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Chatterbox Summer 2017

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Posted by JoeKoh on Wednesday, July 19, 2017 2:53 PM

afternoon

Another warm day in Nw Ohio.Ns had a CN/Up combo sand train go east out of the siding just as I left work.They also sent a westbound frieght.The local was also uptown doing it's work too.Boss said when he went uptown Ns was looking at the crossing.Lady had a clipboard and the other people were following here around.They do have the replacement signals ready to be installed.Have 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 JoeKoh on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 2:27 PM

afternoon

Warm here in NW Ohio.Ns has an eastbound coal train in the siding.Looked like a couple cars for uptown too.Meeting tonight in Deshler.Going to be a warm one.

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 Paul of Covington on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 12:42 PM

   I'll never forget a demonstration of technical wonders when I was in grade school (mid fifties).   He used a tempered glass flask as a hammer to drive a nail into a piece of wood.   Then he held the flask up and dropped a grain of sand into it, and it shattered.

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Posted by rvos1979 on Monday, July 17, 2017 8:11 PM

When it rains, it pours...........

Pulled into our terminal in West Memphis, AR for a break, halfway through, an emissions code trips, and it's not one that a simple tap on the dash will fix. To top it off, truck just came out of the shop at home for it's preventive maintenance. Shop can't get to it until Wednesday, so I'm in a hotel for a couple days.

Hope this is the last problem for a while........

Randy Vos

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

"May the Lord take a liking to you and blow you up, real good" - SCTV

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Posted by tree68 on Monday, July 17, 2017 7:13 PM

Murphy Siding
By the way it's heat treated, tempered glass is actually very brittle. You could probably break it easily using the claw end of a standard hammer. It's extreme pressure put at a single, small point that does in tempered glass- like a rock from the lawn mower. That will take out a patio door every time.

Trust me, I've seen the pick head of a fireman's axe and the pike on a Halligan tool, well swung by a firefighter, bounce off a tempered glass car window.  Many times.  Never tried a claw hammer, but based on the above, I wouldn't count on it working.

Break out the automatic center punch and the very same window crumbles.

Halligan tool (forged steel):

Halligan Tool

LarryWhistling
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Posted by mudchicken on Monday, July 17, 2017 6:44 PM

Photo published for Semi-truck spills 42,100 pounds of beer on Wolf Creek Pass21 1/2 tons of Ft. Collins Bud products never made it to Durango - whooops ... I guess CDOT's investment on the runaway ramps on Wolf Creek Pass (US-160) has justified itself again after no brakes on a 6+% grade saw the truck leave the highway at 65+ MPH

Sorry to hear about your headache Randy...Still begging for water here.

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, July 17, 2017 5:54 PM

tree68

But - on tempered glass - it's amazing that a fire axe or "Halligan Tool" will bounce right off the glass (as many a firefighter has discovered), but a radio antenna, properly applied, will break it...

Or your neighbor kid's BB gun...

 

By the way it's heat treated, tempered glass is actually very brittle. You could probably break it easily using the claw end of a standard hammer. It's extreme pressure put at a single, small point that does in tempered glass- like arock from the lawn mower. That will take out a patio door every time.

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Posted by JoeKoh on Monday, July 17, 2017 2:20 PM

afternoon

Matt is back home.Went trainwatching today.Csx had plenty of emd varieties and UP power too.J 715 went back to Garrett long hood foward.No big shipment for the ND&W yet.Q 393 also had a report of something leaking out of a hopper car.Don't know if they set that car out or not.Back to or regular program tomorrow.

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 Monday, July 17, 2017 7:40 AM

zugmann
Too much reliance on their own dispatchers "calling the railroad"?  And hoping they called the correct railroad with the correct location.

One of the railroad landmarks I have to know is "Stonehouse." It's one of two crossings of the same road - the other of which is known by the name of the road.  The railroad name comes from a stone house - which is no longer there.  

Law enforcement (or fire) is going to report the location by its road name - not the railroad name.  Unless they take the time to pull the crossing number off the sign on the crossbucks (or what's stencilled on the equipment shack), they be reporting a location a couple of miles away from the actual location.  The dispatcher (who will get the call, not RRPD) may pick up on that, or not.

Also wonder why more officers don't carry a real window punching tool, instead of trying to use their batons all the time.

We joke that every hood in NYC has one in his pocket....

Those automatic punches will soon be useless - I understand that the car manufacturers are going back to using laminated glass in side and rear windows.  Fire is already stocking up on the necessary tools to remove that glass.

But - on tempered glass - it's amazing that a fire axe or "Halligan Tool" will bounce right off the glass (as many a firefighter has discovered), but a radio antenna, properly applied, will break it...

Or your neighbor kid's BB gun...

