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Semi-official Rochelle webcam discussion thread

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Posted by tree68 on Thursday, March 3, 2016 1:36 PM

MrLynn
Just logged on, and what do I see but a man in dark clothes and a bag racing across both sets of tracks, then disappearing off to the left.

I don't watch the cam often, but I've seen more than a few folks cross the tracks there.  

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Posted by MrLynn on Thursday, March 3, 2016 1:41 PM

Another observation: Eastbound UP piggy-back trailers visibly rocking back and forth as they cross the diamonds.  Looks positively dangerous!

/Mr Lynn

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Posted by cefinkjr on Thursday, March 3, 2016 4:02 PM

MrLynn
Another observation: Eastbound UP piggy-back trailers visibly rocking back and forth as they cross the diamonds. Looks positively dangerous!

Here we go again!

I wrote essentially the same thing a couple of months ago and we were thereafter treated to slow orders and heavy-duty maintenance for weeks.

In my obsolete, semi-professional opinion (spent 6 months with MoW 40 years ago), I'd say they have a problem with soft soil under the diamonds.  I don't mean the roadbed; I mean the sub-, sub-roadbed --- everything between the ballast and bed rock.  That can be tremendously expensive to fix IF it can be fixed at all.  But that's the Division Engineer's job . . . and headache.  Glad they're his and not mine.

Chuck
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Posted by MKT Dave on Friday, March 4, 2016 7:37 AM

a couple months ago was watching the local stop with box cars, refers, and centerlines, when a person rolled under the cars, got up and ran on across the tracks. A man was filming the local and got it on video. He yelled, "Yea, I got her as she came out from under the car."

...
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Posted by gp18 on Friday, March 4, 2016 8:58 AM
It appears that top heavy cars rock the most, TOFC, reefers,etc, and mainly on the U.P. tracks. The BNSF trains rocket through with nary a wiggle.
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Posted by CatFoodFlambe on Friday, March 4, 2016 9:09 PM

gp18
It appears that top heavy cars rock the most, TOFC, reefers,etc, and mainly on the U.P. tracks. The BNSF trains rocket through with nary a wiggle.
 

And it seems limited to the UP south track, too.     UP's engineering staff is as good as any - as noted earlier, it's probably going to require a signifcant effort (and down-time for the track) to pump out the water in the sub-grade and inject some sort of grouting to keep it out.

I used to be a dock supervisor at an LTL carrier hub - one of these days, Estes/ABF/Yellow-Roadway/R&L is going to send a top-heavy 53' trailer (say, empty chemical drums topped out with siding or some other dense material) that gets loaded on a 89' flat by itself and hits the harmonics juuuuust right on a windy day on the diamond...

 

 

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Posted by ChuckCobleigh on Saturday, March 5, 2016 12:05 PM

Well, that was fast!

Popped the webcam at about 6:30 am CDT this morning and snow on the ground.  Now at noon, it's gone!  Of course, the temps are "moderate" today, so no big surprise.

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Posted by jeffhergert on Saturday, March 5, 2016 3:13 PM

I Just watched a westbound hopper go through at 3pm.  It's the one I'm lined up for later tonight.  My line-up estimates about 11pm, but 9pm isn't out of the question.  Depends on how many long pool trains they need to weave around the short pools.

Jeff  

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Posted by blhanel on Saturday, March 5, 2016 6:14 PM

Jeff, just caught the last half of another westbound hopper train- had three DPUs mid-train; didn't see what was up front, though.

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Posted by jeffhergert on Saturday, March 5, 2016 6:25 PM

blhanel

Jeff, just caught the last half of another westbound hopper train- had three DPUs mid-train; didn't see what was up front, though.

 

Covered hoppers? Possibly a sand train.

Jeff

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Posted by ChuckCobleigh on Saturday, March 5, 2016 7:02 PM

jeffhergert
Covered hoppers? Possibly a sand train. Jeff

Did they have CATX reporting marks?Big Smile

EDIT: By that, I mean the bentonite cars, as in this shot.

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Posted by rdettmer on Sunday, March 6, 2016 1:11 PM

i just saw the spider for the first time in a while must be a sign of spring

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Posted by rdamon on Tuesday, March 8, 2016 11:33 AM

Looks like a windy day for leaf burning.

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Posted by mloik on Tuesday, March 8, 2016 1:55 PM

I was thinking the same thing and came here to see if anyone else had noticed.

 

rdamon

Looks like a windy day for leaf burning.

 

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Posted by rdettmer on Tuesday, March 8, 2016 2:28 PM

just saw a wp engine pulling a conainer train thru the smoke

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Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, March 8, 2016 4:48 PM

rdamon

Looks like a windy day for leaf burning. 

We aren't supposed to burn leaves at all, but...

Actually, if they were going to burn, they probably picked a decent day (no wind would be better, of course).

The wind was blowing the smoke across the diamond - nothing on the ground to burn, to speak of, so little chance of spreading.

