Gardner Gawking

BostonUrbEx wrote:

atholrail wrote:They ran a PWED last night with run through PW power...

There was a PWED some time last week-ish, too. Had run-through power as well, but it was NS power.

Is PWED run only as needed? Is there a EDPW or does PAS continue to run a conventional EDAY? I stopped by the Jade II rail fan platform last Friday mid-afternoon and as far as the eye could see, the yard was empty. First time I had seen an empty Gardner yard in years.

It was an extra. EDAY handles PW traffic or supposed to.

Lmiller wrote:Notice a new security/surveillance camera on the new utility pole next to the compressor shed today,,,, it's facing west !

Update, there"s two cams on the pole , one also facing south towards the Rt 2 ohb,, didn't see it from my original vantage point the other day!

by newpylong » Sun Feb 21, 2016 8:08 am
It was an extra. EDAY handles PW traffic or supposed to.
Re: Gardner Gawking
Post by johnpbarlow » Sun Feb 21, 2016 7:28 am
BostonUrbEx wrote:
atholrail wrote:
They ran a PWED last night with run through PW power...
There was a PWED some time last week-ish, too. Had run-through power as well, but it was NS power.

Given the sometimes light EDAYs and AYEDs, mebbe what's happening in an effort to keep Gardner fluid and also free up crews and power is PWED on an as-needs basis: When the PW has enough PAS-bound cars to choke Gardner, an ED run-through is scheduled. The PWMT/MTPWs of a few years ago gave the precedent and practice in hand-overs, the same as the ethanols do now. EDPOs can do PW set-offs, and POEDs can highball Gardner on PWED days.

by Lmiller » Sun Feb 21, 2016 8:30 am
Lmiller wrote:
Notice a new security/surveillance camera on the new utility pole next to the compressor shed today,,,, it's facing west !
Update, there"s two cams on the pole , one also facing south towards the Rt 2 ohb,, didn't see it from my original vantage point the other day!

There's no small amount of pedestrian traffic to and from South Gardner along and over the ROW and occasional talk of loads -- especially boxes -- being "investigated" by civilians, so mebbe the eyes on the pole are to monitor/discourage such activities.

FWIW, wrt to Train 287, I heard NS S Tier dispatcher tell a crew of a 26K train at Binghamton this AM that NS has decided 287 no longer runs daily BUT there are apparently enough empty auto racks accumulating that a wb rack needs to run almost daily. So on days the 287 symbol isn't scheduled to operate, a 26K mt rack train may run. I'm not sure where this train originates but I'm guessing it's Mechanicville as I've not heard tell of the 26K symbol running on District 3. Maybe more grist for the PWED mill.

I'm posting this here because of jaymac's frequent comments on D3 radio transmissions. I have noticed an improvement in the last two days in the quality of signal from what I believe is the Paxton antenna site. Perhaps you can monitor in the next few days and see what you think.

For anyone looking forward to any reports of things in motion, this will be a disappointing report. For anyone looking forward to any response to neman2's request for assessment of D-3 transmission improvements, this will likewise be a disappointing report: Between 0525 and 0730/02-22-2016, not one word was heard from D-3.
Now for the remainder of things during that time period: ~0600, Wachusett 2 was MT and the EB dark. The company hyrail Mack boom was in its customary spot, as was the company non-hyrail pickup, those two joined by a tracked Cat mini excavator just east of the lot's pavement. Other heavy stuff was north of OOS 1, which had the tamper and regulator just west of the Princeton Road/Rte. 31 UGB. 335 continued its sameoldsameold.
Up Da Hill had racks on the westerly end of Yard 4 (the same ones as on 02-19?) and a compressor was over by the switch from Yard 4. Main 2 had racks from the Timpany Boulevard UGB to just east of New Switch. There were also racks on Yard 1 Extension (the same ones as on Parkers 2 on 02-19?). There cudda bin other stuff on either Yards 1 or 2 or 4 behind the Main 2 racks, but if so, they weren't visible from either the Jade lot or between the racks further west. The House trio was still there, and it looked like someone had shown up to get the brush cutter cutting brush. The eyes on the pole noted by Lmiller were also still there. There were also a pair of vertically-polarized directional antennas oriented to differing compass points. Exact type and frequency range of the antennas are well beyond my "expertise." Further west, Parkers was MT and the CPF-346 WL dark at 0625, but the increased light level plus increased sensitivity to eyes on poles increased awareness of an "experienced" and/or home-brew red-on-white sign on the easterly of the electrical distribution panels that proclaimed "VIDEO SURVEILLANCE IN USE." I didn't see any cameras, but I may not yet have been sufficiently sensitized.
Back down Da Hill, the company hyrail Mack boom served another purpose. Bruce Nelson's http://photos.nerail.org/s/?p=228320" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; showing the 1-to-be (Wachusett, not West Fitchburg: Even though Wachusett is in the western part of Fitchburg, West Fitchburg is 2 +/- miles to the east at Depot Street.) has the easterly ends of the rails just about where the Mack was sitting. Other parts of the caption I'm not sure of. A crew was assembling at Wachusett, ditto the westerly River Street UGB, and ditto just west of the Water Street OHB. Further east, OldPaint 347 was in the FI-1/2 parking spot at 0712, and all this time not one thing was seen moving -- even T -- and only a scratchy Boston West transmission was heard.

