evening
Ns sent a westbound tanker train after work.Stacey and I went into to town to finish shopping for curtains.Matt and I had them up pretty quick.Next project here is to rebuild the layout.Time 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").
afternoon
Took care of some stuff around the house today.Did go check on my brother as the paint was drying on the shutters.We were able to go on a picnic area up front in the shade on the nursing home property.Ns sent a couple stack trains by as we visited.The shutters are back up on the house now.Going to get cleaned up and relax.Tomorrow its back to work.
JoeKoh.Local Fire Dept was called out on a mortorcycle/farm equipment accident. Road was closed for a bit.
A helicopter was called. I presume the bike rider was flown out. I was lurking on the Deshler cam when it went out. Listened to the on-line scanner after the siren sounded.
I was back at the PBS station again - and will be Sunday evening. It's the annual merchandise auction, but it is so, so different from the past. Instead of the dozens of people answering phones, selling on the air, etc, etc, there's a couple of staff who appear on the air, along with a volunteer auctioneer/reader, and the behind-the-scenes staff, including moi, taking care of all the technical stuff.
All of the bidding is on-line, vs on the phones.
Got some yard work to do tomorrow before heading to the TV station.
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...
Went to Deshler.Helped out at the museum.Need to get another roll off container but most of the project is done.Csx was in hurry up and wait mode tonight.Local Fire Dept was called out on a mortorcycle/farm equipment accident.Road was closed for a bit.Going to check on my brother tomorrow.
On my way home from the TV station tonight when my FD was toned out for a tree in the road.
It was actually two trees, and well beyond our arborial skills to deal with it, so we called the highway folks who showed up with a front loader and pushed it out of the way.
Back to the TV station again tomorrow...
Ns was clear after work.Did more errands after work in town and Csx was quiet.Stuff is loaded in the truck for Deshler tomorrow.
Got a call yesterday afternoon from the local PBS station. It's time for their general merchandise auction, which I was already signed up to work on, as a camera operator. Seems the guest auctioneers they had scheduled had backed out, and could I come in?"
Sure, why not? Threw on a tie and appeared on camera for a half dozen rounds of reading the scripts. Not like I haven't done it dozens of times before...
I'll be back there tonight, behind the camera.
Good Morning
Ns was clear after work yesterday.Came home and put things back.Mamma wants new curtains.Glad today is Friday.Tomorrow is clean the museum day in Deshler.
ns had a couple cars uptown after work.Came home and the contractors were done with most of the outside.The front window got squared off okay.Friend Zach saw the Ns ocs go through Wauseon.After an errand I came home and did yardwork.Matt goes into town tomorrow for yardwork duties.Guessers still say warm for this weekend.
mudchicken Don't even start talking about the reckless buried utility installation contractors.
Don't even start talking about the reckless buried utility installation contractors.
I remember a friend's comment when MCI was installing fiber along the Surf Line in the early 1990's: "MCI and Railroad safety should never be used in the same sentence". Then again, it's a bit disconcerning to see what kind of many storied buildings get approved in close proximity to airport boundaries - should own up to many flights in and out of Lindbergh Field...
zugmann CShaveRR Those B&M "hoppers" were actually small-cube covered hoppers...still in B&M blue, but relettered and renumbered for a different company. We used to have cuts of them that went by here on there way to a cement place a couple years ago. I'm pretty sure that they still had BM reporting marks.
CShaveRR Those B&M "hoppers" were actually small-cube covered hoppers...still in B&M blue, but relettered and renumbered for a different company.
We used to have cuts of them that went by here on there way to a cement place a couple years ago. I'm pretty sure that they still had BM reporting marks.
The two I saw were still lettered for Boston & Maine. I didn't catch the reporting marks though.
CShaveRRThose B&M "hoppers" were actually small-cube covered hoppers...still in B&M blue, but relettered and renumbered for a different company.
