This is just for Silvio510!

Trains Magazine General Discussion
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[:(!] This is just for you from the pointy-headed Mookie:

I went trackside for 2.5 hours on Sunday. I sit very close to a BNSF yard, so this is the bulk of what I saw in those 2.5 hours!

Excuse my terms - I am a novice AND a female, so what would I know, but I saw 3 GP35’s a Dash9 and a slug - all in one grouping.

I saw an incoming mixed consist with 5 new car holders and the rest was pigs.
The headend power was 3 Dash 9’s.

I saw a south bound short mixed with #1504 GP28M and #2838 GP39-2.

I saw a mixed going east with a Dash 9 and an SD40-2

I saw an mt (empty) coal going west with BNSF 8956, 9765 and 8838 all SD70MAC

I saw a south bound loaded coal with front end power #9814 and a helper on the end #9756

I saw a mixed consist of #6199 - an SD9-3 marked Remote, lining up cars for a future train.

I saw a Union Pacific 6643 and BNSF 9638 headend power mt coal train and just as soon as it cleared a siding and not even a minute between them, a loaded coal train pulled out onto those same tracks - had headend power of Dash C44 AC - spitting and sparking like mad! The SD70’s are so quiet and the GE’s spit and sound like a bad cat fight (sorry - don’t want to be frivilous).

I saw CSX Dash 9’s - #483 and #337 and one lazy buzzard overhead looking for a meal. The CSX had 8 tankers behind it and then mt DEEX coal cars behind that. We never see that on BNSF here, at least I don’t.

And before I could get the car parked, there were 3 other freights going by and one other coal train - had to wait for one and missed the headend on the rest.

And an antique SW 10 #3600 pulling only one boxcar - with the most mellow whistle you will hear around these parts.

I was alone and writing like mad to keep up with all the traffic, and I am transcribing from my notes right now, so hope I got it all right.

About 2 years ago I didn’t know an SD70

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not real sure how you even get stars on here ? ? ? Where do you see all this action ? ? ? Sounds like alot of action for 2.5 hours. Some times on the NS mainline here in my town (above Gallitzin Tunnels) I see one after another, never ending trains, and sometimes all I see is one or two on hour, it all depends, Conrail had a sweet schedule, and really had a system of getting there freights over this mountain grade. NS just sends em out in the dozens, so when the rails are hot they are hot, when there not…u know. It is still a 3 track mainline with various branches and local service siding around, and also locomotive shops just down the mountain and an engine house up a bit. I guess I can relate to you in a sense, a year ago I could’nt tell you what a Dash 9 even was, or an SD, I would have no idea, I learn from this as well, and I learn the most from watching and reading books. I never did start a log book, I just take pics and film like crazy. how old are you mook ? ? ?

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ok - since we may just end up being if not friends, at least cordial - I live in LIncoln Nebraska - the true Midwest! I watch the trains coming in and out of our BNSF yard and it has 6 tracks - coming into and out of the east end of the yard. It is a huge hump yard and covers a little over 3 miles from east to west.

I don’t take pictures, I don’t get in the way - I just sit trackside and drool.

I hate my real name - which is Jenny - so I use my cat’s name - Mookie.

I have my 60th birthday coming up this December - so that just about makes me one of the oldest if not the oldest on the forum! I was a railroad brat and loved every minute of it. Now that I am a grandmother 9 times, I can afford the luxury of spending my free time as I please. And I please at trackside. You can go to my profile and see my picture - I am one of the brave souls that will post a picture. Scares off any one that thinks they are getting a hot babe on the forum - which I am, but I am spoken for, so it doesn’t matter!

This last Sunday was so busy, the trains were pushing each other out of the way to get in and out of the yard. Looked like last call at the bar! It definitely is never boring at my watching spot!

So now how old are you and do you know where Nebraska is?

Mookster!

PS - I leave this fine forum at 3 pm, but will be back tomorrow at 5:30 am to look for your answer!

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I am a young man, around 40 years younger than you, so you know where my seriousness comes from, and I have no patience, so now you know why I go a but nuts here and there, without me thou it would’nt be all that fun would it. I went ot Nebraska, Omaha in fact this summer with my father on Amtrak, we watched trains here and there and went to the UP museum in COuncil Bluffs. Then Trains decides to post trackside guide, when we get back from the trip, I was pissed, it was very informal, but we just wanted to get out of here, NS is boring some times, they are too strict and not big as BNSF and UP.

Talk to you sometime. I am busy at college so I am only on here in short intermediate bursts.

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Welcome to forums and watch for more Mookie Antics! We never lack for fun and seriousness here!

Da Mook

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Nor does she lack serious fun!
Ed

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Hmmm… so your about the same age as me eh?

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Hey Kevin, is your hair now orange too. [:D] [:D] [:D]

Speaking of orange hair, Hey Ed how is your friend who had the acid bath?
Give us an update, please.

