RadioTechOne thing older heads love to do is tell stories to new hires. One I recall concerned a military train where a tank turret became unsecured and worked its way around to the side whereupon it struck a signal stand. Besides likely knocking the stand out of alignment it caused the turret to swing around to the other side and strike another stand. This apparently went on for miles until the train was stopped to secure the turret, etc. That would have made for a bad day for a signalman working on a stand--maybe their rules require them to vacate the stand in advance of a train, I never read their rule book--or be on the head end of another train in a siding or on double track at the wrong time.
A conductor I once supervised when he worked in the yards, went out on a road assignment and was decapitated by a unsecured crane boom as he was inspecting a passing train - since that incident the carrier has required all crane booms to be secured in a trailing position.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
RadioTechNot wayside, but one thing we warned ourselves about was a radio or microwave tower shedding ice.
During (or rather, immediately after) Ice Storm '98, one road had to be closed because an adjacent 600' TV tower was starting to shed ice.
Said ice caused one 200' FM radio station tower to collapse.
Some power lines had 2" of ice hanging from them (if they weren't already on the ground). Everyone was cautioned to dress accordingly.
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...
One thing older heads love to do is tell stories to new hires. One I recall concerned a military train where a tank turret became unsecured and worked its way around to the side whereupon it struck a signal stand. Besides likely knocking the stand out of alignment it caused the turret to swing around to the other side and strike another stand. This apparently went on for miles until the train was stopped to secure the turret, etc. That would have made for a bad day for a signalman working on a stand--maybe their rules require them to vacate the stand in advance of a train, I never read their rule book--or be on the head end of another train in a siding or on double track at the wrong time.
Not wayside, but one thing we warned ourselves about was a radio or microwave tower shedding ice. A large chunk of ice falling from a few hundred feet could really ruin your day. Years back a Southwestern Bell tech needed access to our comm hut at the Concho, OK site (north of El Reno, OK). I got there and the tower was shedding ice. Finally the wind picked up and was blowing the ice away from the position of the hut and I allowed the SWBC tech in after about a two hour wait. Fun stuff.
Overmod RadioTech We got out there to see the antenna tower (a ten foot stick of Rohn 25G) to be standing at an angle and obviously twisted. Serves as a lesson that they should have guyed it! (Or maybe used 45?)
RadioTech We got out there to see the antenna tower (a ten foot stick of Rohn 25G) to be standing at an angle and obviously twisted.
Serves as a lesson that they should have guyed it! (Or maybe used 45?)
Nah, the should have used 55... I would also think the guy wires would be even more vulnerable than the 25. FWIW, I had 30' of Rohn 25 bracketed at 8' holding up 3 yagis (15M, 10M and 6M), so the 10' of 25 would have been good for wind loading, but not necessrily dragging equipment loading...
BaltACDAs I read it - the antenna is in the center ditch between tracks - tough to fully guy it.
I was kidding. The "G" in the designation means it's designed to be guyed, even at comparatively short elevation - but a 10' stick has all the torsional stiffness it probably needs.
As I read it - the antenna is in the center ditch between tracks - tough to fully guy it.
It was only a single ten foot section set in concrete so the top was about five and a half feet above the top of the rail. As this was for AEI, the antenna needed to be in the neighborhood of 42 to 48 inches above the top of the rail. Also the thing was in place for nearly 20 years before that freak event.
I don't miss being in a wayside hut monitoring equipment while a fast freight goes by. There were times I wondered if I was in my last moments of life.
RadioTechWe got out there to see the antenna tower (a ten foot stick of Rohn 25G) to be standing at an angle and obviously twisted.
Some years back got a ticket on an AEI site that one antenna had low read counts of the tags. We got out there to see the antenna tower (a ten foot stick of Rohn 25G) to be standing at an angle and obviously twisted. This tower stands between the double track mainline of the UP Marysville Sub. Not too far away we found the remains of a ratchet strap tightener in the ballast. It was obvious the hook had caught the tower leg and twisted it as well as tore the strap leaving the ratchet assembly behind. We lined the antenna up as best we could as so far as I know, the tower is still there.
I wonder if he decided to wear a helmet after the 2nd time?
York1 John
I hope he tried a different brand of tire so there wasn't a third time.
Shadow the Cats ownerHe wiped out in front of my husband.
I think your husband had an experience that is as hard as one can. Glad he has you to help him. My experience back in the 70's had a much much happier outcome. And it is one of the reasons that when my son wanted to get a motorcycle, I refused to help him. I was Northbound on the Kennedy Expressway near Jefferson Park and in the center lane. I had been following a man on a motorcycle in my lane when his rear tire blew. The bike started fishtailing and fortunatly all three lanes of traffic slowed from about 50 mph and then he left the bike. I never knew that a body could bounce, but he did. He had no helmet, no leathers, but when he hit the pavement he bounced. All cars stopped and no one hit him. Other drivers moved his bike to the left guardrail and he was able to walk and talk so I took him in my car to the next exit and to a gas station where I could call the police (before cell phones) for him. And wierd thing was he told me that this was the second time something like this had happened to him.
