HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: Steve_Hooper@tvbbs.wimsey.bc.ca (Steve Hooper)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Train Running Red Signal
Distribution: world
Date: 22 Jan 93 13:31:06 PST
Organization: Tunnel-Vision BBS!

In a message dated Fri 22 Jan 93  0:23, Rmura@world.std.com (ron Mura)
wrote:

 RM> So, the engineer apparently was not at fault, but something
 RM> is clearly amiss if a signal problem can result in a clear
 RM> indication.  (This was not a "benign" signal problem.  When we
 RM> first went through the switches we stayed on the normal (south)
 RM> commuter track, but after we had backed up we crossed over
 RM> and ran on the north track into the Allston yards.)

Hi Ron,

Don't forget, signals "dropping in your face" is a real thing in
railroading and happens....not ALL the time, but....well, fairly often. 
See, the signals are set to default to red (of course) and there are so
many bonds between so many joints in the rails.  These bonds often come
apart, and thus drop the signals.  Often the flexing of the rail when a
train approaches will pop one off.  They see a lot of stress, so they do
pop off.  And in the situation you are discussing, the hog (as has been
explained) did the right thing.  

This situation has happened to me numerous times...probably every 20th trip
or so it will happen.  You get a 568 to pass the red signal, proceed at
restricted speed looking out for switches turned, broken rail etc to the
next signal.  Now in your case, I imagine the dispatcher realized that the
second main was not going to be used, so rather than have a passenger do
restricted speed through the block, he routed you on the other main where
there was no problem.


-- Via DLG Pro v0.995

     Steve Hooper               []  The Great White North In
                                []  Vancouver, British Columbia
steve_hooper@tvbbs.wimsey.bc.ca []          CANADA
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: LChishol@massey.ac.nz (Len Chisholm)
Subject: Request for info - visiting Australia mid-February
Followup-To: rec.railroad
Summary: I'm looking for info about what's on Adel/Melb/Sydney mid-Feb
Keywords: Visiting Australia information
Organization: Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
X-Reader: NETNEWS/PC Version 2c
Distribution: aus
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 93 04:03:08 GMT

Hi there.

I am a New Zealand railway enthusiast considering at this late stage
taking a 10-12 day holiday in Australia , mainly to look at/ride on
trains. I am thinking of coming over in the middle two weeks of 
February and to the Adelaide/Melbourne/Sydney region ( I know there 
is a lot of territory there, and I can't see everything in one trip ! ).

Are there any excursions or special events running near that time ?
What museums/preserved railways/etc are likely to be operating ?

Thanks in anticipation,


-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
|  LEN CHISHOLM , Systems programmer  | EMail: L.Chisholm@massey.ac.nz  |
| Department of Production Technology | Phone: +64 6 3505262            |
|         Massey University           | FAX:   +64 6 3505604            |
|   Palmerston North, New Zealand     |                                 |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Organization: Freshman, CIT general, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 12:27:40 -0500 
From: Jason Paul Togyer <jt3y+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: historical question
	<38676@cbmvax.commodore.com>

 
>It is still used for various outdoor applications, hollow
>sheet lighting and power poles being one you see around here.
>The New River Gorge bridge in West Virginia is all Cor-ten,
>apprently bids are out for sand-blasting and painting, since
>corrosion has been faster than anticipated.

Incidentally, the USX Tower (formerly, the U.S. Steel Building) in
Pittsburgh has an exterior made of Cor-Ten steel.  It has turned a
brown-black color, and the concrete around Steel Plaza is stained orange.

I hope for USX's sake Cor-Ten performs better than it did at New River
Gorge--I'd hate to see them paint the USX Tower, say, green...


*******************************************************************
Jason Togyer, Civil Engineering, CMU (Carnegie Tech), Pittsburgh, Penn.
"It's broccoli, dear."
"I say it's spinach, and I say to hell with it!"
--'30s NEW YORKER cartoon caption by James Thurber
*******************************************************************
DISCLAIMER: I'm completely insane, and take no responsibility for my actions.
  For that matter, neither does any organization I'm involved in.
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: adrian@ntmtv.UUCP (Adrian Brandt)
Subject: Re: European track
Organization: Northern Telecom Inc, Mountain View, CA
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1993 00:31:08 GMT

In article <C19v1z.7wr@boi.hp.com>, guy@boi.hp.com () writes:
> In <1993Jan22.191052.9723@ntmtv>, Adrian Brandt (adrian@ntmtv.UUCP) wrote:
> >In article <63601@mimsy.umd.edu>, mangoe@cs.umd.edu (Charley Wingate) writes:
> >> It might be pointed out that the range of AVERAGE daily temperature in the
> >> american plains is on the order of 100 degrees F (~55 degrees C).
> >
> >Nope.  Try ~38 degrees C.  Recall that: C(F) = (F - 32) / 1.8.

