Norm48327 We are having that same roller coaster ride in southeast Michigan. Here today, gone tomorrow.
We are having that same roller coaster ride in southeast Michigan.
Here today, gone tomorrow.
We're supposed to see that stuff tonight in the wilds of northern New York.
The big class on Sunday went well. One hundred is attendance. Right now I'm in recovery mode...
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...
We're good on the "in like a lion" part...we woke up to icy streets, but the temperature is such that they are dry now, for the most part.I was outdoors yesterday in the "setup" for this...the temperature in the early afternoon was in the middle 50s (light jacket over a hoodie) when I went out train-hunting. I walked outside the station building at Elmhurst to go back home, and felt the wind shift and the temperature drop almost immediately. You'd better believe that the hood was up as I got off the train and walked home!My train-watching afternoon was full of trains, mostly of the double-stack variety. Herewith my report (written last night):
There are days when everything goes smoothly, but then there seem to be days when the dispatcher seems to be fighting the railroad. Things are still moving, but it feels like a struggle is going on, and that one is about a minute or two away from a total collapse at all times.
I took the scoot east from Lombard at about 1:05 with the intention of watching trains at Elmhurst. But when we were arriving, I thought I'd go as far as Oak Park if there were no freights visible close by. There was none (that opposing headlight was from the other scoot), so I stayed on the train. The first freight we encountered was an auto-rack train standing at Wolf Road. By the time we got to Bellwood, he had started moving west. He was long--he was still coming off the connection from the Harbor at Provo Junction when we went by there.
As we approached Oak Park (on Track 1), we met a westbound stacker standing still on Track 2, and another westbound stack train moved past on Track 3. I had about 20 minutes to wait for my westbound train. And not long before it was due, a westbound manifest (off the NS, judging from the power) came by on Track 3. After all of the good stuff had gotten by me, he started slowing down (don't know why--the signal at Vale should have been clear). After he cleared, the stack train on Track 2 moved out. Then our scoot came in--he had an approach signal because the freight ahead of us on Track 3 was still up there somewhere. We moved very slowly into River Forest, then out, before speed picked up to more like normal. At the stop in Maywood, we'd caught up to the stack train (he was on Track 1, we were on 2; there are still only two tracks between Vale and 25th Avenue). He stayed parallel to us all the way past 25th, where his head end was just going into the yard. For some reason, we were suddenly on Track 1 after 25th, and the westbound manifest was stopped on Track 2. Never saw anything on 3, where we should have been.
We crossed over to Track 3 at Park, and I got off at Elmhurst. The next eastbound scoot was sitting at Park, waiting for us to get out of his way. Now I could see the signals, and as soon as the scoot was off the plant at Park, Track 1 got a lunar (restricting) light. (The LEDs are bluish, but the light comes out very, very white.) In comes an eastbound stack train, headed into the yard. As he went by, a westbound stacker went through on Track 3.
The eastbound stacker cleared the plant on Track 1, and right away there was a flashing yellow for the next train--another stack train going around the yard. He cleared up, and Track 1 got another lunar signal. This time it was a Sheboygan coal train with mostly blue EDGX gondolas.
The two scoots then made their scheduled appearance and left. It was a little after 3:00. I was hoping that that westbound manifest off the NS would come through. He was, as far as I knew, just waiting at Wolf Road for the dispatcher to turn him loose (perhaps he needed a third unit on him, but he already had a UP lead unit).Then we got a show...the next westbound train was a stack train again, and before he got out of the way, the ATWS signs started in with their "Danger--another train coming" warning. An eastbound stack train came in on 2, with a lunar signal to take him into the yard. It wasn't long after he moved by that we got another lunar signal on Track 1, and yet another stack train headed in! This one was long. I'm not sure what was going on with him--while his cars were passing I saw two different brake applications made, and released. The distributed power was in the center of the train, and as soon as that got past the station, the train stopped briefly, then started up again, only to stop with the hind end at the platform--train blocking York Road and everything east of there in Elmhurst.Keep in mind that this guy was on Track 1, the platform track for eastbound scoots, and it was getting kind of late. At a little before 4:00, I crossed over to the outbound platform to catch my train--the piggyback train was still strung out over everything.