LarryWhistling
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Posted by mudchicken on Sunday, July 16, 2017 9:05 PM

Man I'm hoping I heard right before the cop got out of the car to see if anyone was in the car. All I can access now is the shorter version of the video after he's beside the car. If he didn't talk to DS and request the railroad stop movement, oh boy. The implication was the train was waiting to enter the interlocking, UP crossing UP and never knew the car blew past the flashers and gates and under the stopped tank car. The Interlocking is Texas City Terminal (TCT) where BNSF (1 line) and UP(2 lines, 1 truncated) can access both it or go into Galveston Harbor terminal over the new draw bridge. (I think NWP/ SMART wound up with the older one)

Ed B may know more from putting together local media reports.

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 zugmann on Sunday, July 16, 2017 3:44 PM

BaltACD
Bad marks for 1st responders for not notifying UP when they got on scene; well before the train started to move.

Too much reliance on their own dispatchers "calling the railroad"?  And hoping they called the correct railroad with the correct location. 

Also wonder why more officers don't carry a real window punching tool, instead of trying to use their batons all the time.

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 JoeKoh on Sunday, July 16, 2017 1:00 PM

afternoon

Well Csx had this and that today.Sent a crew to pick up rail in Sherwood.Some trains have different numbers and new routes too.Matt is due in from his trip at midnight.Will call when they get into Ohio.

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 Sunday, July 16, 2017 10:56 AM

Thought. redacted

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Posted by Mookie on Sunday, July 16, 2017 10:34 AM

Memo to Randy:  Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.  We were out for a week, early fall snowstorm pretty much took out whole city.  

Also - we saw the Marx train loaded and heading your way - 6 locomotives - 2 head, 2 middle (facing each other) and 2 DPU - you could just see they were going to drop off the 2nd train - it was shorter than the first and I think Jeff told me the smaller plant would be the first drop?  

Rinse and repeat....

Jen

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Posted by rvos1979 on Sunday, July 16, 2017 8:49 AM

Spent Saturday doing what little cleanup we had to do at the house, mainly cleaning out our fridge and freezer and restocking. All we lost was a fridge and freezer full of food, parents lost two freezers, some power tools and possibly the furnace (have to finish pumping out the basement to find that one out).......

Back to work.......

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 BaltACD on Sunday, July 16, 2017 6:55 AM

mudchicken
Kudos to the suburban Houston (LaMarque) cop and dispatcher at Texas City Jcn/ MP36.4/859510E for keeping their heads together dealing with the drunk into and under one of Uncle Pete's roadswitchers last night after the stopped train started to move.

Thumbs UpThumbs UpThumbs Up

Bad marks for 1st responders for not notifying UP when they got on scene; well before the train started to move.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by mudchicken on Saturday, July 15, 2017 11:45 PM

Kudos to the suburban Houston (LaMarque) cop and dispatcher at Texas City Jcn/ MP36.4/859510E for keeping their heads together dealing with the drunk into and under one of Uncle Pete's roadswitchers last night after the stopped train started to move.

Thumbs UpThumbs UpThumbs Up

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 Saturday, July 15, 2017 12:40 PM

afternoon

Eastbound coal train in the siding when I left work.Ns sent a new horse eastbound on the point of a stack train too.Going to go enjoy the afternoon with Stacey somewhere.

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 Saturday, July 15, 2017 9:35 AM

Pat and I can relate to your roomette woes.  I, too, had to stay in the upper, with no window, while riding home from LA on the Southwest Chief this past March...Pat was a bit claustrophobic up there.  Our train had power issues, and the time we lost could not be made up.  We were lucky...at least two hours of the dropped time was spent with good company--the Mudchicken--who stayed up for our very late arrival in and even later departure from LaJunta.

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 mudchicken on Saturday, July 15, 2017 9:34 AM

Shoulda let us know you were briefly in town (twice)...Embarrassed

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 jeffhergert on Friday, July 14, 2017 10:47 PM

Today, the wife and I arrived back home from a little train ride.  4300 mile round trip on the California Zephyr.  Ottumwa IA to Emeryville CA and back.  A good trip, but we're both glad to be home.  We left our cat at a local boarding facility (Howl-A-Day Inn) where she had a suite all to herself.  (Complete with some of her own familiar items to help keep her company.)  We had a Roomette and I think she had just as much room in her suite.  

On the westward trip, we were about an hour late when we woke up the last morning around Winnemucca NV.  They made up about 40 mins, so we arrived only about 20 mins late into Emeryville.  Eastward went to bed while train was sitting in Elko NV about 30 mins late.  When we woke up we were about 2 1/2 hours late.  I brought my scanner along.  I know one freight was short on HOS time, but thought it cleared before they died.  It sounded like it might've been one of those monster manifests.  I heard from the upper berth, at least one go around us.  The car attendent thought at least two went around.  Picking up 4 private cars in Denver used up the better part of an hour.  Picked up some time to arrive about 3 hours late into Ottumwa. 

