Gardner Gawking

Re: your inquiries about M426/427 times ---- Sunday 2/5, M427 through WL at 16:08 hours, Monday 2/6 M427 through WL at 17:11 hrs, Heard D2 to M426 CSXT 474 rule 241 at CPF-BY at 18:30 hrs. "Expect a train on any track at any time" a rule I learned early on in my career.

Also via You Tube video today by Stony Brook M427 had 12 cars, M426 100+ cars

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT1kigZaYnM&t=20s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMCQhXhBYz8

...or -- as a poster once had in his signature -- "Trains don't run on schedules. They run on tracks."
Mebbe "PSR" now means " Possbly Sometime Railroading."

By the time the M427 depicted at Stony Brook had made it to the B&A, it had the same power and a more respectable but still relatively short 40 cars, as seen passing the Westfield (0421) and Chester (0450) railcams on 2/7.

I'm posting here because jaymac is always interested in the coming and goings of M426/7. Today at 10:20 after dropping Ayer cars at Graniteville, D3 told 427 with CSXT 474 to "go straight through Ayer to Worcester, and you are set back 4 hours for tomorrow." A question for anyone here, I've always wondered what exactly what "set back" means. If the original on duty times was 7AM would set back 4 hrs mean 3AM or 11AM? Thank you.

I will add that the presumed same 427 was sitting at New Bond Street as of about 30 minutes ago. I didn't gawk all of the leaders since I was driving in moderately heavy traffic at the time, but I did risk a long enough look to notice the presence of GMTX MP15 #205 trailing the rest of the power. This edition of 427 was quite lengthy, stretching well up towards Greendale.

That unit came from up here on the NH Central, the next car move down to Conway Scenic will have to wait a few months.

0215-0415/02-09-2023 had strangeness. Naught Yard Channel -- even hash -- would come outta the speaker during the entire trip, and a D-3 IDable reception wouldn't happen until 0406.
There was plenty of hash early on, repeated Dispatcher-side from 0220 and on and AMTK at 0222.
There was IDable D-2 garble that started at 0245 and included a question about somebody coming up to 297. In turn that would produce a broken-to-me 241 for 297. After the acknowledgment of the 241 readback, D-2 hedzupped that there would be another for LJ. The breakage would continue, and at 0259, D-2 would advise M426 that there wa a track light down. The elapsed time suggested that the pre-2200/02-07 XNG noise I'd heard had been from that M426. As a side-note, XNG noise generally doesn't wake me up, but a helicopter had done a low-level flyover of Château-jaymaq at 0945.
The 333 WLs had been dark at 0250, " for the 334s and 335s.
Up Da Hill, the 345s were dark, the yard MT, and at 0308, there was a spell of public-safety encroachments.
EB and at 0315, a breaking D-2 gave 427(seven) permission to reverse direction from where they stood, all other deets hashed. Dunno how this squares with neman2's 1135/02-08 about 427 getting a 4-hour set-back, but there's naught quite as changeable as that which a Dispatcher has announced.
At 0318, the 333 WLs were dark. The EB staggers for the 330s at Approach and all else up to and including the GL WLs dark. The FG WLs were at Stop. The FG ELs were also at Stop, except for the 2 EL which was at Approach. Naught had been visible or audible either side of the FGs, the FI-1/2 parking spot and W end of East Side MT at 0332. At 0346, the EB staggers for Derby were dark.
OT, but the strangeness theme also emerged in my refueling stop. The Cleghorn Cumby's had been lit up, but the pumps were off. The Main Street Cumby's was -- as it has been for some time -- at $3.43 for nonmember regular. The pumps at the 345 Dunks in Gardner had shown $3.29, the 1st time I can remember that place being cheaper than the Fitchburg/Leominster Cumby's.
Among the various spurts of Dispatcher-side hash, there was hash from Boston West at 0345 and NECR Road at 0354.
At 0404, there was Road-side hash, and at 0406 -- as promised -- D-3 answered a hashing M426, telling them to bring it up and tie it down, presumably at Burncoat. I was closing distance with 426, so they were now in garble mode, and it sounded like they said they would call when they were tied down and secure. There was 0413 Road-side hash, but naught else by the end listening at the end of 0415.
FI-2 and AY-3? Naught heard to, from. or about.

One more observation point, 427 arrived at New Bond at 11:25 this morning.

