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Chatterbox Fall 2015

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Posted by Mookie on Monday, November 30, 2015 7:53 AM

Paul of Covington

   You mean chess is not considered a sport?Hmm

    Here is some of our fall color to give you a break from the icy mood.   We don't get the spectacular fall leaves that you northerners get.

 

 Paul, that looks so pretty - and tempting!  We had a spectacular fall for colors.  The trees that needed cold to turn didn't fare as well, but everything was so pretty.  Now it isn't.  

Chess might be too difficult - maybe they should consider T-ball?  

Jen

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Posted by tree68 on Monday, November 30, 2015 8:11 AM

Norm48327

Drove to Owosso yesterday and watched Pere Marquette 1225 pull their version of The Polar Express. Good to see the old girl in steam, and the crowd was huge.

One of our folks pointed out to me yesterday that there are more steam locomotives currently in operation than F units, which is what we currently have on our PE train.  Much as I'd love to have steam, it would be lost on our riders, as they never actually see the locomotives...

LarryWhistling
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Posted by mudchicken on Monday, November 30, 2015 11:37 AM

tree68
 
Norm48327

Drove to Owosso yesterday and watched Pere Marquette 1225 pull their version of The Polar Express. Good to see the old girl in steam, and the crowd was huge.

 

One of our folks pointed out to me yesterday that there are more steam locomotives currently in operation than F units, which is what we currently have on our PE train.  Much as I'd love to have steam, it would be lost on our riders, as they never actually see the locomotives...

 

DRGW 491 doing the duty at CRRM. They may not see her, but they certainly can smell the coal smoke. (Don't get to ride our narrow gage version, I'm one of the denizens of the dark protecting the museum assets.)

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 JoeKoh on Monday, November 30, 2015 4:30 PM

evening

Ns local was uptown when I left work.Co-worker complained because she went uptown for lunch and they were switching and made her late.Csx had a monster 324 and it stallled out in Defiance.Matt and I got our eyes checked.New glasses for Matt.No Bi-focals yet for me.Going to be busy shipping it out the next 2 weeks.

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, December 1, 2015 5:44 PM

Ns had an autorack train go west with an SD 80 mac on the point when I left work.I bumped a baby deer on the way home.Mamma deer decided to jump in back of my truck then slide down my windshield then run off.No damage thankfully.Just had to clean the smear marks of the window.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 mudchicken on Tuesday, December 1, 2015 5:52 PM

Time for Deer Whistles? (you got off really lucky)

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 CShaveRR on Wednesday, December 2, 2015 3:49 PM

Yes...very lucky for you, Joe!  When I hit a doe last year, she didn't survive, and our car was in the body shop for a while.  No damage to me, and the car was drivable, but it wasn't pretty.

One week ago today, our car turned 200,000 on the odometer.  This is the second car (in a row!) that we've taken that far.  I'm not sure how many more thousands it has in it, but our mechanics haven't given up on it yet (we can't say enough good things about this outfit--they have cared for every car we've owned over the past 35 years, and never steered us wrong...when it's time to give up on a car, they'll let us know!).

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 BaltACD on Wednesday, December 2, 2015 4:57 PM

CShaveRR

Yes...very lucky for you, Joe!  When I hit a doe last year, she didn't survive, and our car was in the body shop for a while.  No damage to me, and the car was drivable, but it wasn't pretty.

One week ago today, our car turned 200,000 on the odometer.  This is the second car (in a row!) that we've taken that far.  I'm not sure how many more thousands it has in it, but our mechanics haven't given up on it yet (we can't say enough good things about this outfit--they have cared for every car we've owned over the past 35 years, and never steered us wrong...when it's time to give up on a car, they'll let us know!).

I've had 3 daily drivers over the past 31 years.  Traded my 1984 Dodge Daytona Turbo off with 215K on the clock (towing the race car wreaked havoc with the half shafts and transmission) for a 1990 Jeep Cherokee with 79K on the clock, traded it off 9 years later with 300K for a new 2003 Dodge Durango that now has 315K on the clock and is in need of a fresh set of rubber as the current set has 89K on it and won't make through the Winter snow.

Daytona had an incident with a deer - it came over a small berm alongside the highway and couldn't get traction on the wet asphalt and damaged the passenger side mirror.  Deer shook it's head and ran away.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by JoeKoh on Wednesday, December 2, 2015 5:02 PM

evening

work still busy.Ns was clear.Matt has confirmation class tonight.I hope to keep my deerfinder button in the off position.

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 mudchicken on Wednesday, December 2, 2015 6:00 PM

(1) the sad news today at San Bernardino hit home. Used to work near there. The BNSF Southern California Dispatchers and operating bubbas operate out of the Carnegie Drive DOC built in 1988 just 2/3rds of a mile SW of the Inland Center. The track you see in the aerial footage is the old ATSF Redlands Branch Loop now owned by SCRRA and switched by BNSF.

