jeffhergert I was on vacation last week. On my last trip before, on the West Iowa we had about 7 slows, two were 40 mph. the rest 60 mph. My first trip back, all of those 60s had been cleared, and one 40 remained. It was joined by some new ones; a couple of 25s, some 40s, one 45 and one 60. I think there will be a few more added in the next week or so. That's still better than a few years ago. I had the first two weeks in March off that year. When I left there were only three 60 mph slows. When I came back we had three pages of slows, divided almost evenly between 25 and 40 mph. Jeff
I was on vacation last week. On my last trip before, on the West Iowa we had about 7 slows, two were 40 mph. the rest 60 mph. My first trip back, all of those 60s had been cleared, and one 40 remained. It was joined by some new ones; a couple of 25s, some 40s, one 45 and one 60. I think there will be a few more added in the next week or so.
That's still better than a few years ago. I had the first two weeks in March off that year. When I left there were only three 60 mph slows. When I came back we had three pages of slows, divided almost evenly between 25 and 40 mph.
Jeff
A lot depends on how closely your return followed the Sperry Rail Defect Detector Cars and the Track Geometry Measurement Car as well as the Gauge Restraint Measurement cars. They all find defects that require slow orders until the defects are corrected. In addition the local MofW personnel find defects in their required periodic inspections.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
I used the occasion of the hump conductor's birthday today to find out a little about the problems at Proviso. He informed me that not enough trains were departing, and the bowl contained 1500 cars (I used to envision a rough day when that number got up toward 1000...you need a place to classify them properly!). Also, arguably the best yardmaster we had in recent times has retired, and the good managers have jumped ship.
_________________________________However, none of that makes for terrible train-watching. I got out on my bike this afternoon to deliver a letter to the post office (any excuse to spend some time trackside!). First thing I noticed was a Diverging Clear for Track 1 eastbound--I hoped it wasn't the easbound scoot, due in about 20 minutes (it works better if they're along the platform, don'cha see). So when I biked toward the post office I got a chence to check out the crossovers for myself, and confirmed that the lineup was from 1 to 2. That made it more likely that I'd be seeing a freight.I crossed the tracks to go to the PO, and again to get back, and, about a couple of minutes later, a freight came. But this one was westbound, on Track 3! It was a manifest, with a shocking string of empty flat cars near the locomotives (not good train makeup unless most of the rest of the train was empty). It also had a bunch of AEX covered hoppers that I've recently discovered: 5800-cubic-foot plastics cars reduced in length and capacity to 3340 cubic feet, presumably for frac sand. There are about 100 of these, in two series.While this train was moving west, the other freight train--another manifest--came by, and crossed over. He started to slow down as he went past me, so I figured he would be stopping once he got past the crossovers.When I got back to the west end of the stretch along the tracks, there were a couple of phtographers camped on the curve grabbing the action. It turns out that they were from Canada (one from Great Britain originally). We were soon joined by a local cab driver with a Rochelle cap and a BNSF T-shirt, and a camera and scanner (real character, he!). Between the two locals, we were able to tell the Canadians about the lay of the land here (got them ready for the scoots).The eastbound scoot came through on Track 1. It was at that point that I'd noticed that the first eastbound manifest had in fact stopped beyond the Grace crossovers on Track 2 (he was still visible). And there was another train on Track 2--at Finley Road; he'd been there for a while. The cabbie said that he'd heard the dispatcher tell one of them to move on into Proviso, but he didn't know which one. That soon became apparent as the signals cleared behind the scoot: it was a Diverging Approach on Track 2. About the time I noticed the signal, we heard two short horn blasts from the train at Finley, and he started out slowly.It was getting close to time for the westbound scoot, and the freight didn't want to be blocking the walkway at our station platform when the scoot was coming in. I expected him to make a brief stop, but he didn't. This was a unit grain train, made up mostly of new UP cars (two different series that I don't think I'd seen before, both built last summer). So they were taking pictures and I was taking notes...The grain train hadn't gone out of sight yet when the scoot came into view, so the move was well thought out. After the scood made his station stop (a lot of passengers!) and moved out, we all went our separate ways. That was approximately 40 minutes well spent.
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)
No railroads for me today - too busy selling chicken. We went through 450 halves (and attendant "fixin's") in a hour and a half, selling out just before 1 PM.
Now it's kick back time.
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...
