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Chatterbox Fall-2016

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Posted by ChuckCobleigh on Sunday, October 23, 2016 10:31 AM

What Carl said!!!Big SmileBig SmileBig SmileBig Smile

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Posted by CShaveRR on Saturday, October 22, 2016 10:16 PM

Can I just put in a small word here:

Woo-hoo, CUBS!

Thank you.

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 Saturday, October 22, 2016 6:54 PM

Nice day here in Nw Ohio.Got out and saw the fall colors.Tomorrow our church is doing a trunk or treat for the kids.Matt's little cousins are going to be there.Going to be fun.Brother and wife are coming up from Florida too.Hope they brought their longjohns.

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 blue streak 1 on Friday, October 21, 2016 7:45 PM

Rain ?  What is rain ?  7 weeks here and only 3/10 inch last SATURDAY and none in the 10 day forecast.  Exceptional dry here SW of Atlanta and other parts of state.

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Posted by JoeKoh on Friday, October 21, 2016 2:24 PM

afternoon

Cleared off here in Nw Ohio.Ns ran a sand train westbound when I left work.Time to do some chores.Going to get frosty tonight.

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 20, 2016 8:08 PM

Rain?  We got rain!  About nine tenths of an inch so far, with much more forecast.  Might make for a wet pumpkin patch.  Then again, they're also forecasting snow in the upper elevations (guess where the pumpkin patch is....)

Had an excellent drill for area fire departments tonight.  Learning how to move large amounts of water.  The rain that fell all through the evening was just an added attraction...  We need to be able to make large amounts of water available on a moment's notice - and fire hydrants don't grow well here outside the villages and city...

Time to finish getting things lined up so I can load and go in the morning.

Edit - an hour and a half later and we're up to 1.15" of rain.  It's a-comin' down!

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date
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Posted by JoeKoh on Thursday, October 20, 2016 5:03 PM

evening

rain here in Nw Ohio.Ns ran a westbound when I got off of work.Need to do some 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 CSSHEGEWISCH on Thursday, October 20, 2016 7:42 AM

Nice to see that you had a good day.  Blue Island is my default spot if I don't have another spot under consideration when my beloved tells me that I can get out for the day.

Your outing sounds similar to one that my son and I took back in May.  We drove out to Michigan City scouting out spots along US 12, took a good collection of pictures of the South Shore on 10th Street and at the shops, and worked our way back home, using up a lot of film (me) and pixels (son).

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 BOB WITHORN on Thursday, October 20, 2016 6:36 AM
Carl, good to see you're back to "work".
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Posted by CShaveRR on Wednesday, October 19, 2016 9:42 PM

I've been busy compiling data, responding to e-mails, and letter-writing for much of the past two days, and just realized I didn't report on my train-watching trip of Monday yet. I went to what is (surprisingly) my favorite city in Indiana these days: Gary.  The first stop was for lunch at our usual meal stop, the Great Lakes Cafe.  

From lunch I headed further east. It was the first time I'd been in the vicinity of Ogden Dunes since Norfolk Southern completed its stretch of third track in that area. This track is supposed to help alleviate delays to all of the Amtrak trains that use this line (I think it's seven round trips at this point), and perhaps permit more trips to be added...I can think of two trips into Michigan I'd like to see!

Near Ogden Dunes, I met a SouthShore freight train powered by one of its two SD38-2s (unusual for them--these are six-axle engines, while everything else has four axles). There were a few cars on that train with a new reporting mark for me: TRVX. These cars, which looked like repainted coal gondolas, were a bit more than I'd bargained for--they indeed began life as coal gons, but had been rebuilt as trash cars, with covers and fire-suppression apparatus, and stretched to give them six feet additional length. And now they were on their third owner (I didn't see the fire-suppression apparatus, which consisted of piping to which hoses could be connected--if I had, I might have known where they'd come from).  

Anyway, that westbound SouthShore freight was at the west end of the double-track stretch there, waiting on a signal--it turned out that this was for a westbound NICTD train (made up of four bilevel electric cars) to get ahead of him.

On to Porter and Chesterton, where I went to check out gas prices. At about 25c/gallon less than I pay around home, it was worth getting only five gallons' worth. I found a rib place in Porter that I'd like to check out some evening. And as I was leaving the town, a train headed east over the bridge, prompting an abrupt change in plans. All Norfolk Southern covered hoppers, but a good chance to confirm (and, as it turned out, add to) build dates for one series built starting about a year ago.

