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String Lining

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Posted by BaltACD on Sunday, December 10, 2017 12:44 PM

BaltACD

Heavy duty trucking from the Port of Baltimore

 

Schnable type Truck

Don't know where this load was headed, however, I suspect it was going to traverse I-68 or some other equivalent or worse mountain roadways as the Schnable load was being shoved by another truck with what appeared to be a weight tank over it's 5th wheel for additional traction.  Playing the video in YouTube direct with a larger screen better shows the extent of this shipment.

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Posted by Miningman on Sunday, December 10, 2017 10:30 AM

No the boom truck can't move with a load on an extended boom, of course not. I'm not even sure how you can stabilize the truck with a load on, even with hydraulic jacks. Like large highway wreckers, they need 2 or 3 of them at opposite points stabilizing the situation, or else the wrecker would simply tip over. 

The fact that the boom rotates and it is a very long boom must imply some kind of really good stability in many situations. I would be interested to know what the hourly rate for contracting that thing is!

If you have to call "that number" for help I think you can watch your bank account dry up. 

It is my understanding that a Bucket Wheel Excavator is the largest piece of machinery in the world. When they retire them they have to implode them as they do with buildings, bridges and stadiums.

I have been in the cab of an operating one, much like you see in the video. It was unnerving and I never felt at ease. It was sort of like getting caught on a lift bridge with a see through deck, monster counterweights passing by you and who knows how high this goes and how on earth do I survive. Nightmarish! 

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Posted by Overmod on Sunday, December 10, 2017 10:00 AM

Testing that ROPS to the limit, I think.  I'm happy to see that the incident was survivable.

That Cat was less than a quarter the weight of, say, a Reading T1.  What does the mining community have that will lift 220 tons distributed?

I would also suspect, but can't prove, that the boom truck would not be moving on those gazillion wheels with the boom loaded, let alone extended... as a 'Schnabel truck' or equivalent would be doing fairly straightforwardly... or this, for that matter, with physical constraints other than weight:

 

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Posted by BaltACD on Sunday, December 10, 2017 8:38 AM

Miningman
A Schnable type truck eh?  Pfffft......peanuts in my world.

We eat Cat D8's D9's for breakfast

https://youtu.be/wO3thZwQxUU

Check out that rotating boom truck with the gazillion tires that lifted the  Cat out....wonder how many of those trucks are around in this world?

Toys not playing nice with each other!

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Posted by Miningman on Saturday, December 9, 2017 11:34 PM

A Schnable type truck eh?  Pfffft......peanuts in my world.

We eat Cat D8's D9's for breakfast

https://youtu.be/wO3thZwQxUU

Check out that rotating boom truck with the gazillion tires that lifted the  Cat out....wonder how many of those trucks are around in this world?

 

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Posted by BaltACD on Thursday, December 7, 2017 10:30 PM

Heavy duty trucking from the Port of Baltimore

 

Schnable type Truck

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by Miningman on Thursday, December 7, 2017 8:57 PM

It was good for me for about 4 years. It ate up batteries like crazy and it was extremely difficult to close the bottom cap back on when changing batteries. Sony could have worked out the bugs but they let it go and that was that. The TV was no better....nice looking but the colour killer circuit was always giving out. It seemed to me it used a lot of older technology bundled into something new looking and futuristic and passed off as such. Things were dying at Sony thats for sure.

Take a look at this rock. It is suprisingly lightweight, found not too far from the McLean Lake deposits. A prospector brought in about 20 of these he discovered and dug them up after noticing something off that caught his eye. 

https://i.imgur.com/BXvzbmD.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/0E3vVFQ.jpg

Its in the PreCambrian ...way before any life so not organic in any sense or way ....that we know of...alien spaceship parts? ...or their skulls? 

Definitely some iron oxides, perhaps a secondary mineral formation. 

 

 

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Posted by Overmod on Wednesday, December 6, 2017 11:49 PM

Miningman
I went with a Sony projection TV in 1996 and the feature that sold me was the remote which was a little EGG with one button. Push the one button and everything appeared on screen along the bottom and edges and a person could do anything from there, using an on screen arrow pointer sent from the egg. It's was, I believe, a radio signal that it sent out so you did not have to point it, or even be in the room.

The Vision Touch remote, one of the canonical examples of how NOT to implement the 'only' IxD on consumer devices.  Comparatively short-range and somewhat unreliable RF, and internal accelerometers the only means of influencing the onscreen pointer.  There were and are much better ways to design such a device; in fact it should be possible to adapt cell-phone technology to mimic what that remote did.

