Year: 2012
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.
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.
| 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.
by Ricky Bivins, Chapter President
Hello again NRHS Members, August thus far has yet to follow up July’s heat record. For me that is a good thing. But none the less, August has been a good month for the Western Kentucky Chapter. Madisonville held the last Friday Night Live street fair for the 2012 season and it was a roaring success. Cool temps, clear skies and people combined for a great evening. Dr. Bill Thomas outdid himself again with the Mobil Garden Railroad. Bill stepped up to the plate with a three tier Gauge One layout! Yes, three levels of trains were running all night much to the delight of children and adults as well. Thomas the Tank Engine is instantly recognized by everyone, The Egg Liner was a curiosity and the “old steam train” as I heard more than once was a hit. I was surprised to hear a little boy about 8 years old tell a parent about the “old steam train” and how he liked it best. Perhaps our hobby has a future after all!
As for old business, the trip to Progress Rail in Mayfield KY. is on hold pending a set date. Rich Hane will have a full report this month. The trip to Paducah and the NRHS Chapter Museum will coincide with the Mayfield trip. I will have more information concerning a possible display at the Parkway Plaza Mall during the Christmas Season. Wallace Henderson will update us on changes and effects of change as pertains to the National Organization. A National dues increase is on the horizon. Argh! But, it takes money to run a business or charity or a special interest group.
Kudos to Thomas Bryan. Thomas presented a program follow up to his presentation from last year’s visit to Rail Camp. We were treated to several photos and interesting insight to a rail scene few will ever have the privilege to see. Thomas held the audience for the better part of an hour with his photos and commentary. Several members were able to chime in and give info about various equipment in the shop area photos. It is easy to imagine the sights and sounds Steam Town has to offer not to mention the glory years when the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad ran their steam power through those very shops.
Gary Ostland….do you remember Gary? GOO as he is known on the internet is planning to show slides as my guest in November of this year. The date is not set. I will open the City Airport to rail fans for a slide show Gary says will be vintage shots from the Pacific Northwest. If you recall, Gary gave us a grand show of Milwaukee Road from the 1960’s earlier this year.
OK Members, get up and out on meeting night and attend. Bring a guest.
Where are we? – Santa Fe and intermodal traffic has always been synonymous with one another. Here we observe two “blue bonnets” pulling in with a long string of tables for loading at this intermodal “lift” facility which served an “outback” location on the ATSF system in the 1980s. Today the yard exists to unload windmill components for one of the largest wind-farms in the country and is served by a member of one of the large shortline conglomerates. Sub. by Chris Dees
