Gardner Gawking

[MEC407]

On days like this, conductors must wonder if they made the right career choice.

Along with anyone else who has to work in a non-air-conditioned environment!

[jaymac]

Dag!

[MEC407]

Another scorcher today... :-\

[jaymac]

Dag + 5 degrees F!

[jaymac]

On 07-28-2011, POED had stopped on 2 just east of the Pleasant St. OH bridge for reasons undisclosed while I was listening. Then things got a bit more active, and NewBlues 606, 310, and 611 plus 58 were announced west of the 346.6 talker at 0902. The talker did talk about temperature, but seems to have given up talking about train length.
There was a truck and crew looking like they getting ready to change out some rail on the Heywood, but other than that, I had picked cricket-time to be there.

[jaymac]

On 07-30-2011 at 0945, the Cricket Chorus was in full voice. There was nothing unusual easily visible in the yard, but there was an unlit and uncrewed ED?? with OldPaint 351 and NewBlue 326 sitting on 2 without even enough cars to make it to the Pleasant St. bridge. Just guessing that it might be a short-turn ED190 waiting for new bodies to swap ends and head west...

[jaymac]

There was something at Gardner on 08-04-2011 at 0845 that I hadn't seen in awhile: cars on the Dead Track. The reason became clear in another couple of hundred WB yards on Rte. 2. Something WB with lots of racks was putting itself together on 2. From the Pleasant Street bridge, I could see OldPaint 379, a NewBlue, and a Trona OldPaint. The trailer numbers were never visible, nor could I see if the NewBlue was a four-axle or 6-pack. D-3 had a number of "interesting" chats with ED495 and a foreman somewhere to the west about clearing up on 2 in time so the WB could get moving. The radio also revealed that 379 -- whether it was 495ED or POED was never made definite while I was listening -- had picked up 40 racks from Gardner, which seems ample cause for having the Dead Track be overflow. Per D-3, 379 had another hour or so in town, and my ADHD started kicking in, so I headed down Da Hill with a stop at Wachusett to see if there had happened with the north-rail sag on 1 last week on NERAIL by Gary Senecal ( http://photos.nerail.org/s/?p=191490 ). It appears it got lifted a bit, but I'm guessing there might still be a speed summary on it.
On the subject of speed summaries, the tee intersection on Chestnut Street, Gardner, just north of the Jade is now a three-way stop. There's an approach warning both on a pole and on the street, and to really catch your attention, there's a flashing red LED halo around the newest Stop sign.

[newpylong]

Most likely a 495 job or an extra, POED wouldn't be lifting racks.

[jaymac]

On 08-11-2011 while waiting for a Pumpkin-on-the-point AYMO to get up Da Hill, I got to watch the PW Gardner Switcher take care of business. 4004 was further from Worcester and 4005 was closer to Worcester as the split power separately dropped a buncha racks on yard 4, picked up a loaded and triple-thick Sullivan Scrap sandwich with two white tanks serving as the metaphorical bread, and drop even more racks on another track for a total of 29. AYMO rolled through Gardner at 1517, so somebody else would have to take the MTs west. It woulda been sometime around 1600 that 4005 and 4004 would get married and headed south. Except for the racks, the yard seemed pretty much wide open.
If the Jade sets up bleachers, they could probably make some money, as PD Gardner is with the Chestnut Street 3-way stop signs.

[jaymac]

The mid-morning of 08-16-2011 proved a test of patience, but the radio had said that there would be a WB with 606, so patience would continue to be tried. Patience did get rewarded because the late morning produced almost a traffic jam. ED495 acknowledged the approach to CPF-346. The PW inspector showed up to -- you guessed it -- inspect the racks on 1 in the yard and left with a smile on his face. TC 1612 called in a 10-mph for 341 to 342, which D-3 relayed to 606 at 1052. As TC 1612 was rolling by west on 1 at 1106, ED495 tripped the 346.6 talker, getting east of it at 1110. TC 1612 continued west and got okayed west of 346 at 1117. The 606 WB was a light-power move, and NewBlues 606 and 600 plus OldPaint 519 were west of 345 on 1 at 1127 and did a literally out-of-sight horn duet with ED495, then in the process of hauling its set-outs off 2 and onto 4 in the yard. ED495's power was OldBlue 615, NewBlue 604, and OldPaint 306. The set-outs got dropped, and the power went east and then reversed onto 2 in the yard to go back to its train. The light move was still sitting on 1 at 346, waiting for the TC to get further west, when another 10 got called in, this one between 350 and 351 at 1155.
Amazing what can sometimes happen in an hour!

[jaymac]

"...and he's a monstah" were D-3's attention-grabbing words on 08-18-2011 on 0939, describing the 495ED approaching Gardner to whomever was listening. Sure enough, OldPaint 351, NewBlue 517, and OldPaints 614 and 519 got a "monstah"-qualifying 120 cars east of CPF-345 on 1 at 0952.There were a few MOW gons of old ties (Worcester? Brunswick?), lots of grain cars, and even a one-time AMTK material handling car whose only paint modification was a black block for new initials. The 346.6 talker got triggered at 0953 and called the train defect-free at 0956. To go all Gomer-Pyle-surprise-surprise-surprise, the talker even announced the train length -- 7,167 feet. That feature hadn't been working earlier in the week, in the month, or even for much of the year, but at least for the given day and time, it was back.
After I started driving east, there was more on the surprise-surprise-surprise front. D-3 called ED-2 who was close enough for me to hear. 316 was given its very own Form D to begin a westward descent of Da Hill. Whether 316 had been tucked away in the yard or was further west but still east of CPF-346 I didn't find out, but ya nevah know about Gahdnuh until it's too late...

[jaymac]

On 08-31-2011 at 1200, the metaphorical hands went straight up, and I straight-up gave up waiting for 495ED to get up Da Hill. There had been talking going back to just before 1000 about getting out of Fitchburg. ED495 with NewBlues 501 and 609 plus enough cars for the 346.6 talker to allege at 1020 that the length was 2126 feet was still sitting patiently on 2 waiting for the D-3-promised ascent, which probably did happen, but not while I was there.
Given the shine on the rails, FI-1 or someone else made a post-Irene visit to the Heywood.

[jaymac]

The timing was really excellent on 09-14-2011. ED495 and an LCT had already gone east by 1245, my arrival time. However, there were a couple of things of note. A substantial number of racks were in the yard. Dunno if this is just from catching up with Irene-related NYS problems. Also, A substantial amount of rust was coating the Heywood, like a week or so. Anyone know if NEWW is still getting service, or are they holding off pending adjacent factory demolition?

[jaymac]

A bit after 0730 on 09-16-2011, a claw truck reduced the number of fresh ties sitting on the ground in between 2 and the PW. On the PW front, its 2216 -- dead -- was sitting west on a cut of cars at the west end of the yard. Mebbe the PW forum will come up with a reason. The rust on the Heywood also seemed undisturbed. The Cricket Chorus was in good voice, but singing the same old song.

[frrc]

A bit after 0730 on 09-16-2011, a claw truck reduced the number of fresh ties sitting on the ground in between 2 and the PW. On the PW front, its 2216 -- dead -- was sitting west on a cut of cars at the west end of the yard. Mebbe the PW forum will come up with a reason. The rust on the Heywood also seemed undisturbed. The Cricket Chorus was in good voice, but singing the same old song.

P&W 2216 was still in Gardner, as of 06:00am this morning

J