> Sorry.  55 was correct.  He was talking about a range not a single temp.
> 100 degF range is a 55 degC range (actually closer to 56).

Whoops!  I mis-read Charley to be saying 100F = ~55C.

Europe does however approach similar ranges in that they do get
temps as high as ~38C during heat waves and as low as ~-10C during
winter cold snaps.  I'm willing to concede that the US plains are
probably more consistent in seeing those ranges, but I don't think
the difference is big enough to fully explain differences in US and
European track engineering practices.

I understand another area where track construction and maintenance
has some interesting temperature-related problems is on the Trans-
Siberian RR.  They have to deal with extreme cold and its effects on
the track and underlying roadbed.  I believe the ground is prone to
problems like heaving/buckling/cracking due to freezing.  Also, the
endlessly long distances through rather harsh & desolate areas make
keeping the line up and running particularly difficult.

Perhaps someone familiar with this line can provide more specifics...

-- 

Adrian Brandt (415) 940-2379
UUCP: ...!ames!ntmtv!adrian
ARPA: ntmtv!adrian@ames.arc.nasa.gov
From: romeo@niagara.Tymnet.COM (Michael Stimac)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: NEC
Date: 25 Jan 93 20:42:24 GMT
Organization: BT North America (Tymnet)

In article <3226@tymix.Tymnet.COM> romeo@niagara.Tymnet.COM (myself) wrote:
>In article <38761@cbmvax.commodore.com> grr@cbmvax.commodore.com (George Robbins) wrotes:

>>Is there one other electrified branch heading northwest from the west
>>end of Zoo?  Riding past on the Paoli Local I see tracks, but can't
>>tell what's going on.  One of these days, I'll have to buy survey
>>maps and trace out the different branches, past and present.
>
>That would be the Belmont branch. It's a double-track line, but
>wasn't electrified. I think this is because it was a freight line,
>not a commuter line, but I'm not certain of this. I'm pretty sure
>it was a connection to the Reading as well.
>

Ooops! Just re-read your question, and you specifically asked about
an electrified branch. There is the Schuylkill Branch which takes
off from the Main Line at 52nd Street (not exactly Zoo, but only
3.9 miles from Suburban Station).

This line is (was?) electrifed as far as Norristown, going through such
towns as Bala, Cynwyd, Manayunk, Conshohocken, and Ivy Rock. Beyond
Norristown the line continues to a junction with the Lehigh Valley
at Laurel Junction passing such towns as Phoenixville, Pottstown,
Birdsboro, Shoemakersville, Pottsville, and New Boston.

(I love those Pennsylvania town names  :-)

Michael Stimac
-- 
Michael Stimac
(415) 355-8889
romeo@tymnet.com
These opinions are not necessarily anyone's but my own.
From: grr@cbmvax.commodore.com (George Robbins)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: historical question
Date: 24 Jan 93 03:07:09 GMT
Reply-To: grr@cbmvax.commodore.com (George Robbins)
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA

In article <16B5EB726.M00209@MBVM.Mitre.Org> M00209@MBVM.Mitre.Org writes:
> In article <38723@cbmvax.commodore.com>
> grr@cbmvax.commodore.com (George Robbins) writes:
>  
> >
> >Yes, I have a Philadelphia NHRS newletter that has a picture of one of
> >the Budd/Michelin cars on the branch that runs by my house.  It's pretty
> >strange looking.  I wonder how much of it was "european design"?
> >
> What branch is this, please?  I was wondering where they ran.

This was on the Octoraro Branch, which ran from the intersection of the
Chester Valley branch and the West Chester Branch at Wawa (near Media PA)
to Port Deposit MD.

One picture ca. 1940 shows them sitting in Oxford PA, the other shows
them somewhere dual-track under wire, perhaps at Wawa.

To quote from the article:

A more exotice vistor apeared on the branch just before the war.
The Budd-Michelin railcar pair, Nos 4688 and 4689,, were built in
1933 and classed OEG125 and OEG125A, respectively.  They were
rebuilt in 1936 with steel tires and a new power plant and reclassed
as GEG125 and GEG125A, and again in 1937 with No. 4688 becomeing MPB48
and No, 4689 becoming the power car, classified as GEG190. Although
constructed of stainless steel, they were painted tuscan red in the
Pennsy tradition.  They were assigned to the Maryland Division
between 1939 and 1943 before being leased to the Washington and
Old Dominion.  For a full account, see Trains Oct 1973.