When I got over to the Track 3 platform, I could see a headlight reflecting off the trailers on the train on Track 1. My train! By golly, I wasn't going to let that good stuff get past me without getting lot numbers and dates off the cars I knew were in there! Well, it was a manifest train, but not the one I was looking for--this one was coming out of the yard. It still had some good stuff, and surprised me with a tank car from a company I hadn't heard of. As he was clearing, I heard the Voice of Metra give a seven-minute warning for my scoot, then a seven-minute warning for the eastbound scoot. I looked up, and the train on Track 1 was finally moving out of the way. I had my doubts, though, about whether he'd clear the scoot in time. He must have gotten in far enough, because the eastbound scoot got a red-over-green, to cross over to another track. Wait...what? He couldn't go from 1 to 3, because our train should e coming in on 3. And Track 2 still had "my" freight on it, or so I thought. Apparently, said freight had to back up through 25th Avenue when things cleared up sufficiently, then head into the yard...maybe for more cars, maybe for more power. I suspect they'll really appreciate that third track whenever they get around to building it!
My scoot left the station, met the inbound scoot a block or two away, stopped at Villa Park, then met a manifest coming in on Track 1. I might be able to see a little something off this guy, I thought. But no, at Grace I could tell that he was crossing over from 2 to 1, so his hind end was too close for me to see anything.
But man, what action! I got maybe a page of interesting sightings i my notebook...nothing I was looking for, but several real finds. And I lost count of all of the trains I'd seen everywhere in less than 3 1/2 hours. The dispatchers were probably sweating this, but I was loving it. Until about 4:00. That's when the wind suddenly came up and the temperature fell lie a rock. From the mid-50s earlier in the afternoon, we were suddenly in the upper 30s. With the forecast for snow and ice tomorrow, I will be unlikely to be out hunting again.
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)
Norm
Mother Nature has a sense of humor. Last Friday we broke a high temperature record going back to 1895. 60 some degrees. Starting yesterday at 4:00 we got ice and 5 inches of snow. The auto body shops will be booked for the next month solid. Tomorrow, it's supposed to warm up and melt everything; weekend is supposed to be in the upper 50's. I suppose that means it's going to snow next week.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
evening
not bad today.stuff coming tomorrow.Ns was clear when I left work.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").
After several days of intense preparation, we held our safety day training today. Some 95 firefighters from a dozen fire departments attended, hearing from half a dozen speakers on eight different safety topics.
All in all, it went very well. And I'm pooped.
near 70 today here in Nw ohio.Lot's of snow coming tuesday??? Up 1996 was sent back to Up on L 091 today.Couldn't lead due to mechanical problems.Back to work tomorrow.
Good day today.Reported that q 324 had to be split at Haskins before they continued to Toledo.Q 389 had 8 units,Q 369 had a cp,ns and bnsf units.Q 342 came around the wye at Deshler and had 9 units and 700+ axles.North Baltimore was abuzz with intermodal trains and power switches(along with a KCS unit that came in on Q015).Brother said thanks for the show.Time to get stuff for tomorrow.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bender_(Futurama) ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminator_(character) ?
Nahh, I'm more prone to disconnect the HAL 9000:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgkyrW2NiwM
- Paul North.
Paul_D_North_JrFor me, most recently this involves my wife having to remove and then replace 'packing'* in a fairly good size incision in my right side (which I can barely see, which is why she has to do it), and then everything for applying the large dressing/ covering. (*If you don't know, you don't want to - it's not for the squeamish, trust me.) Other procedures have been similar.
Finally giving up that pesky humanity and becoming a cyborg? Awesome.
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
Apropos of nothing recent here, but I finally found something that's too good not to share.
The background is medical practice in the US, as controlled by the insurance companies: In recent years I, my wife, and members of our extended families have had various medical procedures, fortunately mostly outpatient. However, leaving the hospital isn't the end of it - they expect you or spouse/ significant other to perform some nursing-care level functions for yourself back at home. For me, most recently this involves my wife having to remove and then replace 'packing'* in a fairly good size incision in my right side (which I can barely see, which is why she has to do it), and then everything for applying the large dressing/ covering. (*If you don't know, you don't want to - it's not for the squeamish, trust me.) Other procedures have been similar.
