Church Services trackside

Trains Magazine General Discussion
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Trackside - Lincoln NE - 6 tracks going into or out of Hobson Yard.

Large white truck with lots of equipment pulls up next to tracks. Two men, papers check a few places on track - drive off.

Small green BNSF truck two guys - park same place later, haul tool bag, something that is shaped like a leaf rake but has a large wedge on end and hammer to about the 4th track over from the truck. NO Flags set up.

Held church services I think - lot of heads bowed and kneeling. Finally started examining silver/white thingies that sit between these tracks - not between the rails, but betweeen the actual tracks themselves. Can’t see - angle wrong - binocs don’t help. Maybe switches since I can see full trains coming out on North side of yard and pulling over to the far south tracks - right about in that area. Worked about an hour on that area - but with trains still running past them - still no flags!

They would hear the whistles and would cross over all that territory for the safety of the truck and then would walk back to the work area. Finally, just before we gave up - they did put one red flag on either side of this “thingie” that sits right next to the rails. There are probably 3 of those “thingies” that I can see and they are located on different tracks and in different places - still think they are switches - just lay down now instead of being upright!

Driver said one of the guys had a box wrench and was maybe trying to get inside of this mechanism (thingie).

Any thoughts on what they might have been doing and doesn’t GCOR state that you have to place flags where you are working? One train came into the yards and went right down the track they had been standing on just a minute before - albeit - very slowly!

Also, looked like he sprayed something on other rails in just a very small area - marking or cleaning? - All very interesting, but really wish it would come with sound!

Mook

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Sounds something like signalmen adjusting power switches.

Spray material sounds like switch & gear lubricant.

No flags = in the interlocker with track & time?

Box wrench fella could be adjusting closure on switch points by movong basket rod to different holes & positions on transit clips so that switch points when lined over make solid connection withthe stock rail next to it.

“Thingie” sounds like power switch machine. (A Union Switch & Signal “triple box” or a GRS “torpedo tube” machine")

If those power switches do not line over properly, the dispatcher or control operator cannot use his CTC switches and track occupancy indicators correctly [ the whole system goes to STOP/ red indication] … All the train crews have to crawl on hands and knees with dispatcher permission looking for defects or improperly lined switches until the signal problem is corrected…

Were they [bow][bow][bow][bow]praying to the great god CHICAGO(center of North American RR universe), the great god Ft. Worth (hand down great stone tablets of dubious worth) or the great god TOPEKA ?(where paychecks come from)

Iron Bird[banghead][banghead][banghead]

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You know - for a bird - you are pretty all right - maybe I will save you for a special occasion dinner!

Thanx

Mookie

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Hi Mookie,
Silver boxes?
Either power switches like mudchicken said, or one other piece of equipment come to mind.
Flange oilers…
The boxes contain a bucket of flange grease, and when a wheel passes over the trip mechanisim, they squirt a little lube grease on the wheel flanges, keeps the wear on the inside of the rail down.
You most often see these at yard throats, right before a curve, although they can be anywhere on a system, but often near long, tight curves.

But from your discription, just to many hardhats for a simple flange oiler, sounds like muddy has your answer.

You guys up there have to do something about Kansas, buy them a shopping mall or something…
Stay frosty,
Ed

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Mookie

Could be somebody went on the ground (maybe just one wheel or something like that) and it got drug for a short ways until they could get stopped. No real damage, but a huge amount of readjustment to be done. I suggest this because of the markings being done before the fixers got there.

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Ed: Started practiceing your “Kans-ese” yet???

Need to keep Kansas right where it is, thank you…Old bird needs the safety barrier between the mudchicken and the overly curious gato in Lincoln that 500+ miles provides (not suitable as cat chow for the iron deficient felines)…and Lubbock-Amarillo is not flat or empty enough ?