CSSHEGEWISCH In a similar vein, several years ago there was a flurry of cyclists doing around 100 MPH on the Outer Drive and some other expressways in the Chicago area. About that time, I was driving in to work early on a Saturday morning on I-55 at about 60-65 MPH when two or three cycles blew by me at an estimated 90+ MPH. I just hoped that I wouldn't see them scraped all over the roadway a few miles down. Fortunately, that didn't happen.
In a similar vein, several years ago there was a flurry of cyclists doing around 100 MPH on the Outer Drive and some other expressways in the Chicago area. About that time, I was driving in to work early on a Saturday morning on I-55 at about 60-65 MPH when two or three cycles blew by me at an estimated 90+ MPH. I just hoped that I wouldn't see them scraped all over the roadway a few miles down. Fortunately, that didn't happen.
I first saw cyclists and thought, wow Lance Armstrong must be kicking it up!!
:D
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Murphy Siding BaltACD Shadow the Cats owner At 2am just how much traffic is on I80 across Wyoming actually. According to my hubby there were times when he literally would go 10 miles without seeing another truck or car on the road. Especially in Nevada Wyoming Montana Western Texas Arizona New Mexico Utah and the Dakota's. Yet my hubby and his father were the first to stop if someone else ever needed help on the side of the road even if they had a tight deadline. 5 over speeding most state troopers in the late 90s didn't even care unless you were in Ohio or California on 5 over. At 2 AM I have crossed ENTIRE STATES on I-95 without having to release my cruise control. I've driven I-90 in northern Wyoming in the wee hours of the morning and seen no other cars for 30-45 minutes at times. There's also spots there where there are no houses and no lights visible at night. Eerie! For what it's worth- I drove the spped limit.
BaltACD Shadow the Cats owner At 2am just how much traffic is on I80 across Wyoming actually. According to my hubby there were times when he literally would go 10 miles without seeing another truck or car on the road. Especially in Nevada Wyoming Montana Western Texas Arizona New Mexico Utah and the Dakota's. Yet my hubby and his father were the first to stop if someone else ever needed help on the side of the road even if they had a tight deadline. 5 over speeding most state troopers in the late 90s didn't even care unless you were in Ohio or California on 5 over. At 2 AM I have crossed ENTIRE STATES on I-95 without having to release my cruise control.
Shadow the Cats owner At 2am just how much traffic is on I80 across Wyoming actually. According to my hubby there were times when he literally would go 10 miles without seeing another truck or car on the road. Especially in Nevada Wyoming Montana Western Texas Arizona New Mexico Utah and the Dakota's. Yet my hubby and his father were the first to stop if someone else ever needed help on the side of the road even if they had a tight deadline. 5 over speeding most state troopers in the late 90s didn't even care unless you were in Ohio or California on 5 over.
Yet my hubby and his father were the first to stop if someone else ever needed help on the side of the road even if they had a tight deadline. 5 over speeding most state troopers in the late 90s didn't even care unless you were in Ohio or California on 5 over.
At 2 AM I have crossed ENTIRE STATES on I-95 without having to release my cruise control.
I've driven I-90 in northern Wyoming in the wee hours of the morning and seen no other cars for 30-45 minutes at times. There's also spots there where there are no houses and no lights visible at night. Eerie! For what it's worth- I drove the spped limit.
No kidding that is part of the reason why my hubby has some PTSD. He was heading across Wyoming late one night kid on a crotch rocket wiped out hit some sand or dirt on the road. He wiped out in front of my husband. Kid had on a helmet but no protective riding gear aka leathers. My husband said he peeled himself like a banana on the roadway when he laid his bike over at over 80 MPH the kid had just passed my husband. This was 6 years before we met. Hubby did not have a cell phone all he had was sat coms to get help with. ETA for the ambulance was over 1 hour at his location. Just getting a police officer there was 40 minutes. The kid died before the cop even got there. My husband did the best thing I swear to this day however. He had the cop take him to meet the kids mother and tell her that her child did not die alone. He had someone there with him at least. However he did not tell her that her baby was screaming please kill me from the pain for most of the time as he bled out. He instead told her his last words where tell my mother that I love her and he died peacefully. For 20 years now my husband can not sleep on the night of that crash he witnessed. All he can do 2 decades later still is stare out the window and cry.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
I've heard a couple horror stories from people nabbed in VA.
https://jalopnik.com/what-every-driver-should-know-about-speeding-in-virgini-1669902845
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
charlie hebdo Violation of speed limits is not something to boast of.
