Chatterbox Winter 2018-2019

One of those days today…

Was a four and a half hour wait at a customer this morning, got to Port Hudson, and noticed that I was leaking engine oil. The oil filter had backed off and was loose on the engine, so lost another two hours having road service come out to tighten up the filter. Managed to get to Jackson, MS, so won’t be home until Saturday, but these things happen…

On the plus side, got to see the enormous gantry that CN is assembling to replace the trestle over the Bonne Carre spillway west of New Orleans, hoping that Trains does a story on it…

afternoon

Ns had a Carl special(mixed freight) in the siding after work.Going to go outside.Yes outside and collect the divots out of the yard from the snowplow.Don’t forget to spring ahead this weekend.Check your detector batteries too.

stay safe

Joe

I wouldn’t say spring is here but winter is definitely fading. Temps to be in the 40’s today and tomorrow with rain and the trend seems to be in that range or at least above 32 degrees.

Morning

Ns has a mess to clean up in Laporte Indiana.They have run some detours on the NKP line.Rain on the way for this afternoon.

stay safe

Joe

There was speculation on the Deshler chat that some traffic could come that way, but some concern that CSX might not have the crews to handle the added traffic.

If my years with CSX taught me anything - they barely have enough crews to handle their normal traffic let alone short term detour traffic.

afternoon

No detours on csx.The patrols were watching trains at Fc too.With the bridge construction and detours people were waiting on the tracks for road traffic to clear.

stay safe

Joe

Remember - “Spring Forward!”

And if your smoke detector is more than five years old, replace it with a ten-year model.

Good to be home. At least the real estate isn’t sliding down the hill like to the west of here and not raining on top of snow like east of here in NE and IA … Population in the ditches of I-80 in NE and IA seems to be growing. (BrianH: Ft Dodge was a lesson in futility)

Absolute mess around here this morning. I think we got the entire gamut of freezing precipitation. Still, it’s above freezing…

My morning was a loaded milk semi that ended up in the trees at the side of the road. I wasn’t driving - I responded with the fire department.

Was anyone crying about spilled milk?

No milk was spilt. A little Diesel from a hole punched in one tank, but most of that was caught, so no environmental disaster.

Worst part about the Diesel was that he’d just filled up that morning. It was pumped off (as was the milk - some 48,000 pounds of it…)

If the milk tank had ruptured, we’d have had the environmental conservation spill people - that much milk is considerd a hazmat problem.

Well of course it is. It’s not like you can just round up 48,000 cats in a hurry to lick it up. Even if you could, where do you find someone who can succesfully herd cats?

Darn. Guess I don’t have to round up a couple of semis full of Frosted Flakes and Rice Crispies to throw in the ditch with the milk. They can stay in the median of I-80 in Iowa.

afternoon

Ns must have the mess cleaned up because they sent a big westbound train after work.Nice and sunny today.Still have a little snow residue and the end of our street.Chores to do.

stay safe

Joe

And it’s a little early for some maple syrup to sweeten your breakfast…

Some years ago, a local produce company lost a truck in the median of the Interstate near here. Figuring that it would simply rot away, or something, DOT didn’t make them clean up the various fruits and veggies.

Big mistake, soon rectified. Seems the local wildlife took a fancy to all that good eating. Unfortunately, that meant they had to cross the Interstate to get to it.

That’s not too bad for the little guys like rabbits and squirrels, but the bigger animals (up to and including deer) tend to cause problems when hit by a vehicle…

On a trip to Florida several years ago I was making great time until I got to the Florida/Georgia line - a truck load of assorted produce had been involved in a accident and spilled its load across the Southbound lanes of I-95 - ended up being stuck in a non-moving jam for about 3 hours. Once traffic started to move and I got to the scene of the accident - the trailer had been moved to the shoulder of the road so it could be loaded on another truck and several Bobcat loaders were shoving the spilled produce into the waterway.

afternoon

Ns local was going to move around his train.Ns also had an eastbound coming into town.It’s been some years now but had to pray for the battery to hold.The belt broke in the middle of the night on "alligator alley"while we were in Florida.Made it safely to Aunt’s house and Dad got a new belt the next day.Chores to do.

stay safe

Joe

I’d bet some of those critters might have a different opinion…

Currently outside the 11th floor here it is sixty degrees and windy.

They have already issued BLIZZARD WARNINGS for most of the east half of the state and east of the Continental Divide up high. The media is all obsessed with Snowmageddon. Guess tomorrow is gonna be a DQ kind of day.

(Make mine a Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard please)…Wonder what Johnny is gonna get?