When I clock to go to another Forum, a POP-UP asks if I want to close all Tags, or Only The Current One? Omce I clocked on "ALL Tags" amd pooph I was back on my Desk Top! The other one leaves you on the Page Header. Useless delay as near as I can tell.
.............WHAT IS A TAG ??? When I click to go to another Forum, a POPUP asks "ckise All Tags or Close current?" Tags seem to be useless waste of time!" If you click on ALL, poof you end up on the desktop!! Click on Current and you end up on the header at the top of the page.
It probably didn't say "Close all Tags", but rather "Close all TABS". Tabs are like separate sub-windows in a web browser.. so you can have several web pages open at once, but all in the same window. You can click on one or another tab to switch which web page you're reading. It's the same concept as tabs on file folders or index cards. Most modern browsers (IE, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, etc.) have them, and they usually have a way of closing a single tab while leaving the rest open. If you have multiple tabs open and you go to close the window, all of them (I think) will post the warning you mention, in case you're accidentally closing the window when you only meant to close one tab. Does that help?
Charlie, Great thread. I finally reached the (current) end. A couple questions if you don't mind: Airline pilots, by law, are the final authority on the operation of their aircraft. If they think something is wrong, not even the President can force them to do something they don't feel is safe, and nobody can discipline them for making a safety call, either (caveat here about needing to declare an emergency before breaking FAA regs). Do train engineers enjoy the same authority over their work? Also, I noted several places where locations along the rail were mentioned as "Point A" or "Point G" in a story. Are those just generic placeholders, or does the railroad really name (some) spots along a line with names like "Point A"? How does the railroad designate specific block boundaries or sidings or what have you? Keep the tales coming! BTW: Watash, great tale-telling on the crossing safety thing. Really makes you think. My kids are several years from driving, but I plan to do just what you suggest - drive them to a crossing, park, and have a long chat. Hopefully by that time they'll be the sort to stop and whip out the camera, rather than try to race the train!
My superintendant is very active online. He isn't on Trainboard, but specific names and places can pull threads up on Google. I wouldn't lose my job, but I wouldn't feel comfortable being asked about it at work. Maybe I should have made up completely different names.
Oh, I totally understand. It just occurred to me that using some generic letter/number system would be entirely logical, especially for naming each of a dozen spots all in the same place, or for "naming" some spot in the middle of nowhere... Boring, but logical...
As far as operational authority goes, the conductor normally has the "say-so", hence his title. The engineer has operational authority over his equipment,the motive power. As for the safe and efficient operation of the train, both persons are responsible. An engineer can "red tag" defective equipment and refuse to operate it, but (s)he better be well versed on the FRA regulations governing that defect or operation before refusing to operate the equipment. Insubordination almost always results in termination. In the event of an emergency, railroad crews are mandated to take the safest course of action to preserve life and property. There are so many rules,regulations and orders that it is almost impossible to act without breaking one. Technically speaking I broke a safety rule twice a day by entering and leaving the property. ANY PERSON(my emphasis)on railroad property,not performing service for the railroad can be considered a trespasser! The parking lot at work is railroad property. Charlie
for mostly the same reasons, I dont give real names to people involved in my stories. As far as Rochelle IL goes, telling stories about that station doesn't bother me. I hated working there. It is a really nice town and the people are friendly, but the management there left a great deal to be desired. I am not the only railroader who felt that way about the place as I have indicated in a couple of stories. Charlie
