Those CSX safety cars might have been the Massachussets Call Firemen cars - usually blue and yellow. They make the rounds of the country to teach first responders about railcar safety.
Edit - several of the cars were at Fort Drum on Thursday for a drill...
Mowed the front lawn tonight - more to even things up than anything else, as it as been pretty dry here. That rain I hit around Toronto Monday stayed north of the lake and river for the most part.
I am enjoying that Vernors I picked up in MI a bit too much...
Off to the railroad tomorrow.
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...
evening
Ns was clear when we left work.Went into town to mow.Csx MOW was picking at FC to make sure the ballast was in the right spot.Saw an eastbound and westbound frieght with mixed cars.They also had some csx safety cars in the loads but they weren't all together.Tomorrow is Friday.Guessers say the triple h's might be coming next week.
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").
Hang in there, Johnny! I hope the doctors and meet or beat your scheduled departure time!One clarification on Linda's treatment. Her chemo includes the PARP inhibitor (PARP is the acronym for a process by which certain cancer cells--but no normal cells--reproduce...inhibit the PARP and you inhibit the cancer without damaging the good cells.) Chemo sessions are now twice a day, self-administered in the form of capsules, for six weeks. She still has to go in from time to time to have her port flushed (and yes, her port is just off her port bow!) and, presumably, tests taken. She still has nausea and fatigue, but is getting work done. She even felt up to hosting a birthday party for her son and her niece. "Shinus", for Shiloh and Linus. Good sign--it could easily have been "Liloh"! As for the November trip to Kentucky, it's still on for her (the doctors have already cleared her for travel!), but sadly not for us: the Trains event (for which we purchased non-refundable tickets before we even knew about her cancer) is squarely in the middle of her symposium. Meanwhile, more work on her dissertation, now that the season's program notes are done. I wish I had her ambition--I have a book manuscript that just needs proofreading, and I start in on it and nod off.I don't think Pat would cut me off for not caring for the lawn...it's just that I have to look out over it when I'm at work here, and want to keep the vista inspiring. She does like the flagstone walkway I'm slowly putting together in a chronically-muddy corner (flagstones uncovered while digging for the addition; there seem to be enough of them).I had a frustrating session of train-watching yesterday (on my way home with the repaired bike tire to reinstall), but I'd say it was probably a lot less frustrating to me than it was for motorists in Villa Park. A westbound manifest was stopped in town (blocking two of the three grade crossings) on Track 2. It turns out that he was waiting for an eastbound WEPX coal train on Track 1, so he could cross over to Track 1 at Grace. Meanwhile, Track 3 became occupied by a monster stack train headed west (double-unit DP set). My frustration? I was in the car, close enough to see the action but also just close enough to realize that I was missing out on some good data on some of the cars, and unable to get a better position because the crossings were blocked. Frustration was assuaged by the fact that I could use the stack train to run interference for me once I got to 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)
Johnny: Best wishes to you! I am sure the quail miss you, but that's because they don't read this forum! Glad to see you back here!
Jen
She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
CShaveRR And now back to restoring lawn order to our back yard.
And now back to restoring lawn order to our back yard.
Lawn order?? My yard got taken over by clover, pretty yellow flowers and crabgrass years ago.
Carl, that is good news about Linda; may she continue --and succeed--her efforts to vanquish the demon.
As to your backyard, are you faced with the question of either tending to it or else have no more custom-made shirts?
I am currently in the University Hospital here, recovering after major surgery last month. I undergo rehab sessions 5 1/2 days a week, and expect to get out next month.
Johnny
Thanks for the reminder on the date and the name of those diamonds, Norm. We saw them there not long after they were installed, and again last year.
And now back to restoring lawn order to our back yard. Or watching the news...decisions, decisions!
Carl,
The diamonds in Durand were replaces with OWLS diamonds in November 2009.
Norm
CShaveRRLarry, the first digits would have been a little more helpful. DOT117 is what? I thought the new oil cars were DOT116.
Yeah - Sorry about that. Wasn't even thinking of you when I saw them. I was too busy looking for a build date (8/15). It was dark, besides, so no pictures. Definitely 117's. I even looked them up on-line at the time to see what it said.
Larry, the first digits would have been a little more helpful. DOT117 is what? I thought the new oil cars were DOT116.Last time we were up in Michigan (last week) it was for a gathering of high-school classmates. We had 30 folks there, including three spouses (heck, Pat's accepted pretty much as an honorary Grand Haven gal!). We had a little success in the freight-car department when we came home...I got three reporting marks that I'd never seen before (and the entire numbers on two of the cars! ).Durand sure isn't what it used to be, but I'm glad the depot was preserved. I remember when they thought CN would become very busy because of the replacement tunnel at Port Huron...not so much, I guess! And putting the low-speed jump-diamonds at that crossing is sacrilege!I've spent at least two nights in Durand...one at the home of a brakeman, and the other at a caboose in the yard(this was with permission, of course!), where I was lulled to sleep by the sound of Alco switchers kicking cars...and occasionally awakened when the cars hit.I had a good day (about five hours) with just the computer for company at Elmhurst yesterday...I was able to get my sightings report to within a few hours of completion while there, including some sightings made that day. On the locomotive front, CNW 8701 and 8646 were together on the point of a short stack train headed into Proviso...presumably from Global 3. It was kind of slow for the first couple of hours after I got off the train, but after the 1 p.m. scoots left the station, the flood gates really opened up, and there were stack, coal, and manifest trains about as fast as I could handle them.
work busy,Ns was clear when I left work.Got yardwork done.More tomorrow.
