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Chatterbox Summer 2021 Locked

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Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, July 27, 2021 10:53 AM

Got a call from my doc today - my PSA is back within normal range.  We'll check again is six months.

She hinted she'd like to see it lower, but where it's at is OK for now.

LarryWhistling
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Posted by JoeKoh on Tuesday, July 27, 2021 4:30 PM

afternoon

Ns still has the rail train in the siding.Paper said it was the switch that caused the J 715 to derail in Defiance.Took care of the swamp.Matt will mow in town 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 JoeKoh on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 7:20 PM

evening

Ns rail train got moved to the east in the siding.Also had a Carl special go east after work.Had some flat cars with John Derre tractors on them too.Came home and found we had a hornet problem.Took care of that.Going 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 tree68 on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 10:27 PM

Busy night at our fire training center.  We have to vacate the classroom building.  Aside from training materials, there were several hundred models built/collected by a now-deceased member of a local fire department.  

The models have been on display for 35 years, and some were the worse for it, virtually crumbling when handled.

Still a little cleaning to do, but we got the worst of it.

LarryWhistling
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Posted by mudchicken on Thursday, July 29, 2021 8:10 AM

100 degrees yesterday, close to that today. Monsoons due back on Friday. Brownouts, pavement blow-ups, water restrictions, A/C fails, snaky rail,  wildfires....

Ah, summer in Colorado!Smile, Wink & Grin

(and nothing to harvest from the garden yet Huh?)

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 tree68 on Thursday, July 29, 2021 12:55 PM

mudchicken
(and nothing to harvest from the garden yet )

My blueberries (all three bushes) are starting to ripen, fortunately the bird netting means I might actually get to enjoy a few of them.

A friend and his wife were busily canning yellow beans this morning, having given the green beans to his daughter.  They've got some sauerkraut in the works, too.

We've gone from super dry to "will it ever stop raining."

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
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Posted by blhanel on Thursday, July 29, 2021 1:45 PM

tree68

We've gone from super dry to "will it ever stop raining."

 
Ever since the 6.76" deluge we got on June 25, it's been extremely dry here (0.78" for the month of July).
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Posted by Paul of Covington on Thursday, July 29, 2021 3:59 PM

tree68
My blueberries (all three bushes) are starting to ripen, fortunately the bird netting means I might actually get to enjoy a few of them.

   My blueberry season is long gone, and, as usual, the birds got about 95% of them.  Have you tried the bird netting before?  I was talking to someone who had tried it and he said that every day he had to rescue birds caught in the netting.  I decided not to try it.  At least the birds only get about half of my figs.

_____________ 

  "A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner

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Posted by JoeKoh on Thursday, July 29, 2021 5:23 PM

evening

The Ns rail train is still in the siding but it is now empty.Ns also ran some Carl specials both ways after work.The eastbound had some red tractors today.Glad tomorrow is Friday.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 tree68 on Thursday, July 29, 2021 6:23 PM

Paul of Covington
Have you tried the bird netting before? 

I haven't had any get stuck yet.  The netting completely encloses the bushes, so unless a bird finds a way in, they're ok.  Nothing has gotten stuck on the outside, either.

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
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Posted by MikeF90 on Friday, July 30, 2021 1:57 PM

Saw posts elsewhere that Glenwood Canyon RR and I-70 are both closed due to mudslide, perhaps mudchicken has more info.

Been watching videos of monsoon related flash floods in Las Vegas and AZ. Phoenix and Tucson area floods seemed to hit dry washes with little collateral damage, Flagstaff was not so lucky. We need some a lot of this downpour to end up in Lake Mead !!

BNSF on the southern transcon seems to haul centerbeam lumber loads both east and west; are we back to the days when brokers would buy lumber in the PNW then pay for it to 'roam the system' until a buyer was found. Fortunately lumber prices seem to be coming down.

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Posted by tree68 on Friday, July 30, 2021 2:04 PM

MikeF90
BNSF on the southern transcon seems to haul centerbeam lumber loads both east and west; are we back to the days when brokers would buy lumber in the PNW then pay for it to 'roam the system' until a buyer was found. Fortunately lumber prices seem to be coming down.

