afternoon
Ns sent the local west and a stack train east after work.Ladder shouldn't be a problem.Mother nature is sending the muggies back in for next week.
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").
Between having COVID-19 last year and the ongoing cancer, I have been weakend considerably. But I want to get back to normal for a while, so I took an unusual step yesterday. We had to shop, so I asked Pat to please drop me and the computer off in Elmhurst, where I would stay for a while, grab a snack/lunch, and document as many freight cars as the Union Pacific would allow. It didn't go entirely as planned, but I was able to get a good number of interesting sightings of secondhand cars (the new ones keep evading me!), and walk about half of the distance I would have pre-COVID. Here's what I wrote from Elmhurst.
Greetings from outside my “office” in downtown Elmhurst, where I have everything I could possibly need, except for a bed and strong Internet service.
I just had a loaded NORX coal train blow by me at track speed on Track One, and now I know to hold onto my hat in cases like that. The train had one locomotive unit on each end, moving about 16,000 tons of train.
Next move, almost as quickly as the signal could clear, was a repo, with nothing but empty stack cars headed east beyond UP territory.
There is an inbound scoot due shortly, but the Voice of Metra has been pretty quiet today, so I don’t know how it’s doing. Late update: the scoot came in on time, unannounced, on the track (1) that a few people weren’t expecting it to.
Without Internet here, I may have to find another place to plug in. Pat told me to hydrate,so I’m wondering whether Beerhead would be a possibility.
I plan on taking a scoot home.. first time since before the pandemic that I’ve ridden any train. I hope I remember how to behave!
Well, I didn't stop in Beerhead...if I'd had to bolt out the door for a good train, I wouldn't trust my laptop, hat, and drink in there. I decided to take the scoot to Lombard, and use the facility where I'm known. It was a good choice...there was a good manifest for which I bolted, and an interesting empty coal train where a bolt might have been useful. And when I decided to walk home (that was part of the objective, remember!), I was blocked at the grade crossing by a long manifest, with midtrain and hind-end DPUs.
I'm still working on getting stuff into the books. Pat and I had lunch at Shannon's today, but it wasn't very productive for me. I would have attempted the walk home, but today is warmer than yesterday was, and the skies are threating to dump a load of liquid sunshine a bit ahead of the evening forecast.
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)
Gotta keep on living - if you don't, you'll wither away.
Spent too much time today looking for my air mattress. Nowhere to be found... There's the outside chance I loaned it to someone, but I suspect the solution is to just go buy another one. I don't relish sleeping on the ground whilst at Deshler.
Speaking of that, I'd better make my hotel reservations for Michigan.
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...
good evening
Ns was clear after work.Went and checked on brother.Ns sent 1 eastbound Carl special.Didn't see too much in Edon or Montpelier.Tomorrow museum work in Deshler.
Good morning
Things went ok over at Deshler.Always more to do.Csx was slow in the morning but in the evening it was a constant parade.They were running out of places to park trains.Today going to take care of things here at home.
JoeKoh.They were running out of places to park trains.
They parked one on the Toledo line in Deshler this morning - 11,000 feet, right in the middle of town. Actually, I think they had problems with TripOptimizer, but...
Air quality has improved slightly even though it looks hazy from all of the ongoing horrible Norcal fires.
Our block finally got hit by a water 'outage'; the development is 50+ y/o and the old pipes are showing their age as does the underground power distribution :(. Time to find a resto that's open ....
Look out Denver, a massive smoke plume is headed your way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE6dswGdXlE
Had my last chemo infusion last week but the dang oxaliplatin is still making my fingers and feet numb and tingly. Hopefully it will wear off soon ...
Links to my Google Maps ---> Sunset Route overview, SoCal metro, Yuma sub, Gila sub, SR east of Tucson, BNSF Northern Transcon and Southern Transcon *** Why you should support Ukraine! ***
MikeF90 Air quality has improved slightly even though it looks hazy from all of the ongoing horrible Norcal fires. Look out Denver, a massive smoke plume is headed your way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE6dswGdXlE
Made sure the HEPA air filters and furnace blower screens were clean or replaced.
Ns sent a westbound autorack train today after work.Ran errands and saw CSX mow working on the yard lead in Defiance.Going to try and stay cool.
The art is done for the banners for the Crossroads Park pavilion. They're probably printing right now - just have to let the ink set enough that I can put them in the truck.
They should be in Deshler by tomorrow evening (and me). Just have to get them put up!
In other news, my home weather station has been sounding an alarm for high heat index. I set it higher after it alarmed repeatedly yesterday at +90F. It's now set for +95F... As most know, the heat index is the "feels like" temperature.
The current air temp here is +86.6F, with the heat index at +94.5F.
Its not the heat, its........
evening
Ns was clear after work.Csx has a sperry doodlebug in the yard.Going to meet Larry tomorrow in Deshler with his banner project.Tools have been loaded in the truck.Mother nature trying to send us more rain.Hope Larry stays dry.
Ns had a meet after work.Then an ethanol train went west out of the sidng.Mother nature sent a downpour.Trees branches and some wires are down in areas.Going to see if Mr.Tree is still ok in Deshler.
Electroliner 1935 Its not the heat, its........