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
Those B&M "hoppers" were actually small-cube covered hoppers...still in B&M blue, but relettered and renumbered for a different company.
I'm still mining the gems from the notes I took on Friday's expedition to Pine Junction and Griffith.
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)
Ns still has a coal train to go eastbound.Had a meeting in Deshler tonight.Clean up museum day is this Saturday.Mother nature isn't going to be nice with the tempratures.Saw a few csx trains as well.Tomorrow the contractors come and install new windows.Said the whole crew is coming so hopefully it might be a 1 day job.Matt and I have a few more things to move around in the morning.
BaltACDSplicing any cable of consequence back together is an exacting process - be that cable fiber optics or hard wires. Exacting and tedious.
I've done wire, too.
Some years ago there were two fires in relatively short order in Milford, MI. First was a lumber yard (big shed - something over 100 feet long) that took out at least one 600 pair cable (I believe). General Telephone had splicers from all over Michigan to deal with it. Ironically, one of the pairs was the one that activated the village fire siren...
A few years later, the former lumber yard office burned, with the same result.
The thing to remember about those big copper phone cables is that there are only so many color combinations possible, so there are sub-bundles that use the same color codes. At one point, I supposedly knew the general order of things for such cables. Nowadays I have trouble remembering the order for a Cat5 cable...
tree68Splicing FO cable is an exacting process. I've seen it done first hand.
Splicing any cable of consequence back together is an exacting process - be that cable fiber optics or hard wires. Exacting and tedious.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
mudchickenDon't even start talking about the reckless buried utility installation contractors.
At least we don't have to worry about them hanging low or coming completely down...
One morning several years ago, an insulator on an electrical primary failed during a wind event. Because the wire was still supported by the adjoining poles, no one noticed - until the wind changed and blew the wire back in toward the pole. It contacted the messenger cable to which a fiber optic line was secured, turning the messenger into one long heating element, vaporizing the FO cable over about four spans of poles. One of the spans went over the road (state highway).
There were several drivers in the immediate vicinity - I'm sure some shorts had to be changed...
The burning insulation started grass fires - which we were a little leery of putting out for fear there were live wires in the mess. Turns out there weren't, but better safe than sorry.
For those who don't know, there are often upwards of 100 individual fibers in those cables. It wasn't long before one of the users of that cable came along, looking for why his customers were out of service. He found the reason right there.
Once the electric utility arrived and did their thing, we split, but the FO people were there long into the night, splicing in a new section of cable.
Splicing FO cable is an exacting process. I've seen it done first hand.
tree68 FD called out today for a low hanging wire. The location given was off by almost a half mile, but we found it and stayed until the utility folks could remedy the situation. Word to the wise department - if you see someplace that has lots of flashing lights, people directing traffic, and traffic cones, please slow down. I stopped one van that wasn't slowing down and was greeted by "how slow do you want me to go?" I pointed out the wire hanging low across the road and he still couldn't see it at first. I asked if the van was going to clear it, and I guess at that point it clicked... People who can't seem to slow down have probably never directed traffic at a scene before... If they don't slow down, I stop them, then let them go...
FD called out today for a low hanging wire. The location given was off by almost a half mile, but we found it and stayed until the utility folks could remedy the situation.
Word to the wise department - if you see someplace that has lots of flashing lights, people directing traffic, and traffic cones, please slow down. I stopped one van that wasn't slowing down and was greeted by "how slow do you want me to go?" I pointed out the wire hanging low across the road and he still couldn't see it at first. I asked if the van was going to clear it, and I guess at that point it clicked...
People who can't seem to slow down have probably never directed traffic at a scene before...
If they don't slow down, I stop them, then let them go...
Surveyors doing roadwork can sympathize with the firemen. (and then we just witnessed cable utility crews installing f/o/c that sagged almost two feet below the minimum clearance allowed by NESC - absolutely clueless).... Don't even start talking about the reckless buried utility installation contractors.
