Ever Wondered What the Rochelle Webcam Looks Like?
Part I (of I-III)
This forumist visited the Rochelle, IL site, and saw for himself what is there.
The camera …
… Is on a roof …
… And is obviously pointed towards the diamonds …
The multi-level site can be seen in the above view, which appears quite different in person (and in the above photo) than the narrow, very limited view that the many webcam home viewers see.
Continued in Parts II and III, which offer an overview of the webcam grounds …
Ever Wondered What the Rochelle Webcam Looks Like?
Part II (of I-III)
The webcam sits on a nice covered, open-air structure that covers tables. A great place to have a vacation sack lunch with family!
Even a campfire can be made to stay warm during cooler evenings …
Viewing benches are present also.
An eastward view of the parking lot:
Continued in Part III
Ever Wondered What the Rochelle Webcam Looks Like?
Part III (of I-III)
The UP Mains curve before and after the Rochelle diamonds, and that aspect of the site the webcam cannot capture. But, now you’ve seen that aspect.
The site even has a gift shop.
There are grade crossings right next to the site.
And, of course, picture taking train buffs (like me) are so often out doing their thing at the site … I could have photographed about 10 or 12 people taking pictures at one point in time, but they had dispersed before the photographing them idea popped into my mind …
If you haven’t ever personally been to the Rochelle site, now you somewhat know what is actually there … and know what the webcam itself looks like.
A visit to the site, if you can, is highly recommended, and that is from someone who has no financial interest in the site whatsoever. The actual LIVE webcam and the site grounds are truly a visual sight to behold!
Happy train watching everyone!
KP:
Thanks for your part I-III…That really does help to show a person who has not been on the ground there just what the site looks like. I have looked at it via satellite but this adds to that.
Just what is the structure to the left side as one being up on the viewing platform looking towards the diamond, that seems to resemble a short piece of track. From another view…{believe east}, it seems to cover a small enclosure. The structure just next to the stairs up to the viewing platform.
Now, if somehow the Rochelle unit could contain a camera with the ablility of capturing more of the area as does the Roanoke unit.
Pardon me a minute, Quentin, while I chew K.P. out for coming to our neck of the woods and not saying anything to anyone. I probably could have made it out there yesterday or today, had I known…[sigh]
OK. Quentin, that’s just an enclosed area made of those heavy concrete blocks that reinforce the entire elevated area. The track on top is an exhibit of how the original strap rail (metal strips on wooden stringers) appeared.
Many thanks for this. I never realized just how deep the pit goes compared to that track section, which viewers often are sitting on. That is a nice lookout point.
Anyone who goes there, be sure to wave to the camera! You would have to dance about quite a bit to trigger the motion-thingy to save a snapshot of yourself, but that would make a fun pic. You could have pics of yourself watching the trains.
Now that I think of something…you could climb up on the camera with a laptop streaming the webcam action, and put it in front of the camera. The camera would show the camera image imbedded within zillions more within those…and then the universe would blwo up, but it would be really, really cool!
Ok Carl…that make sense now and I have thought all along it was some kind of display or just a small section of track doing a different job. Yes, I’m aware of track being constructed like that in the early days of RR’ing.
Sure wish that camera had a wide field of view like many others do. Of Course sound would really make it awesome too.
That is so neat! Now I think we can all visualize better what it is we are looking at!
Justin
Oddly enough, it you look at the picture featured on the entrance page, it shows a bit more of the stuff below. Maybe that was taken when it was first put up, and then the camera was adjusted afterward to look up more? Kinda like how the entrance pic of the Roanoke webcam still shows the first layout.
i hate to see people mangle a quote. the proper wording is, ; when the going gets tough, the tough get crabby’ -arturo
Very Yogi Berra-esque! [(-D]
He said, "You can observe a lot by just watching. "
CShaveRR (10-17):
The next time I visit Rochelle I’ll have a sign pointed to the webcam saying: “CShaveRR, K.P. will be here till noon. Come see me.” LOL.
For the power following types …
The third photo in Part III showed UP 7617 westbound at Rochelle, Illinois. Yesterday, Monday, October 18, 2010, I was traveling eastbound on I-10 by the west end of the Receiving Yard of West Colton Yard in Southern California. That UP 7617 was the lead unit of a power consist just sitting there! The power sure gets around.
K.P.
Thank you K.P.
The second photo in Part II sure clears up a lot of the problem I was having trying to visualize what was going on between the camera and the diamond. Thanks.
Bruce
The sign might be a good idea, but, just to be sure, let the Forum know you’re headed this way, and interested parties could PM you for details and arrange to be in touch. Heck, you might have been able to talk us into buying lunch at Culver’s (closest place to the tracks in town).
I found this somewhat touching. I wonder what their hearing was like after years of living close to trains banging across those diamonds.
Thank You, K.P.!
Heck of a Good JOB! You sure answered a lot of questions for a number of out here in fly-over country…[bow]
Thanks for the pics … my son recently had a girl-friend from Rocelle, went to visit the RR park and brought me home a Rochell RR Park T-shirt !!! Have not been there yet, myself and ‘Jr’ has since broken up with the girl … so do not know when I will ever get to Rochelle … there is always the webcam !! Been to Folkston Funnel in Georia – similar to Rochell RR Park - was fun ! Thanks for ‘taking’ us Trains readers there !