September 2012 Ricky’s Replies

September 21, 2012 Jim Pearson No Comments Rick Bivins, Ricky's Replies

Hello Rail Friends.   September is upon us and is a time to reflect. We lost Dennis Carnal one year ago this month, Our Nation lost even more eleven years ago this month, we somewhat celebrate summer’s closure with the Labor Day Weekend and much more.

At this writing, September has been a good month for me. Several Chapter Members attended the Old Tyme Train Show in Evansville, IN on Saturday September 15th. Wally Watts, Jim & Thomas Bryan, were in attendance as were other members and friends. Steve Miller and I made the trip, visited with event goers and had a good time. And yes I bought something; a Lionel Die cast Girder Bridge.

Afterwards Steve and I headed further North to Princeton IN and the CSX/NS diamond located within the city. We saw several trains of both railroads and a few Union Pacific re-route’s from/to New Orleans. Union Pacific has experienced several track issues among the Gulf States following the hurricane a few weeks ago. The Tropicana Juice train being one of the trains affected has been running CSX rails from New Orleans to Vincennes IN. From there it travels west via the old B&O RR to St. Louis and then to California on home rails. I have seen it several times….what a sight. Also sighted in Princeton and not normally seen in Morton’s Gap KY. were solid auto rack trains. One such train on CSX was south bound with a load of Dodge Ram trucks…hummmm….do you think the trucks snubbed the Toyota plant at Princeton as the went past?

Our program presenter and guest for last month was David Hayes of Owensboro. David gave a delightful presentation on the Florida East Coast RR’s Key West Extension. FEC is a survivor railroad, surviving merger mania, hurricanes and politics while serving a rather small region in only one state! Bravo David and many thanks.

Our trip to Mayfield and Paducah are still in the works….many I’s must be dotted and T’s crossed before we have a firm date. Kudos to Rich Hane and Chuck Henrichs for their hard word. Once a date and time are settled upon, I am sure we will not be disappointed.

After talking with the officers of our Chapter, we have concluded an active display in the Parkway Plaza Mall for the Christmas Season would stretch our volunteer resources too far. However, if a Mall Display Cabinet is still available, we may consider a static display. Along those same lines, The City of Guthrie KY. may have a transportation museum in the works or so we have heard. If so and should we be called upon, a museum is a great place to set up a display of some sort. We currently have one in Hopkinsville KY and Nortonville KY. I would welcome any input from the Chapter on this subject.

Coming up next month on October 6, 2012 will be the annual Crofton Picnic hosted by our Hopkinsville KY. Members. This is always a great time and CSX provides one source of entertainment. Come if you can and I ask that we do not park on the grass. There is or was a sign near the pavilion requesting just that. Crofton has a very nice Veteran’s Park that is well maintained and has (for us) the perfect location! Please show some respect and abide by their rules.

As Wally notes in the minutes, Jim & Thomas Bryan will provide refreshments in the form of their annual fish fry. Jim & Thomas are avid anglers and we certainly profit from their efforts. Dr. Bill Thomas will have the program which at last contact with Bill may be a guest but that is still in the works.

SO…Members…make your way to Madisonville KY. Monday September 24, 2012 for what promises to be an enjoyable night of food and railroad camaraderie.  And bring a guest.

 

Buy-Sell-Swap

September 21, 2012 Jim Pearson No Comments Buy, Sell and Swap

For Sale: Missouri Pacific diesels blue and silver paint scheme. 3 engines are brand new, box never opened, Proto 2000 Series,  $50 each.  1. GP7 Missouri Pacific cab #4121; 2. GP7 Missouri Pacific cab #4255 w/steam generator, air tanks on the roof; 3. BL2 Missouri Pacific cab # 4104.  Contact Rich Hane (270) 836-6169.

petFree to Good Home: Pictured below left: About six months old female Pit or mix.  Spayed, rabies shot and a distemper/parvo shot.  House broken and smart.  Sweet personality and gets along with people and with other dogs.  Contact Tommy Johnson tsjay49@earthlink.net.

Sale Pending: Various garden RR equipment, rolling stock, track, and structures. Will be ready to sell after inventory is complete.  Contact Bob McCracken (270) 584-3340.

 

A Long Run for Train Orders… submitted by Chuck Hinrichs

September 21, 2012 Jim Pearson No Comments Chuck Hinrichs

Can you believe it? Effective 12:03 AM, on Tues. Sept. 4, 2012, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) ended the use of train orders, the flimsies of fact and fiction. Since the LIRR was the LAST US road to use them, this ends a long chapter in American railroading.

The first train order was written in the fall of 1851 on the New York & Erie at Turner’s (now Harriman) NY. Charles Minot, NY&E’s General Supt., was on an westbound passenger train holding for an eastbound to clear the single-track from Goshen. When it became obvious the eastbound was late, Minot used the newly-installed telegraph line to wire Goshen and order that when the tardy eastbound train finally arrived it was to be held until Minot’s westbound got there. Minot provided his conductor with written authorization to move against the timetable and the train order was born.