(from the Spring/Autumn 1986 issue of the Phil. Chapter PRR T&HS bulletin.

By the way, looking at the pictures, the cars actually do look pretty
streamlined, but marred by a huge/abrubt radiator on one car, which
looks kinda like the cupola on a caboose.  I don't know if this was
an original feature, or perhaps added during one of the rebuildings.

Other text in the article suggests that the doodlebugs did a lot of
time in Baltimore area branchline/local service, so the Budd cars
probably spent time there also.

-- 
George Robbins - now working for,     work:   to be avoided at all costs...
but no way officially representing:   uucp:   {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr
Commodore, Engineering Department     domain: grr@cbmvax.commodore.com
Xref: sparky rec.railroad:10958 uk.misc:3220
From: P.A.Foulkes@bradford.ac.uk (Pete Foulkes)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad,uk.misc
Subject: Re: Small Gods Annotations
Date: 26 Jan 93 14:42:44 GMT
Organization: University of Bradford, UK
Originator: 91453585@muser

In article <728033204snx@warren.demon.co.uk> leveret@warren.demon.co.uk writes:
>Daniel@scs.leeds.ac.uk (where *has* he been?) writes:
>>|> 
>>|> British Rail (last winter I think) were having difficulty getting
>>|> trains to run on time and they blamed it on the snow. They
>>|> were then quizzed as to why their snow-ploughs couldn't deal with it.
>>|> They replied that it was "the wrong sort of snow". (perhaps this story
>>|> was leaves first, I can't remember). Again "the wrong sort of X" is
>>|> now part of the idiom.
>>
>
>And I have *never*, *ever* heard of your "wrong kind of leaves" story.
>Please suppy a reference for it.
>

My recollection is that it wasn't the "wrong kind of leaves" it
was just "leaves on the track". 

Of course you don't expect a shock fall of leaves on the track
in Autumn.  :-)


Peter.
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: smb@research.att.com (Steven Bellovin)
Subject: Re: Amtrak's engine seizure
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 12:06:00 GMT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories

In article <727847887.AA09227@tdkt.kksys.com>, Fred.W..Hyde@f4016.n282.z1.tdkt.kksys.com (Fred W. Hyde) writes:
> Re: Amtrak's engine seizure
> By: Robert Chambers #0 @1:282/31 FIDOnet     
> 
> So, what was the final outcome in all of this? Did Amtrak pay up? Heard that
> there were two units involved, but this was probably confused with the Metro
> North seizure...

A second unit was seized the following day, since they estimated that
#902 wasn't worth $1.75 million.  Anyway, what happened is that Amtrak
posted an appeal bond, so the case is back in the courts, and the engines
were released.
From: TSOS@uni-duesseldorf.de (Detlef Lannert)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Europe and American trains (Re: X2000 in Corridor servic
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 14:30:17 GMT
Organization: Universitaetsrechenzentrum, Heinrich-Heine-Universitaet, Duesseldorf
NNTP-Posting-Host: lannert.rz.uni-duesseldorf.de

In article <727524823snx@warren.demon.co.uk> leveret@warren.demon.co.uk (Nick Leverton) writes:

>>Equipment (again both freight and passenger) used in some dedicated
>>services does have automatic center couplers.  Where these are used,
>>they normally couple all train lines in one operation (all air and
>>electric connections) in one operation.
>
>True, but that could be taken as reading that couplers including air and
>electric connections are the norm. They are not: automatic centre
>couplers (Buckeye couplers) normally have no air or power lines.

What's normal -- the UK or the rest of Europe?  ;-)

The automatic centre couplers used on British coaching stock which I've 
seen so far just form a mechanical connection; the buffers don't touch 
when the auto couplers are used, and they [the couplers, not the buffers!] 
can be folded downwards to provide the "standard interface" for a screw 
link coupler.

In Germany there are two main varieties of centre couplers in use: the 
older Scharffenberg coupler (used on some classes of multiple units and 
for trams, for example) can and usually does connect air and power lines 
through special connectors above or on both sides of the coupler head. 

