curvature for the GP38 is 39 degrees (147 ft. radius): http://www.thedieselshop.us/Data%20EMD%20GP38.HTML and 42 degrees (136 ft. radius) for the GP38-2: http://www.thedieselshop.us/Data%20EMD%20GP38-2.HTML
Afterwards, the TM, my boss (ex-PRR) and I measured that curve in a couple places by "string-lining" it just to find out, which is why I remember it, and am that confident in the actual numerical values. As best as I can recall, that curve is the one at these Lat./ Long. coords.: N 40 11.592' W 76 43.270' Amazingly, there's more than 1 that could have been where this happened - look about 50 yds. northwest and 100 yards southeast for what appear to be even sharper curves !
http://www.superpages.com/bp/Middletown-PA/Middletown-East-END-Warehouse-CO-Warehouse-Office-L0113671231.htm
I knew a TM that would pull a move like that (now retired). Old reading man...
I did get your message, Paul. Been a bit hectic last few days. I'll contact you tomorrow if I remember.
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