Went looking for details today.

Here is an intermediate part of the project.

I needed the details of the ends of the bridge so we won’t on a little adventure today!

And last but not least the look down into the Little Otter Creek on Little Chicago Road in North Ferrisburgh, VT.

Have a great year and share some of your pictures too!

Details

Am I see it right that the first non-bridge tie at the end of the abutment is actually two ties end to end, with a couple blocks in the middle to keep them in line?  Any idea why?

the end ties..

Hi Ken

the end ties are longer, rest directly on the concrete abutment and protrude slightly beyond it. My only thought as to why this is so, is perhaps to spread any static and/or dynamic loads from passing trains directly to the abutment as these end ties don't look as if they are supported by the steel bridge girders.

This would distribute those train loadings across the full abutment width and thus lower the pressure on the concrete/masonry abutment surface. Pressure = Load/area, so if you increase the area you reduce the pressure. Maybe the axle loadings are approaching a critical crush pressure if a standard length tie was used? Any bridge engineers on here??

Another angle.

My impression was that they wanted to contain the ballast from falling into the abyss.  Probably wrong.

That's plausible

HI Nick,

that's probably a far more plausible reason than mine,

I vote for guess #2

"Any bridge engineers here?"

Yes.

My guess is it's a ballast dam and they didn't have a turnout tie handy.  (Which is what I would have used.)

The short blocks help keep the ties from "walking" (sliding) on the relatively smooth top of the concrete abutment.

Scott Chatfield

Missouri Valley, NE

EWD Manifest train approaching Mo Valley on the UP :

I did get to the trainyard last week....

FRED

Thiele, ACF must have sold off some cars.

Tire tracks...

North of a border.

South of a border.

My favorite color, "very red".  I'm pleased to have some time in the engineer's seat of 201.  VTR's first new locomotive directly from EMD!

Not often seen any more...

Aurizon sugar train, rarely seen due to dominance of Pacnat in this area.

Edit: explained - these vehicles are for phosphate traffic, not sugar.

Car Cards are confusing

Union Pacific local crew idles while the conductor looks through a stack of car cards to determine today's work.

Valley NE, 12/21/20 

Just found

these on a stray camera card:

Not the buffer I expected

I didn't think the IARR had the Southern hopper but I looked back and they have had it since at least June.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/eslade4/50866911588/in/dateposted-public/

Couple rescent picturess from the train yard.

Aluminum salt carrying cars.

Salt seems to come to Vermont in anything available and at the end of it's life

or maybe salt is hard on cars.

On a spur in Garbutt

BT or Burlington, VT rail yard.

Just a shot from above of the rail yard I speak of.  Went flying today and happened to have my camera with me. 

You should be able to see in quite a ways....  Hope you enjoy as much as I do!

I bagged my first Ichabod yesterday

Went looking for an interesting building for the next project and this boxcar (Lemoore ,CA) was just sitting there like it owned the place. This will be a challenge to do that beautiful patina some justice.........still looking for the building.

 It was good to get my jabs and get out to my favorite stomping grounds again. Been a long year.

The answer to everything

 In these trying times, it's nice to see a carload of answers.....

Scott Chatfield

Shots

While on my way to my unloading point to spend the day on my dual sport motorcycle, as I crossed the bridge over the old Rock Island's "Choctaw Route" at Howe, OK, I happened to see an old used-to-be ATSF GP35 sitting below. The lights were on, so I took a side sashay and snapped a pic...

As I unloaded my dual sport bike at Bates, AR, I heard a train on the old KCS line to Waldron, AR. The line is now leased to Watco and operated as part of their "Arkansas Southern" lines. I've made that run countless times way back in my Watco years. I couldn't help but pause from unloading, and watch through the trees as it passed by.

Had a great trip riding the ride all the way over toward Waldron, then popped out of the east end and made a few miles into Waldron for lunch. In a nostalgic mood now, after lunch I buzzed down by the tracks at Waldron. My oh my, how many times I've run these rails. A scene looking toward the former depot area (up past the cars on the spur on the left)...

Then I tootled off to the end of the track. The old east wye switch is pictured below. Part of the east leg is still in place, but hasn't had a movement over it in well over a decade...

Some days it's just meant for a feller to stop and reflect.

Andre

Sometimes the ghosts still breathe fire

Hi all,

Earlier in the month marked the delayed official "Return to Service" of the former New South Wales Government Railway's pride of the fleet, 3801. The locomotive is now running under the banner of Transport Heritage NSW. Co-vid killed their first planned "Return to Service" celebrations last year.

Here's the official video of the run between Sydney's iconic Central station and Rhodes in suburban Sydney. The official train was paralleled for part of the way by some 1928-built electric cars forming a  heritage 4 car set. Cars similar to these operated the Sydney suburban services until the double-deck cars arrived into service from the 1960's. 

Enjoy the sights and sounds of something that has taken many years to restore with most of the restoration effort being done by volunteers. The clipped chuff and the 38's chime whistle are sounds that are unique to the 38 Class. Of the 30 produced, the first 5 only were streamlined,  3801 now back in heritage action, 3830 needs boiler repairs, 3820 is complete but on static display and the remaining one (3813) is an "incomplete kit of parts" bearing little resemblance to a locomotive. The other 26 of the class have vanished like many other steam locos into the memory of films recorded by those lucky enough to have seen and filmed them in action. 

Enjoy,  

My rude interruption while taking CPL detail pictures

On Saturday it was nice and sunny so I went out to go take some detail pictures of Norfolk & Western CPL signals on the H-line near Vaughn, Virginia. This is the CP Vaughn side of the Summit-Vaughn siding.

The signal replacement on this line has been halted for now and these are some of the most northern remaining N&W CPLs here.

So here I am, shooting away pictures like this:

after pictures like that:

after detail pictures like so:

all of the signal protecting the switch and siding from trains coming from the south.

I then start making detail pictures of the dual mast signal platform protecting the siding's switch from trains coming from the north:

a closer up look of the back of the signal heads, the stairs and small platforms:

A 2/3 view showing the main platform details:

then a nice zoomed in platform side view:

when all of a sudden I get interrupted by this ding-ding-ding-ding noise followed by a few horn blasts. I look around and well, what do you know. An empty coal train (747):

meeting a manifest train (symbol unknown) that was waiting in the hole:

After the trains pass I finish my detail pictures (about 270) and decided it was time to go get some BBQ!

Last Sunday in Bundaberg Botanical Gardens:

The train goes through the shed, but slightly too fast for me to get a good shot of the other two steam locos in there.

And, at the Fairymead Sugar Museum:

Have to return these to Canada

for weathering.  Much too clean.....

And now that I look at the pictures they are a little different too.

You did say Prototype

 And I am building 1:1    

CPLs

Cool pics of the CPLs.  You should've taken one home.  

Randy