So the second time I left Porter, I went back through Gary to my favorite haunt: Pine Junction. I drove up Clark Road.  The road is not the most fun to drive a car over...but the north end of the road (or at least the end of the part above water) is the reward--the parallel main lines of the two busiest railroads coming into Chicago from the east, along with a couple of connecting tracks, a small yard, and yard leads from the third major eastern railroad that take its trains south to its main line. It's all there, and it gave me a good 17 moves in the two-hours-plus that I was there (five per hour, roughly). I was kept plenty busy, just sitting in the car, with trains in front of me, trains behind me, and trucks giving me the willies as they took the road at at least twice the speed that I dared to! There was plenty of stuff that was new to me, but I considered this to be a slow day. Later in the week would probably have given me more trains, and a different time of day would have added Amtrak to the mix.

One thing I noticed was that they had revamped the grade-crossing signals in the area. The two main lines and a connecting track cross the road closely enough together that their gates have to be coordinated. What happens when a train comes is that the gate against traffic at the furthest crossing away goes down first (if it's the line in the middle, then the gates at the edges both go down). The line on which the train is coming is the last one to lower its gates--both of them. There was one time when a train was crossing, and another gate dropped...that meant a train was coming on that line. Perhaps complicated, but probably the most efficient way of letting the trucks get across safely and efficiently. Of course, there was always the one truck driver for whom all of this sophistication was not good enough--he nearly got clipped. (I was far enough away so I wouldn't have been caught in the wreckage.)

I decided to leave Pine Junction at abut 3:15, so I could deal with rush-hour traffic and still get home before dark. My next encounter with a train was at Dolton Junction, where a westbound train of auto racks was headed into the Indiana Harbor Belt's Yard. My route took me next to CSX's Barr Yard, where I saw some interesting-looking ballast cars that appeared to have been rebuilt from aggregate hopper cars (solar panels had been added to permit remote radio operation of the ballast gates--much safer that way!).
Also seen there was a westbound train of ethanol tank cars--it was one of the trains I'd seen at Pine Junction, but I was happy to see it again and get some of the information I'd missed. I couldn't stop there, but knew I could see it at Blue Island. I was first out at the grade crossing on Broadway at Blue Island, which was perfect for data-grabbing.

That was it for me, except for a stop at the store before getting home, to buy an essential ingredient for supper. Then (after said supper) began the research, during which I found out that I'd had a pretty good haul, after all! Documentation continues to this hour (and beyond), as I plan on getting a report out to my fellow freight-car freaks tonight.

 
 

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 Wednesday, October 19, 2016 2:31 PM

afternoon

NS was clear when I left work.Former neighbor didn't want us to come mow this week.Guessers say rain then back to fall temps.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 tree68 on Wednesday, October 19, 2016 12:56 PM

Temps down here, as well.  This morning dawned sunny, but foggy.  With the colors - pretty much in full bloom here now - it was very nice.

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 BOB WITHORN on Wednesday, October 19, 2016 9:28 AM
Temps down a touch in Michigan but the sun is out. Looks great from the office. This is when retirement would be nice. I have the "corner office" so I have windows.
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Posted by JoeKoh on Tuesday, October 18, 2016 5:12 PM

evening

Some rain here in Nw Ohio.More on the way.Saw a private car on the Capitol limited before work this morning going west.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").

 

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Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, October 18, 2016 10:15 AM

Mookie
...that's a nasty fire...

15,751 acres as of this morning.  That's almost 25 square miles for those keeping score at home.

And it is zero percent contained...

Unusually warm here - +75F before noon.   That's good - I have outside stuff to do.

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 Deggesty on Tuesday, October 18, 2016 8:58 AM

Murphy Siding

 

 
Deggesty

 

 
Mookie

Sorry Blue - Geekette has no clue.  

Johnny - You are traveling again!  What fun!  Visiting people for Halloween?  Too early for other holidays!

 

 

 

No, I have just my usual face (it is scary enough). I hope to see some of the people I grew up with. 

 

 

 

 

When visiting folks for Halloween shouldn't the transportation of choice be a broom?Mischief

 

 

Ah, but I expect to be back in my domicile two days before.

It seems to me that a broom would be only a little more comfortable than a rail (of the tar and feathers sort).

Johnny

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Posted by Mookie on Tuesday, October 18, 2016 7:29 AM

Sir C - that's a nasty fire.  Checked the map and found a lot of places you go to work.  Maybe stay in coop for a few days?

