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Chatterbox Fall-2016

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Posted by BaltACD on Wednesday, December 14, 2016 8:47 PM

Murphy Siding
 
blhanel
 
Murphy Siding

Interesting side note: I was born in Alaska. We moved to South Dakota when I was 11. We had lived near the ocean in AK. It was quite a shock to find out that the winters on the SD plains are a lot colder than those in coastal AK.  

Where at in AK, Murphy?  My wife and I did the Holland America Land and Sea tour down the inside passage back in late May, got to visit Haines/Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan. 

We lived outside of Chugiak, which is basically 23 miles north of Anchorage.

Can't we get the Inuite to make their place names pronounceable in American English?  Big Smile  Nome is gone and won't see the Sunrise in 2017.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Wednesday, December 14, 2016 8:32 PM

blhanel

 

 
Murphy Siding

Interesting side note: I was born in Alaska. We moved to South Dakota when I was 11. We had lived near the ocean in AK. It was quite a shock to find out that the winters on the SD plains are a lot colder than those in coastal AK. 

 

 

Where at in AK, Murphy?  My wife and I did the Holland America Land and Sea tour down the inside passage back in late May, got to visit Haines/Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan.

 

We lived outside of Chugiak, which is basically 23 miles north of Anchorage.

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

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Posted by rvos1979 on Wednesday, December 14, 2016 7:30 PM

Just a little chilly here near Nappanee, IN, parked with my tail to the wind, must be colder than 10 degrees, because the truck will stay running........

Heading to the Gary shop tomorrow, pulled out of a customer this afternoon and noticed that my semi marked its' territory, right about where the front of my transmission was.  That explains the hard shifting and howling noises..........

Randy Vos

"Ever have one of those days where you couldn't hit the ground with your hat??" - Waylon Jennings

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Posted by blhanel on Wednesday, December 14, 2016 6:49 PM

Murphy Siding

Interesting side note: I was born in Alaska. We moved to South Dakota when I was 11. We had lived near the ocean in AK. It was quite a shock to find out that the winters on the SD plains are a lot colder than those in coastal AK. 

Where at in AK, Murphy?  My wife and I did the Holland America Land and Sea tour down the inside passage back in late May, got to visit Haines/Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan.

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Wednesday, December 14, 2016 5:53 PM

switch7frg

Question Murphy, have you ever been cold wet and hungry all at the same time while working in the switch yard? Or tried to hang the ice jewerly on an 18 wheeler in the dark in Chicago? More fun than the law allows.

                                  Cannonball

 

I haven't done those particular jobs but I have had jobs outdoors in the winter. 'Turns out I'm quite the wimp about the cold.

       Interesting side note: I was born in Alaska. We moved to South Dakota when I was 11. We had lived near the ocean in AK. It was quite a shock to find out that the winters on the SD plains area lot colder than those in coastal AK.

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

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Posted by switch7frg on Wednesday, December 14, 2016 3:43 PM

Question Murphy, have you ever been cold wet and hungry all at the same time while working in the switch yard? Or tried to hang the ice jewerly on an 18 wheeler in the dark in Chicago? More fun than the law allows.

                                  Cannonball

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Posted by JoeKoh on Wednesday, December 14, 2016 3:04 PM

update

Found out csx had a monster 324 today.They have to split it in 2 because they can't get the air up in the train due to cold weather.Just a question of when....

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 Wednesday, December 14, 2016 2:31 PM

afternoon

Ns local was busy picking up cars.Mailed out nephews project so he can see trains.Going to get really cold 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 BaltACD on Wednesday, December 14, 2016 12:59 PM

tree68
wanswheel

The SS President Taylor (or what's left of it) is still there.  And I can attest to the current through the channel - it really does get moving.

The area closest to the camera in the aerial image was referred to as the "British Side" when I was there.  It was unoccupied - all activity was on the "north side."  When the Pan-Am Clippers called there, the base was on that portion of the atoll.

A runway was built on the northwest corner.  Bombers headed for Australia stopped there, as did commercial airliners, until the increased range of jets rendered the stop superflous.  There is the wreckage of a Constellation, doing check flights for the FAA, in a dump near the airfield.