It's not unusual to see that with coal (and coke) on the Deshler cam.  Powder River "steam coal" headed east (or sometimes turning north), Appalachin meturalurgical coal, as well as coke headed west.  

They're all black lumps when you see them.

I'm sure what you're seeing is different products from different sources (ie, southern yellow pine vs western spruce).

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
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There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...

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Posted by BaltACD on Friday, July 30, 2021 2:17 PM

tree68
 
MikeF90
BNSF on the southern transcon seems to haul centerbeam lumber loads both east and west; are we back to the days when brokers would buy lumber in the PNW then pay for it to 'roam the system' until a buyer was found. Fortunately lumber prices seem to be coming down. 

It's not unusual to see that with coal (and coke) on the Deshler cam.  Powder River "steam coal" headed east (or sometimes turning north), Appalachin meturalurgical coal, as well as coke headed west.  

They're all black lumps when you see them.

I'm sure what you're seeing is different products from different sources (ie, southern yellow pine vs western spruce).

Back in the day - fruits & vegetables as well as lumber were commodities that were frequently marketed through Brokers who used circuitous routing as well as Reconsignment and Diviersion provisions of the Bill of Lading to their advantage.

Product would be shipped, nominally with the Broker shown as both shipper and receiver with specified routing that would have the cars proceeding West to East (or vice versa) by traversing the country on many North-South junction interchanges.  When the Broker made their 'Sale' a car that was already in transit would have Reconsignment and Diversion orders initiated with the actual buyer being named as the Consignee and the routing changed to be more direct to the Consignee's location.  Railroads would be paid a fee for performing the Reconsignment and Diversion.  In the days of 128 Class 1 railroads, specifying circuitous routing was easy - not so easy today.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by mudchicken on Friday, July 30, 2021 3:07 PM

Mike: As has been the case for months, the burn scars from last year's Grizzly Creek fire turn into mudslides at the first appearance of rain. Got really bad earlier today when slides trapped 20+ cars in the Shoshone Tunnel. CDOT continues to scramble to keep the road open, but ma nature does not play by anybody's rules. I-70 on the north side of the canyon is suffering the bulk of the abuse. The UP(DRGW) Glenwood Sub on the south side is far less affected. As far as I know, the railroad (Amtrak 5 & 6 plus BNSF trackage rights trains and what's left of UP's tonnage) is running normally. Amtrak has been late plenty of times lately, but the delays happen well before they get to the canyon & Glenwood Springs. For the next few weeks, the gameplan is to stay off I-70 as much as possible and/or travel on days when no rain is forecast. This coming weekend may be a particularly wet monsoon event (Willy2 our favorite Nebrasky weather dude- got yer ears on?)

...speaking of delays, waiting to see what happens with the Rocky Mountain Pioneer trains (Denver-Moab) that now has the county fathers on the Moab end getting arrogant and ignorant. That train is supposed to overnight in Glenwood.

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 30, 2021 3:28 PM

afternoon

Ns was clear after work.Matt is working on the layout.Chores to do here.Tomorrow back to Deshler.

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 mudchicken on Friday, July 30, 2021 3:42 PM

Mike: As has been the case for months, the burn scars from last year's Grizzly Creek fire turn into mudslides at the first appearance of rain. Got really bad earlier today when slides trapped 20+ cars in the Shoshone Tunnel. CDOT continues to scramble to keep the road open, but ma nature does not play by anybody's rules. I-70 on the north side of the canyon is suffering the bulk of the abuse. The UP(DRGW) Glenwood Sub on the south side is far less affected. As far as I know, the railroad (Amtrak 5 & 6 plus BNSF trackage rights trains and what's left of UP's tonnage) is running normally. Amtrak has been late plenty of times lately, but the delays happen well before they get to the canyon & Glenwood Springs. For the next few weeks, the gameplan is to stay off I-70 as much as possible and/or travel on days when no rain is forecast. This coming weekend may be a particularly wet monsoon event (Willy2 our favorite Nebrasky weather dude- got yer ears on?) The newest issue is the Colorado River trying to cut a new channel and undermine a stretch of eastbound I-70. The detours put an additional 3-4+ hours on your travels west of the continental divide.