By the time the smoke got to the houses across the way, it had somewhat dissipated.

Never mind the inconvenience to the train crews.

Starting March 14th (until mid-May), all of NYS has an outdoor burn ban in place.  Can't burn nuthin, nohow.  And the environmental conservation guys will write tickets.

Most people are used to it by now, but there always seem to be a few who are surprised...

LarryWhistling
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Posted by Norm48327 on Tuesday, March 8, 2016 5:44 PM

tree68
Starting March 14th (until mid-May), all of NYS has an outdoor burn ban in place. Can't burn nuthin, nohow.

That would have been a good idea back when I was a firefighter. We still had lots of open fields and grass fires kept us running until things greened up.

Norm


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Posted by Dakguy201 on Tuesday, March 8, 2016 6:10 PM

Norm48327

 

 
tree68
Starting March 14th (until mid-May), all of NYS has an outdoor burn ban in place. Can't burn nuthin, nohow.

 

That would have been a good idea back when I was a firefighter. We still had lots of open fields and grass fires kept us running until things greened up.

 

Before the Europeans came. the plains Indians routinely set fire to the prairie in the spring.  We now know that they were releasing nutrients tied up in the dead grasses and making sun space for new growth.  What they knew is that the burned places would attract the wild herds as they regrew. 

Of course, a side effect was that it limited the growth of trees, which would limit the railroad's fuel supply when they arrived.

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Posted by MrLynn on Wednesday, March 9, 2016 2:06 PM

At first I thought the smudge in the middle of the screen was smoke, but after a week it hasn't moved.  It's not smoke; it's a smudge.  Any chance someone could clean the lens?

/Mr Lynn

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Posted by tree68 on Thursday, March 10, 2016 7:17 AM

MrLynn

At first I thought the smudge in the middle of the screen was smoke, but after a week it hasn't moved.  It's not smoke; it's a smudge.  Any chance someone could clean the lens?

I think someone mentioned that it was cleaned at least a little the other day.  If that's the GE version of ALCO snot, it'll take a ladder and a bottle of Windex to get it polished back up.  A long pole with a squeegee from the ground won't hack it.

Fire in the fire pit this morning - must be some early morning attendees at the shelter.

LarryWhistling
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Posted by mloik on Thursday, March 10, 2016 2:10 PM

Work going on in the signal cabinet now.

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Posted by rdamon on Thursday, March 10, 2016 3:33 PM

Looks like they get to enjoy the smoke from the smoldering fire.

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Posted by MKT Dave on Thursday, March 10, 2016 9:20 PM

Correction: about 21:00 last night, there were people at the pit, they stacked what looked like a lot of paper, then threw gasoline on it, it flamed up pretty good, those sitting on the benches had to scramble away. Flaming bits of paper was flying all around and they were laughing about it. About 8:00 am, a pair of men toured around the pit, then a little later a women in a dress business suit came out and talked on a cell phone for a while.

uh, she was pissed.

...
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Posted by rdamon on Friday, March 11, 2016 10:19 AM

Looks like some underground locating going on. Hope the giant spider does not get them!!

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Posted by tree68 on Friday, March 11, 2016 10:57 AM

MKT Dave
about midnight last night, there were people at the pit,

I wonder if they were non-railfans.  Wouldn't surprise me.  Just makes it tough on the honest fan...

LarryWhistling
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Posted by dknelson on Saturday, March 12, 2016 4:00 PM

MKT Dave

Correction: about 21:00 last night, there were people at the pit, they stacked what looked like a lot of paper, then threw gasoline on it, it flamed up pretty good, those sitting on the benches had to scramble away. Flaming bits of paper was flying all around and they were laughing about it. About 8:00 am, a pair of men toured around the pit, then a little later a women in a dress business suit came out and talked on a cell phone for a while.

uh, she was pissed.

 

 
And now (Saturday afternoon March 12) there is all sorts of paper trash scattered around the pit area up to the west fence.  Just because it is a railroad park doesn't make it a jerk-free zone I guess.
 
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Posted by phkmn2000 on Monday, March 14, 2016 3:49 PM
I see a lot of WB containers on the BNSF. Anybody have an idea how many of containers go empty to the left coast?
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Posted by tree68 on Monday, March 14, 2016 5:38 PM

dknelson
Just because it is a railroad park doesn't make it a jerk-free zone I guess.

I'd opine that the local ne'er-do-wells know it well.  Of course, that may also mean the local gendarmerie probably keeps a bit of an eye on it.

LarryWhistling
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Posted by rdamon on Tuesday, March 15, 2016 9:39 AM

Either there is a new Pope in Rochelle or the house across the tracks is burning more leaves.

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Tuesday, March 15, 2016 11:14 AM

I have seen several of the residents in the south quadrant adjacent to the tracks burning trash and leaves.

On a good note:  It looks like someone has cleaned up the fenced-in area of the park... a hearty thank-you to whoever did it.   Bow 

 

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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