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Chatterbox Fall 2015

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Posted by tree68 on Monday, September 28, 2015 8:51 PM

My view of the early stages of the eclipse here was blocked by clouds, but they cleared in time to see the total phase.  Then I went to bed.

I did try some pictures, but I don't know how to make my Digital Rebel "dumb" enough to play with the settings.  Probably ought to study up on that...  And I don't have a long lens for it anyhow.Sad

I did try to get some stills with my video camera (which has a phenomenal zoom), but it would take them as it was too dark.  On the other hand, I got a couple minutes of video...

Raining off and on here now - not complaining.  .03" so far...

LarryWhistling
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Posted by CShaveRR on Monday, September 28, 2015 9:01 PM

No pictures here...we did go out and look near the totality, but that was it.  It was as though the clouds had parted for us, affording us a good view that would have lasted for a while (there were heavy cloud banks to the east and west of us).

By this morning, the sky was totally overcast.  I was able to get the lawn mowed (and more of the yard spruced up) today, plus go on a short bike ride with Pat, running local errands.  Sprinkles were forecast for the late afternoon, but nothing has fallen here yet.  I expect to wake up to wet pavement tomorrow, though.

Back to the research and logging--sometimes one sighting causes an amazing amount of revision work in several files, and that's happened two or three times to me today...no chance to even look at working on the necxt report (which I'd hoped to have together for Wednesday).  I got one new (to me) reporting mark while coming home from Michgan on Saturday.  We go back up again Thursday, but I won't have time on Saturday to make any discoveries.

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 JoeKoh on Monday, September 28, 2015 9:53 PM

got a double play from the ND&W today at FC.While one train was waiting to cross the diamond,another one came to pick up cars from csx.Couldn't stay any longer.Stuff got done tonight.Goodnight.

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").

 

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Posted by JoeKoh on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 2:39 PM

afternoon

Rain here in Nw Ohio.Ns had some empties to pick up.Time for chores.

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").

 

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Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 6:40 PM

Rain.  And the word is that the tropical storm/hurricane may drift ashore this weekend.  

Wet rails with the leaves that will be falling in droves by then will make our trips up the hills that much less enjoyable (at least for the engineer...).

LarryWhistling
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...

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Posted by Mookie on Wednesday, September 30, 2015 10:42 AM

Good thing fall knew when to arrive otherwise we would be having a very cold summer!  

40's/50's @ nite and this morning headed trackside with temps in the 50's.  Slight breeze and Millie's windows stayed shut tight!  Brrrr....

Fortunately that didn't slow down the trains one bit.  Freight, coal and a ballast conveyor being moved at the end of a freight train headed south.  

Ah, life is good!

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Wednesday, September 30, 2015 11:36 AM

     Was it Paul Harvey that used to say you can run but you can't hide?  We had a school shooting this morning.  A high school student shot the principal in the arm and has been taken into custody.  The school is one mile down the road from my office.  I can see it from the front window.Black Eye  I got a robocall from my son's high school that is 10 miles away, explaining the situation, and that the incident was in a different school 10 miles away and that the shooter was in custody.  His school was in lock down, and was going to stay in lock down until noon "for safety reasons". Huh?

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Wednesday, September 30, 2015 11:38 AM

     On the bright side, we've been seeing lots of trains the last two weeks.  On a line that usually sees about 6 or so trains a day, volume is probably double that.  Monday night there were 4 in a 3 hour period.  It looks like they're trying to empty the state of grain, ethanol and pink rocks.

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

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Posted by BOB WITHORN on Wednesday, September 30, 2015 12:08 PM

So, they have the student in custody and put a different school, probably all, in lock down? Go figure. I'm from a family of educators, I'm not one, and for the life of me I can't under stand how their train of thought goes or doesn't for that matter. 

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Posted by tree68 on Wednesday, September 30, 2015 12:29 PM

BOB WITHORN
So, they have the student in custody and put a different school, probably all, in lock down? Go figure. I'm from a family of educators, I'm not one, and for the life of me I can't under stand how their train of thought goes or doesn't for that matter. 

Given kid's propensity to "copycat," it makes sense.

You always have to wonder what triggers an event like that. 

LarryWhistling
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...

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Posted by JoeKoh on Wednesday, September 30, 2015 7:30 PM

evening

busy day.Ns was clear when I left work.Chores to do yet.Bed will feel good.

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").

 

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Thursday, October 1, 2015 7:21 AM

Murphy Siding

     Was it Paul Harvey that used to say you can run but you can't hide? 

