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Thanks for the translation. That's a little tricky to figure out, especially since "OCS Special" would mean "Office Car Special Special." It must be a very special train!

I think I figured out "CSS" (Chicago South Shore?), but what railroad is OCS?

Say aren't these things supposed to have tracking problems above 80 or so? At least the ones with the shorter rebuilt GP trucks? Is that based on Caltrain's experience? As I recall, as soon as they corrected the profile of the wheels, truck hunting was no longer a problem on Caltrain MP36s. Metra r...

In addition, according to the investigation Metra commissioned, over the years Pagano had (with the board's approval) taken loans against his deferred compensation which currently exceed the post-tax value of that $950k package. The 17-page report on that investigation is on Metra's web site. http:/...

This will not be an answer to your question as much as an extension of it. I see the same WEPX coal trains on the CP C&M subdivision, where they complete their trip to the Wepco electric generation plant south of Milwaukee, WI. I first noticed these BNSF coal trains on the CP C&M in early Ja...

I imagine these platform cameras (which I think are mounted on the control cars as well as on locomotives) may be espeically helpful on UP lines, which generally are left-hand running. On those lines, passengers board on the fireman's side, which I think would make it more difficult for the engineer...

Although we can't use a search engine to find an online discussion forum from the time to see what people thought then, I have to think that similar laments of the decline of the social order followed prior (non-digital) advances in technology. (I've heard of things called books and indexes which su...

Still can't figure out why those Hiawathas are always so dirty... I think it's because the Horizon cars have a brushed aluminum exterior, in contrast to the smooth stainless steel of Metra or Superliner cars. It takes some sort of acid wash to get the Horizons looking reasonably clean. They usually...

I wondered what the policy is of that railway in respect of arranging an official locomotive foorplate ride? I have never heard of either a locomotive footplate or f[l?]oorplate , so I can only give the most approximate of answers. My guess is that this may refer to one of the exterior platforms of...

A particularly good time to be at Trax is around 17:42 on weekdays. When things are running on schedule, Amtrak Hiawatha 339 usually flies through at 79 mi/h "wrong main" (i.e. going westbound on track 2) while Metra 2133 completes its station stop at Deerfield on track 1. Although 2133 ho...

Here are a few photos of 614 today (25 Aug 2006) on 2141 at Deerfield, crummy though they are since it came through during a thunderstorm. http://members.trainorders.com/meh/f40c/ As far as I could tell, 614 was not operating, or at least was not above an idle. The lead unit (114) was in run-8 throu...

Yes, they connect to ground power on the north side of Union Station. Then about five minutes before departure, they shut down the lights and HVAC in the coaches, disconnect the 440 V ground power, increase the locomotive's engine speed as needed to provide HEP, and turn the lights and HVAC back on ...

Metra 2159, the westbound Milwaukee North train originating at 00:25 on 20 Aug 2006 (or the timetable would probably call it 24:25 on 19 Aug 2006) was delayed for about an hour and forty-five minutes in the vicinity of Chestnut St. in Glenview, IL (MP 18.24, between the Glenview and North Glenview p...

Although stearic acid is an extremely stable chemical, when released into the air, it can cause eye, skin or respiratory irritation. For that reason, the local fire departments and hazardous material teams felt that it was best that we not operate through the areas until the product was removed fro...

As a chemist, it's hard for me not to be amazed that such an extreme response resulted from this situation. Stearic acid is somewhere between vinegar (acetic acid) and beef fat. It and its salt forms are ingredients in some foods. (Look on a package of breath mints. See the "magnesium stearate&...