0215-0400/02-11-2023 was sparing on input. To follow up on johnhenry's 1623/02-10 about 427 's 1125 arrival at Burncoat, naught clear to, from, or about either 426 or 427would come outta the speaker during the trip, so mebbe it's Precision reScheduled Railroading.
Things were dead until the automated Morse ID on a PVRR frequency at 0234, followed in 2 by Yard-Channel hash. Unlike the 02-09 trip, here was proof both that Yard Channel was in still use and that my scanner could still receive it. Yard Channel -- always hashed -- would continue as an occasional presence. There would be 0240 Dispatcher-side hash, that being a rarer presence.
At 0248, the 333 WLs were at Stop, but going dark the same minute. There was not the power noise expectable from a WB, so guessing an EB. The 334s and 335s would be dark.
At 0256, ??? called out to D-3, that followed quickly by something about getting rid of those extra cars. Which side of Channel 1 that was dunno cuzza trying to stay on the pavement of the ramp to Rte. 2 WB, crosswinds to the contrary.
Up Da Hill, the 345s were dark and the yard MT. At 0304, there was a broken 241, no other deets. Coulda been 3 on an antenna more to the W or 2.
EB at 0311, there was Road-side hash without a Dispatcher-side response getting to me.
0317 was when the 333 WLs were dark. Further E, the EB staggers for 330 were at Approach, all else dark up to and including the EB staggers for Derby at 0336.
There had been some Dispatcher-side hash at 0328, and 2 later, the FI-1/2 parking spot and the W end of East Side had been MT.
Things would remain quiet until 0345 AMTK hash, followed in 4 by PW Road hash. Yard-Channel hash reasserted itself at 0255, but the final 5 were quiet.

427 thru West Boylston at 1415 today.

0220-0415/02-13-2023 was active, starting at 0221 with an extended spell of Yard-Channel hash that included a"26" and D-3 with a "That is all correct," musings about which to follow.
At 0232, D-3 would answer the somebody who was calling, but naught further would come outta the speaker for more than a bit.
0252 was when the 333 WLs were dark, the 334s and 335s following.
At 0302, D-3 would call out to AY-3 and roger what they said. There was more from D-3, but Mount Wachusett was now twixt me and the Paxton antenna. D-3 would clear up again and ask, "Copy that?" That got followed by "AY-3, did you copy that?" AY-3 would get a broken OK on signal indication and next the hedzup that FI-3(three) would be recrewing them at 0400.
Up Da Hill, the 345s were at Stop. NS 6948, UP 6242, and NS 9848 were sitting dark on 2 followed by full-size covered hoppers, then shorties that included at least 1 LAFX, and then racks however far W of the Timpany Boulevard UGB. I'd normally guess that this was a 16R, but FI-3's crew was on the way to recrew AY-3, so mebbe FI-3 has been reanimated as the 16R rebrand for however long. 4 in the yard had covered hoppers visible through the gaps. Dunno about anything else. At 0316, D-3 gave a roger to dunno whom.
EB, the 333 WLs were dark at 0325, and further E, the EB staggers for 330 showed an Approach for 1 and Slow Approach for 2.
At 0329, FI-2 and D-3 began a sometimes-broken convo, FI-2 wanting to run light power from West Side to pickup however many cars off the Camp for Arrowhead. The 330.8 WBs, 330s, and GL WLs would be dark. At 0331, D-3 had 241d AY-3 with the 7594at 312 from the Single W to1.
The FG WLs were at Stop at 0337, but then the 2 went to Clear and KCIR 5948 rolled EB, and 2 later, the FI-1/2 parking spot and the W end of East Side were MT.
At 0344, the 5948 was E of the North Leominster platform. Dunno if the EB staggers for Derby have been repositioned, but 1 could see only the top green for the 1 and naught for the 2, so can't give a time when it dropped, but the 1 went dark at 0347.
Things were quiet until 0357 when the still-B&M X 7.8 talker gave a no defects and 427 acknowledged. Guessing the 0221 Yard-Channel hash mighta included the fulfillment of 426's Form D and the issuance. of 427's. Never heard a time into DCS or its acknowledgment, unless it was D-3's 0316 roger. Also never heard the X 7.8 talker coming on 2 or 3 minutes before the no defects. Dunno if that means 426/7 are back to the old schedule. Also dunno if it's on the CSXT to-do list, but I hope there are updates planned for a radio system that was designed when there were staffed towers at Ayer, FG, and Gardner to cover the holes. Gardner did get its own antenna, but dead spots still exist to the E around FG and even near the Willows, as shown by AY-3 today.
There was naught else outta the speaker by the end of the 0415 end of listening.

Another data point with 426 heading east thru West Boylston around 1118 this morning. Nice to have trains in the daylight again! Jaymac's hearing the 7.8 detector this morning might have been caused by a 427.

