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Semi-official Rochelle webcam discussion thread

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Posted by rdamon on Wednesday, July 20, 2016 4:51 PM

No problem on my end ..  AT&T Uverse

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Posted by USCGR Tom on Wednesday, July 20, 2016 4:51 PM

Same problem with me. The webcam logo is only spinning, not loading.

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Posted by gwyn68 on Wednesday, July 20, 2016 4:30 PM
cam down i think. you in UK?
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Posted by BtrainBob on Wednesday, July 20, 2016 4:22 PM

is the cam down?  4:20 CSDT.  The EarthCam logo just spins?  My computer or the cam?  Thanks

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Posted by AgentKid on Monday, July 18, 2016 9:05 AM

AgentKid
The switch is thrown, but the engine still pulls east about 1-2 feet.

The local is back today at 0900 CT. He threw the switch and headed in with no extra motions whatsoever. Just like you would expect such a switch to work.

Bruce

 

So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.

"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere"  CP Rail Public Timetable

"O. S. Irricana"

. . . __ . ______

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Posted by cefinkjr on Saturday, July 16, 2016 11:15 AM

It always makes me smile when I see, as I just did, a teenager photographing a freight train.  Smile  If the web cam offered two-way audio, I'd say, "Hey, Kid, need another Grandfather?"  Thanks for brightening my day.

Chuck
Allen, TX

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Posted by MKT Dave on Saturday, July 16, 2016 8:01 AM

7.55, 16Jul2016, passenger Train, WB. Caught the last car as it crossed the diamonds.

 

 

 

...
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Posted by xjqcf on Saturday, July 16, 2016 7:59 AM

An Office car special just passed wesbound on BNSF with a glass-end inspection car on the rear at 7:56am

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Posted by cefinkjr on Friday, July 15, 2016 8:36 PM

rdamon

Just got my picture taken ...

 

That's got to be some kind of selfie record. Big Smile

Chuck
Allen, TX

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Posted by CShaveRR on Friday, July 15, 2016 3:43 PM

rdamon

Just got my picture taken ...

Welcome to Illinois!  Hope you're keeping dry, and otherwise having a good time in this near-perfect weather (perfect except for the stuff that's been twenty-percenting over me whil I'm watching trains in Elmhurst and Lombard).  

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)

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Posted by CatFoodFlambe on Friday, July 15, 2016 2:00 PM
Business must be improving rapidly, at least for BNSF - three domestic IM shooters (mixed UPS/LTL TOFC and domestic cans) eastbound right on each other's blocks between noon and 1 pm CDT. Or was something holding up traffic to the west?
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Posted by rdamon on Friday, July 15, 2016 12:48 PM

Just got my picture taken ...

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Posted by AgentKid on Friday, July 15, 2016 12:12 PM

CShaveRR
Were they honest-to-Goodness Bathtubs? Aluminum Bethgons? What color were the rotary-coupler ends?

What we had were black cars with ribs about half again as thick as what you see on the UP, with smooth rounded bottons between the trucks. No chutes or doors. All of the white paint was very faded or gone entirely. The markings for the rotary coupler ends in many cases were barely visible. About a dozen or so of the cars still had an old school company or road name centred on the side above the usual high water mark for grafitti.

The consist was all matched with the exception of, I think, about 3 cars. One of the three was a black version of the brown cars you often see on the UP. It stood maybe six inches to a foot taller, no more, than the rest of the train.

I don't know what you car them, but even the top horizontal pieces above the ribs were proportionaly bigger than what you see on the UP cars.

These cars reminded me of older pictures of the coal cars the CPR used to haul out of the Crowsnest Pass to Vacouver, say back in the eighties. That is about all I can say.

Bruce

 

So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.

"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere"  CP Rail Public Timetable

"O. S. Irricana"

. . . __ . ______

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Posted by CShaveRR on Thursday, July 14, 2016 6:40 PM

Sigh

While I'm wishing for visibility of reporting marks, I probably could also go on record as missing the archived stills that used to accompany the site.  I could have seen what you were talking about.

Were they honest-to-Goodness Bathtubs?  Aluminum Bethgons?  What color were the rotary-coupler ends?  We might be able to figure things out with that information.  I couldn't help much, because by the time that train gets down here it's mixed in with all of the stuff coming across Iowa.

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)

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Posted by AgentKid on Thursday, July 14, 2016 12:35 PM

And now for something completely different.

At 1232 CT an EB BNSF unit train of coal in bathtub gons cleared the diamonds. Couldn't quite make out any reporting marks.

I have never seen that before on BNSF there.

Bruce

 

So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.

"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere"  CP Rail Public Timetable

"O. S. Irricana"

. . . __ . ______

  • Member since
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Posted by AgentKid on Monday, July 11, 2016 8:59 AM

So today at 0850 CT the local running light comes west up to the switch and stops short of it. The switch is thrown, but the engine still pulls east about 1-2 feet. Then he heads into the spur. He never did get west of the frog while on the mainline. So, I am back to square one as to what this new proceedure is.

Bruce

 

So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.

"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere"  CP Rail Public Timetable

"O. S. Irricana"

. . . __ . ______

  • Member since
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Posted by AgentKid on Sunday, July 10, 2016 7:29 AM

AgentKid
I saw a EB BNSF train of two units and a long string of ALL flatcars. Talk about a train with low wind resistance!

Nothing is ever where it needs to be.

At 0725 CT BNSF just ran a train WB with nothing but empty well cars. A repositioning move I guess. Not quite a slippery as an all flatcar train though.

Bruce

 

So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.