Haven't been there in years, Jim, so I have no idea. I know they replaced the bridge/diamond, but I may have to take a cruise on Metra and see what can be seen (or felt).Johnny Degges and I went through on the CN a couple of years ago, and I didn't notice anything that drastically slowed us down.
good morning
Cannonball
Pi is great when you have a view of the tracks. Four Ns trains passed as we were eating our pie. Brother who started me watching trains at a very young age enjoyed the show.
stay safe
Joe
Deshler Ohio-crossroads of the B&O Matt eats your fries.YUM! Clinton st viaduct undefeated against too tall trucks!!!(voted to be called the "Clinton St. can opener").
CShaveRR Even though the yard was built on a swamp, it's had over 80 years to settle, and is probably in as good a shape as it's ever been. We've had some settling from time to time, including one retarder that would set the cars rocking to such a degree that I was scared to drop cars into it, but no, this "meltdown" is unlikely weather related, or it would be an annual event.
Even though the yard was built on a swamp, it's had over 80 years to settle, and is probably in as good a shape as it's ever been. We've had some settling from time to time, including one retarder that would set the cars rocking to such a degree that I was scared to drop cars into it, but no, this "meltdown" is unlikely weather related, or it would be an annual event.
blue streak 1 CShaveRR They bumped the high up to 72 in Chicagoland for Monday, but there's snow in the forecast again, for a week from Friday. (With the high in the mid-40s and the ground getting mushy soft, I don't expect anything that falls to last very long.) Carl: Is all this mushy soil causing the problems at Proviso ? Saw on another site that some freight is being diverted to BRC & clearing ?
CShaveRR
Carl: Is all this mushy soil causing the problems at Proviso ? Saw on another site that some freight is being diverted to BRC & clearing ?
blue streak 1 Is this going to plug the CHI - STL route ? and to Omaha? .
Is this going to plug the CHI - STL route ? and to Omaha? .
Although we send some trains out of Proviso to St. Louis (at least when I worked there), everything went to or through Yard Center. The stuff out west would be more likely to be the concern.
blue streak 1 Too bad they cannot call you back for consultation.
Too bad they cannot call you back for consultation.
It is, isn't it? My departure was toward the early end of a massive talent drain of retirements, all folks who hired out during the 1970s and have gone through numerous other trials by fire, including the post-merger meltdowns. I suspect that the people that have been hired to fill the breach have not been able to cope, and that managers put in from other places on the railroad have no idea what it means to operate a railroad in Chicagoland. No place like it, anywhere.
No, you couldn't possibly pay me to go back at this point. I'd come away either laughing or crying.On another note, the forecasts are a changing. Still a high of 73 for Monday, but the snow for this coming Friday has been eliminated. Any chance at precipitation is too slim to nclude in the 10-day outlook.This all reminds me: given the snowfall we had, I'm wondering whether the ditches, etc., that Proviso uses to dump its snow out of Global 2, etc., have lost it yet. I don't think that's the meltdown I've been hearing about.
Joe are Pi still round and just as good??
Good day, Cannonball
Y6bs evergreen in my mind
Warmish today, with some rain. At least I don't have to shovel it.
The melt is going well, though - nice and gradual. No flooding so far.
All the preps are done for the chicken barbeque tomorrow (short of cooking the chicken). Hopefully we'll have lots of hungry people beating down the door!
afternoon
Took brother out on this nice day.Saw plenty of trains.Had a piece of cherry pie to celebrate"Pi" day.Tomorrow is church and then to G+G's house.
CShaveRRThey bumped the high up to 72 in Chicagoland for Monday, but there's snow in the forecast again, for a week from Friday. (With the high in the mid-40s and the ground getting mushy soft, I don't expect anything that falls to last very long.)
Carl: Is all this mushy soil causing the problems at Privoso ? Saw on another site that some freight is being diverted to BRC & clearing ? Too bad they cannot call you back for consultation.
The roofpeckers have arrived. (8am on a Saturday morning to replace the roof after last November's monster storm)....no dogz to be disturbed, so not all bad. We are one of the last in the neighborhood to replace our roof, but we weren't as bad off as some of the others. Maybe we get some sleep on Sunday.
't's okay...I like my fresh pineapple served chilled, and it won't last there.They bumped the high up to 72 in Chicagoland for Monday, but there's snow in the forecast again, for a week from Friday. (With the high in the mid-40s and the ground getting mushy soft, I don't expect anything that falls to last very long.)It was nice weather, in the 60s, today. Pat and I took a three-mile walk to do more errands. There were a couple of interesting trains that went by while we were out. One had a bunch of old 5800-cubic-foot plastics covered hoppers that had been cut down (from four compartments to two) for frac-sand service. One can see the seam in the middle.