Those who read/subscribe to "Trains" magazine, turn to page 53 of the February 2010 issue. There is a photo entitled "a view that's perfect for watching trains". It is from a house in Ferryville WI. This is on the Chicago - LaCrosse WI freight line and was the route used by such trains as the "Twin Cities Zephyr", the "Empire Builder" and the "North Coast Limited". That body of of water in the background is the "Father of Waters", the Mississippi River. You can see how the BNSF R.O.W. is right along the shoreline. I ALWAYS enjoyed working that pool(the I.D. Pool). Its 300 miles from Chicago to LaCrosse and once thru Savanna IL, the route is mostly along the river all the way to St.Paul. It is tremendously scenic in ALL seasons and during shipping season you might very well encounter at least one of the paddle-wheel riverboats cruising the river. Sometimes a passing towboat will hail the passing train with a horn blast,which will usually be returned! Crews will exchange waves with the fishermen on and along the river. Other than my qualifying runs as a conductor and engineer I really didn't get a chance to work the route all that much. The story I told about the suicide was one such trip which,unfortunately, did not get us past Naperville, IL. That was in early summer and I was looking forward to not only the trip, but the $$$ I was gonna make from working that r/t. Economic considerations aside, it was a chance to be "up close and personal" with a natural thing that one had read about in school or books. The river that fueled Mark Twain's imagination. The river that helped settle this nation, providing a way to ship needed goods and supplies to a growing immigrant nation. And here I was on a machine that was, and still is, a major supplier to the pilgrims and their descent, whose lives were and still are dependent on those rails and that waterway. It is a humbling feeling. The water has been there and was very old since before a human first laid eyes on it. Imagine the stories it could tell! At any rate, the photo will give you a good idea of why I enjoyed railroading so much! Charlie
Thanks TwinDad, My cataracts keep me from seeing all the mistakes I make. You are a great help! It is Tabs not Tags. (Did I get it right?) When the notice comes that I have a reply to a thread I subscrobe to, and I clock on the URL Code, it opems on another page behinf the one I am on! I hate that!!! I liked it better when the new page just opened where I was. Right now I see 5 pages cascaded under thos page. I will have to "X" each one off thew desk top before I look at the next email. I can not think of a time I would want a bunch of Tabs, Oh well, that's progress, just something else to complicate our lives. sheesh!
Crossing gates up and down Oh teacher....:tb-wacky: I have seen here on another line ( not C&I) the crossing gates go down then back up with no train any where in site. Once there up it is 2-3 mins. and there back down then 30 sec. they go back up. It drives the car and big truck traffic nuts they are saying to them self go don't go. Is this a electrical problem in the rail or a sensor problem along the rail?
==================================================================== Based on what you're saying, it could be anything. It could be a problem with the sensor, a short or bad board. It could be that there is some industry switching nearby and the loco and/or cars enter the zone and activate the gates. It could be a signal maintainer or a weed weasel or even the FRA doing some testing. Sometimes on the METRA lines, a local train at high speed will activate the gates well in advance of the train, the train will make it's stop and the distant gates will rise, only to re-activate once the train moves again. Charlie P.S. BTW High or pooling water will shunt the gate relays along with track switches!!!!
We had that here is San Antonio a few years ago. The switches would cycle under a string of cars during switching. Often it would drop a car onto the ground. The system was very old in East Yard with both pneumatic and electrical operation. It has been replaced now, I believe. I don't hear about it anymore.
I sure enjoy your stories Charlie! Did you ever "Play Trains" when you were a kid? You were the owner or President of the Railroad? When you and another kid would load a Chevy onto a flat car, haul it around to the next "town" and unload it at the customer's truck to haul it off to somewhere the train didn't go? If that kind of story would be of interest, I might have one for you. Its about kids as they play as if they were grown up.
All the time! My childhood fantasy was to be the engineer of a passenger train express! Most of us seldom "grow-up" to achieve our childhood fantasies whether they were a fireman,a cop or a professional athlete. I was fortunate enough to achieve my childhood fantasy although my fast passenger express train was a commuter train! Not as long... but just as wide! LOL Go right ahead and post your stories, in fact I think we can even rename the thread to indicate the two story-tellers. Anybody got any ideas for the thread name? Doesn't even have to have our name in it AFAIC ! I don't need top billing either! Charlie
How about " True tales of the rails"? Wait a minute all of us rails know that some stories might be a lil less than totally honest lol. I would say Railroad Reading but I think that title is used by a certain magazine.Hmmm well someone more awake and with a lil more wit can come up with that.