The so-called `unicoupler' which is compatible with the standard coupler 
of the former Soviet Union and was supposed to be generally introduced 
throughout [continental] Europe also connects the air brake, heating, and 
electric control lines. (The ex-Soviet type, however, doesn't, as far as 
I know.)
--
Detlef Lannert      DC3EK      E-Mail: tsos@rz.uni-duesseldorf.de
"Gedanken sind nicht stets parat,
man schreibt auch, wenn man keine hat."             Wilhelm Busch
From: wier@merlin.etsu.edu (Dr. Robert R. Wier)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Ladonia, Tx Steam Excursion?
Summary: Can someone look this up?
Date: 24 Jan 93 19:03:05 GMT
Article-I.D.: ra.1993Jan24.190305.12271
Distribution: usa
Organization: East Texas State University, Commerce, Texas

In my new job, I recently relocated to North Eastern Texas.
There is a little town about 15 miles north of here called
Ladonia.  I've driven up there once, and was VERY suprised
to find rolling stock on a siding there.  This is in 
contrast to most lines here which have a distict rusty look
to the rails (not much activity in general around here, it
seems).  Someone mentioned to me that they thought that
there might be periodic steam excursions along a line from
Lanodia up into Oklahoma, but there was no one in Ladonia
to ask when I was there.

As all my books are still packed, I wonder if someone
could take a look in the steam guide and let me know if they
can find anything concerning this area? It's about 50 miles
N.E. of Dallas and is in Hunt County, Tx.

Several nice Victorian homes in Ladonia, too.  One of them
apparantly was restored by one of the Neiman Marcus clan.

I posted a similar note out on this about a week ago, but
never saw it turn up, so I may have not been authorized
at that point to get mail off campus.

THANKS


------------ insert usual discalimers here -----------------
  Bob Wier / director / Historic Image Processing Project
  internet: wier@merlin.etsu.edu (watch for address change)
From: paula@PRC.Unisys.COM (Paula Matuszek)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: NEC
Date: 26 Jan 93 14:47:18 GMT
Organization: Paramax Systems Corporation (A Unisys Company)

In article <16B5CF000.M00209@MBVM.Mitre.Org> M00209@MBVM.Mitre.Org writes:

> Three daily trains run between New York and points on the former
> Pennsylvania Railroad main line west from Philadelphia.  One of them
> is the "Broadway Limited" that is an overnight (and half-a-day) train
> between New York and Chicago.  It offers sleeping car and full dining
> and lounge service, and requires seat reservations in the coaches. It
> bypasses the main station in Philadelphia (30th Street), stopping only
> at North Philadelphia, and does not carry passengers locally between
> New York and North Philadelphia nor between North Philadelphia and
> Harrisburg.

While the Northeast timetable shows the Broadway Limited as bypassing
30th Street, the National minus Northeast schedule shows it arriving
at 30th Street at 4:24PM and leaving at 4:47PM.  It is marked as
stopping to receive passengers only, and although the schedule isn't
marked that way I'm pretty sure it won't carry passengers from 30th
Street to Paoli, and I can well believe that it won't carry them to
Harrisburg either.  Neither schedule shows it stopping at North
Philadelphia, but it may anyhow.  The only time I rode it I boarded at
Paoli (western suburb of Philly, end of the Main Line), so I can't
speak from personal experience, though.

> 
>Len Bachelder        Archives Committee, Boston and Maine RR Historical Society

--Paula Matuszek
  paula@vfl.paramax.com


  paula@vfl.paramax.com.  NOTE:  This is a change, effective mid-December, 1992
From: 195ochs@gw.wmich.edu
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Genesee & Wyoming Now in Oregon
Date: 28 Jan 93 00:22:33 EST
Organization: Western Michigan University

In article <122200199@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM>, wbrill@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Warren Brill) writes:
> In rec.railroad, johnm@hpmcaa.mcm.hp.com.mcm.hp.com (John Mosbarger) writes:
> 
>>      As had been mentioned in various railfan publications, SP has selected
>> the Genesee & Wyoming RR to operate its westside branchlines, except for the
>> Coos Bay and Tillamook Branches.  Last Friday (1/15) the agreement was
>> finally signed, and the new operator should be running its own trains by
>> this summer.  Instead of trains operating out of Portland on the north end
>> and Eugene on the south, The G&W will run from Eugene to Albany via trackage
>> rights, and then onto the Toledo Branch to access Corvallis, McMinnville, 
>> Dawson, Monroe, Newberg, et.al.  
>> 
>>      These branches had been pretty much the domain of SD9's, but rumor has
>> it that SP informed the G&W that it did not want them to run any 6-axle
>                                       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>                                       Why not? Wasn't the whole purpose of
>                                       S(pecial) D(uty) locomotives with 6
>      				      axles to better distribute the weight
>   				      so as to not damage lighter (branch
> 				      line) track? Or am I missing something?
>  				      Is the weight that much higher on an
> 				      SD than a Geep?
> 