(2) Balt: Getting ready to trade-in my 2004 Durango with 140K on a new one for BossHen. If it stayed local, I my keep it - but it also is the dog hauler and long distance road warrior. (paid Mooks a visit with it about 10 days ago)

(3) Why is it that all the work for the year gets turned loose AFTER Thanksgiving?

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 BaltACD on Wednesday, December 2, 2015 6:27 PM

mudchicken

(2) Balt: Getting ready to trade-in my 2004 Durango with 140K on a new one for BossHen. If it stayed local, I my keep it - but it also is the dog hauler and long distance road warrior. (paid Mooks a visit with it about 10 days ago)

140K - barely broken in.  I'll be off to Florida (down to Homestead on one of the legs) for the holidays and the start of the race season.  Of the 315K on the Durango, well over 100K are from towing the race car from Homestead to Elkhart Lake, WI (Road America); from Topeka (Heartland Park) to Vineland, NJ (NJ Motorsports Park) and most all of the road race tracks in between.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by mudchicken on Wednesday, December 2, 2015 6:40 PM

Must be the big Hemi under the hood instead of the 4.7L semi-Hemi that ours is.

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 BaltACD on Wednesday, December 2, 2015 6:50 PM

mudchicken

Must be the big Hemi under the hood instead of the 4.7L semi-Hemi that ours is.

4.7L - works hard on the hills on I-68 but moves right along at +9.  When I bought it the dealer offered a 'lifetime oil change' package for $169.  When I was living in FL, it got changed ever 3-4K.  Not being in FL now, it gets the oil changed every 5-7K, even though I have to pay for it.  Change the Trans filters and fluid every 100K.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by JoeKoh on Thursday, December 3, 2015 4:34 PM

Ns has a westbound grain train in the siding.Work still busy.Trucks lined up to get the loads.Might hit my guess mark for how many boxes we'd ship out for the year yet.Did send out Christmas cards.Hope they arrived.Need to play post office on a couple other things too.

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, December 3, 2015 4:45 PM

My 2009 Ram 1500 is still going strong (I think) with just over 135K on the odometer.  Oil change every 3-5K, at the dealer.  They always put 3K on the sticker, but I think it actually calls for 5K...  Most of my driving is "at speed," not much city driving.

The day started out nice, weatherwise, but the rain has returned.  Hoping for a dry weekend - it's uphill into the North Pole, and that can cause us problems...  I'll be in the cab all weekend.

Got all my ham radio antenna cables routed into the house and to the radios yesterday.  Now the fun can begin.  Listened to someone in South Carolina last night for a while.  It'll be good for those dark days of winter.

 

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 Thursday, December 3, 2015 5:02 PM

tree68
My 2009 Ram 1500 is still going strong (I think) with just over 135K on the odometer. Oil change every 3-5K, at the dealer. They always put 3K on the sticker, but I think it actually calls for 5K... Most of my driving is "at speed," not much city driving.

Didn't you used to have a chevy?

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 tree68 on Thursday, December 3, 2015 8:01 PM

zugmann
Didn't you used to have a chevy?

Chevy 1500 1993, GMC 1500 2004-ish, Ram 2009.  

I'm generally a GM guy, owing to Dad working at their Proving Grounds for a number of years, but I couldn't pass up the price on the Ram.  It was (and still is) my retirement truck.

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 Friday, December 4, 2015 5:01 PM

evening

well wonder if anyone in southern Mercer county Ohio is home yet.Coldwater and Ft.Recovery are bringing home big trophies.Marion local plays tomorrow at 10 am.Ns was a little clogged this morning when I got to work but was all clear when I left.Work a little in the morning then we will see what csx has going on in the afternoon.

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 CShaveRR on Friday, December 4, 2015 7:18 PM

We just shelled out a thou on a 200K wellness project:  new a/c compressor and clutch, new timing belt, and new starter belt.  We took a trip into Indiana yesterday, and had it cut short by problems starting the car that were getting worse in a hurry (caused by a seized compressor clutch that ruined the belt).  We didn't make the last couple of stops we'd planned to, got home with only fumes in the gas tank, and had the car repaired today.  

Normally, this wouldn't have been as much of a problem, but our daughter Linda's family is here.  Normally they rent a car from Enterprise, but they got a "deal" at Hertz this time.  They were supposed to get a car that could seat four plus a baby seat in comfort.  Not ready in time, so they were stiffed and got a car smaller than ours.  You'd think a company that had a reservation nearly two months ago would at least offer an upgrade or something.  No...they'll knock off the price by 15 bucks.  About a dollar a day.  Chris says, "Never again!" for Hertz...and (having been in the office with him for one of his three visits to that office), I'd tend to agree.  We weren't the only upset customers that night, but we were the more polite ones.

