traisessive1 This is coming from a CN Engineer in Canada. The Canadian Rules do not require the horn to be sounded as a warning to workers near the tracks. Just the bell. In my opinion it is completely excessive and unessecary to sound the horn until you are past the workers. I usually give horn signals until I know they know I am there, even though it's not required. A lot of wayside workers get pretty ticked off if you blow the horn right next to them. Through my 10 years at CN I have come to realize that blowing the horn at a crossing with gates and lights is completely pointless as well. If someone gets hit a crossing with gates, the horn not being/being sounded is NOT going to change anything. Another good rule we have here is that if someone is flagging a crossing or giving you a roll by at a crossing, the engineer does not have to blow that crossing. It is definitely good on the ears.
This is coming from a CN Engineer in Canada.
The Canadian Rules do not require the horn to be sounded as a warning to workers near the tracks. Just the bell.
In my opinion it is completely excessive and unessecary to sound the horn until you are past the workers. I usually give horn signals until I know they know I am there, even though it's not required. A lot of wayside workers get pretty ticked off if you blow the horn right next to them.
Through my 10 years at CN I have come to realize that blowing the horn at a crossing with gates and lights is completely pointless as well. If someone gets hit a crossing with gates, the horn not being/being sounded is NOT going to change anything.
Another good rule we have here is that if someone is flagging a crossing or giving you a roll by at a crossing, the engineer does not have to blow that crossing. It is definitely good on the ears.
Canada must not have very litigious barristers!
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
traisessive1If the guys acknowledge you, you're fine. Why keep on sounding it when they know you're there?
If you're blowing a full crossing signal, or even prolonged blasts, I get your argument. But if they are brief "toots," it shouldn't be a problem for anyone.
Besides, if it's a small work party, you're done sounding the horn almost immediately. If it's a large work party, there's undoubted machinery involved, and in most cases, that means hearing protection. It's entirely possible that the guys at the far end of the work zone didn't hear your initial warning, and probably can't hear the bell at all...
A couple of short toots periodically sounds like a good compromise to me. First rule in our book is "...take the safe course..."
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...
(Funeral for a Friend) .... Canadians admitted their shortcomings in that video.
Anyone know why trains blow those irritating horns at an intersection of tracks only? There is no pedestrian or vehicular traffic crossing at Rochelle. Is there a crossing behind the camera, out of view? Residents must just love hearing those horns all night long for no reason. Who are they signaling too? Other trains won't be able to stop in time. Citizens up in Flagstaff, AZ got the trains horns banned, and they get as much traffic as anyone. Just curious. Thanks.
Seeing one person acknowledge a horn blast does not mean everyone in the area has heard it. What about the guy standing behind the endloader that is thinking he wants to cross over the tracks? Did he hear the horn? Will he be turned into hamburger because he is concentrating on getting that wrench from the truck.
I think the horn should be sounded until the engine is past the work area.
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
How often I sound the two "shorts" when men and machines are present depends on how many and their locations. The more of both and the closer they are to live (the one I'm on) track the more often I sound the two shorts.
Once I was working with a conductor who came over from MOW. We were going past men and equipment, including one of the boom trucks where the boom operator is sitting up high. About even with the position of the horns on the locomotive. He mentioned about me sounding the horn in this guy's vicinity. I said I understand it's loud for him, but what if I didn't sound the horn and his co-worker happened to walk around the end of the truck? I told him when there is machinery present, I'm more worried about the guys I can't see than the ones that I can. He understood that.
Jeff
We've got horn exempt crossings here that don't have gates. I don't really understand that but it's allowed here in Canada. Most are in the 25mph range.
Canada isn't at the place yet where everyone wants to jump in the nearest ambulance and then head to the nearest law office for every scratch they get.
These are the times where you should take what a 10 year employee is saying. We have a lot of guys out there that simply don't care about anything but I am not one of them. I take pride in my career and I take excessive pride in maintaining my rule books and applying the rules.
The vast majority of the time that I see the trains blowing for wayside workers near the diamond, the workers are no where near the tracks. Even if they stumbled they wouldn't be on the tracks.
Those of you who are not employees do not see things from our point of view. Just like crossings. I see a lot of people making 'close call' comments on videos that crews wouldn't even blink over inside the cab.
Canada's rules are A LOT less restrictive compared to the US in a lot of situations. I don't agree with all of them but Transport Canada allows it.
10000 feet and no dynamics? Today is going to be a good day ...
Really foggy this morning at 0800 CST--and fog has lifted some by 0900. It's brighter here at 0800 MST.
Johnny
about fifteen minutes ago, had a meet on BNSF WB stack, and a Tanker EB. Just now had a EB UP Mixed and a WB Empty Coal train, which nearly met ontop of the diamonds. I thought it was awesome watching.