As an amusing aside: some of the devices actually have IR control circuitry built in, and by adding some simple components you can get it to work from a more normal Sony remote... not as kewl as the OSD, of course, but more useful in a number of contexts.  If you thought it was a problem using some kinds of VCR without the remote, you should see the fun when the 'egg' does not work.

 

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Posted by tree68 on Wednesday, December 6, 2017 10:38 PM

The control room for a large data processing center I once visited had a number of large screens on one curved wall, and one really big screen in the middle.  All of the screens could be made to mimic the small screens in front of the various analysts.  If there was a major concern, it could be displayed on the big screen.  Or the weather, or just the center's logo...

A conference room overlooked the control room, and IIRC, the large screen could be used for presentations there as well.

LarryWhistling
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Posted by BaltACD on Wednesday, December 6, 2017 9:53 PM

Miningman
Then massive projections with those colour guns. All that stuff must be gone now. Projections now are quite different and expensive. Suppose its always been a bit of a staus symbol. 

CSX's operations center in Jacksonville opened in the late 1980's.  To someone entering the building it had a 'Star Wars' feel.  The actual Train Dispatchers occupied the ground level with their consoles facing the outer wall of the 'round building'.  In facing the wall they faced a waist level to ceiling model board display that could be viewed and understood by anyone from any level (there were 3) in the building.  Those displays were provided by rear projection TV screens with the 'guts' occupying about a 5 foot corridor between the actual wall and the screeen.

About 1997 or so, that hardware was removed as repair parts were no longer available.  The consoles were changed so that each Train Dispatchers console had multiple 22" Video Screens to display their territory.

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Posted by Miningman on Wednesday, December 6, 2017 7:56 PM

Ahhh. OK Zenith. Thanks for straightening that out. Was not sure. My mom and dad always had to have the console; you know a piece of furniture. The repair man had to come to you. My Grandma's Fish and Chip shop in Hamilton had a TV repair guy next door. She owned the building that had those 2 business. Would go in and talk to the guy once in a while as a kid. There was myriad of vacuum tubes, TV tubes and dusty parts all over the place. I thought the guy was a bit of a mad scientist.  One day he skipped town and left it all behind. My grandma expanded her restaurant as a result, knocking out the wall. 

By the time the late 80's early 90's came around everyone wanted that wrap around Sony behemeth floor thing. Then massive projections with those colour guns. All that stuff must be gone now. Projections now are quite different and expensive. Suppose its always been a bit of a staus symbol. 

One more point that perhaps Overmod or someone might have knowledge of. I went with a Sony projection TV in 1996 and the feature that sold me was the remote which was a little EGG with one button. Push the one button and everything appeared on screen along the bottom and edges and a person could do anything from there, using an on screen arrow pointer sent from the egg. It's was, I believe, a radio signal that it sent out so you did not have to point it, or even be in the room. Sony abandoned the technology after 2.5 years. Too bad it was a great idea. Also all the Sony equipment sort of "talked" to each other so if you had everything from receivers, VCR's, laser discs, to tape decks and carousels it was all easy peasy. Still have some of it but the TV, long ago now, is a goner.

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Posted by Overmod on Wednesday, December 6, 2017 3:11 AM

Miningman
Were they the "Quality goes in before the name goes on" folk or was that someone else?

Thereupon hangs a bit of a tale.  The slogan of course belongs to Zenith ... but in the run-up (or rather, down) of their TV business in the '90s they made some equipment branded as Admiral, which may be what's influencing you.

The first TV I had was a red-and-white Admiral, which ran reliably until the day it was put away in the basement long after the era color became commonplace and vacuum tubes unnecessary...

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Posted by Miningman on Tuesday, December 5, 2017 11:04 PM

Posted this picture on the Passenger Thread but putting it here as well for 2 reasons.

First, not that many Railroads actually spelled out the word LINE on their passenger equipment but the Toronto Hamilton and Buffalo did. 

SOO spelled out SOO LINE. I think Michigan Central spelled out LINES.

Lots of Railroads called themselves "Lines" as in Southern Pacific Lines, but who else spelled out LINE or LINES on their passenger equipment?

Second, in addition to the somewhat oddity, but very cool practice, of still running 6 axle Heavyweight equipment for the Toronto-New York train, please note the ADMIRAL Television and Appliances sign. Now who among us did not have an Admiral TV at one time. That sign stayed up in Toronto for many many years, facing the Gardiner Expressway, and of course lighting up and flashing in a sequential mesmerizing display at night. Were they the "Quality goes in before the name goes on" folk or was that someone else? 

 

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Posted by aegrotatio on Monday, December 4, 2017 10:57 PM

You encouraged me to buy the Kindle edition of Ashtabula Horror by Stephen D. Peet.

Thank you.