Before the main business of the 02-24-2016 patrol and in response to neman2's request about Paxton antenna improvements, at least at 0542 and at least from the intersection of Rtes. 140 and 70 in Boylston, things seemed louder -- to the point of over-modulation -- but not clearer when D-3 gave SEPO a G-301 from Burncoat. Normally from that point, SEPO/POSE power is clearly audible, but mebbe atmospherics/sleet were interfering cuz the read-back was also broken, but not as badly as D-3. While I was in Gardner and at 0658, D-3 gave a foreman a G-302 that was loud, but broken, so broken I couldn't make out where the foreman was, but given the time of day, it was probably for Extension work, so 335 or to the east, so probably Paxton was the antenna of choice.
~0615, things were sameoldsameold at Wachusett and almost the sameoldsameold at 335 -- a tie handler was at the west end of the incomplete layover lead off 2, so mebbe the gap will soon be gotten rid off.
Up Da Hill had surprises. Power was sitting on Yard 1 Extension, soon to be seen as solo PW 2006 that -- per Hayden McSwiggin's http://photos.nerail.org/s/?p=228394" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; -- had been there since at least daylight of 02-23. The rack count on the west end of Yard 4 was down to 1, and Yard 1 and Yard 4 both had some general, at least 1 rack also being in the midst of the Yard 4 group. If there had been any Heywood traffic, it was before the snow fell, and the brush cutter was no longer on the House, but the anchorer and spiker were, as was the loader north of the House. There were also 3 racks on the Extension to the east of the 2006. The real surprise came when D-3 told someone at 0635 that they would not be working Gardner and then hearing a less than clear acknowledgement.Thank you, Deity Of The CPF-345 Dunks! Both noise and brightiewhities to the east of the Jade lot confirmed I had not had an auditory hallucination, and POED with OldYeller LTEX 8955 and NewBlue 516 plus 67 followers on 1 got west of Heywood Switch at 0640. There were Irving, Ludwige, and Scotsburn wrapped centerbeams, blocks of slurries, including some still representing OMYA, 2 separated NewBlue boxes, and a dozen or so company hoppers -- full-size and shorties -- among the crowd. If the 8955 on POED is triggering a déjà vu episode, it's only because your memory is working the way it should:

Re: POED / EDPO (Portland - East Deerfield trains)
Postby MEC407 » Tue Feb 23, 2016 10:47 am
Video by Derek Carpine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0JgWrsQmPQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