Violation of speed limits is not something to boast of.
Alas, when the flow of traffic is running 5-10 MPH over the posted, that law-abiding driver putzing along at the speed limit is actually dangerous.
Even the railroads know that having everything running at the same speed is more efficient - that's one reason they dislike Amtrak.
As noted, law enforcement tends to look the other way if you're running with the flow of traffic. A retired state trooper I know said "nine is fine, ten you're mine."
Of course, that's on the open road (ie, Interstates) which were designed for high speeds in the first place. I tend to stick with the posted in town. As the sign says, "Drive like your kids live here."
Waaaay back in 1974, with the gas shortage of the time, the national speed limit was dropped to the now-familiar 55 MPH. Oddly, based on NTSB stats, the death rate actually went up at that time (reversing a ten year downward trend), even if the number of deaths dropped (because people simply weren't driving).
Do the speed limit on the New Jersey Turnpike and I guarantee you someone's going to run right over you!
Not just that, but you could be doing 100mph on Route 95 between Richmond and Washington and I can also guarantee someone's going to pass you!
Just don't exceed the speed limit on those last 30 miles in Georgia on Route 95 before you hit the Florida border! The local cops are ready to pounce like tigers on drivers getting antsy because they're "almost there!" Trust me, I've seen it!
And what are these 'speed limits' we are talking about? Around Chicago, 'speed limits' are, at best, mere suggestions.
In 1994, I drove with my brother in law in his 1991 Chevrolet 454 SS pickup truck from New York to Miami. On I-95 at 4 am, you get in a pod of cars all doing 100 mph and you won't be bothered by cops. Why not go that fast, otherwise you're holding up traffic.
Shadow the Cats ownerAt 2am just how much traffic is on I80 across Wyoming actually. According to my hubby there were times when he literally would go 10 miles without seeing another truck or car on the road. Especially in Nevada Wyoming Montana Western Texas Arizona New Mexico Utah and the Dakota's. Yet my hubby and his father were the first to stop if someone else ever needed help on the side of the road even if they had a tight deadline. 5 over speeding most state troopers in the late 90s didn't even care unless you were in Ohio or California on 5 over.
At 2am just how much traffic is on I80 across Wyoming actually. According to my hubby there were times when he literally would go 10 miles without seeing another truck or car on the road. Especially in Nevada Wyoming Montana Western Texas Arizona New Mexico Utah and the Dakota's.
CSSHEGEWISCH Shadow the Cats owner My hubby was the night owl in his team with my late FIL about 20 years ago. He also knew the password for the computer on the fleet for the governor setting on the trucks. So going down the road late at night most of the time he had the governor bypassed. His dad always said Wyoming and Nebraska were boring at night. My hubby normally was blasting across them at around 80. He also has said that half the time he was doing that to make up the time that was lost getting freaking loaded on either end and. When they only got 42 hours Chicago to Stockton or Fullerton and they lost 6 getting loaded some thing had to be done. And some people still wonder why truck drivers no longer enjoy the favorable reputation they once had.
Shadow the Cats owner My hubby was the night owl in his team with my late FIL about 20 years ago. He also knew the password for the computer on the fleet for the governor setting on the trucks. So going down the road late at night most of the time he had the governor bypassed. His dad always said Wyoming and Nebraska were boring at night. My hubby normally was blasting across them at around 80. He also has said that half the time he was doing that to make up the time that was lost getting freaking loaded on either end and. When they only got 42 hours Chicago to Stockton or Fullerton and they lost 6 getting loaded some thing had to be done.
My hubby was the night owl in his team with my late FIL about 20 years ago. He also knew the password for the computer on the fleet for the governor setting on the trucks. So going down the road late at night most of the time he had the governor bypassed. His dad always said Wyoming and Nebraska were boring at night. My hubby normally was blasting across them at around 80.
He also has said that half the time he was doing that to make up the time that was lost getting freaking loaded on either end and. When they only got 42 hours Chicago to Stockton or Fullerton and they lost 6 getting loaded some thing had to be done.
Exactly. It's loads of fun to be going 5 mph over a 65 or 70mph speed limit with a large semi passing you at 80 and another bozo coming up from behind and tailgating you.
MiningmanWell according to TV commercials everyone should drive like crazed maniacs with total disregard for everybody and the environment by tearing everything up... oh yeah and seriously speeding.
You mean the ones that encourage people to "go out and tear up trails"?
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
Well according to TV commercials everyone should drive like crazed maniacs with total disregard for everybody and the environment by tearing everything up... oh yeah and seriously speeding.
charlie hebdoViolation of speed limits is not something to boast of.
In the 'olden days' it was! Who obeyed the double nickle? Nobody that I ever saw!
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