The closest quote that I heard is "He can run but he can't hide."  It was attributed to Joe Louis before his first fight with Billy Conn.  Conn was a light-heavyweight who it was assumed would cause problems for Louis with his greater speed and mobility.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by JoeKoh on Thursday, October 1, 2015 5:32 PM

evening

cooler weather has arrived.Saying rain on Saturday.East coast might need a boat.Tomorrow is Friday.Ns was clear when I left work.

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").

 

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Posted by tree68 on Thursday, October 1, 2015 7:03 PM

Not looking forward to what Joaquin might bring us.  With the leaves changing, then falling from the trees, the wind helping them fall, and rain making them stick to the rails, our trips up-grade may be less than, well...

Leaves on the rails might as well be grease...

It was nice here today, though, if cool and breezy.

 

LarryWhistling
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...

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Posted by mudchicken on Friday, October 2, 2015 8:58 AM

Mooks: Cincinnati's Bearkitties (fighting tree sloths) put a whuppin'  the Hurricanes from the University in FL that needs to change its name. Keeps getting confused with the real University at Oxford OH named Miami (it was around for 100+ years before the over-rated chicken outfit in FL got started)...

Husker nation can take solace in the fact that the Bearcats beat both Miami outfits and the OH school was a tougher opponent.

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
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Posted by Mookie on Friday, October 2, 2015 11:07 AM

Sir Chicken: I made a prediction about the Cornshuckers (pre-season).  I have a good chance of looking like a genius!  

Make my next one a double - (milk, that is!)

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

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Posted by JoeKoh on Friday, October 2, 2015 2:43 PM

Great Aunt and Uncle were both professors at that school.(Miami) Ns was clear when I left work.Waiting for friend to call.Might have decided to stay in Canada since they are saying rain tomorrow.We have beach eroision warings for lake Erie as well.chores to get at.

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").

 

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Posted by JoeKoh on Saturday, October 3, 2015 9:25 PM

Rainy day here in Ohio.Our California pen pal made it to Ohio.We took him to Bucyrus(Colsan) and Marion.The staff were setting up for a birthday party.We helped move some tables and chairs.Our thanks was being able to watch trains in AC tower.Matt even learned how to be a tower operator.Sunday school and Church tomorrow.

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").

 

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Posted by BaltACD on Saturday, October 3, 2015 11:22 PM

Rain MP 60 on I-95 in Georgia to Maryland

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by CShaveRR on Saturday, October 3, 2015 11:38 PM

Only a slight chance of rain in western Michigan, they said...you won't need the hoodie, they said...go have fun walking around at ArtPrize, they said.

The rain didn't slight us at all...it was our friend all the way home tonight.  However, our rain gauge had little more than a spit in it.

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 tree68 on Sunday, October 4, 2015 8:29 PM

A cool (and sometimes just plain cold) weekend on the railroad.  And I mean temperature cool, although it was a pretty good weekend otherwise.  Windy, too, but no rain.  Only slipped once on Big Moose hill...

The colors are already beginning to fade, never having been all that brilliant in the first place.  Still, lots of folks are coming for a ride on the train to check them out.

Next weekend it's chicken at the fire department.  We're cooking 450 halves, and will likely sell out, as usual.

Tomorrow, it's fire prevention activities with the kids at the local elementary school.  I'm already beat - I better head for bed.

LarryWhistling
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...

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Posted by zugmann on Sunday, October 4, 2015 9:58 PM

Probably at the cusp of making one of the biggest decisions of my life; unless that decision is made for me in a very abrupt way.  Something that is career-altering at the least; life changing at the most.

 

I hate to think what happens if I fall on my face, but then again, I'm kind of excited at the opportunity.  Am I stupid and foolish?  Perhaps. Probably.  Most likely.  But sometimes you have to go for broke... still, this level of uncertainty is uncharted territory for me.

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

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Sunday, October 4, 2015 10:41 PM

zugmann

Probably at the cusp of making one of the biggest decisions of my life; unless that decision is made for me in a very abrupt way.  Something that is career-altering at the least; life changing at the most.

 

I hate to think what happens if I fall on my face, but then again, I'm kind of excited at the opportunity.  Am I stupid and foolish?  Perhaps. Probably.  Most likely.  But sometimes you have to go for broke... still, this level of uncertainty is uncharted territory for me.

 

 Not Amway!  Nooooooo!!!!! Surprise

     I worked for a time with a guy that had the right attitude about such things.  His motto was "Well, I was looking for a job when I found this one".  In my life I've left 2 jobs.  Both times I felt I made the right decision.  Neither time did I wish I was back at the the old job.  When it's time, it's time.

