Rail roads and their tracks.

[JethroB]

An older coworker told of how feed ingredients (corn, soybean meal, etc.) shipped by rail were once released to the buyer. The railroad would notify the feed mill manager that, say, 15 hopper cars of corn had arrived at the nearby rail yard. The mill manager would then take a company check to the RR’s local bank where he would exchange the check for the bill of ladings. Only then would the RR release and deliver the 15 cars the last few miles to the mill.

Another payment method was 90% advances. When product (corn, soy meal, etc.) was shipped by rail the buyer would be billed for 90% of the estimated weight & value. The balance was due on delivery and after certified rail weights were obtained. Pre-internet banking days. A pain to reconcile.

Rail cars would get lost in the system on the way to the buyer. It could take days or weeks to find them. Sometimes our mill manager would go looking for them at the nearby switch yard. Payment wasn’t due until all cars in the contract were delivered. Free money in the meantime.

An empty grain barge is one huge floating hole on the water. It was interesting to see a Bobcat lowered into a nearly empty barge to push the remaining product to the swinging grain leg.

And yeah, I was a bean counter. I learned of the term demurrage. Folks would get a butt chewing when it occurred.

 

[MossRoad]

Its already across the creek and the old line paralleled the highway. See the twin bridges? Its almost exactly where the old RR line was. The old tracks are maybe 500’ further “down range”. Looks like new gravel was installed beyond switch track. Would be amazing to see a “spur” go off that!

Yellow = new switch track to old rail line destroyed in ‘72
Blue = Chester Creek
Red = Newly restored & added passenger rail service.

White rectangles are new concrete passenger rail platforms

View attachment 742951

The funny thing is that up until it was destroyed in ‘72, it wasnt being used much-maybe one small freight run per day if that. Since then, the population of the area is probably 10X what it was in ‘72. Passenger rail would flourish if the rails were restored (the yellow line)

Theres a website dedicated to this $171,000,000 rail infrastructure restoration. I actually emailed a question about restoring the line between Wawa & Chadds Ford and I actually got a reply! It was something like “no plans as of yet”. The switch track stub gives me some hope!

Cool!

 

[bcp]

The Government is wrecked.

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?id=S-WCL1IC-X-162%5DWCL000235

Bruce

 

[ArlyA]

From the UP BIG boy club email
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​

Union Pacific Steam Club Update No. 23 - April 28, 2022 ​ ​ We're pleased to announce that we have donated a small portion of our heritage fleet to the non-profit Railroading Heritage of Midwest America (RRHMA). The donation allows Union Pacific to focus on our remaining fleet, which includes the world's largest steam locomotive, the Big Boy UP 4014, and the fastest, the Living Legend UP 844. The donation includes the following equipment from Union Pacific's Steam Shop in Cheyenne, Wyoming: 4-6-6-4 Challenger UP 3985 Class TTT 2-10-2 UP 5511 The Centennial UP 6936 E9B passenger locomotive shell Four 1950s coach cars Diner-Lounge car Baggage car Caboose Two business cars: the Selma, previously Western Pacific's Feather River, and the Stanford, originally the 1928 Southern Pacific Sunset "Union Pacific is proud to be the only Class I railroad with steam locomotives on its roster, part of the finest heritage fleet in the world," said Scott Moore, senior vice president – Corporate Relations and chief administrative officer. "We are pleased with RRHMA's plans to restore the donated equipment for the public to enjoy. Union Pacific remains dedicated to the maintenance and operation of our remaining heritage fleet, including hosting future tours and sharing UP 4014 and UP 844 with the rail community." Union Pacific will move the equipment to RRHMA's shop in Silvis, Illinois, later this year. RRHMA plans a multi-year, multi-million-dollar restoration of the equipment, including restoring the steam locomotives to operating condition. "The RRHMA is a wonderful home for this historic equipment," said Ed Dickens, steam locomotive engineer and Steam Program manager. "Railfans will look forward to seeing UP 3985 and UP 5511 return to the rails, as well as enjoy the opportunity to experience the various cars being donated." More information about moving these locomotives from Cheyenne to Silvis, Illinois will come later. As always, we'll keep Steam Club members updated. West Coast Steam Tour Planning continues for the Big Boy UP 4014's "West Coast Steam Tour" continues. We don't have updated dates yet, but when we do, Steam Club members will be the first to know! That's all for now. Until next time, stay safe! Union Pacific Steam Club

 

[ArlyA]

Here is a nice video of a contractor laying ribbon rail down on a BNSF main line. When I worked along a main-line we had a steel gang come through doing this very same job. The whole crew worked for BNSF and lived on the train while working there. Also see the ribbon rail cars passing through town as seen in the video. This little town seen a complete train pass threw every 20 minutes or so.

 

[MossRoad]

I first noticed ribbon rail several years back when they were replacing old track on a line between going into Lafayette, IN. I was watching a system similar to that video, and they were just driving along letting it droop off the back of the train like that. That's when I realized just how flexible that stuff is.

Also, about 20 years ago, they came through on the lines near our house and removed all of the plates between the sections of rails and welded them all together. That was a neat project to watch. The noises, grinding, sparks, and lights from the welding, all at night, was pretty cool.

But, alas, no more clickety-clack sounds from trains with continuous track.

The last train that had that sound here was the South Shore interurban that goes to Chicago. On damp, cool nights, you'd hear the train horn in the distance, then see the light coming down the track, then hear the clickety-clack of the wheels going over the joints, and you'd see the electric arc flashes as the pantograph bounced on the cantenary wires. Pretty cool, as the train was usually going 70mph. Big blue-green flashes, more visible as it was passing and going away than when it was coming towards you.

Here's a video of something similar on another part of the world...

 

[MossRoad]

Hamlet, Indiana April 30, 2022

A Wisconsin And Southern loco has been used there for years. Don't know any details.

 

[Hay Dude]

Maybe as a switcher to push/pull rail cars onto their sidings?

 

[MossRoad]

Yes. That's what it's used for. Just don't know who owns it. It might be owned by the Starke County Co-op or it might be Chicago, Ft. Wayne and Eastern. It's been there for what seems like 10-15 years. It is used, as it's in good shape. The only times I get over there are passing through just to look at it, or a friend of mine's family funerals.

 

[MossRoad]

Chicago, Ft. Wayne & Eastern Railroad – A Genesee & Wyoming Company