Now 161 years later that era ended as the last order was issued to LIRR Train 8743 for a speed restriction over Ocean Ave in Patchogue, NY. The LIRR has replaced the Form 19 flimsy with the Form L, a kind of combination flimsy and track warrant.

Ironically Patchogue is only about 100 air miles from Harriman where the FIRST order was written.

Mystery Location – Where Are We?

September 21, 2012 Jim Pearson No Comments Mystery Location

where

We will  make this one easy since we are just beginning this series.  This location is well-known to locals living in the area of the two competing lines which both served the area with brisk passenger trains and many coal drags.  Unfortunately one of these tracks was torn up partially due to duplication of the route in the early 20th century.  Fred Ripley was the first to guess correctly in last month’s mystery spot.  Remington, IN, on the former TP&W.  The lift facility was built in the early 80s in hopes of expanding intermodal traffic but that never developed.  The AT&SF absorbed then sold it off.

If you think you know the location (city and state) of our mystery photo, send your answer to me via email: bill@fbcmadisonville.com, or mail to Bill Thomas, 1025 Lakewood Dr., Madisonville, KY 42431.  Correct responses will be placed in a pool drawing in December for a small but meaningful prize.  Notoriety will also be included.

CB&Q hotshot GI-68

September 21, 2012 Jim Pearson No Comments General Post
Taken by an unknown photographer, this shot shows eastbound CB&Q hotshot GI-68 on the triple-track main through the western Chicago suburbs at La Grange, IL, in January 1968.    GI-67 and 68 were CB&Q/UP pool trains between Chicago and North Platte, NE, interchanged at Grand Island, NE (hence the  "GI" symbol).  As the lead RS-27 (PRR class AF-24) illustrates, this run-through operation also involved the PRR east of Chicago.  The traffic from GI-68 will go east on PRR symbols AC-2/4 and AST-4, with the foreign power turning at either Conway or Enola, PA. Submitted by Fred Ripley.
Taken by an unknown photographer, this shot shows eastbound CB&Q hotshot GI-68 on the triple-track main through the western Chicago suburbs at La Grange, IL, in January 1968. GI-67 and 68 were CB&Q/UP pool trains between Chicago and North Platte, NE, interchanged at Grand Island, NE (hence the “GI” symbol). As the lead RS-27 (PRR class AF-24) illustrates, this run-through operation also involved the PRR east of Chicago. The traffic from GI-68 will go east on PRR symbols AC-2/4 and AST-4, with the foreign power turning at either Conway or Enola, PA. Submitted by Fred Ripley.

Rail Flicks by Tommy Johnson

August 23, 2012 Jim Pearson No Comments Rail Flicks, Tommy Johnson, Videos
Title Rotaries, Avalanche on the Mountain
Producer BA Productions
Format Wide Screen DVD
Playing Time 1 hr 3 min
Purchased From TrainVideoDepot.com
Date Purchased 11/2/2011
Price Paid $27.89

Fellow Railfans, this one is a must for your collection of RR videos!  If the contents of this DVD do not excite you, then you had better check for a pulse.

The location is Donner Pass, where the Union Pacific RR crosses the summit of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the time is late March of 2011.  There has been record snowfall and more snow is coming down.  The battle to keep the rails cleared of snow so that trains can get through is being lost.

At Donner Pass the order of battle is to first deploy the flangers, which are rail cars with belly blades to plow the snow.  The flangers cannot push the snow very far and become ineffective when the snow gets very deep.

When the flangers cannot get the job done, the Jordan spreaders are then deployed.  These machines have enclosed cabs and sport huge front-mounted blades that can be adjusted to throw the snow to either side.  They also have retractable wings that work in conjunction with the blades to push the snow even further from the tracks.  The spreaders are pushed along by trailing locomotives.  For the vast majority of winters, the Jordan speaders are able to keep the rails cleared.

Last to be deployed in the order of battle are the rotary snow plows.  Very rarely a winter will come along in which the snow depth exceeds the capability of the spreaders, and then it is time to call out the rotary snow plows.  In this video we see the rotaries put into service for the first time since 1998, the first time in thirteen years!  What a rare treat!

The rotaries are nothing short of amazing in their ability to remove snow and watching them in operation as they throw snow high into the air is a joy to behold.  We see them in this video clearing snow that appears to be all the way up to the cab.

We are taken inside the cab to ride along with the crew and we are also shown spectacular scenes from outside the rotary as it eats its way through the deep snow.  There are some great night scenes.

You simply cannot go wrong by adding this one to your collection.   This is probably going to be the video that I share with you guys the next time I am scheduled for entertainment but don’t wait for that; get one ordered for yourself.   I promise you, you will watch it over and over again.