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.
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...
afternoon
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.
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").
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
Light rain turningto ice in Lawrence, KS. Staying home for the present.
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.
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.
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!
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)
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).
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.
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.
diningcar Going to be 60 degrees in Lawrence, Ks today
Going to be 60 degrees in Lawrence, Ks today
CShaveRR Dragons, huh?
Dragons, huh?
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.
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.
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.
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?
Just over three feet of snow just south of Watertown since Tuesday, which is less than the upwards of five they were forecasting for some areas...
Got a whole ten inches here at the house.
People are starting to express their displeasure with the whole closing the Interstate to trucks thing - one fellow got a ticket because he was on while the ban was still in effect, despite the fact that the skies were clear, and so was the road.
The ban caused pure chaos on the "surface" roads, with many trucks stuck on hills they wouldn't have encountered had they stayed on the Interstate.
In fact, it's been suggested that rather than banning trucks on the four-lane, they should ban cars, and allow the semi's to stay on the freeway.
Matt was just delayed today.Ns still has a stack train in the siding.An eastbound frieght passed by after work.Came home and shoveled left over slush.Tomorrow is groundhog day.I doubt there will be autoracks on the shortline here in Defiance.We will go see what csx has to run.
Keep them dragons burning.
My wife asked me yesterday about a picture with a news story that showed the switch heaters on the Chicago Union Station leads. I explained that they were lit to keep the switches from freezing and that it was quite routine during the winter.
Larry, I had heard that the governor banned trucks from all the interstates and the Thruway because of the storm. State patrol was handing out tickets left and right to the trucks. Could get interesting if many decide to fight them.........
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
Randy - be glad you didn't have to head into northern NY via I-81 today.
The governor decided to close the Interstate to big rigs due to the ongoing winter weather (currently a very persistent lake effect band).
Big mistake.
All the semi's shifted over to US11. The Interstate is relatively flat. US11 has some very challenging hills in the snow, and the semi's couldn't handle them.
It was a zoo. All day.
Of course, the four wheelers still managed to find the ditches on the Interstate.
The sheriff's patrols and the state troopers here both use the county sheriff's radio channel. Couldn't hardly get a word in edgewise all day.
-5 here in Sturtevant, WI, almost a heat wave.......
Braved the cold on the highway today, lots of trucks on the side of the road with frozen brakes or gelled fuel. As I type this, a wrecker is hooking up another frozen truck on our drop lot. I may have lost two days' work this week, but at least it was somewhere warm where we had a shop if needed.........
BOB WITHORNIf go outside, you're not spending much time looking at the sky.
Right - if you're outside, you're figuring out how quickly you can get back inside...
Ns had a stack train in the siding.A westbound frieght passed it slowly as I left work.Matt went in to do dishes tonight.We did get mail today.Some areas kept the mail people inside.Glad tomorrow is Friday.Oh yeah snow for tomorrow morning too.
joe
Lake effect is wreaking havoc on truckers in my area. The Interstate was closed to semi's, and the "surface" roads are not handling the overflow well. Not to mention that the four wheelers are still running in full ditchfinder mode on the Interstate. The county law enforcement radio is non-stop, and has been all day.
On the other hand, the sun is out at my house, and has been all day after about 10 inches of snow in the past 24 hours.
Pulaski, usually ground zero for lake effect, is also clear right now based on a Virtual Railfan cam located there.
Mudchicken I hear you on the stupidity of the modern-day media. Our local rag came out yesterday to see how we deal with the severe cold when it comes to equipment issues like brakes failing to release. Our shop foreman looked this 20 something in the eye and said nothing a bottle of alcohol and a 5 lb sledge hammer wouldn't fix. The alcohol goes in the air line to remove the ice and the sledgehammer goes bam on the drums. This reporter went your insane no heaters. To which the shop all looked at her and said it's been done this way for 70 years in this industry. We call it the Keep It Simple Stupid principles. She went what they said the KISS motto less things for idiots like yourself to screwup. Less than 1 hour later the editor called and said sorry we won't be running a story on this so no releases needed.
Very disappointed this morning- they were predicting lows here below -30, but my weather station never made it below -20.9 last night. So the previous night's record of -22.5 stands...
Brian (IA) http://blhanel.rrpicturearchives.net.
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