A big truck with a grappler just left after putting what looked like about ten 'track panels' on the ground and all are hidded behind the piles of gravel. Was three or four MOW trucks at the site, orange vests going over the diamonds and grouping then looking again. They all left after the panels were delivered.
A big EB Herzog ballast train on UP just cleared the diamonds at 17:31 CST. I suspect it had been held out of the way until all of the revenue traffic had cleared. Things are likely going to return to normal now.
Bruce
So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.
"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere" CP Rail Public Timetable
"O. S. Irricana"
. . . __ . ______
xjqcfbut trains now seem to be running normally.
At the very least.
I have just seen the third meet on the diamonds on UP in the last hour and a half. The is above the numerous trains following each other as closely as the rules allow. UP is seriously trying to make up for lost time.
The BNSF has managed to sneak a few trains across the diamonds as well. The trains on both RR's have been mostly intermodal.
rdamon Looks like they are back at it today.
Looks like they are back at it today.
And today got a large effort going on at the UP eastbound signals - looks like they are going to mount the new eastbound horizontal part of the new signal bridge. Since this will go in front of the old signal bridge I wonder if they will cut over the new signals and deactivate the old ones.
UPDATE - ...and they're gone and didn't do any of this kind of work. Perhaps they were doing some less obvious wiring work like yesterday or the weather (rainy) was not conducive to heavy work. Whatever they were doing caused red signals and delays to trains that had to be flagged over the crossing, but trains now seem to be running normally.
BaltACD Notice a number of utility company painted marks on the ground along the BNSF tracks leading to the signal bungalow.
Notice a number of utility company painted marks on the ground along the BNSF tracks leading to the signal bungalow.
Watching and listening again with the scanner feed yesterday, this was apparently part of a signal gang which was cutting in new signal cabling. I heard the signal maintainer ask the dispatcher for time, and hour or so, to do this, stating he was part of a 10 man gang. As the old connections were cut (perhaps those cables leading out from the bungalow in the foreground up to the pole line, proceeding east and west ) signals for the BNSF, both eastbound and westbound, could not be displayed, and at least two trains had to get dispatcher's permission and follow the posted instructions for the automatic interlocking to get through. To complicate matters a westbound Z or Q stack train had to meet an eastbound train (looked to be covered hoppers from the small gap between double stack wells), moving at restricted spped. And, just to make things more interesting a westbound UP Z train pulled right up to home signals and ended up being stabbed for 10 minutes waiting for the stopped BNSF stacker to get the crossover after the covered hoppers cleared. Fortunately just as the next BNSF westbound train hit the holdout signal for the crossing the signal cleared with the maintainer shortly informing the dispatcher that the new connections had been made and tested. A couple of the gang continued to work in the bungalow, but trains seemed to be running as usual.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
xjqcf About 20 mins ago while watching the cam with the scanner feed I heard some reference to a "passenger special" for tomorrow on the UP channel. I hadn't been paying attention until I heard those words. All I could make out that something was going to be stored in Global III (East entrance about 1/2 mile to the west of the diamonds). Could have been the power from a local that was passing east and which was destined for cold storage which is just east of the diamonds. Wonder what this passenger special is all about. Might never see it if the movement is going west out of Global III.
About 20 mins ago while watching the cam with the scanner feed I heard some reference to a "passenger special" for tomorrow on the UP channel. I hadn't been paying attention until I heard those words. All I could make out that something was going to be stored in Global III (East entrance about 1/2 mile to the west of the diamonds). Could have been the power from a local that was passing east and which was destined for cold storage which is just east of the diamonds. Wonder what this passenger special is all about. Might never see it if the movement is going west out of Global III.
There was a special of UP passenger equipment that went east through Rochelle on Saturday. I happened to be visiting the park when it rolled through. Could the equipment is on it's way west and spending the night in Global III?
I'm beginning to have a suggestion, and perhaps we could take up a collection for the one-time cost of implementing it.
Note that the 'revised' Roanoke cam quietly acquired a scrolling memory buffer, which allows quick review of the last 5 or so hours of streamed video, on demand. I do not know whether this 'works' for a limited number of parallel views, any more than I know if the old pan and tilt controls on the camera affected everybody (the worthless 'digital' replacement clearly does not) but it would CERTAINLY be nice to be able to go back in time and see these rare sightings, even if the retrieved quality suffers a little.
Someone might check with the hotel in Roanoke and find out what costs are involved to provide the 'service' -- and see if there's interest from the 'powers that be' in Rochelle and Milwaukee. I would chip in.
The New York Central NS heritage unit and a second NS unit just pulled a WB string of oil cars across the diamond on BNSF at 0705 CST.
NS New York Central Heritage Unit on the point of westbound BNSF empty oil cans around 7:03 am.
