Was kind of cool to watch a BNSF roll by in the dark while being silhouetted by a waiting UP’s headlights.
Anyone know when the UP will activate the new signals they have erected and remove the old ones?
Nice Photo of the local on RailPictures …
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=552002&nseq=100
The BNSF signals that are out of view of the Rochelle camera.
I’m not a real big fan of Diseasels but I have to admit this is a very nice photo. But, help us out here; wouldn’t the park pavilion (where the web cam is located) be visible if BNSF 2008 were not there?
No–the edge of the pavilion’s roof is visible to the right of the locomotive, about on a line with the swoosh on the hood. We’re looking toward the diamonds.
You and I came to the same conclusion but literally from different angles. I’m fairly certain that the extra high telephone poles to carry lines over the UP are the same ones seen in the web cam view. Then there’s the yellow slow board (?) on the other side of the track from the photographer. I also think you can see the concrete slab of the upper viewing area and the fence around the lower just behind BNSF 2008.
I came to this conclusion last night but couldn’t see the web cam picture and didn’t trust my memory well enough to say that until I had checked it this morning.
BTW: The meanings of “UP” and “XING” on the sign board above BNSF 2008 are fairly obvious but what does “NX” mean?
Yeah, I believe that you are correct. The photo faces west and the concrete slab is the rise to the pavillion.
Is that a GP40? And what are the two white blisters on top of the cab?
/Mr Lynn
I believe it is a GP40 that got rebuilt into a GP38-2. The blisters look like a/c units.
BNSF 2008 began life as a Penn Central GP40. It passed to Conrail before being sold to BNSF and rebuilt into a GP38-2.
Those blisters do appear to be AC units, but similar white bumps can also be PTC antennae. They are usually smaller, though.
If it was a GP-40, I’d bet it actually “began life” as NYC 3008. I know the Central had a bunch of GP-40s before the merger; they were our premier power and were assigned to the highest priority trains. When deadheading home (Cleveland) from an assignment, I’d always look for GP-40s on the point; they would get me home faster. I’m not certain but I don’t think PC lived long enough or had enough ready cash to buy new power; some already on order might have arrived from LaGrange after the merger though.
That appears to be the case. It seems to have been built 9/68 as PC 3167, serial 34344, order 7127, of which it was the 63rd unit built.
The rest of the order was built 8/68-9/68.
I think NX was the tower that used to be at the diamond. The current time table doesn’t show it, but I thought I’ve seen NX in older CNW era time tables. NX most likely was the telegraph call for the tower. There are NJ and NQ control points out around
Oh my, “A long time forgotten . . .”
Bruce
There is a real Fog Bowl going on out there now. It was interesting to watch a couple of intermodal trains go by a while ago. You could really see the effects of the spaces between the containers had on air flow. It moved the fog around quite a bit. Going into a headwind at higher speeds than we see here must really do a number on fuel economy.
Bruce
Could the ‘NX’ be refererence to the GRS brand of interlocking?
eNtrance-eXit
No, Mr. Damon–this is an automatic interlocking over which dispatchers have no control, let alone the ability to route trains over varying routes in and out of.
I had heard NX mentioned in other parts in reference to the equipment. Thank you for the clarification. I assume that there was a tower at one point in history, but I was unable to find any information on it. Was the tower located where the park is now?
Robert