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

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Posted by mudchicken on Monday, October 17, 2016 11:06 PM

The people south of Mooks need to turn the vacuum off now. West of Pueblo is getting scorched with the wind (30+ MPH) acting as a bellows. Copcar probably dealing with nasty smoke problems. (Sun vanished in the smaze?)

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 Murphy Siding on Monday, October 17, 2016 10:30 PM

Deggesty

 

 
Mookie

Sorry Blue - Geekette has no clue.  

Johnny - You are traveling again!  What fun!  Visiting people for Halloween?  Too early for other holidays!

 

 

 

No, I have just my usual face (it is scary enough). I hope to see some of the people I grew up with. 

 

 

When visiting folks for Halloween shouldn't the transportation of choice be a broom?Mischief

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

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Posted by Deggesty on Monday, October 17, 2016 10:10 PM

Mookie

Sorry Blue - Geekette has no clue.  

Johnny - You are traveling again!  What fun!  Visiting people for Halloween?  Too early for other holidays!

 

No, I have just my usual face (it is scary enough). I hope to see some of the people I grew up with. 

Johnny

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Posted by Mookie on Monday, October 17, 2016 10:00 PM

Sorry Blue - Geekette has no clue.  

Johnny - You are traveling again!  What fun!  Visiting people for Halloween?  Too early for other holidays!

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Monday, October 17, 2016 8:56 PM

New problems with the site.  Some threads cannot get first post if the thread has more than one page of posts.  Tried to swith from order assending to descending but no change.  Help you smart geeks 

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Posted by Deggesty on Monday, October 17, 2016 7:48 PM

Mookie

It never rains in California - but it did today and made the national news!  No rain since May!  I love rain, so don't think I will move there....

 

I was in that rain from Reno on to Sacramento, and got a little wet before I got to my hotel. The sun shone beautifully all day today, and it is still a little sunny in San Jose.

Talk about padding--we left Roseville 40 minutes late and arrived in Sacramento 17 minutes early.

Johnny

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Posted by Mookie on Monday, October 17, 2016 7:21 PM

It never rains in California - but it did today and made the national news!  No rain since May!  I love rain, so don't think I will move there....

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

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Posted by tree68 on Monday, October 17, 2016 6:43 PM

Thunderstorm just rumbled through, got 2/3" of rain in well under an hour, and it's still raining, albeit not as hard.

Supposed to be warm the rest of the week, maybe I can finish staining the front porch if it doesn't rain.

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 Monday, October 17, 2016 6:32 PM

evening

work busy.Ns was pulling an autorack train west when I left work.Came home and took care of yardwork.One more warmer day then the guessers say Mother Nature will get back to normal.

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 Sunday, October 16, 2016 7:49 PM

And back at you, Larry!  I hope you have a better year than I did at this age level!  (Of course, it could have been much, much worse!)

I've been busy with church and volunteer obligations (and a subsequent nap!) all day until now.  Tomorrow I expect to get out and see the trains I'd like to.  Lombard's Fall Fest (Spooktacular) was this afternoon...we thought for a while that it might be a washout, but we got no rain here since this morning.  I was at the information desk with Pat and a couple of other folks, and I was able to bolt when a train came through, if I thought I needed it.  Most of the freights were intermodals, and there were ethanol tanks in both directions, too.

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 16, 2016 7:19 PM

A happy almost belated birthday to someone who shares a birthday with me - Carl!

Not a bad day on the railroad - although the sun we had on Saturday would have made for nicer viewing of the fall foilage.  The rain that almost always brings an end to the colors arrived as I was driving home (thank goodness it wasn't earlier).  

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
    April 2003
  • From: Defiance Ohio
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Posted by JoeKoh on Sunday, October 16, 2016 10:48 AM

Hi

Sorry Blue Streak can't help you with the train symbols.Csx was running good at FC this morning.Heard q 324 get out of town before Defiance woke up. CSX also ran a q 369 with a beat up KCS de mexico unit as the sole power.Mother nature is sending rain.Mamma has lunch ready.Still need to recover after we escaped Camp Randall with a win.

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 blue streak 1 on Friday, October 14, 2016 8:47 PM

Question for those in the know.   CSX is having a series of unit pipe trains northbound from south of LaGrange Ga to somewhere north of Atlanta.  The pipe is approximately 80+ft long and stacked 3 across - 4 high.  That would be ~ diameter of 36 inches. 

These trains run in groups suggesting they are being unloaded off a ship.  If so would suspect either Mobile or Pannama city, Fl  port ?  Each train about 3/4 mile long so about 9 miles of pipe each unit train ?

Anyone know origin and destination(s) as pipe is laid ?

 

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