Jeff  

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Friday, July 14, 2017 10:20 PM

Mookie

 

 
Murphy Siding
pronounce the name of the country of Djibouti

 

 My favorite political channel told me long ago how to pronounce it. Unfortunately your last name hasn't been pronounced there, yet.  (No not "siding"!)

 

 

Short 'i', silent 'e'. When my ancestors came through Ellis Island, the officials took it upon themselves to change the spelling and eliminate the 'j'.

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Posted by jeffhergert on Friday, July 14, 2017 10:15 PM

[quote user="Deggesty"]

[quote user="Murphy Siding"]

 

 
Norm48327

 

 
Murphy Siding
And the kids who access that information because they want to learn can go far.

 

The problem is that most kids wont go on line for information and learning. They only want entertainment.

 

 

 

I dunno. Replace "kids" with people in general and I'd have to agree. One of my sons said something in reference to homework that made sense- "Why do I have to learn about Steven Douglas? If I ever need to know anything about him, I'll just Google the information."

 

 

[/quote]And, Steven Douglas comes up in a conversation--so he quickly Googles Steven Douglas so he can tell what he just found out.

 

[/quote]

A few years ago, I was in the AFHT motel waiting for my call to work.  It was the time when there were protests goin on in Iran with speculation that maybe the hard liners in the regime might be ousted.  I was switching back and forth between CNN and Fox News who were both in "breaking news happening" mode.  Although on different ends of the political spectrum editorially, both organizations' reporting was almost exactly the same. 

Until it was announced that Farrah Fawcett had died.  That ended the reporting on Iran from both.  So both, for an hour or two, just rehashed what little "breaking news happening" they actually knew.  (Our local TV news does the same thing when there is "breaking news".) 

That ended when it was announced that Michael Jackson had died.  So much for Farrah.  I don't believe they mentioned her death, or the Iranian protests again outside of a blurb in their regular daily news updates.

It just shows where the priority of the American mainstream public is, or perceived to be.  I guess coverage of the end of the world be pre-empted by the news of a Kardashian breaking a nail.  Although I suppose to some, a Kardashian breaking a nail IS akin to the end of the world.  

Jeff

   

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Posted by Mookie on Friday, July 14, 2017 8:18 PM

mudchicken
Camp Lemonnier

I took the dead language, not French - but my $$$ is on Lay moan e a ....

How close am I?

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Posted by mudchicken on Friday, July 14, 2017 6:45 PM

You-betcha .... Then you can try Camp Lemonnier (where people from this office have been commuting. Resort community of the last kind..)

 

(all I think of is the Buddy Hackett schtick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Jj622vbrrU )

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 Friday, July 14, 2017 5:32 PM

Murphy Siding
pronounce the name of the country of Djibouti

 My favorite political channel told me long ago how to pronounce it. Unfortunately your last name hasn't been pronounced there, yet.  (No not "siding"!)

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

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Posted by mudchicken on Friday, July 14, 2017 4:02 PM

We would take the excess water Joe.  (all the promised storms here have fizzled before getting here. Some of the fields are getting "crunchy" to walk through.)

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 Friday, July 14, 2017 3:50 PM

afternoon

Ns had a new engine on the point of a westbound stack train when I left.People still dealing with plenty of water here.I am sure they wish they could send it out west.Mowed the swamp today.Work still busy so I am going in tomorrow.ND&W is still waiting for it's big package to arrive.Last we heard it was stuck in St.Louis.Off to get cleaned 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 Deggesty on Thursday, July 13, 2017 9:17 PM

[quote user="Murphy Siding"]

 

 
Norm48327

 

 
Murphy Siding
And the kids who access that information because they want to learn can go far.

 

The problem is that most kids wont go on line for information and learning. They only want entertainment.

 

 

 

I dunno. Replace "kids" with people in general and I'd have to agree. One of my sons said something in reference to homework that made sense- "Why do I have to learn about Steven Douglas? If I ever need to know anything about him, I'll just Google the information."

 

 

[/quote]And, Steven Douglas comes up in a conversation--so he quickly Googles Steven Douglas so he can tell what he just found out.

Johnny

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Posted by Deggesty on Thursday, July 13, 2017 9:12 PM

Murphy Siding

 

 
Norm48327

 

 
Murphy Siding
And the kids who access that information because they want to learn can go far.

 

The problem is that most kids wont go on line for information and learning. They only want entertainment.

 

 

 

I dunno. Replace "kids" with people in general and I'd have to agree. One of my sons said something in reference to homework that made sense- "Why do I have to learn about Steven Douglas? If I ever need to know anything about him, I'll just Google the information."

 

 

And, Steven Douglas comes up in a conversation--so he quickly Googles Steven Douglas so he can tell what he just found out.

Johnny

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