A second airstrip was built east of the main strip for the use of fighters assigned to the island.  

The island also served as a communications point for the Gemini series of space flights.  The antennae were still there when I was there.

The two parallel ridges inside the lagoon, and opposite the SS President Taylor, show the channel that was dug to allow smaller boats to travel between the two occupied areas of the island.  

Visible in satellite images (S 2 48' 55" W 171 42' 44") is a monument to a PanAm clipper crew that crashed on one of the exploratory trips for the Clipper routes.  It was also the site of the one-time lighthouse.

OK, enough history.  It was an interesting tour, though.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by tree68 on Wednesday, December 14, 2016 11:37 AM

wanswheel
wanswheel wrote the following post 1 hours ago: tree68 I spent a year on a South Pacific coral atoll - just south of the equator (Kanton Island).   It can't be very famous if I never heard of it.  Probably never would have.

The SS President Taylor (or what's left of it) is still there.  And I can attest to the current through the channel - it really does get moving.

The area closest to the camera in the aerial image was referred to as the "British Side" when I was there.  It was unoccupied - all activity was on the "north side."  When the Pan-Am Clippers called there, the base was on that portion of the atoll.

A runway was built on the northwest corner.  Bombers headed for Australia stopped there, as did commercial airliners, until the increased range of jets rendered the stop superflous.  There is the wreckage of a Constellation, doing check flights for the FAA, in a dump near the airfield.

A second airstrip was built east of the main strip for the use of fighters assigned to the island.  

The island also served as a communications point for the Gemini series of space flights.  The antennae were still there when I was there.

The two parallel ridges inside the lagoon, and opposite the SS President Taylor, show the channel that was dug to allow smaller boats to travel between the two occupied areas of the island.  

Visible in satellite images (S 2 48' 55" W 171 42' 44") is a monument to a PanAm clipper crew that crashed on one of the exploratory trips for the Clipper routes.  It was also the site of the one-time lighthouse.

OK, enough history.  It was an interesting tour, though.

LarryWhistling
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Posted by wanswheel on Wednesday, December 14, 2016 9:48 AM

tree68

I spent a year on a South Pacific coral atoll - just south of the equator (Kanton Island).  

It can't be very famous if I never heard of it.  Probably never would have.

https://archive.org/stream/biostor-118459#page/n0/mode/2up

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Posted by edblysard on Wednesday, December 14, 2016 8:35 AM

Slowly and carefully!Cool

Pace yourself, drink a lot of water.

Like the snow folk who can walk around in shorts in 3 feet of snow....you can get used to the heat/humidity down here too.

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Wednesday, December 14, 2016 7:06 AM

With all due respects, Ed may enjoy needling us with the mild temps in Houston this time of year BUT:  I have been in Houston in the middle of summer with 90 degree temps and 90% humidity and I have yet to determine how anybody with an outdoor job gets through it.

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 Wednesday, December 14, 2016 6:46 AM
There is a positive side to COLD. It keeps all most all of the nasty critters down yonder. You know, roaches the size of SUVs and spiders that eat people, according to my girls.
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Posted by Paul of Covington on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 9:58 PM

tree68

 

 
Murphy Siding
What kind of polar survival gear do you have to put on in order to deal with those bone-chilling temps? Does the wind chill factor make it feel like 69 degrees?

 

I spent a year on a South Pacific coral atoll - just south of the equator (Kanton Island).  The temperature rarely strayed from a high of +92F and a low of +85F.

We had one week that temps dipped into the 70's.  If you're acclimated to +90F-ish temps every day, and live in a small building with nothing but screens - no way to close it up (as if we had heat) - it was a tough week.  Had to throw on a blanket!

   That reminds me--I was eleven when we moved from Honduras to New Orleans, and two things impressed me about New Orleans weather: how hot it was and how dry it was.   In Honduras we were one block from the beach and had a strong sea-breeze all day, and there were mountains several miles back which sent a cool breeze down at night.   You usually had to cover up with at least a sheet at night.   Until N. O., I never knew that you could sit still and be dripping with persperation.    As for dry, in N.O., my mother would hang clothes on the line and in half an hour they would be dry.  In Honduras she'd leave them out all day, and sometimes would have to pick them up still damp and hang them out the next day to finish drying.