All of this reminds us of the following commercial from about 10 years ago. Those of you who have been in similar situations willl recognize the satire. I've provided 3 different links to the same ad, in case one of them is removed:
http://www.tvspots.tv/video/36234/edward-jones--operation
http://www.adforum.com/creative-work/ad/player/6702404/surgery/edward-jones
https://adland.tv/commercials/edward-jones-doctor-2005-030-usa
We've come to think the same about various other specialized needs of the modern day person, which have been involuntarily 'outsourced'/ down-shifted to us with nowhere near the necessary qualifications - managing our investments for a retirement fund (the subject of the ad, coincidentally) is of like kind, we think. (Disclaimer: we have no relationship with the company for which the ad was created and broadcast.)
CShaveRR And then, wouldn't you know...another eastbound freight blew past on the near track, blocking my view! I could see enough, between the cars of the interloper, to know that these were the cars I wanted. So when the other train had passed, I went back east and caught up to the steel train. I couldn't stop, because this part of northern Indiana still had unplowed shoulders along its highways.
And then, wouldn't you know...another eastbound freight blew past on the near track, blocking my view! I could see enough, between the cars of the interloper, to know that these were the cars I wanted. So when the other train had passed, I went back east and caught up to the steel train. I couldn't stop, because this part of northern Indiana still had unplowed shoulders along its highways.
CARL What were you up to? Trying to duplicate what happened in the UK for that photographer that could not get the rebuilt steamer ? Now in 30 - 40 years maybe some HSR train will block your views of freight cars ?
morning
weather is going back to spring mode.Going to go visit brother.Have been busy past couple weeks.Will see what rolls by on CSX/NS.Tomorrow after church it's birthday time for an Aunt.Going to get stuff around.
Today we gave a longtime friend of mine (I've known him for over 50 years) a surprise visit at a lecture he was giving. He's an art professor at Kendall School of Design in Grand Rapids, but was giving a talk/demonstration at Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek. Being able to do a portrait from a photograph is amazing. I consider myself a color person, and to me the colors going on seemed all wrong. Then, all of a sudden, the face just seems to explode from the board (he was working in oils).We found an amazing restaurant not too far from the CN yard office in Battle Creek: McGonigle's Pub and Grill. Good prices, great food! On nicer days with extra time, it would be ablut a two-block walk from where there be trains to where there be lunch or dinner.Since it was still light out when we were heading home, I decided to take the "scenic route" from Chesterton as far as the eastern edge of Gary, in case some trains happened by.
We got to Ogden Dunes, and two headlights showed up in the distance. One was a NICTD commuter train. The other was a slow-moving Norfolk Southern steel train, with many open gondolas of coil steel. I was a little disappointed, because the Gary Railway's brand-new coil cars (which I was hoping to see myself for the first time) had covers on them. Well, wouldn't you know...three covered coil cars showed up in the train, toward the end! And then, wouldn't you know...another eastbound freight blew past on the near track, blocking my view! I could see enough, between the cars of the interloper, to know that these were the cars I wanted. So when the other train had passed, I went back east and caught up to the steel train. I couldn't stop, because this part of northern Indiana still had unplowed shoulders along its highways. But I confirmed numbers and builder, and that's good enough. Going back to check it also meant that we got on the Interstate a couple of exits sooner than we would have, and it was smooth sailing most of the way home from there.
My Little Pony?
Cold this morning, but the barometer is on a steady climb, and the sun is out.
Lots to do today - 104 folders to stuff and tables to set up at the banquet hall for our safety class on Sunday. Plus a batch of chili and maybe some baked beans.
Time to get to work!
zugmann Murphy Siding In a way, it sort of looks like an outline of Foghorn Leghorn, but the desert background seemed more Roadrunner-ish. Yeah, it ws done in the style of roadrunner.
Murphy Siding In a way, it sort of looks like an outline of Foghorn Leghorn, but the desert background seemed more Roadrunner-ish.
Yeah, it ws done in the style of roadrunner.
Murphy SidingIn a way, it sort of looks like an outline of Foghorn Leghorn, but the desert background seemed more Roadrunner-ish.
zugmann Murphy Siding Is that a Roadrunner crossing sign in your avatar? Close enough.
