Afternoon
Tomorrow starts spring.It is also Mamma’s birthday.The guessers say warm for the weekend.Ns local was uptown moving cars.Matt and I are off to Deshler for our first meeting of the year.
stay safe
Joe
We had our usual Tuesday afternoon at the Peck House Museum today. The railroad was, for all intents and purposes, dead. Other than the scoots, I think two westbound intermodal trains went by.
I don’t know…were they headed to Rochelle, or does UP still use its Peoria Sub to connect to the old Santa Fe at Edelstein?
[#offtopic] Question: I am sure most of the posters here remember that 2010 movie 'Unstoppable". About the “AVR” decorated engines: I know they were redecorated units of Canadian Pacific origins; There were four[777,767, and 7375,7346] used in the movie.
My question is can a couple of them still be running in a ‘modified’ paint scheme?
I have seen a unit through this area on at least three occasion in the last several months, they seem to resemble the “AVR” paint scheme from the movie, but not exactly; was going both east or west on at least three different occasions. This third time, it was Eastbound on a stack train, and it was the 3rd unit out, leaders were BNSF units. Headed towards either Gardner, Ks yard or KCK area? Time here was about 1840 hours 03/19/2019. <Yes, I was sober. > [:-^]
Anyone have any ideas? THANKS !
Here is a photo when they were done ‘working’
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/309659/
CP 9782, 9751, 9777, 9758
Looks like 9752and 9758 kept the striped plow others looks like they were fully repainted.
(CShaveRR) Carl: Sort of off topic, but I know you seem to search, for the ‘unusual’. Here is a you tube video of one of the Carbondale/Chicago ‘sets’[Illini or Saluki (?) ] It is a faily new Charger. Note the mis-spelling of AMTRAK on the side of the engine. That and the weird mix of the AMTRAK cars in the train.
Thanks, Sam.
That is certainly an interesting view of the ground and also of the drivers. Not much view of the engineer.
The variety of equipment is interesting.
How old is the engine? What kind of paint was used for the “AMTRAK?”
Didn’t notice the train into well into the video… 
afternoon
Ns was clear when we left work.Chores to do.Getting stuff ready to take to Lenten meal tonight.Guessers warm up cooled down a bit.
stay safe
Joe
Bad accident today - farm tractor lost control on the road and flipped onto its side, trapping one occupant. We had to use the “Jaws” to get him out, but he ended up succumbing to his injuries.
OK! You guys! [Larry and Johnny]… Those were the first close ups of any of the Charger’s I’d seen [banghead]… I just though that maybe you guys would wonder what rock ballast would look like in Carbondale. [swg]
The engineer is an old friend, His current regular gig is the IDOT’s 391 Saluki and 392 Illini, and when he goes back and forth to Memphis, 59 or 58 CNO …
Larry, speaking of farm tractors, I think you have to be at least a little crazy to drive one. Many years ago my brother-in-law had me drive a tractor with a plow on his farm. I was perched high up on a bicycle seat inches away from two giant heavy knobby tires, and with every bump or dip in the ground I thought we were going to tip over. That was about the scariest ride ever.
Johnny, these locomotives are relatively new, within the last couple of years. There are similar units working in California. I only wish the trains were a little more consistent in appearance.
As for the lettering, I have no doubt that it’s vinyl adhesive. Easy enough to repair, or, sadly, to vandalize.
One commenter on the video noted the acceleration from a dead stop. That will do these units well on the lines in Michigan and to St. Louis. They are capable of the 110 m.p.h. that is anticipated (or being delivered) on those lines. I would love to be pushed back into my seat by the departure from some of these stations!
Is the ‘rag tag’ appearance of the train a consequence of UP requiring 7 cars (which seems to include 3 dead cars, the two baggage cars bracketing the Amfleet I).
Right reason (most likely), wrong railroad. That’s CN that does that, and serves the route of the Illini and Saluki (let’s hope the City of New Orleans is always big enough!).
I read somewhere, the UP was requiring 7 cars in addition to CN.
Thanks, Carl.
I expect to be in Chicago 7 May–leaving on the Cardinal (eat in a dinette)–and coming back 16 May, coming back from Boston–I hope to get to Brunswick this time.
Oh, yes, Sam–we were all wondering if the ballast there makes good footing.[(-D]
7 Cars = equivilent high speed shunt?
afternoon
Busy times after work.Ns had mixed freights each way and the local was coming up the siding.Chores to do here.Might watch some basketball too.Tomorrow is Friday!!!
stay safe
Joe
Hadn’t known about the UP’s shunting requirements. Those should have been a moot point in Illinois with the rebuilding of the track for most of the distance from Joliet to St. Louis. Or could it be that CN requires the St. Louis trains to have that many cars over Chicago to Joliet?
Johnny, you’re pencilled in; we’ll see what happens closer to the time. We may be in Michigan for the later one. Medical procedures will have to take precedence…the PSA is still creeping up again.
I took a walk to the Post Office and back today (about 3.5 miles, half of which is along the tracks). I saw two scoots and one westbound manifest freight of good size that was clearly identifiable as a North Platte train by cars in the consist. I hope that’s significant in regard to the flooding problems. I would dearly love to have been able to ride the old CNW into Omaha and back during this detour session, but I can’t fit it in.