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Hi Ed - These boxes are small but the whole area is full of what looks like mechanical devices - so the whole area is probably 2’x2’ - it is hard to tell from about a block away. You have the throat part right - they are right there. Driver thinks they are mechanical switches, but the part that really bothered me is the lack of any real protection for the two guys - one of which did most of the work and the other “stupervised”. The only thing that was really noticable was their yellow and orange hard hats! I am so paranoid around trains - don’t park too close to the gates, don’t go across the tracks w/o looking up, down and sideways and had chills when those guys kept on working and two trains went by two and three tracks away from them. They looked pretty vulnerable. But then I never get to see the men/women in the yards on the ground, either!

Would love to find the location of a flange oiler - we have two tracks that curve to go south and they squeal all the time!

We gave Kansas the whole state of Texas - what did they do with it?

Mookie

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If it did happen - I missed it as usual!

Actually, they seem to work on that part a lot. We have a “crick” - pretty wide - that runs at a 90’ angle to the tracks-probably 3 blocks west of where we sit. The land between us and the creek - which has a bridge that all trains must cross, might just be a little unstable. The last crossing going west, is right in front of us and right after they cross, the couplers have a tendency to jump a lot, like a low section. Plus, this is where I see the MOW with sticks, rulers, whatever and they check the tracks a lot in that area - especially the ones closest to the outside (1 and 6) (we have 6 sets thru there).

They are getting used to seeing me down there, so maybe someday I will get to talk to one of them - if only they would come a little closer!

Mookie

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Mookie,
The supervisor was doing just what he is supposed to, watching for approaching traffic.
They were “working under traffic”, allowed for minor maintainance, as long as they follow the rules, one of which states that if approching traffic is on a adjacent track, the workmen must stop, and removes themselves and their equipment at least 50 feet from the live track, or in the case of multiply track, remove themselves to the opposite side of a adjoining track.
Bet on the dispatcher and yardmaster telling every crew entering the yard about the workmen.

In our yard, the MOW grease the switches under traffic.
One guy watches us, to make sure we dont kick one down on them, and we give them a signal when we need to send one their way.
While he keeps a eye peeled on us, his partner cleans the old, dirty grease out of the switches, adjust the points, check the switch stand, throw length, lubes the stand and applies new, clean grease to the points and such…
This goes on daily, with a double ended yard and 48 yard tracks, several crossovers and roundhouse leads, thats over 100 switches that see use every day.
Every morning, at our job briefing, the yardmaster tells us where the MOW guys will be working that day, and they(MOW) always come see us in person before they go out in the yard.

If it is a problem that can be handled in 15 minutes with a monkey wrench, they work under traffic, if it requires a lot of machines, or men and equipment, and will take time to repair, they will flag the track.
With a quick fix, they wouldnt want to slow down inbound trains 2 miles outside of the yard, and it sounds like they already had a good idea what was “wrong” and how quick it would be to fix, so htey did it under traffic.
Stay Frosty, ed

P.S Mudchicken, are you sure 500 mile is enough?
You may want a mountain range, or two, just in case.
And we just use Lubbock and Amarillo as a free range wind tunnel.[C):-)]

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I think you may have it. It is not at all unusual to have sections of track built over unstable ground when you have alignments from the late 1800’s. Several years ago AMTKs Chicago-San Antonio train (Texas Eagle?) went on the ground as a result of one of these things. In those days, builders did not have nearly the ability to spot and mitigate such places, and that may well be what is being delt with.

More than just the track sinking will occurr where you have a yard throat involved. Each time the track goes down, the switches will need to be adjusted. When they raise the track, more adjustments. These places are class A locations for derailments!

MudChicken - he who

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Ed & Eric - I think we have it figured out. They are in that area a lot so will watch them next time with this information in mind and see if I can figure out a little more what they are doing.

Eric - notice MC is hiding from me? [^] Female Kitty Power!

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She who purrs loudly but has no signature have great FKP. Yes, MC does seem to be hiding, does he not? Food Fright? Or perhaps his boss has him out in the mudd?

Lincoln is in Good Hands with Mookie.

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Moo…your “church services trackside” was supposed to be cheeky; but I have seen real church services next to the track. Many years ago, a young brakeman was killed in the yards. About a week later, with the okay from the railroad, a memorial service was held next to the track where their loved one was found, with tent and seats and pastor. I’ve never seen anything like it…before or since. [about 20 people were there…]