Really getting mild out here with mid-80's predicted for today. Got on the train for work this morning (5:40 AM) without a jacket, not unlike some other regular riders.
Central NE is getting all the bad "stuff". We got some noise and a bit of rain. Still not enough.
What is Sunday in Denver? Now I am really curious!
She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
The cat is currently scanning the Nebrasky skies for those twisty thingies. I'm hoping I don't get blamed for what's about to appear on Sunday here in Denver.
It's more like early spring here--about 50 degrees this morning, and the same for the next few days. We are getting blessed rain today and more is forecast for the next few days.
Johnny
afternoon
seems we are going into summer pronto.NS was clear when I left work.Chores and need to take Matt to confirmation class.
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").
more rain today in Nw Ohio.Ns has some empties uptown.Chores to do.
We did have a "thing" - but it was his own scarf.
Mookie Just so I don't give the impression that I am losing brain cells, I met Gus several times and was introduced to him and his "real" name. He even wore his favorite red scarf for me! And he was always a gentleman. Haggis and Duncan (out da-- spot!) are both good names. But you need 2 puppies to use them. Or Haggis Duncan Mudchicken I And the cat - well, Mookie is always a good choice!
Just so I don't give the impression that I am losing brain cells, I met Gus several times and was introduced to him and his "real" name. He even wore his favorite red scarf for me! And he was always a gentleman.
Haggis and Duncan (out da-- spot!) are both good names. But you need 2 puppies to use them. Or Haggis Duncan Mudchicken I
And the cat - well, Mookie is always a good choice!
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
Mookie man the torpedos! Go for the asparagus! (I just realized you probably named your late esteemed dog Gus after that green weed people eat didn't you!) And just now we had murder, mayhem and a little hail for about 10 min. Thunderstorm warnings for here - except that in the pre-24/7 weather and warnings, it was nice rain and a little hail, but not enough to do much damage. At least it cooled things off a little. It was getting a little muggy - but still way too dry and not enough rain to do some good.
man the torpedos! Go for the asparagus! (I just realized you probably named your late esteemed dog Gus after that green weed people eat didn't you!)
And just now we had murder, mayhem and a little hail for about 10 min. Thunderstorm warnings for here - except that in the pre-24/7 weather and warnings, it was nice rain and a little hail, but not enough to do much damage. At least it cooled things off a little. It was getting a little muggy - but still way too dry and not enough rain to do some good.
Right now Haggis & Duncan are in the running for the new addition this fall. No idea yet what BossHen will name the kitten (Brambley?)
....and in the Scott's commercial for grass seed, it was Haggis that dug the hole in the yard, not Buster. (fooled those grass obsessed humans again!)
Tin Shoes: Might be dropping south from Mason City/Charles City to get back down to I-80 and on to Peoria/Indy/Cincy. I hope I can be anonymous on my inspection trip early on Saturday.
Raining lightly here now, with a promise of thunderbumpers later tonight as a cold front passes.
The temperature, which topped out around 80 today, certainly is taking a dive.
Another planning meeting for Thomas out of the way. Gonna be quite the event!
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...
rain here in Nw Ohio. Looks like we might get some more tonight.Chores to do.Ns local was uptown when I left work.
mudchicken Will be going to the east well north of Jeff on the trip east along the old Milwaukee. The corporate crystal ball is a little hazy on the return trip and what happens at Peoria.
Coming anywhere near CR/Marion?
Brian (IA) http://blhanel.rrpicturearchives.net.
Mookie trackside @ sunrise today. Amtrak, grain, several coal, several freight. 7 engines going into the diesel shop. Just your regular fare. Home by 10. Oh, I forgot to mention the marathon. We practically had to drive to the first town west of Lincoln to get back to the tracks. Between the marathon and let's close all the major streets and repair them - you have to be creative!
trackside @ sunrise today. Amtrak, grain, several coal, several freight. 7 engines going into the diesel shop. Just your regular fare. Home by 10.
Oh, I forgot to mention the marathon. We practically had to drive to the first town west of Lincoln to get back to the tracks. Between the marathon and let's close all the major streets and repair them - you have to be creative!
Started planting veggies today, flowers in two weeks. Sounds like the asparagus barrier will be going in a little later this year.
evening
Trainday in Toledo was good.Met some old friends and made new friends.Amtrak had 2 displays to go through.We then went down to Deshler and things were busy on CSX.A rail train came through on track 1 and backed up on track 2 to get things put away for the day.Church and sunday school tomorrow.
Didn't feel a thing in Waterford.
Norm
A little excitement in Carl's "land of no trains," as SW Michigan experienced a 4.2 earthquake. No reports of serious damage, just a whole lot of "the whole house shook."
It's not a phenomenon they're used to, for sure.
Hello all.
Last week (4/20) we moved to Boone. Now I'm only 5 minutes from the yard office. I no longer can sit out on my bench and look down the street and see the trains go over the crossing, but now I can hear them switching in Boone yard. I can hear the switch engine (mostly GP-15 types) rev up as they kick cars and then to hear the free rolling cars make a joint. Sometimes sounds like thunder. The best time to hear it seems to be about 4 or 5 in the morning when everything else is quiet.