Ns had some cars uptown after work today.Checked on Tree yesterday.We put the banners up in the shelter house.Csx was busy as well.Matt is uptown taking care of yardwork.Chores to do here.
Ns had some cars uptown after work.Came home and did yardwork.Matt got a DT&I caboose in the mail.Going to work in Deshler tomorrow.Going to be cooler and less humid too.
Glenwood Canyon I-70 re-opened Saturday morning at 7am, 1-lane each direction. The monsoon flows are back, so we'll see if Ma Nature shuts it down again. In the middle of all this Rocky Mountaineer started it inaugaral run today. (odd that the thing has not popped-up here at all) It has to negotiate Glenwood Canyon on UP on its Denver - Moab runs (marketed as "Rockies to the Red Rocks") . Hope the canucks survive the rough start.
Csx was jammed up yesterday after I worked around the park and museum.This morning they were waiting on crews.Friend was taking an eastbound grain train all the way to Willard.Hope he got to follow q 010 there.Checked on brother.We watched and intermodal and 2 Carl specials go by.The 16 G eastbound had 2 flatcars with tractors on the end.I then looked in Butler and saw 2 NS eastbounds racing for Ohio.The intermodal was catching up on 66r with the CN power.Looked down at Sdi in Butler as well.I have some markings to send Carl.L 96 had to wait for the sdi crew to shuffle some cars.Then on the way home saw the hot Ns 120 come north on the wabash.Plenty of stuff for the auto industry.Including some long boxcars still in use.Tomorrow its back to work.
Ns was clear after work.Took a birthday card into town for great nephew.Have company for dinner.Matt is manning the grill.I am just helping inside.
Finally back at the ol' homestead. GPS didn't want to cooperate, so had some trouble getting through Toledo, but after that, it was all good (but long).
Hit a backup on the NYS Thruway - someone hit a maintenance truck. The car was a mess. Apparently one died, one badly injured.
So now, it's unpacking the truck and getting caught up around the house.
Had a great time in Deshler, despite three rounds of serious thunderstorms on Wednesday.
Southeastern Michigan took a major hit from the same line of storms. Many trees down, and the hotel I was supposed to stay at had no power. Managed to find a substitute. Now I have to get a refund on the first one.
Had to wait on the Ns local on the way home to switch some cars.Meeting in Deshler tonight.Saw a few trains on Csx.Csx 5500"spirit of Cincinnati" was leading q 351 around the sw wye to head south.Nothing but good comments about the banners.Going to get cleaned up.
I somehow mnaged to get through northwestern Indiana today without a single useful sighting (unit coal train and stack train didn't provide anything useful). But I have a metadata-filled file to take care of, and that's taken most of the evening in Michigan (the rest of the family played their usual Five Crowns games while I sweated this out).I'll get no chances tomorrow or Thursday in Michigan (too much fun stuff going on). And Friday, when we head back home, it has to be a quick trip, thanks to a 3:00 doctor's appointment I have. No time to lose oneself on obscure roads, sadly.
CShaveRRNo time to lose oneself on obscure roads, sadly.
I took care of that for you Monday - got misplaced in Toledo. Did spot a W&LE locomotive, a first. Don't even know what yard it was.
Of course, I'd rather not have gotten misplaced - lost about an hour there...
I'm more of a motive power fan and I've found that G&W railroads will often contribute to the obscure with power from a sister road mixed in with the home road. Spotted Marquette Rail on a Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern train a few months back headed east on the IHB out of Blue Island.
Stacey had to wait on the Ns local before she could come and pick me up today.Other than that Ns was clear.Going to go out and work in the yard.
Ns was clear after work.Ran errands in town.Matt is uptown doing yardwork.Glad tomorrow is Friday.
Ns was clear after work.Matt is done with his summer job.Getting stuff around for tomorrow.Will be back at the museum in Deshler.
Home again today, trying to complete a file on about 125 HS box cars for my report, which is now up to about 38 pages. The parties and so on up in Michigan didn't leave me much time...neither did another metadata-filled file (the search-and-destroy mission takes a lot of time, during which I can't work on any of the other files).Speaking of unusual units, I saw one (in the distance...no idea of number, builder, model, etc.--I was driving) for the Lake Michigan & Indiana Railroad. I was in Burns Harbor, Indiana. If I'd ever seen any before, I'd never noticed it. This one was fully repainted.That was the only worthwhile sighting on my 600-mile trip into the home area and, yes, into the Land of No Trains.No surprise to anyone who knows me...I need to have my head examined!
Went to Deshler. Finished the upstairs project. Yes there is always more to do. Csx was busy playing where to put the train. Hard to do when most of them are 10,000 ft plus.Got a call from a friend who needed help in Archbold. Ns sent some traffic by when we were up there. Matt decided to go back to Deshler and see if things improved for Csx.Tomorrow he is taking his "friend" to meet G+G. Going to eat supper.
Went and checked on brother today.Ns was clogged up in Bryan due to MOW work.Plus there was an eastbound having troubles with PTC in Edgerton. Csx was it's usual self today too.A conductor friend got on K 182 coke train for Chicago.Once they got past North Baltimore they were making good time.Good day to stay in the shade or A/C.Back to work tomorrow.
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