Ns has a bnsf powder river coal train waiting to go east at work.Ran errands after work.Csx was working in the Defiance yard.Matt said he saw a couple B&M hoppers while we were at Pine Jct.We also found some special Cn Boxcars that help keep up the air on longer trains.Plus professor Carl spotted some new cars for containers as well.You just never know what will roll by next.Tomorrow is meeting night in Deshler.Guessers say summer is coming for the weekend.
Speaking of CN. On my way home last night got stopped by a Northbound which had a couple of two bay hoppers still in Boston & Maine paint. Pretty cool!
Good Evening
Back at home.Had a fantastic time.Plenty of surprises at Pine Junction.Had the Southshore come and deliver to CN.The IHB came across NS to go to thier other yard.Plus all the variety of power that CN had.Then Csx and Ns sent trains as well.Have plenty of pictures to download.Was also able to spot another crossing and small industry yard for Carl.On the way home we stopped at North Judson and checked out their equipment.We also checked on my brother in Edgerton.Ns sent a Carl special east and west while we were there.Came home and took care of the swamp as well.Going to relax.Back to work Monday and Matt gets to come along.
Evening!Joe has been kind of busy these past couple of days. I can attest to today; we spent many delightful hours together at what now passes for Pine Junction (Clark Road). We went to lunch at the Great Lakes Cafe in Gary (a long-time favorite of Pat's and mine), then back for more trains, and a good Mexican dinner at Mi Maria Bonita in Griffith, which has a small outdoor dining area at what has to be the busiest CN-CN diamond in the U.S.A. now, Durand notwithstanding. And we couldn't get out of town before two more CN freights went through!I had a rough day, though--balance problems, exacerbated by loose footing landed me on my back for a while...thanks to Muscular Matt, who got me upright again. Note to self: don't ever do this again without a cane--you're no match for those cobbles!So do as Joe says, not as I do...stay safe!
Ns sent a westbound autorack train after work.Matt and I went into town to take care of yardwork.Plenty of people in town asking hey while you are here.Area kids must be too busy doing other things.Just need to pack our bathroom stuff and we are set for the trip.The shenanigans begin tomorrow after work.
Ns sent an eastbound Carl special after work.They also had more cars uptown.Came home and mowed the swamp.Tomorrow we go into town so Matt can mow.Getting stuff ready for the weekend.Going to be nice.
Ns had some cars uptown after work.Got a little more rain today.Tell people that visit Deshler when we get a good rain the swamp wakes up.Got a surprise today.Our windows are going to be installed next week. Chores to do here.
JoeKoh.Have been watching the railcam in Deshler.
We're getting rain tonight, then maybe a couple of dry days.
Saw my first hummingbird of the season on the new hummingbird feeder. I suspect there have been others, as the level of the nectar has been steadily dropping. Repurposed a "regular" bird feeder as an oriole feeders. Haven't seen any takers yet, but there are definitely orioles in the area, per reports from friends.
I've had a regular visitor in the form of a male cardinal. Normally the males and females are seen together in pairs. I suspect this is either a new bachelor looking for a mate, or an unlucky fellow who lost his mate.
I normally quit feeding the birds by now, but they've been most entertaining this spring.
Happy Mothers Day.Have been watching the railcam in Deshler.We have plenty of rain and even some snow.Calling for a frost advisory tonight.Getting word that a possible green BNSF(sd 70 mac) Mookie engine will be leading a coal train on Ns to go to Michigan.Somewhere she is smiling.Back to work tomorrow.
All eastern persons. Might want to keep your cars filled. Colonial pipeline ranson ware shutdown maybe 2 hours maybe 2 weeks ?
This potentially worse than the break in Alabama as both pipe lines not pumping. Alabama one was the smaller pipe in 2016(?)
Went to Deshler to do some clean up in the museum.Q 506 had some big panel track going north.Saw a few other surprises.Matt went with a friend over to Fostoria to help there as well.Busy day.Time to get cleaned up.
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