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Posted by cx500 on Monday, December 4, 2017 10:45 AM

I suspect economics may also have been a major factor against domed roundhouses.  Most of those early railways were soon pressed to find enough cash to get sufficient railroad built to start earning income.  While engine facilities were necessary, it would quickly be recognised that a more basic and cheaper facility was quite adequate.

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Posted by Miningman on Monday, December 4, 2017 8:34 AM

Yes I suppose it was more of a Victorian Era practice....easier with 4-4-0's and smaller than with larger and modern power.

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Monday, December 4, 2017 7:31 AM

Domed roundhouses in North America would be relatively rare outside of mountain areas since covering the roundtable area is not really necessary and would cause major ventilation issues.

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 tree68 on Sunday, December 3, 2017 8:49 AM

Miningman
...and what's with the lady with the parasol?

It was the photographer's girlfriend - posing there to add a bit of "humanity" to the picture...  Indifferent

LarryWhistling
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Come ride the rails with me!
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Posted by Miningman on Saturday, December 2, 2017 9:22 PM

Come on guys! There has to be a few more domed roundhouses in North America. ...and what's with the lady with the parasol? Seems like an odd location and all alone. Waiting for her beau, the ship Captain or the Grand Trunk Engineer?

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Friday, December 1, 2017 7:02 AM

A relatively flat dome over a large circular open area makes a certain amount of engineering sense since it would be a set of arches with a common apex over the turntable area.

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 SD70M-2Dude on Friday, December 1, 2017 12:11 AM

Cool!  What an ornate roundhouse.  Here's another domed one from across the pond, still around today (although long removed from any railroad use):

The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, London NW1 - geograph.org.uk - 399270.jpg

Greetings from Alberta

-an Articulate Malcontent

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Posted by Miningman on Thursday, November 30, 2017 11:11 PM

Some very old and rare photos along the Toronto waterfront inthe Grand Trunk days.

Who else had "domed" roundhouses? I know the Baltimore and Ohio did and it is preserved. 

Grand Trunk Railway of Canada 

Toronto roundhouses 

Collection of Derek Boles 

GTR Toronto waterfront yard and roundhouses.

A wide view, taken in 1873 from the centre tower of the new Union Station. 
The Water Works, from which the above view was taken, had not been built yet. 
The elevator beyond the GTR elevator was NRC. 

The building lower left was a boathouse and there appears to be a woman with a parasol standing beside it. 

ENLARGE 

GTR Toronto roundhouses closer up view. LARGE 

Photographs of the enclosed Grand Trunk roundhouse in Toronto are quite rare. 
It was built in the 1860’s and demolished some time in the 1890’s. 

This view showing it on the right was apparently taken from the chimney of the Toronto Water Works 
at the foot of John Street in 1884. The other GTR roundhouse was closer to Brock Street (Spadina) 
and was more conventional, although 360 degrees with two tracks entering it on the east and west sides. 

Beyond Brock St. were the facilities of the Northern Ry. of Canada, 
with the chimney indicating the steam heating plant.

You can just make out the NRC headquarters building on Front St. to the left of the top of the dome. 

The pier on the far left leads to the GTR elevator.

 

The interior was sketched by W.Thomson a Globe artist in 1890. 

416 Earthquake was built by the Manchester Locomotive Works in New Hampshire 
in 1872-73, one of many new standard gauge engines acquired then.

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Posted by BaltACD on Sunday, November 26, 2017 10:55 PM

Miningman
Yes. Sir ....unforgettable....too bad the US teams did not work out over time, it was a great idea. Baltimore remains the only US team  to win the Grey Cup...good trivia question! 

Not only has Baltimore won the Grey Cup, it won 2 NFL Championships in the pre Super Bowl era with the Colts, its team won a USFL Championship, a Super Bowl Championship with the Colts and two Super Bowl Championships with the Ravens.

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Posted by Miningman on Sunday, November 26, 2017 10:06 PM

Yes. Sir ....unforgettable....too bad the US teams did not work out over time, it was a great idea. Baltimore remains the only US team  to win the Grey Cup...good trivia question! 

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Posted by BaltACD on Sunday, November 26, 2017 9:58 PM

1995 Baltimore Stallions - Grey Cup Champions of the CFL

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Posted by Miningman on Sunday, November 26, 2017 9:17 PM

Update: Exicting finish..Toronto wins 27-24...heartbreaking end, Calgary made the wrong call, they were in field goal range for the tie, but went to the well with their stars for the TD and got intercepted.

Canadian Pacific is THE major sponsor of the CFL. The players all have a CP logo patch on their jerseys and lots of electronic banner displays and TV ads. 

Thank you Canadian Pacific ...been doing it for years now, long time. 