Carl! I forgot to get reporting marks and numbers, but whilst at Deshler, we saw an entire train of brand spanking new DOT117's - sometimes adjacent numbers were really adjacent.
I do recall that the last digits of one of the numbers was "667." It's neighbor was there, too...
Back home from the trek to the midwest. Only two and a half trains at Durand (one took the transfer from the Holly Sub to the Flint Sub and I only got a glimpse of it). I almost think I saw the eastbound in Canada later on...
Milford was a bust, train-wise, although Milford Memories was its usual interesting self. The reunion was OK - it was for the class two years after mine, but I did see some old friends.
Caught an eastbound VIA and a GO Transit on the east side of Toronto.
Speaking of Toronto - this was the worst traffic there I've ever seen - all the way across it was 10-15 MPH, and during torrential downpours to boot.
Almost got into an accident because of someone elses bonehead move. A driver I can only assume was busy texting almost rear-ended another motorist in the left lane. The texter apparently saw the car ahead just in time, and the other driver must have seen him(?) coming, as they pulled left far enough that the texter managed to squeeze between the second car and the Jersey barrier. All at highway speeds. Had they collided, I'd have been the third vehicle involved...
afternoon
Ns hand tonka toys and the local moving about when I left work.We have company coming this afternoon.He wants to look at the ND&W.We'll see if we see any special cars for Carl too.
ns still had cars near a switch point in the siding when I left work.Went to help our niece.Coming home a deputy was watching the crossing at Defiance yard on CSX.Q 324 was it's usual long self but they didn't have to cut the crossing this time.Going to a wedding tomorrow.Will check if anything good rolls by on the way.
Noticed a string of NS camp cars and related work cars near 47th Street on the ride to work this morning. Not sure if it's for more track work or related to the expansion of the intermodal terminal.
morning
NS welders were working on the track as we had cars for uptown.Went to Deshler to see a Tree. Also found an associate editor of Trains Magazine and other friends.Csx was jammmed up.Q 324 was stuck in Defiance in emergency.Mookie they sent some BNSF trains but no Mookies on the point.CSX sent 3 eastbounds to deshler as we were going home.Today is Friday.Chores to do after work today.Safe travels to Larry.
Nothing out of the ordinary at Deshler tonight. A fair number of trains of all sorts. We'll see what they bring through while I'm trying to sleep....
Joe - we saw mostly coal this afternoon - but the one that impressed me was a Mookie on point and another SD70 behind it. Even the new engines tend to be a little noisy, but these were so quiet and smooth - especially for some "older" engines.
Been having difficult time accessing this site today. Comes and goes. Even did a system restore 2 weeks back but no help. Windows 8.
Larry you might get a glimpse of the emergency responder locomotive from NS.Last I heard they were in Bellevue.Ns sent an autorack train west with a former UP sd 90 mac for power.work is still busy.Chores to do here at home too.
joe
JoeKohLarry - good weather according to the guessers.
That's good. Might make a dash to Elkhart on Friday. Depends on how early I can get on the road. Definitely going to be checking out the new park at Fostoria.
The reunion is Friday night, so I have to get to my hotel early enough to get cleaned up after two days of camping...
Mini-vacations are fun!
work still busy.Ns was clear when we left.Larry good weather according to the guessers.Will be attending a wedding on Saturday.
Enjoy, Larry! We're leaving tomorrow for a fast trip up to Michigan for a gathering of a bunch of my high-school classmates...not a full-blown reunion with banquet and a speaker, just about 40 or so of us getting together in the back room of a bar. It ought to be fun!
Made the reservations today for my hotel in Michigan for the weekend. I'll be going by way of Deshler (with a side trip to Fostoria) before heading up to Milford Memories and a class reunion. The tent should be up by Wednesday night.
work busy.Ns was clear when I left.Csx will be sending tie gangs to Defiance westward soon.Chores to do here.
Come a little further east and uncle pete's track forces are patrolling Glenwood Canyon and points east looking for small washouts from the same weather system. Here in Denver it went from 96 degrees to 64 degrees in about 30 minutes after 3pm. Patrolling for heat turned into chasing raindrops and suicidal flying rocks pretty quick.
Any one know aout UP getting track covered by a mudslide. Maybe Spanish Fork canyon ?
found it
http://fox13now.com/2015/08/02/debris-from-slide-in-spanish-fork-canyon-causes-lane-closure-on-us-6/
That's good news, Carl.
Now done with five days of antique fire trucks - it was fun. Great to see the old stuff actually working (including a turn-of-the-century Watrous pumper of the same design as the first gas powered pumper in the US and a Model T pumper).
We pumped three hand operated engines - an early 1800's Hunneyman, An equally early Howe, and an 1882 Remington/Howe. It was pretty cool, and a lot of folks were disappointed when they found out they'd missed it all.
Now, like any reunion, everyone has packed up and gone home to the four winds, until next time.
And I'm pooped.
Did manage to find time to visit daughter and family on Sunday. New granddaughter, now six months old, is getting quite frustrated that she can't stand up and walk around like everyone else...
good morning
great news Carl.Had some fellow Chicagoans in Deshler last night.It was thier first time.They are doing more exploring of the area today.Q 506 had CN power and loads of panel track.Q 324 took 20 minutes to get around Deshler to go to Toledo.Chores to do today.Might see if our friend gets a train eastbound to Willard(home terminal).He has a week before he gets married.
Carl and Wife, that is great news to hear . There is much dermination on Linda's part. It is always good news to hear "demon" cancer is in decline. The best wishes to her from us.
Respectfully, Cannonball & Shirl
Y6bs evergreen in my mind
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