T8 Lights loosing their brightness?

[the old grind]

Has anybody seen the string of locomotives, dare I say a thousand, in the desert, surplus to current requirements?

You betcha! Omaha-based Union Pacific, a major player and known for ordering the largest locos of any era. There's a drone fly-by video of a string of top performers idled. Something in the 100+, end to end, and over a mile long. This color:

My father got me into the habit of counting the number of engines and train cars while sitting at crossings. Still do it to this day.

So you stop & whip out your phone when the gate goes down. Open 'notes' and log the engine numbers, no of cars, empty or loaded train, etc.

There are a few 'hoppers' in this old shot, w/legacy livery Pennsy GP-40 & little Joe, and a UP Alco RS-3: (GG-1 is indeed Tuscan red w/gold stripe. )



Not to digress , but for me installing LED tubes into 2 x 4' t-8 fixtures was a bit of a job, but way worth the effort. "Energy saving' or not, I get so much light from switching to LEDs that I now have fixtures prepped for places that needed fewer of them. btw, "When you change tubes under a 14' ceiling, and only a 12' ladder & 8' piece of lumber":



I don't recall paying more than $4-5/T-8 whether from Amazon or Menards, and haven't bought any in over a year. Haven't replaced even the ones next door that never seem to get turned off. I'm still giving away some of the 50 odd 6k Kelvins I bought and didn't like. (Blue light specials. ) They're taking up storage space under the train. :irked:

 

[MossRoad]

Speaking of South Bend... the mayor was here yesterday campaigning for President... here being the SF Bay Area... he did not speak about coal... I think the focus was it is time for the next generation to have a say in politics and the country's future.

I lived inside South Bend for 34 years. I live about 400 yards outside it for the last 23. So South Bend decisions affect me greatly. I'll have to say, that as far as mayors go, I favor his decisions about 75-80% of the time, which is just not natural for me. :laughing: About 12 years ago, my employer and friend, the local newspaper publisher at the time, had a daughter that went to high school with my daughter. Our girls were being inducted into the national honor society together. The publisher told me the key note speaker was this young guy who was really going to go places in the future. Little did I know that the young man with the funny last name (who gave a really good talk to the kids, by the way) would end up as Mayor Pete. Our town has done much worse, as far as mayors have gone, and I can't think of any that were better. Anyhow... no politics. That's for another forum.

 

[MossRoad]

Moss
Do you know where the coal that is headed east is coming from
All of our coal in Ohio comes from the East

I'm guessing Wyoming, as it's Burlington Northern running on Norfolk & Southern tracks.

 

[MossRoad]

You betcha! Omaha-based Union Pacific, a major player and known for ordering the largest locos of any era. There's a drone fly-by video of a string of top performers idled. Something in the 100+, end to end, and over a mile long. This color:

View attachment 598026



So you stop & whip out your phone when the gate goes down. Open 'notes' and log the engine numbers, no of cars, empty or loaded train, etc.

There are a few 'hoppers' in this old shot, w/legacy livery Pennsy GP-40 & little Joe, and a UP Alco RS-3: (GG-1 is indeed Tuscan red w/gold stripe. )

View attachment 598028

Not to digress , but for me installing LED tubes into 2 x 4' t-8 fixtures was a bit of a job, but way worth the effort. "Energy saving' or not, I get so much light from switching to LEDs that I now have fixtures prepped for places that needed fewer of them. btw, "When you change tubes under a 14' ceiling, and only a 12' ladder & 8' piece of lumber":

View attachment 598029

I don't recall paying more than $4-5/T-8 whether from Amazon or Menards, and haven't bought any in over a year. Haven't replaced even the ones next door that never seem to get turned off. I'm still giving away some of the 50 odd 6k Kelvins I bought and didn't like. (Blue light specials. ) They're taking up storage space under the train. :irked:

Not that big of a rail fan. But for a few years, at night, I'd sit at my computer on google earth and follow active, idle, and abandoned rail grades looking for roundhouses and roundhouse foundations. I found a couple thousand.

 

[dnw64]

Not that big of a rail fan. But for a few years, at night, I'd sit at my computer on google earth and follow active, idle, and abandoned rail grades looking for roundhouses and roundhouse foundations. I found a couple thousand.

Firstly, that sounds like the very definition of "fanatic"... :laughing:

Secondly, how did you know whether they were active, idle or abandoned?

 

[ArlyA]

I spent a few years in the RR car repair industry and most most of my time was spend working on extended side Gondola cars. I'll attach a photo of one. In fact, I worked on this companies cars, much of the time. Who owns these??

 

[dragoneggs]

Do you know for certain that they are hauling coal? Maybe it's silica sand (fracking) that is big business around here...or grain.

