Nice photos. http://davidstreeter.net/pics/IMGP3402.JPG
Are you pictured in the lower left of the above photo?

No, I took it. That's George, father of my friend Mike.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

A Look Back at Chicago's Streetcar Era

Article including quite a few photos and a video to the original show.
---
p.s. At the end of the article is mention and a photo of A restored blue and white 1924 streetcar, #141, at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois.

---

Well I have just discovered that NKP 765, the same steam engine from David's photo will be making two special runs from Chicago Union Station to the Galesburg Railroad Festival, and return on the 25th and 26th June, with a stop at Naperville.

https://fortwaynerailroad.org/?event=galesburg-zephyr&event_date=2016-06-25

This should take it past the Railstream Chicago camera 4 times.

Leaves Chicago at 8 am CT which will be 2 PM BST and returns at 6:30 pm which is midnight 30 here.

Hopefully I will get a few pictures an maybe even video.

---

Well via a contact I got wind of a move that has been delayed but was on for today.

The newest diesel loco on the American market is the EMD F125 and Metrolink in LA are the first railroad to get any.

They are being built at the EMD plant in Muncie IN, which ia a long way from LA!!

The first one was moved past Chesterton today protected by 2 buffer wagons



Now there is something you don't see every day

The future of American passenger travel??

---

Now there is something you don't see every day

The future of American passenger travel??

Could be
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-transit-projects-20160319-story.html

---

Now there is something you don't see every day

The future of American passenger travel??

Could be
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-transit-projects-20160319-story.html

While new units for the biggest city in California are being built in the midwest, new ones for the midwest are being built in the capital of California. (Okay, Caltrans is getting some too.)

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

A Look Back at Chicago's Streetcar Era

Article including quite a few photos and a video to the original show.
---
p.s. At the end of the article is mention and a photo of A restored blue and white 1924 streetcar, #141, at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois.

I have ridden 141 once around the Car Line and then into the barn. Looks nice, but sounds like its gears are grinding themselves to bits. I didn't ask to run it.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

If I haven't mentioned it yet, next Sunday I will be a car host on NKP 765 from The Glen of North Glenview to Janesville and return. Mandatory crew training/briefing Saturday at 5pm at Metra's Western Ave. Coach Yard, then report there at 6am for the deadhead to TGONG. I may also be on at least one of the Galesburg trips at the end of the month. I had to order some new clothes for this, and I hope they have one of their uniform vests in my size.

Turned out I didn't need all the new clothes, just a white polo shirt (with no pocket, I didn't realize when I ordered). They allowed the same black jeans I wear at IRM. The biggest vest they had was a 4X, which I was at least able to get on.

Metra did not hold us to the 40 MPH speed limit imposed by NS since the 1980s, and the crew took full advantage, getting her up to at least 70. Metra also allowed the Dutch doors to be open as long as there was no live track outside, and standing in one at speed was a lot of fun.

I have a few phone pics I will upload tomorrow.

First thing to do after getting home from a steam train ride: get in the shower and rinse the cinders out of your hair. (I have less hair now than when I first learned that lesson.)

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Well via a contact I got wind of a move that has been delayed but was on for today.

The newest diesel loco on the American market is the EMD F125 and Metrolink in LA are the first railroad to get any.

They are being built at the EMD plant in Muncie IN, which ia a long way from LA!!

The first one was moved past Chesterton today protected by 2 buffer wagons



Now there is something you don't see every day

The future of American passenger travel??

Why I think the style is almost Continental:)
I like it.

---

[/quote]

Old James

Why I think the style is almost Continental:)
I like it.

Spot on, here is a fuller description:

The EMD F125 Spirit is a four-axle high speed passenger diesel locomotive manufactured by EMD. It is powered by a Caterpillar C175-20 diesel engine rated at 4,700 hp (3,500 kW). The locomotive is capable of traveling at a maximum in-service speed of 125 mph (201 km/h) pulling consists of up to 10 cars. It is EMD's first new passenger locomotive since the DM30AC and DE30AC, and EMD's first domestic passenger locomotive in 15 years.

