Paul, you and your wife must be clairvoyant--did you see today's Newswire about setting the tracks on fire?
We do it differently out here in suburbia--a gas furnace (yes, it would work in your house!) to heat forced air for each of the switches! Here in Lombard there are eight of them, for example, and in a complex place like Elmhurst there must be closer to 20 of them. I don't know if the split-point derails at the control point rate forced-air...I shall have to check sometime.I think that the open flames are used only at complex sites like slip switches (and probably other switches at the same control point). There is not enough room to put air ductwork beneath or at the ends of each set of points, so the open flames are clearly the next best thing.Dragons, huh?
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)
Since I ride through the south CUS approaches twice daily, I'm relieved when I see the switch heaters lit during cold weather. It means that my train stands a good chance of being on time.
Since before we were married, Lynn has known to talk to me first when she sees any news story related to railroading.
afternoon
Csx did run some trains.They have one at the grain elevator west of town.They also sent one west with UP power.The 4rth unit was the 2001 olympic heritage unit.Happy to see the snow is melting.More to come tomorrow and Monday.
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").
Hello
Snow melting here in Nw Ohio.Csx ran some trains this morning.The local J 715 also came into town.No new yard track being laid by the ND&W yet.Might be waiting for a bigger spring thaw.
Going to be 60 degrees in Lawrence, Ks today
CShaveRR Dragons, huh?
Dragons, huh?
diningcar Going to be 60 degrees in Lawrence, Ks today
CShaveRRI think that the open flames are used only at complex sites like slip switches (and probably other switches at the same control point). There is not enough room to put air ductwork beneath or at the ends of each set of points, so the open flames are clearly the next best thing.
There's no ductwork at Deshler that I know of, so I think they're using direct flame, but not as spectacularly as some of the images I've seen...
Eight tenths of a degree from fifty here right now.
Just got part of the snow out of the driveway from the roof. Steel roofs tend to shed their snow - and I think mine came off on the driveway side in one swell foop yesterday while I was at the granddaughter's birthday celebration (she's four).
I'll go finish it after lunch.
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...
Ns sent an eastbound when I got off work.Local has cars uptown.The rain has helped get rid of the ice rink on our road.More Ice coming on Wed. morning according to the guessers.Chores to do.
good evening
Ns has a coal train in the siding.The local was uptown.Not a good time for a blower motor to go out on your truck.(pending the guessers ice storm).
Yeah, that really blows, Joe (or not)!They're talking ice for us, too, starting tonight...by tomorrow moring it could be a half inch or more thick. We hope to not have to go anywhere.Here's another wildly exciting tale of train-hunting (try and keep your eyes open, huh?):
Mondays are usually slow days on the railroad. I was expecting that when I went out after lunch to look for interesting freight cars (I'm still hoping to see my first 2019-built car!).
It was warm today (right around 50), but it was also wet, so I took the car. It needed gas, so I filled the tank. Then I went on to Elmhurst, where the outbound scoot was just departing the station (that put the time at about 1:13 p.m.). A look at the signals told me that there was nothing coming in from the west, and a look up the tracks told me that nothing was going west, so I went north to Bryn Mawr.
Bryn Mawr is where the main lines of the Union Pacific and Canadian Pacific converge to go around the western edge of O'Hare and up toward Milwaukee. I first saw a UP sand train waiting to get into Proviso (the yard where I used to work) on the new embankment where they relocated the tracks for the latest O'Hare expansion. As I got closer to the junction, I could see that there were northbound UP and CP trains both waiting there. I actually drove right in to the open area by the junction, just as the CP train started to head north. Once he left, another CP train came in from the north. I gave this guy plenty of time to clear, but when the UP train didn't start right up, I called it quits. I could see some of his cars from the road anyway, so I didn't miss out on much. Heading back south I noticed the inbound CP train had stopped to wait to get into Bensenville Yard. I would have liked to check him over again, but traffic was pretty heavy and opportunities to turn around just weren't there.
So I went back to Elmhurst. This time I parked the car. I noticed that the outbound scoot was just leaving the station (so I'd been gone about an hour since the last one left). After using the station's bathroom, I went out, checked the signals, checked for headlights coming out of the yard...again, nothing. I got into the car, drove down to the first opportunity to cross the tracks, and "Hey! Where'd that come from?" A westbound train of Wisconsin Electric empty coal cars (this may have been the reason the sand train I first saw couldn't get into the yard). I waited for him, and crossed the tracks, headed home. Before I got to the gravel pit, I saw the headlight of an eastbound manifest freight. So, back to the parking spot. And there was headlight in the yard, which turned out to be a stack train leaving town. Meanwhile, the manifest had stopped, barely clearing the Haven Avenue grade crossing. The inbound scoot went by him on Track 3, followed by the outbound, also on 3. That was more or less normal. So, secure in the thought that nothing would be coming for a while, I left again, crossing the tracks behind the hind end of the stopped freight. And I got to the gravel pit, and there was another headlight from the west--another manifest! He had to stop for the train ahead of him, and he did so in a spot that kept most of the grade crossings in Elmhurst open (judging from his length, there might have been a blocked crossing or two in Villa Park!). You guessed it...back to a station-side parking spot!
As soon as the first stopped freight train was moving again, the second one also was able to start up. He was going around the yard (the hind end of the other train had been blocking the switch that would set him free), so he picked up speed fairly quickly. This train had a pair of distributed-power units in the middle of the train.
As soon as he cleared, the next inbound scoot came in, concluding two hours' worth of nearly nonstop action. By now it was time to get home; we had a dinner date at the PADS shelter in Downers Grove (we had volunteered to help fix supper for a few dozen people expected to show up that evening). On the way home, I saw another eastbound stack train in Villa Park, and my drive across Grace Street was aided and abetted by the westbound scoot--now over three hours after the fun began.