...speaking of delays, waiting to see what happens with the Rocky Mountain Pioneer trains (Denver-Moab) that now has the county fathers on the Moab end getting arrogant and ignorant. That train is supposed to overnight in Glenwood.

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 MikeF90 on Saturday, July 31, 2021 1:12 PM

I had some I-70 mudslide video show up in my news queue, and it looked like no damage to the freeway but a lot of earthmoving remained to be done. Did not see much cleanup equipment ....

Not yet RR related, but the wildest footage I've seen was from southern Utah by Reed Timmer the well known meteorologist.

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Posted by mudchicken on Sunday, August 1, 2021 7:59 AM

UPDATE: Union Pacific shut down the canyon which by default means nothing is running. Amtrak annulled todays Zephyr trains 5 & 6.

With 4-6 hour highway detours around I-70, bussing around the mess does not look good and we don't see Salt Lake City to Denver detours over the UP/DP transcon route as in times past. With the PSR driven shoestring budget that UP has, there just are not enough extra people out there to patrol track and repair flood damage in that country. (and the wall street trash that caused that issue aren't gonna get their widdle feet and gucci's dirty helping the steel-toed boot tribe)

Video from people rafting the Colorado River in the canyon watching the mudslides roar over I-70 were absolutely wild to watch. (Of course, the rafters can't go through the canyon either now)

VIDEO: Rafters Witness Massive Mudslide Cascading Onto I-70 In Glenwood Canyon – CBS Denver (cbslocal.com) 

What happened yesterday was supposed to be much worse. The railroad was on the opposite side of the river from where this video happened, downstream (west) of the Shoshone tunnels and water power plant. There now is damage from large boulders to several parts of the interstate.

I-70 at Glenwood Canyon closed through weekend | FOX31 Denver (kdvr.com) 

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 tree68 on Sunday, August 1, 2021 7:24 PM

Well, we didn't get that wet here today - but my home weather station did register 0.36" of rain.

Our railbike people were about to send out a group this afternoon when a check of the radar showed a pretty strong line of rain coming through shortly.  And that line included lightning.  I joked with them (we were between trains) that we didn't want to have to go out and recover their charred carcas...

Most of them rescheduled, and several rode the train either instead or in addition to a later ride.

We had a couple of good trips with the train, too.  It's always fun to sit and chat with the passengers.  Many of them have good stories to tell.

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
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There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...

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Posted by JoeKoh on Sunday, August 1, 2021 8:20 PM

evening

Didn't get to Deshler as planned yesterday.Today drove Sis to Cedar Point.(she had a pass that was about to expire).The residents of Boneville are fine and the train is still running as well.Went through Sandusky on the way home.Think we saw the wye where the NYC connects with the former PRR in town.Saw a csx train coming eastbound when we got closer to home.Back to work 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 CShaveRR on Monday, August 2, 2021 1:01 PM
You know how I was complaining all last month about July being a lousy month on the carchaeology front?
Turns out I was right! I still have more than half of the scratch pad left that I started to fill on June 29. I usually go through one of those things per month.
Ysterday was August 1. And what a difference!
As usual, we went out for Sunday dinner after church. Our choice was the Hillgrove Tap in Western Springs, where we both enjoyed fish and chips.
The first train seen was a westbound train of coal cars in Downers Grove. He didn't have anything I needed, but I used him to run interference at the east end of town. (A dinky went through at about the same time...there were a lot of those running today, handling crowds for Lollapalooza.) Another westbound train came through before we got to Westmont--a manifest! I didn't have a good vantage point for this one--trees interfered--and some of the numbers I thought I had were not correct, sadly.
We got to the tap, and they were busier than we've ever encountered them, so it took a while for the waitstaff to even notice us. I told Pat what I wanted for dinner (she probably already knew!), and went outside to check out another manifest train, which was pretty loaded with note-worthy (not necessarily noteworthy, but I was taking notes prodigiously) cars. While we were dining, we saw a couple more dinkies and an Amtrak train go past. Then, as we were waiting for our check, another manifest, and another trip outside. And more notes.
After dinner, we took the usual trek to Bedford Park. The action, however, came at Summit, where an eastbound manifest was moving through on the Indiana Harbor Belt (we saw only the hind end of this one). It was joined by a westbound string of auto racks, being pulled by UP power.
When we got to the west end of Clearing Yard in Bedford Park, there was a manifest train sitting there. Sadly, it was the same train we'd seen at Summit, and the front half was already buried in the yard. We got a few cars from those sitting in the yard (one turned to be from a new group of secondhand cars, so that was worth it).
Coming back home, we encountered an eastbound dinky at Western Springs, ten coaches pretty well loaded. As we continued west through Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills, we noticed that the station platforms were still full of people. At Westmont we saw an eastbound manifest, with a few more good cars. By the time we made it to Fairview, another dinky was clearing off the platforms of Lollapaloozans. It had eight cars.
We got home, and--in spite of all of these great sightings I was sure I had--I went directly to bed. What was supposed to be a quick nap lasted 2 1/2 hours. And it wasn't until after supper and taking the trash and recycling out to the curb that I got to look at them. There were six pages' worth! But, as I mentioned, some were bogus, so I'm now working off four sheets. I've checked through most of them, and I'm going to have a lot of secondhand cars for the report--over 1000. And new cars--after being skunked for the month in July, we have 320 new tank cars to report!