Found a cool railroad documentary website here: https://www.filmon.com/tv/loco-motion-tv
I've used FilmonTV quite a bit since I dropped cable a few years back but never paid much attention to the documentary section until today. Watched an early 90's video about Santa Fe operations in and around Kansas City, now there's one on that's all about steam engines.
jeffhergert How often I sound the two "shorts" when men and machines are present depends on how many and their locations. The more of both and the closer they are to live (the one I'm on) track the more often I sound the two shorts. Once I was working with a conductor who came over from MOW. We were going past men and equipment, including one of the boom trucks where the boom operator is sitting up high. About even with the position of the horns on the locomotive. He mentioned about me sounding the horn in this guy's vicinity. I said I understand it's loud for him, but what if I didn't sound the horn and his co-worker happened to walk around the end of the truck? I told him when there is machinery present, I'm more worried about the guys I can't see than the ones that I can. He understood that. Jeff
MrLynnI notice that some of the UP eastbound engineers, still out of sight to the west, will lean long and hard on the horn. Any reason?
The crossing just west of the diamonds is Illinois 38 - the "Lincoln Highway." I suspect that it's pretty busy. Maybe it has a history of inattentive motorists...
tree68 MrLynn The crossing just west of the diamonds is Illinois 38 - the "Lincoln Highway." I suspect that it's pretty busy. Maybe it has a history of inattentive motorists...
MrLynn
If you watch the site approaching dusk in the Fall and Winter - you can see the stream of headlights proceeding over the crossing.
The crossing west of the diamonds is not Illinois 38. Route 38 curves to the north just west of this crossing, and never crosses UP in Rochelle. This road (which continues straight where 38 curves off) used to be a through street that passes just to the south of the park (can't remember the name). The connection has been severed, though--and traffic on this road now continues southward, probably winding up in the vicinity of the industrial district by the City's own tracks. It is not an easy crossing for trucks to negotiate, yet much of the traffic is now trucks.
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)
My bad - I remembered it wrong.....
Looking at the satellite image, it appears that they expect a fair amount of truck traffic - the shoulders are huge on the curve.
I just saw something interesting--an EB UP intermodal train crept by, stopped, backed up a little, stopped for a few minutes, and now it is on its way again.
Deggesty I just saw something interesting--an EB UP intermodal train crept by, stopped, backed up a little, stopped for a few minutes, and now it is on its way again.
Take a look at Rochelle in Google Earth. There's a good sized intermodal yard just west on the UP. I believe it's called "Global 3" for some reason. Your EB probably had a set-out to make there.
ChuckAllen, TX
Must have been a frustrating day for the MOW workers at the diamond. They've gone now, but I watched them for several hours before that. On the tracks, then off, on and off, on and off. It is a wonder they got anything done, if in fact they did.
Bruce
So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.
"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere" CP Rail Public Timetable
"O. S. Irricana"
. . . __ . ______
AgentKid Must have been a frustrating day for the MOW workers at the diamond. They've gone now, but I watched them for several hours before that. On the tracks, then off, on and off, on and off. It is a wonder they got anything done, if in fact they did. Bruce
Track time on busy routes is difficult to come by, unless 'curfew' conditions are established and delay to trains is permitted; otherwise, it will be 20 minutes here, wait on 3 trains, another 20 minutes for work, clear for another train etc. etc. etc. Then the day is done.
There are times when they can't get any track time. I was on a rail train (laying new rail) for a week once. The first day on the job we never got out on the main. Too much traffic.
jeffhergert There are times when they can't get any track time. I was on a rail train (laying new rail) for a week once. The first day on the job we never got out on the main. Too much traffic. Jeff
Been hearing a lot of crashing, and noticed yesterday that the west wing of the building on the west side of the diamonds have been removed.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/15158681@N00/23714932661/in/dateposted-public/
Yellow circle is the wing no longer there.
Dave, I kept comparing the picture to the next two in your sequence (Nov 22) , and there is something that looks different, but I can't figure out what I'm seeing. Is the difference just the lighting?
_____________
"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
Paul of Covington Dave, I kept comparing the picture to the next two in your sequence (Nov 22) , and there is something that looks different, but I can't figure out what I'm seeing. Is the difference just the lighting?
This happened in the last couple of days, so in Nov. the wing was still there. I posted what I posted right at sun down on the 16th, they have been using a back hoe to take it down all day today. I was watching it moving around and saw clearly today just before sundown what has happened.
The picture I used with the circle was from last spring. I won't have a picture of the missing wing until tomorrow.
That whole building should be coming down now. I drove by yesterday and they had an excavator knocking down everything and loading it up in trucks. The city of Rochelle has been talking demo-ing it for a few years now, glad they are finally doin it.
Do you know what plans the city has for the land?
Looks closed in the 2007 street view
https://goo.gl/maps/UUNta4iZvxM2
Looks like the map car had to wait for a train to pass .. the lights were still on.
Just looked in in time to see a WB BNSF tank train clear the diamonds, and to see a WB UP train (a stacker on the "wrong" track) get started after having to wait for the BNSF train.
Loud noises can be heard in the background.
tree68 Just looked in in time to see a WB BNSF tank train clear the diamonds, and to see a WB UP train (a stacker on the "wrong" track) get started after having to wait for the BNSF train. Loud noises can be heard in the background.
After the WB cleared, an EB UP came through, one unit, four or five flats with UPS trailers. That was it. Customer power!
EDIT: I lost my 'S' on the way to writing the post. Carl figured it out.
rdamon Looks closed in the 2007 street view https://goo.gl/maps/UUNta4iZvxM2 Looks like the map car had to wait for a train to pass .. the lights were still on.
What was the business that operated the building?
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