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Kevin - you and Silvio or you and Mookie? [:D]

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kevin is a young pup compared to mookie
stay safe
Joe

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Jim,
He is two toned right now, hair and skin.
I dont know if I mentioned in the original post, but he is a negro.
The heavy burns left pinkish spots and blobs, which will fade in time, but his hair, well, railroaders can have a odd sort of humor.
He shaved the sides bald, and left a short mohawk in the middle, and has been calling himself Stripe.
He goes around complaining about “Bright light, bright light” and hissing at people.
Actually, its funny as all get out to see the reaction of people who dont know him.
He scared the heck out the kid that refills the candy and soda machines.

As for the money side, the carrier paid him $25000.00 for his troubles, and took care of all the medical cost.
Oh, and they fixed the emergency shower, they buried the pipe, it runs under ground from the main building now, so the water isnt scalding at first.
Stay frosty,
Ed

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$25,000 is a nice sum but I don’t think I would like to try to get it “his way”. Other than the original pain at first does he have any now? It seems like he is taking it pretty well. And laughing all the way to the bank. About the candy kid lol [:D] that is funny. I can’t believe they had the water pipe on top of the ground, how stupid! Have they never used a garden hose that has been out in the afternoon sun? I think our aircraft engineers must have been on loan to yall for something that stupid. Here they design everything by Catia (softwear program). Then when it comes times to install the part by their Catia drawing it won’t fit. Their reply, “Well it worked on the computer”. Funny thing the computer and the aircraft seem to be two different animals. They think they can sit in their office and design drawings that will work on the aircraft without first doing a little homework and checking things out. This goes on and on and on and on. They never learn. Like I said they

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Hey Ed, is that the politically correct term to describe a black person?

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You know, probably not, but neither that post nor Ed’s other posts about that incident seemed to bear any traces of ill will or racism towards the guy, so I don’t see the big deal. (If someone were to use a different “n” word I would have a problem with it.)

–Nora

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That’s a more scientific name for it. I hear “black” more often, and do not consider that offensive. But i wouldn’t not know, i’m not black. But i have absolutely nothing against black people. Don’t get me wrong.

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Odd, I didnt think the word negro would cause a problem.

Black dosnt fit, he isnt, he is dark creamed coffee in color, but then, I am a rudy cream color, so I am not really " white".

For me, the terms black and white carry not only a lot of racial seperation, but the connotations of good and bad.

White knight saves the day battling the black knight, black associated with evil or bad, ill will, things of that nature.

I was trying to describe him, not set him apart in a sense of race, I meant negro more in the medical term.
Negro being someone who has dense, dark and tightly curled hair, and heavly pigmented skin.

I could have called him African- American,(hes not, his people are from Madrid)

I could have refered to him as colored, which also has a lot of racial overtones, especially way down south here.

I try not to describe people by the “color” of their skin, and as poitically correct as “black” currently is, it just dosnt sit well with me, nor does it describe him.

Had I used the word black, would the description have been more accurate?

In fact, I just realized instead of negro, I could have used the term, “negroid in physical character”.

Black, throught its use as a descriptive word, brings to mind people of African descent, as its usage in the media and the political sense seems primarly aimed at that group, and its overuse has left the mental image of a African as the typical “black” person.

They are not, of course, the only people with the physical traits or darkly pigminted skin associated with that word, there are Cubans, Hatians, quite a few of the Caribean peoples, and several the Polynesians.

This guy looks more Egyptian than anything else.

Sorry, thorugh an attempt at economy in words, I used a single word to describe someone, when it appears I shoud have used several sentences to be more accurate.
The closest I can come

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Maybe ask him what he prefers?

Mook

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Thats part of the problem, after several discussion about many diverse subjects, we never broached the subject.
His color dosnt seem to be a issue with him, and never was with me, so it never came up.
I have heard him refer to (space left blank) men as blacks, and he seemed to be refering to another group, excluding himself from said group.
Next chance I get, I will ask him.
Stay Frosty,
Ed

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Ed … about Anwar Sadat …

His assassination set Middle East Peace back decades if not longer. I truly admired him, he was a good leader, a good man. I think much more of him than I did his Israeli counterpart. Don’t be offended here about Mr. B. But the other nations just don’t seem to learn. YOU DON’T MESS WITH GOD’S CHOOSEN PEOPLE. Isn’t is funny how such a small nation can stand tall amoung such other larger nations! It isn’t rocket science–there is a power watching over them. Sure they have bad things happening to them and always will until …

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Ed … about the word colored … reminds me of a story (here we go again–Jim and his stories)

One of my best college friends was Eric–Eric was black. I had seniority among student and could choose my room and my roommate. Every student wanted an “end room” because they were 1/2 again as large as the normal rooms. So naturally I choose one. Eric was of course my roommate. Not because we had to be but because we wanted to be. I was a basketball team manager and Eric was a player. The other team manager was Amy. One day Amy was showing a possible b-team recruit around the gym and came across me doing something (what I don’t remember) she introduced he and I and made the statement that Eric my roommate was colored. I looked at her and told her Eric was NOT COLORED. She looked at me like I should be committed. Her mouth dropped to the floor. She was dumbfounded. [:0] [:0] [:0] Then I told her that Eric was black. She just didn’t know what to say to that, so she just continued her tour. Later that day I told Eric about the conversation and he about fell out. It became a joke between he and I that he was a “rainbow person”. [:D] [:D] [:D]