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

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Posted by switch7frg on Monday, October 5, 2015 10:05 AM

Wink Murph, line up the switches , pull the pin and go for it before the "red signal" pops up.

Y6bs evergreen in my mind

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Posted by CShaveRR on Monday, October 5, 2015 10:51 AM

If you're changing jobs, that takes bravery that I've never had.  It was almost forced on me once...worst month of my life, just looking to see what was available out there.  

The fact that I stayed at one job for my entire life says something about me, but I'm not sure whether it's good (contentment, satisfaction, knowing that I've "arrived") or bad (wimpy, lack of desire for improvement) or what.
 
Good luck and best wishes to you, and keep us informed!

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 switch7frg on Monday, October 5, 2015 11:03 AM

Confused. Oops,  I meant for the post to be for Zugman.

                                     switch7frg

Y6bs evergreen in my mind

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Posted by JoeKoh on Monday, October 5, 2015 5:27 PM

Zug good luck on the new job.Ns had a westbound stack train when I left work.Guessers are saying Matt might have another 2 hr delay tomorrow morning.Beautiful afternoon.Worked outside.Put some things away in the shed.Chores to do inside too.Need to work on project for our pen pal.

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").

 

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Posted by JoeKoh on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 4:14 PM

Another 2 hr delay for Matt today.Nice weather out in the afternoon.Helping Matt with homework.Ns was clear when I left work.Also found out the 765 went home last night. Too bad work comes early.Please say a prayer for our former cook"CW",Paula. Just found out she is in the hospital.Thank you.

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").

 

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Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 5:01 PM

Nice day, if I did have to work inside most of it.

After listening to an insurance pitch, I headed for town to pick up another ham radio - an Icom IC746.  It's an older radio, but will work just fine until I decide I want to upgrade or something.  Now I just have to get an antenna up so I can use it and talk to the world!

Also picked up more soil for the bulb gardens.  Almost time to start my project there - digging out the existing soil (heavily clay and full of weeds I can't seem to get ahead of), line the bottom of the bed with landscape fabric, and refill with the soil and bulbs.  Then it's a couple of layers of newspaper and some mulch.

Maybe then I won't get the weeds (or as many, anyhow). 

LarryWhistling
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...

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Posted by CShaveRR on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 8:21 PM

Today was a day of good intentions, but bad timing.  I wanted to watch trains in Elmhurst, with a side trip to Oak Park (becase they often stage freights by the platform there--and they have an appropriately-close Five Guys!).  The train was due to leave just after 11, but it was a bit late.  I decided to go right to Oak Park, since there was no train running an hour later.  I got to Oak Park five crucial minutes late, and there were no trains.  I got done at Five Guys just when the westbound was leaving the station. I didn't see it, but I didn't make it, obviously.  So that gave me an hour to admire the ethanol train that was now waiting to go west.  Nothing good on it...

My outbound train came in on Track 1, the normal inbound track.  At Oak Park, this means a long walk off the platform, a long walk down the ramp, and then a long walk up another ramp.  The reason (which I could see) was that the ehanol train was on Track 2, and an eastbound stack train was sitting further east on Track 3.  I also saw that the westward signal on 1 was the only one showing a significant aspect (yellow-over-yellow).  But no announcement was made.  I convinced a couple of people to follow me over to Track 1, and we got up there just as the announcement came over for the first time.  We crossed from 1 to 2 at Vale, stayed on 2 at 25th Avenue (instead of going to 3), then went back to 1 at Park.  Meanwhile, the eastbound scoot came into Elmhurst on Track 3.  It had to cross over to 1 at Park, as tracks 2 and 3 were apparently both occupied between Park and 25th.  I saw one of the freights; it apparently blocked my view of the other one.

More bad timing:  went to the dental office to pay the bill for the thrill (no drill), then got back to fnd that my computer spot (table, electrical outlet) was already occupied.  I worked on battery power and got a little done.  The trains that came past were either short or stack, so I didn't get much information I could use.  But there were plenty of them, mostly westbound.

Went to the grocery store (a requirement that I'd known about) for bread and candy corn (my weakness...nothing like a good candy-corn sandwich!), got out in time to see another stack (ugh!) train and to get a call from Pat wanting me to get something else when I went to the store.  Too late...

Came home to Lombard to pick up the meat we needed from the deli.  That trip was interrupted by a good manifest train, and followed by another one in the opposite direction.  I've lost track of what's on what these days, but whichever manifests serve Iowa (MPRDM? MDMPR?), that's what these probably were.  I have two pages' worth of data to process.

After convincing myself that there were no trains in sight, I walked toward home.  Just got out of sight of the tracks when...yup.  Nope...

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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