Features of the F125 include EPA Tier 4 emissions compliance (with exhaust after-treatment), AC traction systems, extended-range blend and dynamic brakes with HEP regeneration capabilities, advanced crash energy management (CEM) technology, and a streamlined body design, designed by Vossloh Rail Vehicles of Spain.

---

Apparently 6 (04) was supposed to leave 156 and the special cars at Denver to be collected by 6 (05) but it just left 156 the special cars are still on 6(04)

Catching up with my train email account (I'm a couple weeks behind), some new info from a reliable source:

There is no confirmation as to why the overnight stay in Denver
was abandoned.

SPECULATION:

With 6(4) running late (now almost six hours late at Mt. Pleasant,
IA), maybe they changed their minds because they would miss a
function in Denver? Arriving at the scheduled time would allow
a nice evening in LoDo...But arriving at 1030pm would not.

Or maybe cooler heads decided NOT to chance a too-close connection
between 6(5), now 2 1/2 hours late at Glenwood, and 50(7)?

According to a Chicago-area source, the AMTK 156, the
Heritage Phase I engine which had been the leading/controlling unit
had a STATE OF GOOD REPAIR issue with an onboard brake
control computer.

It had multiple penalty brake applications and had to be taken
offline east of Granby when the penalty application would not
release. The only way the train got moving was to shut down the
AMTK 156, and reset/restart it. The decision was made to give up on
it at Denver and set it out.

So Boardman got a taste of what regular Amtrak passengers experience
in mechanical failures.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Had another visitor to my local station today , one I had not see before.

However I made the mistake of believing that Realtimetrains was correct when it said platform 4, so I was on the wrong side of the station, also a 377 EMU almost got in the way. Still I got a few pics

Here is Battle of Britain Class 34052 Lord Dowding.



Had to edit that one a bit as there was someone else taking pics.



Bit better.



Probably the best one.



And a couple of fans standing where I should have been!!!

You can also see the footbridge it that shot which probably would have been the best place to be.

---

Ya do what ya can under the circumstances, Bernie.

Unfortunately, my circumstances are that I won't be working on 765 to Galesburg after all: it's been canceled. Low ticket sales. Anyone who already bought tickets will get a full refund and 10% off a future trip.

I'll probably drive down on Saturday for the swap and see what's on display. Maybe I'll put in an unscheduled appearance at the museum Sunday.

Speaking of the museum, oooooooooyyyyyyyyyy........

Saturday was nice enough, hot but not oppressively humid, and working on an air conditioned L train (2200s). 1630 came out late and ran one trip, then had to limp back to the shop with a broken leaf spring bracket on the pilot truck. Its interesting replacement was not a diesel, but Commonwealth Edison 4, a steeplecab electric. Later, the guy in charge of the modern L cars brought out the 2400s to train my motorman on them. The poles on them need a bit of adjustment; one insisted on tracking for the main instead of Schmidt Siding, even when I stood between the cars and pulled the rope sideways. The other tracked for Station 1 instead of the West Wye, but it obeyed when I pulled it. We ended up being the cleanup train, last mainline run of the day.