0220-0420/02-15-2023 started off slow, but got busy, the 1st compasny clarity not coming until 0243 when D-3 asked FI-2 how many transfers they had, rogering FI-2's hash. There was 0248 and 0250 Road-side hash, upgrading at 0251 when FI-2 garbled something about inbound and clear of the Main Line, getting a clear roger.
At 0252, the 333 WLs were dark, as would be the 334s and 335s and 345s, Gardner yard being MT.
Radio silence for me continued, and at 0320, the 333 WLs were dark. The EB staggers for the 330s were at Approach, all else dark, upto and including the EB staggers for Derby at 0346.
There had been a Cleghorn refueling stop ($3.25 nmr v. $3.43 at Main Street} followed by Dispatcher-side hash at 0334 on Main Street, Fitchburg. The FI-1/2 parking spot was predictably MT at 0340, a RailBox on the W end of East Side.
0346 and 0348 produced Road-side hash, and at 0354, D-3 advised the somebody calling that he had a Grain Train that would be moving shortly, the rest -- thanks yet again, Mount Wachusett -- hashed.
At 0356 a breaking Loaded Grain Train and next AY-3 called D-3, AY-3 with the 7594 getting a Single W to 2 at 312 241.
D-3 then answered the Grain Train, confirming that the recrew was on board. They advised that there were 25 or 30 handbrakes to knock off and that they'd call in about 1/2 hour for a Form D. I detoured to Burncoat, but the power was a bit W and on bright, so the number boards couldn't be read, and at 0407, the LGT C advised the E that 15 brakes were off and there were 15 to go.
At 0409, D-3 answered Road-side hash and advised the hasher to call back in about 20. Guessing it was M426 somewhere on Boston Line looking to go E. There was EB XNG noise at 0442, 0448, and 0502, guessing the LGT for X 6.0, X 7.8, and Prescott Street. There had been 04117 Dispatcher-side hash but naught else by the 0420 end of listening.

OT -- There were 2 close encounters of the skunk kind this trip, 1 in Fitchburg and the other in Worcester. Seems like it's getting to be the season when other instinctual imperatives get priority over avoiding things with headlights.

0240-0425/02-17-2023 started with D-3 answering 16R x2, next rogering what they said and asking if the racks would clear Moores, next going into hash mode, then clearing up to ask if they would come up West Wye to run around. NS 6945 would now get permission to reverse direction from where they stood and proceed W to Camp. The next ? was whether the racks would be E or W of the crossover, that unheard response getting a roger.
At 0257 and when I was just S of downtown Sterling, the X 7.8 announced he was checking train. There would follow 0300 Dispatcher-side hash when I was in an elevation + topographically challenged area, so dunno if that was the X7.8 report. At 0335, there would be garble on both sides of Channel 1, Road-side announcing "West and clear" and Dispatcher-side fulfilling Form D G301, Mount Wachusett again being the obstructor, so mebbe M427 or mebbe 1/2 of an EGT. Dunno.
At 0313, the 333 WLs were dark. There had been Road-side hash at 0306 and again at 0316 by the also-dark 334s. Things cleared a bit and it was both sides of 16R, the C calling out an Approach for CPF AY. Radio silence now would go into effect.
The 335s and 345s were dark and Gardner yard MT. With 16R already E, this would seem to hint at an EDPO or FI-3 or even an FI-1 doing a back-haul unless there was naught for the P&W.
EB and at 0334, there was Dispatcher-side "Another 30 cars to go," so mebbe 16R. The 0335 activity was covered above, and at 0339, D-2 issued some breakage to the 518, the same time as the 333 WLs were still dark.
Further E, the EB staggers for 330 were at Approach, all others dark, up to and including the EB staggers for Derby at 0358.
At 0352, KCIR 5948 had been dark, solo, and E-facing in the FI-1/2 parking spot, a RailBox on the W end of East Side. 0354 was when there had beenD-? hash to AY??, followed in 3 by hash on the San-Vel frequency, so mebbe 16R.
0400 would be the start of a few spurts of Yard-Channel hash, and at 0405, D-2 would breakingly 241 AY-X with the 7595 Single E to 2 at 309. The strangeness about the reception was not that D-2 was broken but that AY-X's readback filled in some of the holes, they being at 309 and me being on 290, so favorable elevation + topography for a change.
I was in reception-free mode for the balance of the trip, save for the P&W Dispatcher Stalbans choreographing a Worcester yard move at 0425.
426? Dunno.

FYI - full (cars back to W Mt St OGB) empty grain train parked at new Bond at 0830.