TheYouTube clip, however, has the 8955 as only 20% of the units. Actually, on a pro-rated axle-count basis, the 8955 was 60% of the power for the 02-24 POED. The gamble paid off again, Power Control!
To revisit the earlier theme of radio communications, not a peep was heard from the 346.6, so a trip west was made, in part to do my non-job and in other part to see if POED was tying down on 1 at Parkers. No, it hadn't, but it had gotten far enough west that the CPF-346 WL had gone dark as of 0700. Oh yeah, 2 was MT, too. Dunno if the 346.6 was OOS or if the aforementioned atmospherics had kept me from hearing her from a shade less than 2 miles to the east.
Back down Da Hill, the Wachusett lot was nowhere near as occupied as usual, but there was activity north of 1. Also, the company hyrail Mack boom at the west end of the lot and the tamper and regulator on OOS 1 were all warming up. There contractors busy at the wing-wall forms, as well. There was also activity at the westerly River Street UGB. Mebbe it was there before and it was now bright enough to be obvious, but there was tenting around the top of the cribbing on the southwest abutment for the 2 UGB.
Crews and equipment were at the Nashua River UGB east of the Bike Shop Zeda's, and to finally bring this to an end, OldPaint 347 occupied the FI-1/2 parking spot at at 0746.

A post-post edit to undo an omission:
The Heywood's Main Street crossing is now in the 21st century: New crossbucks and shiny "Malfunction (?) or Emergency" notification signs are in place.

In response to jaymac's comments about D3 radio over modulation the past couple of days, I agree, it sounded better Saturday.

I love the daily posts from Chair City, but I got to ask; what does "UGB" mean? I don't think that it is "Urban Growth Boundary" in this context. Thanks!

Undergrade Bridge. And OHB is Overhead Bridge.

02-26-2016 was yet another Official Static Display Day, at least between 0530 and 0725.
~0545, the company hyrail Mack boom was now on the eastern end of the Wachusett lot, near the Cat mini excavator and the non-hyrail company pickup. There was equipment north of OOS 1 that had been joined by a pair of mini mountains of stone. South of 2 and between the lot and the UGB were a line of bags, mebbe anchors, mebbe plates, or mebbe both. Not only had the wing-wall forming been completed, but also it looked like it had been poured. 335 seemed unchanged from 02-24.
Up Da Hill, the members of the Still-There Department included the anchorer and spiker still there on the House, the loader still there just north of the House, the solo rack still there on the westerly end of Yard 4, the rack trio still there on the Extension, and the most surprising addition to the Still-There Department, PW 2006 still there and still idling a bit east of the rack trio. The Also-There Department had general on Yard 4 from the westerly FP to mebbe a car-length or two shy of the solo rack, and a bit shorter string of racks sat on Yard 2. At 0615, Parkers was MT, the CPF-346 WL dark, and EB time kicked in.
People were showing up at the Wachusett lot, but the westerly River Street UGB and the Bike Shop/Zeda's were quiet as of drive-by. The Official Static Display Day theme received its coda with OldPaint 347 on static display at the FI-1/2 parking at 0659.
You might well ask about radio activity. If it weren't for local Keolis chatter, I mighta thought my scanner was having trouble. There had been a couple brief bursts of static, but no identifiable D-3 or D-2 transmissions were heard between the above mentioned time window.

Edit for update:
Did some 1100ish listening in Clinton-Lancaster-Bolton area, and the Paxton antenna -- at least to me -- did continue to seem louder, but no more, in fact sometimes less, intelligible. Hopefully, this is an issue specific to scanners and not to cabs of locomotives or company vehicles.

Its interesting that pan am chose to install cameras, ive never heard of them doing that. Youd think theyd have used the resources somewhere like lawrence where theres a serious pedestrian problem with people being killed, and i can only imagine the kind of crime they see out there. I understand that there is alot of pedestrian use of that stretch of track under route 2, but how would a camera even help that? Lol. By the time anyone showed up the people would be long gone. And if people are opening boxcars, first off how the hell are they getting those doors open, and second off what are they gonna do with a bunch of huge paper rolls? Its a stretch but do you think maybe the PW installed them? I

P&W ownership ends south of the Route 2.

strangelyamused wrote:Its interesting that pan am chose to install cameras, ive never heard of them doing that. Youd think theyd have used the resources somewhere like lawrence where theres a serious pedestrian problem with people being killed, and i can only imagine the kind of crime they see out there. I understand that there is alot of pedestrian use of that stretch of track under route 2, but how would a camera even help that? Lol. By the time anyone showed up the people would be long gone. And if people are opening boxcars, first off how the hell are they getting those doors open, and second off what are they gonna do with a bunch of huge paper rolls? Its a stretch but do you think maybe the PW installed them? I

Maybe they're rail fan cams like they have at Rochelle, IL!