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Posted by Miningman on Sunday, November 26, 2017 7:55 PM

The previous post was part of a abstract for Overmod. If anyone else would like the geological description of the Sue C Pit, with conclusions and comments I will gladly send by private conversation here on the Kalmbach site, as long as your friend icon is turned on. Have written this is 4 parts. It started with that glowing luminescent sample.

Also FYI to all our American friends and cuzzins: tonight at this very moment is our Grey Cup Game, the somewhat equivalent of your Super Bowl. This year it is being held in Ottawa. The Toronto Argonauts vs. The Calgary Stampeders. It has been snowing like a banshee 2 hours pre game and has not let up. 

The half time show just ended with Shania Twain, making a very dramatic entrance by dog sled onto the field, which is covered in a considerable amount of snow. The snowplows and snow removal equipment have been really busy after Shania ended her performance. 

Quite the traditional Canadian Football League game I tell ya.

Next year, with the possibilty of Johnny Manziel and Colin Kapernick playing in the CFL, I can guarantee you one game up here will give them a serious wake up call. Many US quarterbacks cannot handle the 3 downs only, the larger field and the quicker pace ....and the dogsleds. 

 

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Posted by Miningman on Saturday, November 25, 2017 10:42 PM

https://imgur.com/a/cWTzp

Geological situation in Gabon leading to natural nuclear fission reactors
  1. Nuclear reactor zones
  2. Sandstone
  3. Uranium ore layer
  4. Granite

For Overmod

Click on link to view cross section of Sue C as per Tourigny and compare that to the diagram above. 

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Posted by Overmod on Saturday, November 25, 2017 10:04 AM

As an additional note, I looked for the site of the historical marker I couldn't find near the wreck site, and found that it WAS originally just west of the site but was moved to the area of the medical center.  There are actually three memorials, if you know where to look for them:

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/11884

 Here is the link to the PDF of Peet's book (you don't have to pay 99 cents for it as you might think if you Googled for it directly): https://books.googleusercontent.com/books/content?req=AKW5QaeLvB6Ldy_t0CKXSK0z2x_eMJoKzPhg7EQwim8U0sLjLS0fwE3i6D7CH_pkMuptvnl7gtgMkS8LKuGoefJRGolOGDpnId1mBawH2Ny5l4i8fstCBs3s0Q7no5T6TGYZgzR-8D1jAo1GWyUnOtRxSxCLt1YmymKRE_ZhCbZ-Az3l1yEkFGvIs6I0BUDrbKCeXQW0gF-zbTeoWLfys2E9KTgc1ux7n4VKZIUAg8gWzvInkxquJOBIgqMbYMIZytkr40ueFp23aUkLoosH6L8XOoAR9hq1_w

A considerable amount of engineering knowledge about this has been done since Peet's day, specifically including why a Howe truss is a stable design in wood (as in a covered bridge) but far less so in iron.  One of the more significant faults is that a failure of a tension element (which in a Howe truss is often done with a drawn rod fastened only at the end with e.g. a washered nut) produces significant stress on adjacent tension members and, as at Ashtabula, produce very quick progression to total failure with little or no advance warning.  In my opinion this somewhat lessens the blame thrown on Amasa Stone at the time ... he probably did not appreciate that wood is an infinitely better material than metal for that truss architecture, and while I don't hold with nepotism I don't think in this case it actually represented criminal incompetence. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted by Euclid on Saturday, November 25, 2017 8:14 AM

wanswheel

 

The book about the Ashtabula Horror by Stephen D. Peet is intensely moving, presenting not only the tangible details, but also a larger context of ominous fate.  The engineers of both locomotives heard the loud bang of the breaking of the bridge support when they had nearly reached the other side.  The first engineer pulled the throttle and broke away from the trailing engine to reach safety of the solid ground.  He said he could feel his engine running uphill as it climbed out of the sinking track.  The second engine fell straight down 80 feet, but its engineer survived.  The train had been moving around only 10 mph.  However, as the first passenger cars fell over the brink, their falling weight pulled the rest of the train forward, so one-by-one, like a chain being pulled, each car went over the edge until every car had fallen into the ravine.

 

The bridge itself is an incredible story which Peet covers in the book.  As I recall, it was built nine years prior to the disaster, and since the day it was built, many had predicted its collapse.  It was a revolutionary design built of wrought iron, but suffered many design flaws that required field re-work in order to assemble the parts.  It had excessive weight that used up too much of its load carrying capacity.  The box truss sagged several inches without any train on it.  As I recall, the first assembly erection was completely dismantled, modified, and reassembled to get around some of the problems.  There are one or two photos of the whole bridge that seem to actually depict the sag in the line of track if you place a straightedge on the photo.    

 

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