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 tree68 on Monday, August 2, 2021 2:24 PM

CShaveRR
What was supposed to be a quick nap lasted 2 1/2 hours.

If I doze off in the recliner, I'll invariably wake up almost exactly an hour and a half later, usually without realizing I'd dozed off...

Worked as conductor yesterday on the railroad - quite a few passengers, including some who took the ride since we cancelled the railbikes account a line of thunderstorms about to roll through.

 

LarryWhistling
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...

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Posted by BaltACD on Monday, August 2, 2021 2:58 PM

tree68
 
CShaveRR
What was supposed to be a quick nap lasted 2 1/2 hours. 

If I doze off in the recliner, I'll invariably wake up almost exactly an hour and a half later, usually without realizing I'd dozed off...

Worked as conductor yesterday on the railroad - quite a few passengers, including some who took the ride since we cancelled the railbikes account a line of thunderstorms about to roll through.

Wake up and go to bed!

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by JoeKoh on Monday, August 2, 2021 3:55 PM

afternoon

The empty rail train showed up back in our siding today.Came home and took care of yardwork.Matt is finalizing his move in time back to school.Waiting for the final bill for this semester.

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 mudchicken on Monday, August 2, 2021 4:19 PM

Update: It now looks like I-70 will be closed for probably a week. Ma nature is really on a bender (heatstroke?)....Uncle Pete is still intact from all indications. If they start running trains, there will be plenty of patrols before and after (with FRA watching everything)

UPDATE: State officials (including the governor) now trying to get Federal Disaster assistannce. The canyon is a disaster area, at least to the state level right now.

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 Tuesday, August 3, 2021 9:31 PM

good evening

Had to wait on the Ns local before we came home today.Went to Deshler to do some clean up and trimming.CSX was backed up plenty.Going to need more hugs to send out this week.Time for bed.

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 Wednesday, August 4, 2021 4:14 PM

afternoon

Ns was clear after work.Ran errands after work and csx was clear as well.Matt is uptown doing yardwork.Chores to do here.

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 Wednesday, August 4, 2021 4:41 PM

Met with my banner printer today.  I think she understands what I'm looking for.  If all goes well, I'll need a ladder at Deshler next week...

LarryWhistling
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...

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Posted by zugmann on Wednesday, August 4, 2021 5:09 PM

tree68
Met with my banner printer today.  I think she understands what I'm looking for.  If all goes well, I'll need a ladder at Deshler next week...

That why you asked for those photos of me?

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 tree68 on Wednesday, August 4, 2021 7:12 PM

zugmann
That why you asked for those photos of me?

Stick out tongue

LarryWhistling
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...

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