Monday's with Mookie

[Mookie]

Weekend was fabulous weather-wise. Train watching was also fabulous.

Saw 48 engines in about 2 hours Sat and 2 hours Sun. Did see some interesting ones: CSX sent us two - 524 and 445 - the lead one was so grimy, it was hard to see the lettering. Also saw #7506 - we never see that many CSX - so must be a harbinger of spring?

CN sent us 2524 just for more variety. See above!

BNSF - for variety we saw a GP9, 2 GP 38's, 2 GP 30's, a GP 7, 3 GP39's, and 3-4 of the B23-7's. Maybe they were spring housecleaning and taking them all out for a good airing! Saw lots of Blue and Yellow Santa Fe!

And now the question: Watching some of the "old stuff" come in on the tracks that Amtrak uses. We are the only car around and out my window, I am watching the wood ties literally bounce. Not a great deal, but definitely getting squished when the weight of the wheels runs over them and then back up when the car body goes over. It didn't look too dangerous or I would have called it in, but I think some attention should be paid to this area. Driver said needs more ballast? This is a pretty busy freight line, plus the 2 times a day for Amtrak. Everything moves pretty slowly across this, however.....

Anyone have any opinions on this?

Moo

[mudchicken]

This is why track is considered a dynamic structure and highway is not. Sounds like normal "give" in the ballast section. (No mud)...If the tie goes down and stays down, the roadmster has an emerging headache.

How was beautiful downtown Cobb and Cushman found to be?

Enjoy the blue and yellow freight motors while you can. They are becoming an endangered species.

[Mookie]

We talked about Cobb several times, but never got there. Since Cushman is the other end of the yard and this end was just too great to miss we thought a lot, but never got off our collective duff and did it! Did visit with the "old man" that is there a lot - logging in everything that moves. He visited a little with us about the double track going south and where it all goes.

I was wondering why BNSF doesn't double track that all the way to KC - driver said they probably can't get the right-of-way. Any insight from Big Bird?

[mudchicken]

They are doing that in pieces, including putting double track back where CB&Q once had it, only to have BN remove it. Did work for BNSF in 2000 between St. Joseph -Forrest City and Napier, MO doing just that. Because it is in the Missouri River bottoms along most of the line, there are lots of bridges for all of the sloughs draining back to the river. Most of those bridges had two track openings through plate deck girder bridges (Th-DPG (OD)) with open decks set for 13 foot track centers. New construction requires 20-25 ft track centers for FRA safety requirements - this means all those old bridges have to be replaced, you just cant put the track back where it was. Big buck$$$$$$$ and The River line does not see the traffic that Lincoln to points west does.

[ChrisBARailfan]

I once heard that then BN was going to double track from the Murray yard opening to the double track near Iatan but the city and residents of Parkville pitched and almighty battle and won. If you have not been to the City of Parkville the line runs right through the downtown and a park. The bldgs. are no more than 15 ft. on either side of the main. Several years ago a loaded coal train derailed right in downtown and took out 2 bldgs, 1 of which was rebuilt.

[Modelcar]

....Isn't that sad of the line that once had double track and then removed and now 2nd track can't even be reinstalled on those same bridges that once carried the line....I realize it must be more complicated but sure looks like they had poor planning for the future. One sees quite a bit of this double tracking where it once was in the past....and perhaps they couldn't afford it at the time but we hope lessons are being learned now in this era for the future.

[Anonymous]

This brings me to a question, why would a railroad take out a section of track that they may need later? Kinda like Track 3 at HorseShoe Curve, because that would mean 2 west, 2 east, now its 2-1 or 1-2.

[mudchicken]

$$$$$ and changes in traffic patterns.

If you only knew how close BN came to abandoning its line into the Powder River basin!

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[Modelcar]

....It seems railroads make these kinds of decisions often and sometimes they are ones that are regretted as traffic changes. Seems like "they" live so close to the edge that they have to gamble on the changes in track capacity, etc...I suppose in the Horseshoe issue they decided it was too expensive to maintain that 4th track in that area....It does seem sad to have to destroy such a transportation plant with the capacity it had in the past....A railroad with 4 tracks like that of the Pennsy through Pennsylvania doesn't happen very often and then once it is removed perhaps it will not ever be restored....