jeffhergert I just saw an item on our local news cast during the weather segment. 75 degrees in parts of Iowa today. In parts of Hawaii today, they issued a blizzard warning. http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2015/03/12/blizzard-evacuates-mauna-kea-snow-removers-observatory-crews/ Something you don't see everyday. Jeff
I just saw an item on our local news cast during the weather segment. 75 degrees in parts of Iowa today. In parts of Hawaii today, they issued a blizzard warning.
http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2015/03/12/blizzard-evacuates-mauna-kea-snow-removers-observatory-crews/
Something you don't see everyday.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
Jeff: Your regularly scheduled weather will return. Thunder and lightning in the middle of a snowstorm coming over the continental divide last night. Sunshowers here today.
saw that about hawaii today and chuckled.cloudy here today.snowmelt continues.Ns has some empties to pick up.Saw a westbound stacker when I left work.Mamma went grocery shopping.Better get chores done before she gets back.
joe
Jeff: Maybe, you might want to plant pineapples or sugar cane this year?
Your Iowa weather may be better to grow them, than in Hawaii this year?
Murphy Siding Our high school was not so refined I guess. Colors were just plain ol' red and white. I'm sure nothing instilled fear into the hearts of opposing player like knowing they would be facing the Rapid City......Cobblers.Whistling
Our school was "crimson and gold" although it was pretty much red and yellow. Not exactly a pleasing color combination; kind of like an old McDonald's interior. Also was nicknamed the 'Crimson Tide' which, since we weren't seaside, made little sense. We do have a river bordering the town, but not much of a tide to speak of.
Must have been a sports thing, which wasn't my thing by far.
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
sunshine is nice.Made a trench in Matt's snow hill to help the water along down our street.It is starting to make a rapid departure.Ns had a westbound in the siding and came a got it when I left work today.Chores to do.
Murphy...
She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
Our high school was not so refined I guess. Colors were just plain ol' red and white. I'm sure nothing instilled fear into the hearts of opposing player like knowing they would be facing the Rapid City......Cobblers. The team was named after a Coach Cobb. I'm sure glad they didn't have a coach Lipschitz.
tree68 Our high school colors were cardinal and white. Yet our varsity jackets (and most uniforms) were maroon....
Our high school colors were cardinal and white. Yet our varsity jackets (and most uniforms) were maroon....
Murphy Siding Mookie Perhaps orange is the new Scarlet and Cream? BaltACD Nebraska's colors are RED & White Scarlet & Cream, but you are close enough, for sure! Now I need to figure out why they say "Go Big Red!"....
Mookie Perhaps orange is the new Scarlet and Cream? BaltACD Nebraska's colors are RED & White Scarlet & Cream, but you are close enough, for sure! Now I need to figure out why they say "Go Big Red!"....
BaltACD Nebraska's colors are RED & White
Nebraska's colors are RED & White
Scarlet & Cream, but you are close enough, for sure! Now I need to figure out why they say "Go Big Red!"....
Johnny
Mookie BaltACD Nebraska's colors are RED & White Scarlet & Cream, but you are close enough, for sure! Now I need to figure out why they say "Go Big Red!"....
Johnny, I don't think he would have been patient enough to try and catch me. I was on my way to run my errands, and while he was waiting to get out I left the scene.I should have waited and seen what happened next. Perhaps, before he got a chance to turn out into the street, the scoot left the station and the gates came down again. That would have been karma!
Carl, if that impatient man had seen you laughing, perhaps Pat would have had to make this post? Then, again, he might not have been subject to road raging.
Surprisingly, the local construction site was busy throughout the winter--yes, this winter! I don't think our new station platforms are going to be done in May, though, as they were supposed to be.I can't go back and check whether I posted the old story here before, but it happened again today. I was northbound on my bike (first time this year!) at the Elizabeth Street crossing, and the gates started to come down. First southbound car screeches to a halt, sits and fumes for about a second, then turns left into the street just ahead of the tracks. It's a one-way street, wrong direction. His intention was to go up to a spot where people weren't parking, turn around, come out, and head back away from the crossing. He did all that (took him a couple of passes at the turnaround), got back to Elizabeth Street, and the gates went up! (No train went across--it was the outbound scoot stopping at the station, S.O.P. for this crossing system.) He had to wait for the cross traffic (which had originally been behind him) to clear before he could get out into traffic...by then more northbound traffic was keeping him there, too. I don't know whether he saw me laughing.https://maps.google.com/maps?client=safari&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF-8&fb=1&gl=us&ftid=0x880e52bd01ea59af:0x206d901f3a7a2e8d&q=S+Elizabeth+St+%26+Michael+McGuire+Dr,+Lombard,+IL&ei=L_kAVbbhJMu5ggSVpoHYCg&ved=0CBQQ8gEoADAA&output=classic&dg=brw
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