"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere"  CP Rail Public Timetable

"O. S. Irricana"

. . . __ . ______

  • Member since
    August 2008
  • From: Calgary AB. Canada
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Posted by AgentKid on Saturday, July 9, 2016 12:58 PM

BaltACD
reverse West and shoved 1/2 car past the switch points of the connection switch. Movement was stopped and then went East 3/4 of a car and stopped for approximately 5 minutes and then shoved West again, this time onto the connection. I suspect the connection switch has been changed to be either a power operated switch (which may not have thrown in this instance) or a dispatcher controlled electric lock switch.

I will get to that in a moment.

First, I just saw an all CSX train of locos and covered hoppers clear the diamond WB on BNSF at 1340 CT. Earlier, I saw a EB BNSF train of two units and a long string of ALL flatcars. Talk about a train with low wind resistance!

Now to Balt's post. I saw the same movement you did but I didn't have time to respond yesterday. I saw a similar incident late Thursday morning. The local, with only three cars, pushed west a half car lenght past the switch, before pulling ahead to allow the switch to be thrown. He then went up the spur. It seems like they have to get at least one truck west of the frog to complete a circuit or something before thay can throw the switch. I would be interested to hear if anybody knows what is actually happening there.

Bruce

 

So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.

"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere"  CP Rail Public Timetable

"O. S. Irricana"

. . . __ . ______

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Posted by BaltACD on Friday, July 8, 2016 11:42 AM

1120 CT

Rochelle switcher went East of diamond with about 20 cars (mix - gons, empty center beam flats, mechanical refers & box cars), as they were clearing the diamond you could hear the air brakes being applied.  A minute or so after the braking sounds stopped (suspect movement was clear of the BNSF home signal for the interlocking) the movement could be heard to reverse West and shoved 1/2 car past the switch points of the connection switch.  Movement was stopped and then went East 3/4 of a car and stopped for approximately 5 minutes and then shoved West again, this time onto the connection.

I suspect the connection switch has been changed to be either a power operated switch (which may not have thrown in this instance) or a dispatcher controlled electric lock switch. 

I did not notice anyone riding the point of the shove (however, if they were they would have been on the far side from the camera and not visible) if they were on the point, they must have dismounted moving equipment at the Home signal, as the movement was not stopped long enough for a person to walk the 20 or so cars to get from the engine to the point.

After being on the connection for 10 or so minutes, the movement came off the connection, minus the 6 or so box cars that had been the West end of the movement while an Eastbound UP coal train was moving over the diamond.  Brakeman was observed at the switch after the Switcher cleared the connection restoring the switch for Main Track movements and then walking toward the movment that stopped East of the home signal.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by rdamon on Friday, July 8, 2016 8:52 AM

Red Flags and lots of crews out this morning ....

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Posted by Jjohnieray on Tuesday, July 5, 2016 9:40 AM

At 9.25 BNSF still switching Rochelle Delmonte by hand ,not like the big lever.Seemed different,maybe electric control.

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Posted by blhanel on Sunday, July 3, 2016 9:18 PM

Attempting to post photos, and failing again.

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Posted by CShaveRR on Saturday, July 2, 2016 10:03 PM

It was yesterday, Brian.

I wish we could join you tomorrow, but we have to meet my sister coming in on Amtrak in the afternoon.

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)

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Posted by blhanel on Saturday, July 2, 2016 8:48 PM

Did you pay the park a personal visit today, Carl?  I've talked Joanie into going over tomorrow.

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Posted by CShaveRR on Saturday, July 2, 2016 2:27 PM

I have no idea when the ban will go into effect.  I don't know which crossings it will cover, other than the two obvious ones.  Perhaps if you're lucky, Chuck, you'll still be able to hear the crossing bell when the gates drop.

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)

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Posted by cefinkjr on Saturday, July 2, 2016 11:30 AM

CShaveRR
No more deafening horns when eastbounds go past the park (at least not after the ban goes into effect).

That's not good; I won't know when a train is approaching while I have the Rochelle window hidden.Wink

Chuck
Allen, TX

CBT
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Posted by CBT on Saturday, July 2, 2016 9:13 AM

When is the ban going into effect? I'm going there in August so I was just wondiring.

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Posted by AgentKid on Saturday, July 2, 2016 8:52 AM

Interesting example right now of just how tight MOW windows can be. A EB BNSF oil train showed up at the same time as the trucks parked on the north side of the tracks left, and before the EB cleared the diamond there was an WB oil train heading across it.

Bruce

EDIT: Apologies, I had my directions reversed in my original post.

So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.

"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere"  CP Rail Public Timetable

"O. S. Irricana"

. . . __ . ______

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Posted by BaltACD on Saturday, July 2, 2016 7:21 AM

MofW gang tramming West on UP - 0720 CT

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by CShaveRR on Friday, July 1, 2016 10:28 PM

The signals have been cut over, for sure.  Both of the UP's old bridges are still standing, as of this noon, but without signals on them. One of the westbound two-headed masts of searchlight signals is on the grounds of the park; I suspect that it will become part of a permanent display (it needs a little work and a few parts to spruce it up).  The old westbound BNSF bridge is completely gone.

I can't get used to a home signal requiring only one head, but that's the case with the new westbound signals on both UP tracks and one of the two BNSF tracks.

The good news is that the new color-light signals are very easy to read from inside the park (with the possible excption of the green lights, obscured by the thickest part of the hoods).

In other news, fresh medians have been put in for both railroads at Ninth Street, the crossing in front of the park.  No more deafening horns when eastbounds go past the park (at least not after the ban goes into effect).

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)

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