Murphy Siding Is that a Roadrunner crossing sign in your avatar?
Close enough.
Murphy SidingIs that a Roadrunner crossing sign in your avatar?
zugmann We had a EF2 Tornado in the county last night. Having a tornado here is rare. An EF2 is even more so. In February? Unheard of (news says it's only the second time in recorded history we’ve had a tornado in February in PA).
We had a EF2 Tornado in the county last night. Having a tornado here is rare. An EF2 is even more so. In February? Unheard of (news says it's only the second time in recorded history we’ve had a tornado in February in PA).
CShaveRROn the other hand, east of Paul it appears to have gotten interesting, with blizzard warnings in northwestern Indiana, and it appears that the snow was piling up there. I'm hoping the major roads are cleared tomorrow, so we can make the trip we'd been looking forward to.
Carl south shore had to cancel this morning due to power company wire threating SS CAT. Don't know about that area but here the power companys now have to guy wire any crossings of Roads, interstates, RRs etc so poles cannot lean. That way a pole cannot lean toward road and RR ROWs dropping wire(s) to a fouling clearance point.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/weather/ct-south-shore-line-rail-service-suspended-after-blizzard-20160225-story.html
Paul's report from Hegewisch...oops, Midway/Clearing...shows how much difference a small distance can make. We really aren't that far from there, but between us is a county line, and all severe storms are required to respect the distinction between a Winter Storm Warning (which Paul had) and a Winter Weather Advisory (which we had). We got the same inch or two of snow, but didn't have the icy conditions. Our streets and sidewalks were wet the entire time that stuff was falling, and good to go this morning. We were able to take a nice walk out for lunch today.On the other hand, east of Paul it appears to have gotten interesting, with blizzard warnings in northwestern Indiana, and it appears that the snow was piling up there. I'm hoping the major roads are cleared tomorrow, so we can make the trip we'd been looking forward to.We were out for a little over an hour running errands and having lunch. In that time, we caught two scoots, an auto train, a manifest, an empty hopper train, and one or two stack trains. Both of the scoots nearly snuck in under the radar, because a freight was meeting or passing them when they came into the station._____________________________I saw an article in my Railway Age news feed ths morning, saying that "Coast-to-coast" passenger service was feasible. Of course, the coasts they were talking about are in Michigan...trains running from Detroit to Holland, via Lansing and Grand Rapids. The most likely scenarios would route them via Ann Arbor, which seems out of the way, but probably worth it for passengers. I don't recall that Lansing to Ann Arbor was a viable city pair as long as I've been alive (NYC could have done it, via Jackson). Options include anything from a pair of round trips operating at 79 mph to up to eight daily round trips at 110 mph. I can't see CSX complaining too loudly about how it will interfere with their operations, as their line between Grand Rapids and Howell is not used nearly as much as it was (in fact, they had been talking about getting permission to deactivate the CTC), and I think the current Pere Marquette service is already the saving grace for the line between GR and Holland.It all sounds positively yummy...but the next step is environmental studies. I don't think I'll live to see these trains, much less ride them.
afternoon
well this mornings mess has melted away.Matt was cancelled today.Needs to work on a confirmation verse.Ns had a westbound stack train when I left work.Chores to do.
joe
Yup, I had OLD, COLD fingers from shoveling I guess. I spend a couple nights at my mothers place each week instead of renting a motel. Gives her someone to talk to besides her cats. She's actually in Linden, on the west side of Silver Lake.
BOB WITHORN ...Fento, Mi.
Would that be Fenton? Not too far from my old stomping grounds.... I've got some friends who live there.
DeggestyLarry, you must be in for a good old-fashioned ice storm...
The ice stayed along the river and points north. Several hams on a morning net reported ice covered antennas - mine is clear.
I did get 2.17" of rain in the past 24 hours, and it's not done yet.
Gotta get those errands done today.
We were fortunate in my neck of the woods (near Midway and Clearing). We got about 1-2 inches of a rain-snow mix that is now frozen into solid ice. The coverage was uneven so we have some bare sidewalks in places and my footprints from last night allow for some tolerable footing. It will probably melt over the weekend.
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