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Posted by CShaveRR on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 9:35 PM

Norris, if it should ever snow down there, he'll just glare at it.  There's photographic evidence of that somewhere...

We're going down to single digits tonight, and sub-zero a time or two this week.  I wish I could just stay in bed and curl up, but we've got work to do and places to be for the rest of the week.

Carl

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Posted by edblysard on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 8:43 PM

Well, I think I know where my sweater is.....Cowboy

Murphy Siding
 
edblysard

Cooled off down here too...all the way down to 70 degrees F....

 

 

 

What kind of polar survival gear do you have to put on in order to deal with those bone-chilling temps? Does the wind chill factor make it feel like 69 degrees?

 

 

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Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 8:20 PM

Murphy Siding
What kind of polar survival gear do you have to put on in order to deal with those bone-chilling temps? Does the wind chill factor make it feel like 69 degrees?

I spent a year on a South Pacific coral atoll - just south of the equator (Kanton Island).  The temperature rarely strayed from a high of +92F and a low of +85F.

We had one week that temps dipped into the 70's.  If you're acclimated to +90F-ish temps every day, and live in a small building with nothing but screens - no way to close it up (as if we had heat) - it was a tough week.  Had to throw on a blanket!

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
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Posted by Paul of Covington on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 8:08 PM

   We're looking forward to Ed's cold front's arrival over here. 

It was 81°F today.   That's +, by the way, Murphy.

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 7:19 PM

edblysard

Cooled off down here too...all the way down to 70 degrees F....

 

What kind of polar survival gear do you have to put on in order to deal with those bone-chilling temps? Does the wind chill factor make it feel like 69 degrees?

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 7:18 PM

edblysard

Cooled off down here too...all the way down to 70 degrees F....

 

Above?

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Posted by edblysard on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 7:11 PM

Cooled off down here too...all the way down to 70 degrees F....

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 6:33 PM

      I used to think that I hated the cold more and more with each passing winter. On reflection, I came to realize that I've always hated it. Grumpy

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Posted by Electroliner 1935 on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 5:37 PM

Its real Kiki bird weather. Thats the one at the North Pole that goes around saying "Ki..Ki Kiripes it cold up here.

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Posted by Mookie on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 5:20 PM

JoeKoh
.Making sure I have my hat and mittens.Getting really cold out there.

My lips broke off a short time ago....

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

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Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 3:06 PM

Busy turning out invitations for our fire department banquet next month.  Got 'em printed and the envelopes addressed (mail merge is a wonderful thing!), now I'm stuffing envelopes and putting stamps on.

Light flurries here, but we've got a lake effect warning, although that may well stay south of me here.  No complaints about 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 Tuesday, December 13, 2016 2:49 PM

afternoon

Ns had some empties uptown.Going to run some errands.Making sure I have my hat and mittens.Getting really cold out there.

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 12, 2016 3:32 PM

afternoon

Crews have mother natures deposits taken care of.Today was take mamma to work day.Matt was delayed 2 hours.Saw the Ns local when I got off of work.Chores to do here at home.

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 Monday, December 12, 2016 7:28 AM

Nothing unusual about your situation, I've had the usual quota of near misses over the years although things seem to even out in the long run.  The real irritant is what I sometimes see from the train on the ride to and from work, which includes any number of Amtrak, NS and UP Heritage units.

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 11, 2016 11:56 AM

Murphy Siding
Why isn't it Wa-erown? Mischief

Actually, a valid question, but I don't know.  

Another town in the area is always called "Clay-un."

On another topic - Was at Utica Union Station on Friday when the eastbound Lake Shore rolled in (or Late Shore, if you wish).

Normally nothing to get excited about, but in the lead was Amtrak 42 - the Veteran's special paint job, complete with a placard on the nose from another recent assignment - Toys for Tots.  Unfortunately, by the time I realized it was special, it was too late for a picture.

A friend of mine worked the Toys for Tots train a week or so ago.

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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