MKT Dave 14:15 Watching the cam, had a stack on track #2 EB moving slow, and just glipsed a passenger special on #1 between the stacks moving twice the speed of the stack. (had the sound turned down....) Just hope it wasn't #3985. havent heard about it in a week or so.
14:15 Watching the cam, had a stack on track #2 EB moving slow, and just glipsed a passenger special on #1 between the stacks moving twice the speed of the stack. (had the sound turned down....)
Just hope it wasn't #3985. havent heard about it in a week or so.
I was in Rochelle and my daughter and I had walked to the playground at the school 2 blocks north of the Railroad Park when that special rolled through. I was standing where I could see the grade crossings east of the diamond but wasn't taking pictures. By the time I realized what it was, it was too late. The folks at the park only caught glimpses of it, same as you. A very faded GE on the point, no heritage units...
I'm glad someone else caught her, Dennis! She's a fine old lady, still capable of hauling a 20-car train. Here's a screen grab:
https://goo.gl/kRfP2J
chrisjmiller I know it isn't Rochelle, but 611 is currently in the centre of the Roanoke RailCam! (April 23 17:15 GMT, 13:15 local)
I know it isn't Rochelle, but 611 is currently in the centre of the Roanoke RailCam!
(April 23 17:15 GMT, 13:15 local)
Red Board up for EB UP just put up. 6.30am
MKT Dave MemphisBlue MKT Dave just saw a long string of roadway on up wb. Yeah, I shouldn't try to glean operations out of watching webcams semi-regularly but can't help it, the RR traffic wars interest me. Goes back to early readings of Frailey. just posting what i observe, and I spend hours watching the cam cause i love watching trains. I don't try to make anything of it. sorry... 09.37 watching a mixed freight cross the diamonds, and the rocking box cars were throwing sheets of water off the tops. Also got a MOP crew on site, but havent seen them leave the cab since they arrived/err since i logged back on... ack.
MemphisBlue MKT Dave just saw a long string of roadway on up wb. Yeah, I shouldn't try to glean operations out of watching webcams semi-regularly but can't help it, the RR traffic wars interest me. Goes back to early readings of Frailey.
MKT Dave just saw a long string of roadway on up wb.
just saw a long string of roadway on up wb.
Yeah, I shouldn't try to glean operations out of watching webcams semi-regularly but can't help it, the RR traffic wars interest me. Goes back to early readings of Frailey.
No issues, Dave, not trying to be snarky. I've been watching the cam for about a year trying to figure out which Z trains are which on the UP, along with listening to railroad radio. I think the 3 afternoon Z's are Lathrop, Brooklyn (portland) and Oakland, last two may be reversed. Brooklyn 'birds' have carried the most trailers Y/R and seem to be treated by the dispatchers as the hottest. There are others that come east sometimes in afternoon depending on how well they do on schd.
WB brooklyn just passed the cam, very few trailers at all, 3 units, short axle count. It's a Tuesday train but watching the two BNSF Z-9 trains they are usually pretty healthy by comparison. I wasn't paying close attention but I understand the BNSF lost that hot traffic Chicago-Pac NW when they melted down a few years ago across the north, and UP picked some of it up. If true BNSF seems to have grabbed most of it back.
Cheers..
And the Herzog track maintenance train going the other way (on BNSF):
https://goo.gl/cMOzuS
Long train of Herzog Ballast cars just stopped on the Diamonds.
CatFoodFlambe Have no idea, just an observation. Trying to view the 2 birds today but looks like the cam just went down. Looks like I'll have to cut the grass now. MemphisBlue The UP's Brooklyn Z train is getting smaller and smaller the past few weeks. Seems they've lost the Yellow/Roadway stuff. UPS must be paying them well to run with four motors to pull 100 or so axles. Or might Y/R have begun to stuff domestic containers to take advantage of double-stack rates and/or to free up their own equipment for routes where rail isn't as efficient an option?
Have no idea, just an observation. Trying to view the 2 birds today but looks like the cam just went down. Looks like I'll have to cut the grass now.
MemphisBlue The UP's Brooklyn Z train is getting smaller and smaller the past few weeks. Seems they've lost the Yellow/Roadway stuff. UPS must be paying them well to run with four motors to pull 100 or so axles.
The UP's Brooklyn Z train is getting smaller and smaller the past few weeks. Seems they've lost the Yellow/Roadway stuff. UPS must be paying them well to run with four motors to pull 100 or so axles.
Or might Y/R have begun to stuff domestic containers to take advantage of double-stack rates and/or to free up their own equipment for routes where rail isn't as efficient an option?
just brought up the Cam not even a minute when a Herzog with about six or seven flat cars full of new ties rolled across the diamonds approx 6:47am WB.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/15158681@N00/25839169613/in/dateposted-public/
Virtually all routes on all carriers that have the requirement to be convered by PTC are having new signals installed to facilitate the installation of PTC.
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