SD's are mostly used for more traction, since they have more traction
motors. GP's are lighter and are also typically used for highspeed trains
(intermodal, etc)
Here's some typical weights of locos from Chessie System and CSX
(sort of an approximate, since different class engines weighed differently)

GP 7/9 250,000
SD 7/9 370,000 (these were ballasted to make them slightly heavier)
GP35   260,000
SD35   390,000
GP38   270,000
SD38   380,000
GP40   275,000
SD40   390,000

and also some GE's to compare:
U30B   277,000
U30C   377,000
B30-7  277,000
C30-7  385,000 and 411,500 (they have 2 different weights listed)
B40-8  288,000
C40-8  395,000

So you can clearly see that there is typically 120,000-140,000
pounds between a B and a C trucked engine. This is very crucial on branch
lines. Most branchlines will be restricted to a GP30, GP35 or GP38 or GP40
or GP7/9 on some RR's (CSX doesn't have any GP7/9's left, they usually use
GP30,GP38.GP39,GP40 GP16 (rebuilt GP7/9's) and U18B,U36B, and B30-7's
on the locals in Michigan. Mostly GP30's and GP40's since they have scads
of GP40's (and GP40-2's)

Hope this helps!
Fred
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: ardie@UIUC (Ardie Mack)
Subject: IC Hoppers
Organization: Department of Plant Pathology
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 15:11:53 GMT

     I saw some "strange" (for here) hoppers on the IC this morning.  They 
were in a string of 15.  Instead of having their taper on the bottom half, 
these were square on the bottom and the taper started about 2/3 of the way 
up.  Also, instead of 3 bottom chutes, these had what looked like 4 
retractable side chutes - one on each corner.  Anyone have any details on 
these?  Thanks.
                                                 ardie@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu
From: macman+@pitt.edu (Dennis H Lippert)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: ? about engine sets
Date: 23 Jan 93 23:50:43 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Pittsburgh

In article <1993Jan23.141936.22629@netcom.com> tssmith@netcom.com (Tim Smith) writes:
>In article <1jp1qtINN4as@grapevine.EBay.Sun.COM> maral@repare.EBay.Sun.COM writes:

>As far as different types of locomotives on a train, this is less
>common.  (Don't be misled by the color or marking of the
>locomotives.  It's common now for railroads to use "pooled" power, so
>you might see, say, a bright yellow Union Pacific unit in the middle
>of some blue Conrail units, pulling a train somewhere east of
>Chicago--not UP territory.)  But a railroad can mix locomotives with
>some freedom, when needed.  An extreme example is what you find on

Um, I don't know where YOU railfan, but Conrail and CSX rarely have a train
with a matched set of locos.  For example, I saw four trains today...
their lashups were:

CR Dash8-40B, GP40-2, GP40-2, B-36-7  (piggyback train)
CR Dash8-40CW, Dash8-40CW, Dash8-40CW, SD60 (mixed consist)
CR Dash8-40C, SD40-2, Dash8-40B (mixed)

CSX SD40-2, SD40-2, Dash8-40C

The only times you routinely see matched conrail sets is on coal drags... 
usually the haven of matched 2-unit sets of SD50's & 60's (which are 
externally identical.. though internally different).

Den
-- 
==========================================================================
  Dennis Lippert   -   macman+@pitt.edu    or    macman@vm2.cis.pitt.edu
The "Mac Maniac" operator at the Sutherland Hall Lab - Univ. of Pittsburgh
                             "Just the Macs, Man"
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
From: johnm@hpmcaa.mcm.hp.com.mcm.hp.com (John Mosbarger)
Subject: Re: Genesee & Wyoming Now in Oregon
Organization: HP Cardiology Business Unit - McMinnville, OR
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL7]
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 20:22:47 GMT

     The Willamette & Pacific's operation of SP's westside branches will
result in the elimination of 30 SP positions.  However, the W&P has 65
positions available and SP employees are being given priority.  The
general manager of W&P is Bob Melbo, former SP Traffic Mgr., and also
former Oregon Div. Superintendent.

     Fairly extensive track rehabilitation will be required, as very few
trains have used the Westside Branch, it being a storage track for cars
sold to Gunderson Bros. for several years.

John
--
John Mosbarger                *      Do not condemn the judgement of others
HP McMinnville, OR            *      because they differ from your own.  You
johnm@hpmcaa.mcm.hp.com       *      may both be wrong.                  
                              *                         --Dandemis
            Opinions are mine and HP is not authorized to use them