Since we moved and until next week, we don't have internet, land line phone or cable-TV. We bundled with a major national provider, but they had to reschedule the installation appointment because their warehouse didn't have a part. So, I've been off the grid the last week or so. I have a smart phone, but it's a pain in the backside to try to post here. Or most any other forums, etc. I'm back to work and typing this from my AFHT motel on my laptop.
I did check the forums from the phone and saw a few threads I wanted to add my , so I may bring a couple of threads back to the top the next few days.
Jeff
Ns was clear when I left work.Tomorrow is Toledo train day.Wonder what NS is bringing to show.(I don't think the 611 is quite ready yet.)
Paul_D_North_JrHadn't heard of it until you mentioned it (just as well). Somehow, the station, shops, and yard in Altoona don't strike me as real teen hangouts . . . Besides, the better places are further up the "eastern slope".
Doesn't say which McDonalds it was, but I wouldn't be surpirsed if it was the one next door to the rail museum. That is just around the corner from the high school.
I wouldn't really advise anyone unfamliar to go to downtown altoona anymore. I'd urge them to head west of there (cassandra, gallitzin, etc.).
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
We might get another break from care-giving responsibilities next week. If it works out right, my eyes are on Fullerton; Pat's are on visiting her Hollywood uncle. (That's correct--she can include a fairly well-known film star as a step-cousin!)Linda will not be getting radiation right away--her pain is managed well enough for now, and they want to devote their attention to rebuilding her back first. Once she has a usable spine again, she can take a more active role in everything from caring for Linus to walking further and regaining strength. She had a port installed for testing and intravenous medications (works both ways!), and that surgery is healing now.
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)
ns had a stack train in the siding when I left work.went into town and csx had 2 eastbounds and 1 westbound.Tomorrow is Friday.
joe
mudchicken . . . I wonder if PDN is watching the McDonalds ruckus near him.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/pennsylvania-mcdonalds-bans-minors-teens-attack-owner-30669224
Hadn't heard of it until you mentioned it (just as well). Somehow, the station, shops, and yard in Altoona don't strike me as real teen hangouts . . . Besides, the better places are further up the "eastern slope".
Was out that way about 5 weeks ago for a private forest owner's conference (ours was the 2nd smallest at 2 acres . . .), but other than a foggy/ snow flurries hour up at Cresson, and pacing an NS freight from Tyrone east for a few miles almost to Spruce Creek, no railfanning was done.
Will be kinda out that way again at the end of next week - Huntington, PA - so may get to see some more train action, hopefully none of the misbehavior kind.
Lately been spending portions of the day within earshot of the Delaware-Lackawanna's ALCos - typically 4 to 7 units in a lash-up ! I'm scheduled to be there nearly full time starting in about 2 weeks for the next 2 months, and a 100-yd. walk through the woods will bring me trackside where they switch 20+ covered hoppers of grain at the Horizon Mill in Mt. Pocono most days.
Jeff Hergert: Your line quoted from a colleague a few years ago to the effect that "I'm here for the dollars, not for the sense" is very popular among some construction crews that I'm working with lately.
A local radio program report had a rail-related segment in the middle of it recently:
http://crossroads.newsworks.org/index.php/keystone-crossroads/item/81142-at-penn-state-researchers-looking-for-the-next-big-thing-in-infrastructure
It was mostly about ballast movement, but this portion caught my attention:
"But Dr. Huang and Dr. Qiu are testing a device to monitor railroad track safety in real time. It's called a "smart rock": a 3-D printed rock with electronics inside."
When some of us get done laughing, we'll concede that it might have some usefulness. Although the primary purpose seems to be to monitor settlement and "pumping" of the track structure, I'd be more interested in using it to test and confirm the degree of compaction of the ballast stone after tamping, to be sure that it's being done properly. (The usual compaction tests - "Proctor", et al.) - are more for soils and dense-graded aggregate with lots of 'fines', and don't work on open-graded coarse aggregate such as ballast.) Right now that depends on either the 'feel' and experience of the tamper operator, a specified number of 'insertions', or the calibrated eyeballs of the foreman or a track supervisor / roadmaster, etc., and there's only so many of us to go around . . .
- Paul North.
Linus went down to Ocean Park and the station at Surf this afternoon, with Grandpa and Grandma (Mom stayed home, recovering from installation of a port yesterday). Grandpa and Grandma saw two trains (an eastbound Surfliner and the westbound Coast Starlight) while at Ocean Park, but Linus was more interested in the girls at Surf (who called him a "little-heartbreaker" and "stud-muffin"). We tried to teach Linus which side of the yellow line to stay on while on the platform. Either he's craftily ignoring us or he doesn't yet have the concept of "line"...he knows yellow!
went down to MC's old turf to watch a funny game called baseball.Mr Braun(brewers) showed Mr Diaz(reds) how far he could hit one.Was able to see many train movements.The csx toledo sub had trackwork going on.The area around CUT was quite busy for NS and CSX.Had to wait on a southbound autorack train in Columbus Grove on the way home.Need a shower and bed.work comes early.
Johnny: mookiegato & Driver pick their spots. I'm either too early or too late in my trips thru Nebrasky unless she's in cahoots w/ BossHen (In which case I'm fried-chicken).
Next trip to the eastern two 4-letter states may be the same story, but I might holler at QM while I'm that way.(if he isn't even further east)
I wonder if PDN is watching the McDonalds ruckus near him.
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