I have seven sheets' worth of notes off these trains, which I didn't get to before going to Downers Grove, and won't see much of before turning in tonight. Tomorrow morning, I might get to some of them, but I have a noon appointment with my urology oncologist and we have to go directly to the Peck House after that, to tend the museum (oh, yes...it's railfan Tuesday there, too!). I think I made up for the days last week when we were frozen in...and then some!
The 10:00 news reports did show enough ice on the roads to the north and west but somehow we got lucky and got some rain but no ice. The drive to the station this morning was routine with no icy spots.
We're due some ice a little later this morning. Gotta head for town before it hits. With any luck, there won't be any issues requiring the FD to respond... I've got enough to do here at the house.
Glad I put the trash out last night - usually they show up around noon, but today they showed up at 8AM.
Light rain turningto ice in Lawrence, KS. Staying home for the present.
We had sleet yesterday while I was eating lunch--the first sleet I had seen in several years. There was some clearing in the afternoon, and it began snowing about six in the evening. One of the servers (formerly, waitresses) did not get in by breakfast, and the one who did said she had some difficulty along the way (she did keep her ditchfinder off).
Johnny
Ns still has a coal trian in the siding.The local has cars uptown and an eastbound passed by after work.The ice stayed north of the turnpike thankfully.Also thankful for friend who looked at the blower motor and reconnected the loose wire.Going to go get Matt here in a bit.
Freezing rain is here. Pretty much everything is cancelled, including a meeting I was to attend tonight. Fortunately, it was ham radio related, so we can do it on the air.
The evening news reported various snowfalls in the valley--up to about a foot and a half in some places. For the first time in many years, school districts around here declared snow days--and tomorrow may also be a snow day.
Larry, you are ot the only one to receive lake effect snow. I fear that the Great Salt Lake will be even lower after this storm--and that MC will not get anywhere near as much snow as we have received since yesterday evening--and there will be more tonight.
Skiers are delighted--if they can get up the canyons to the slopes; either four-wheel drives or chains are required, and there are snowslides that block the roads from time to time.
DeggestyLarry, you are ot the only one to receive lake effect snow.
For sure - The Great Salt Lake is one of the few bodies of water (other than the Great Lakes and the oceans) large enough and capable of generating enough moisture to cause lake effect.
I've seen lake effect downwind from Oneida Lake, just north of Syracuse.
The feature that makes lake effect here so significant is that winds often run the length of Lake Erie and Ontario, providing plenty of "fetch." Then the hilly area east of those lakes wring that moisture out, and over populated areas.
All of the Great Lakes generate lake effect. The fetch across Lake Michigan isn't as long, although you'll definitely see it happen. The same is true of Lake Huron, although Georgian Bay can be a multiplier. Lake Superior's lake enhancement falls over some less populated areas of Ontario.
There have been instances, however, where Lake Superior enhancement has carried over onto Lake Huron, and then down as far as New York State.
I'm pretty familiar with lake effect snow. In my youth, I can remember my nieghborhood getting six inches while the rest of the city got less than an inch.
Rain here in Nw Ohio.Stacey has some coupons.Errands to run.Matt has to go do dishes.Glad tomorrow is Friday.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
Murphy, that reminds me-- this past fall we had a bumper crop of acorns, and I had to move my car away from an oak tree by my driveway. With every little gust of wind, it sounded like machine-gun fire from the acorns hitting it.
_____________
"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
Murphy Siding Squirrely weather- We have a big apple tree over our bedroom. From early fall on, Mr. Squirrel is constantly knocking apples onto the roof. Thud! Bumpa, bumpa, bumpa, bumpa. The last few days we have had brutal weather. Typical was last night. -10 with a 30 mph breeze making for wind chills around -35. The wind blowing frozen apples onto the roof takes on a more sinister sound, like someone hitting the roof with a baseball bat. WHAM! THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! That happened about once an hour all night long. Consequently, I’m a little squirrely today. I’m ready for spring and I’m sure Mr. Squirrel is too.
You could have some form of metal roof - to amplify the sounds!
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
A damp 40 degrees in Willits CA where trains have not run since 1998 ... I understand Denver got walloped while we were out here and the weatherguessers misfired again.
Paul of Covington Murphy, that reminds me-- this past fall we had a bumper crop of acorns, and I had to move my car away from an oak tree by my driveway. With every little gust of wind, it sounded like machine-gun fire from the acorns hitting it.
mudchicken A damp 40 degrees in Willits CA where trains have not run since 1998 ... I understand Denver got walloped while we were out here and the weatherguessers misfired again.
I thought California Western was still running to Ft Bragg? It's been a long time since I was up that way, 1989 anyway.
thx IGN
Murphy Siding Paul of Covington Murphy, that reminds me-- this past fall we had a bumper crop of acorns, and I had to move my car away from an oak tree by my driveway. With every little gust of wind, it sounded like machine-gun fire from the acorns hitting it. Reminds me of a time I moved into a rental house. My roommate and I then went camping on a 3 day weekend and left his car parked under this big tree covered with some kind of blackberries. Apparently the birds liked those berries. When we got home, his white car was mostly purple and we had a bird infestation worthy of a Hitchcock movie.
Reminds me of a time I moved into a rental house. My roommate and I then went camping on a 3 day weekend and left his car parked under this big tree covered with some kind of blackberries. Apparently the birds liked those berries. When we got home, his white car was mostly purple and we had a bird infestation worthy of a Hitchcock movie.
They are not the best eating.
Ns had a westbound autorack train in the siding.Chores to do.Mother nature is making it "Chilly" outside.
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