Sunday: I'm dispatcher and 3142. I asked if we could substitute 415 so I could get some training. A-Sup agreed to some training on it, but didn't want to do it all day. Diesel coach was ready unusually early and made the first run. We followed it out 15 minutes later and met at Johnson as I ordered. More visitors showed up and we did it again. There was also a long line at the gate; internet was slow and taking over a minute to process credit cards. They got help and hand wrote cash and member tickets until the net was fixed. 308's crew showed up late and then had trouble with it, and eventually switched to 749 instead. With so many people, 749's trainman brought out 3142 and ran it for a while. We started chasing him around the Car Line until the crowd thinned a bit mid-afternoon. We put 415 away and I grabbed a bratwurst and took over 3142. I haven't mentioned that it was very hot (I never checked, but it was supposed to be at least 90) and more humid than Saturday. After an hour or so on 3142, I started feeling kind of weak. I also started feeling my colon acting up and decided not to take a chance on it (it had been a big problem Saturday morning), so I called A-Sup to relieve me, and asked to use his golf cart to drive to the diner (staff facilities are in the rear). I'm honestly not sure if I would have made it if I'd walked there. The crisis turned out to be minor. I drove up to the depot for a couple more bottles of cold water and chugged a lot of it. A-Sup called me back to the car and I ran it a couple more times, feeling a bit better. BN-1 and 749 were running on half hour headways, but losing a bit each time; 749's conductor said this was because they kept losing poles due to the wire sagging in the heat. I finally pushed back a departure to the next quarter hour and then pushed the cleanup another quarter, to 5:00. I suddenly found myself with no passengers and decided to sweep the floor while sitting at Depot St., where there was a bit of a breeze blowing through the car. I also closed the windows on one side, then took it to bed. Some kind soul had lined all the switches for me, so I only had to let myself into the Tail Track, and used my authority as dispatcher to leave it open. After closing everything up, I got in my car (parked all day by Barn 7) and started blasting the A/C. Instead of going to the office to sign out, I drove toward the depot to see why 749 hadn't asked to go to bed yet. I got as far as the Depot St. car stop and saw Exec. Director's new Model T sitting next to the train. I called them on the radio; they said they were cleaning the train and would be ready in about ten minutes. I gave them their order to bed anyway, telling them the switch was open and they should close it. Then 8537 called, wanting to switch out of Yard 4 west. I just gave him dispatcher right then, confirming that he'd heard the order and that 749 was the only train on the railroad. Model T started zipping back and forth on the bus line. I signed out, chomping on a leftover chicken sandwich from the diner (my stomach gets unhappy when I put large amounts of water in it with no food), and forgetting to put 8537 on the dispatcher board, which someone did for me. When 749 finally went to bed, 8537 told them leave the switch open. Some of us went for dinner where I downed three large glasses of water and a margarita and still felt hot. Even after driving home with the A/C still cranked up, I took a cool shower and only then felt okay again.

Today I have not done anything but sit and watch TV.

News: we have a new Designated Authority for weekday operations, and he asked me to come out with him on Tuesdays to learn the weekday operation. Fortunately, it will only be in the low 80s tomorrow.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Heat and trains ...
https://twitter.com/Metrolink/status/745006089003999232

*ALERT* Due to reduced speed caused by extreme heat trains will experience delays throughout the day. Updates will be sent as needed

Rails might have shifted! Yes it is hot in Southern California!

---

News: we have a new Designated Authority for weekday operations, and he asked me to come out with him on Tuesdays to learn the weekday operation. Fortunately, it will only be in the low 80s tomorrow.

I went today. He qualified me on 415. I gave him my number in case he needs me to fill in.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Future doings at the museum:

July 17, 2016, at 11:27am, is the 50th anniversary of the first museum operation at Union (Illinois Terminal 415). There is one volunteer who was on the first trip and is still physically able to operate. I will be dispatcher that day and am already overthinking my orders to make sure it happens on time. I hope that as the newest qualified operator, I get to run a trip later in the day, maybe the last.

(Of course, this is all speculative. Right now it's not even on the schedule.)

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

https://youtu.be/VddySeXbPo8

First pair of Siemens Chargers being picked up from the factory. You can safely skip to about 3:30.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Metro Gold Line repair/maintenance facility.

Wish I could get a pic but
https://goo.gl/maps/MoVqG3YNF2A2
Is the right spot to take it and that is in the middle of the freeway.

If google behaves there are two new (at that time) trains in the yard.

---

An interesting yard shifter consist from Thunder Bay, two cows and one calf. And another reminder that not all North American trains are grey.

---

An interesting yard shifter consist from Thunder Bay, two cows and one calf. And another reminder that not all North American trains are grey.

Actually, two mothers and a slug. Unless Canadian parlance is different than US, but I don't think it is.

A cow-calf set is a pair of switchers, usually connected with a drawbar, each with a prime mover and traction motors but only one having a cab.


A slug has traction motors (and often a fuel tank for its mother) but no prime mover, getting its electrical power from the mother. It may have dynamic brakes if it's designed for road service. Most slugs are cut down from locomotives, but CSX built some that have fully functional cabs and retain their original carbody.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.