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 Norm48327 on Saturday, December 5, 2015 5:42 AM

Carl,

Want to hear what those car rental firms (all of them) are really like? Join an aviation forum. In twenty years, I've never heard a pilot say one kind word about them.

Norm


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Posted by tree68 on Saturday, December 5, 2015 8:04 AM

I've been lucky in that I've never really had a problem with a rental car.  I've even gotten a couple of upgrades over the years.

I understand that compressor thing - my Chevy P/U had one seize up - fortunately it was only a problem if I turned the A/C on.  When it happened though, I was on a road trip with another firefighter and the Dalmatian - tight quarters in that cab...

Polar went well last night, although the rails were a little slick first trip up the hill.  Doesn't look like any rain in the forecast today, to tonight shouldn't be a problem.  

CSX is behaving oddly through Utica - traffic is running CNW style, and speeds are down through the station from the usual.  Haven't had a chance to listen in and see what's going on.

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 Saturday, December 5, 2015 4:25 PM

Took Matt to Garrett after work.CSx had q 386 working in the yard.Empty coal train came west with 2 orange BNSF aces.Matt wanted to check the signal status on Ns so we went that way home.Saw 2 westbound container trains.Need to repay a couple some kindness.They had coupons for where we stopped for lunch and shared. Getting chores caught up.

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 Monday, December 7, 2015 4:11 PM

Ns local was working uptown when we left.Ordered new safety glasses through work.Also went and mailed packages and got oil changed in mammas sled.Hope our resident kitty had a nice birthday.Chores to do.

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 mudchicken on Monday, December 7, 2015 5:26 PM

(1) I guess nobody else saw the delicious irony over on the blogs on the photo that went with M. Kenton's environmental post. Those of us who know South Denver, where the photo was taken -from Sixth Avenue (South Park Jcn.) looking back south - know that the siding that the blades (probably from Vestas-Windsor CO) are sitting on is designated on BNSF's Denver Terminal as Coal Siding 1. Coal Siding 2 is further north up by Pepsi Center/Elitch Gardens. 

(2) BossHen is home settling-in "Sport" (aka Stewart), the new house mouser - just rescued from the local cat-house. I have yet to meet the guy and get all the straight poop on the new addition. After he finds out that he's gonna share the house with a new dog next year, this old dirty bird may have become persona-non-grata in his own house. (Witness protection program for old dirty birds?....at least the previous scotties deeded me the doghouse before they checked out)

(3) tree: Gonna have to swap some Polar Stories if I survive this year. Got an "Emmujacation" this past weekend in polar foibles.

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 Monday, December 7, 2015 5:58 PM

Sir Chicken:  Sport/Stewart?  Getting better by the minute.  He will probably end up almost answering to "yo!"....

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

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Posted by Mookie on Monday, December 7, 2015 6:00 PM

JoeKoh

Hope our resident kitty had a nice birthday.Chores to do.

stay safe

Joe

 ssshhhh

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

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Posted by Norm48327 on Monday, December 7, 2015 6:59 PM

Mookie is NOT forty-something. She's 39.95 plus shipping and handling. Big Smile

Norm


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Posted by CShaveRR on Monday, December 7, 2015 7:04 PM

Mum's the word (I got the message).  And grand-mum...and...


I was witness to a huge derailment of a perishable train on a curve in Glen Ellyn today.  The train somehow stringlned on a curve that the same train had gone over 100 times before, and all of the flat cars and the C&NW GP7 pulling them went off the tracks and down into the abyss.  Said abyss was loaded with sandwich parts, french fries, smashed cupcakes, and the (way)bill.

So much for Linda, Chris, and Linus' introduction to the 2Toots restaurant in Glen Ellyn this noon.  The kid ate well, and the parents were impressed with just how child-friendly this place is.  The sad news for Linus (and Grandpa) was that we were not in a good position to respond to the passage of real trains on the real mainline in Glen Ellyn, which hasn't had a derailment on the curve in nearly 40 years.

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 Monday, December 7, 2015 7:33 PM

mudchicken
(3) tree: Gonna have to swap some Polar Stories if I survive this year. Got an "Emmujacation" this past weekend in polar foibles.

Our executive director and south-end manager were out your way this past weekend to see how they do it.  We think we've got a good formula, but it's been a battle to keep it intact.  The licensing people have all these ideas....

It can get interesting, but we've worked out a lot of bugs, so most trips are relatively incident free.

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...

  • Member since
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  • From: US
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Posted by Mookie on Monday, December 7, 2015 7:35 PM

Norm48327

Mookie is NOT forty-something. She's 39.95 plus shipping and handling. Big Smile

 

Norm, this will become a sign on my desk!  I love it!

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

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