No. A gondola car has lower sides, maybe 4', and no hopper doors underneath. You frequently see gondola cars filled with scrap metal or a couple rolls of steel, things like that.

Gondola (rail) - Wikipedia

I know there is a bit of thread drift here... but another advantage moving to LED for me was I don't trip breakers in my house as much anymore.

 

[ArlyA]

I know there is a bit of thread drift here... but another advantage moving to LED for me was I don't trip breakers in my house as much anymore.

I have no idea how it drifted sooooooo far off "track" and into RR cars.

 

[MossRoad]

Firstly, that sounds like the very definition of "fanatic"... :laughing:

Secondly, how did you know whether they were active, idle or abandoned?

Active has trains on it! :laughing:
Idle usually has weeds and not a clean look.
Abandoned can be cut off at both ends, rails to trails, etc...

If you look at the earth from outer space on google earth you can see the scars of abandoned rail grades for decades and decades, even if the tracks and ballast has long been removed.

 

[MossRoad]

I have no idea how it drifted sooooooo far off "track" and into RR cars.

Hahahaha! Nice! :thumbsup:

 

[ArlyA]

Most people refer to coal cars as hopper cars.

There real name is extended gondolas since they are higher than normal gondola cars but I'm not sure I care, what people call them. They were built for low density bulk cargo like coal. LED lights?

 

[MossRoad]

I spent a few years in the RR car repair industry and most most of my time was spend working on extended side Gondola cars. I'll attach a photo of one. In fact, I worked on this companies cars, much of the time. Who owns these??

Detroit Edison?

If so, how fitting!

 

[MossRoad]

Railroad reporting marks | Trains Magazine

 

[ArlyA]

Detroit Edison?

If so, how fitting!

I knew you guys could figure it out. Detroit Edison owns quite a few RR cars, many trains worth, and funny thing, they never are seen in the state of Michigan. Why not?

 

[dragoneggs]

Hey guys, get a room... or maybe start a new thread! :laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

I knew you guys could figure it out. Detroit Edison owns quite a few RR cars, many trains worth, and funny thing, they never are seen in the state of Michigan. Why not?

There's no large coal mines in Michigan, so I'd guess the cars are out between Michigan and Appalachia?

 

[MossRoad]

Hey guys, get a room... or maybe start a new thread! :laughing:

You can't talk about electricity generation without talking about coal, trains, Thomas Edison, baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet... :laughing:

 

[ArlyA]

There's no large coal mines in Michigan, so I'd guess the cars are out between Michigan and Appalachia?

Its powder basin coal from ND WY and MT that those DEEX cars haul it to Superior Wisconsin to the Midwest coal terminal which I believe is the largest coal handling dock in the world. Gee whiz, they use D9 cat's there.

https://www.newlook.dteenergy.com/w.../dte-pages/merc/terminal-information-activity

copied from there site.

With large-capacity storage and access to low-cost bulk transportation, the Superior Midwest Energy Terminal accommodates a range of coal transshipment needs throughout the Great Lakes region. Of course there are many cars that haul to there, not just Detroit Edison trains.

MCT Capabilities

Storage for eight coal types in large volumes with the capability of storing more in the future
Blending of up to three dissimilar quality coals during the vessel loading process
5,000 TPH maximum unit train unloading rate (rotary coupler cars)
11,500 TPH maximum vessel loading rate
Routinely accommodate vessels of up to 1,000' length and two 123-car unit trains

Do note guys, coal fired electricity production has been going down since 2008.

 

[ArlyA]

Here is a GREAT video of a boat waiting in the harbor at the MCT dock, before he loads. You can clearly see him using his bow thruster!! This is in St Louis river he is waiting in so there boats if being held still in its current. The boat he waiting on is a 1000ft long.

Great Lakes Sailing - Loading at Superior WI, HD time-lapse - YouTube

https://www.newlook.dteenergy.com/w.../dte-pages/merc/terminal-information-activity

copied from there site.

With large-capacity storage and access to low-cost bulk transportation, the Superior Midwest Energy Terminal accommodates a range of coal transshipment needs throughout the Great Lakes region. Of course there are many cars that haul to there, not just Detroit Edison trains.

MCT Capabilities

Storage for eight coal types in large volumes with the capability of storing more in the future
Blending of up to three dissimilar quality coals during the vessel loading process
5,000 TPH maximum unit train unloading rate (rotary coupler cars)
11,500 TPH maximum vessel loading rate
Routinely accommodate vessels of up to 1,000' length and two 123-car unit trains

 

[quicksandfarmer]

My father got me into the habit of counting the number of engines and train cars while sitting at crossings. Still do it to this day.

Hold on. You're saying everyone doesn't do that?