Gardner Gawking

The 01-18-2012 viewing showed the expectable -- MT Dead, stub, and Heywood. The yard was less crammed -- racks, general, and open space. EDPO was already down Da Hill and keeping POSE out of the Hill Yard, at least according to the radio. D-3 gave CPF-354 to CPF-345 on the single and 1 to a TC, with the caution that 600 was ahead, and sure enough, the 346.6 talker came on at 0936 and gave a no-defects to 1387 feet at 0938. After a few, noise was made for a truck on the west end of the yard near a solo white tank car, and then NewBlues 600 and 610 plus 24 got east of CPF-345 on 1 at 0945. The truck was interesting -- big, brand-new, and shiny white with a blue version of the winged-globe logo on its cab door.

In a first for me, 01-20-2012 had not one but two locals in and about the top of PAR/S's world at the same time. NewBlue 345 as ED-4 was sitting solo on the Dead a bit before 0830. My contract-with-myself-required-caffeine-refueling at Dunks allowed it to move out of sight before I got to the Jade lot, but OldPaint 371 as FI-1 rolled by solo on 1 to Otter River at 0851, getting a 346.6 no defects at 0856. The temperature was given as 13, but no train-length comment was triggered. TC 1612 came into town and got into a conversation with FI-1 about the Heywood, which FI-1 said it was not going to be on. The yard seemed about half full (must be feeling optimistic) with racks and general freight, including a few Sullivans, and the Dead, Heywood, and stub were MT when I went east. Later, D-3 was on the radio with ED-4, still apparently in Gardner at 1037.

I'd put $ on ED-4 being taxied out again to recrew a ED190...

Sorry, but that's a bet I'm not gonna take.
There was a Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., line of almost half a century ago to the effect that if the tiger comes to the temple often enough, he becomes part of the ceremony. In the same line, If ED190 gets canned often enough and ED-4 plays Rescue Rangers often enough, the cabbing becomes operational practice. Mebbe ED190 was on the clock for a bit before going east? (The 01-20 "half-full" characterization of the Gardner yard does seem to indicate that I am in optimist mode even though the realist part of me says "no" to the offer of the bet.)

If that job keeps canning they will either abolish it or make the OD time unfavorable to the current crew to get someone else on it. Happens all the time...

Given the non-length of 495 a few times, even before the Fitchburgs and Ayers get dropped in Fitchburg, abolition might be a real possibility.

I have to agree with Newpy....I can't remember how many times I've been told that your job was abolished from a certain Dir.
of crew management. Through no fault of the crew on most jobs...A lot of it was due to poor dispatching,equipment failure,trains not together and tested and then you had shops to set out....I was even abolished cause I marked off sick..Which
I was because I never abuised the pollicy. But that certain manager was in a mood which was usually the case...Yes,they do have people, very few, that take advantage and ruin things for the ones who are trying to do a job and go home...

Oh yeah, we know who that certain person was who used to abolish jobs left and right just to do it. Since he has left I can't think of one big job that has been abolished, changed terminals, etc. Only job added.... Unfortunately I would have to side with management if a certain crew keeps f-ing the dog if they did something about it.

Around noon today the yard was empty except for two covered hoppers on the west end...

On 01-23-2012, the 2 west-end covered hoppers reported by atholrail had been joined by a few racks on the east end which were loads because the PW inspector showed up at around 1000 to check them out.
There was other other activity, as well. A few private scrap-contractor vehicles and crew-members were in the lower lot. It was a Swanzey company which -- according to a more-knowledgable observer -- had earlier cleaned up replaced rail and some old signal bridges to the west, prompting speculation about whether the OOS signal bridge in Gardner would be going. Also there was a TC and crew cleaning switches of snow and other stuff, one old-school and the other with a leaf-blower. An ED?? with NewBlues 611 and 345 with the rest of the train that 346.6 had characterized as 1848 feet and too slow (hadn't heard that in some time) at 1019 came to a stop on 2 across from the stub and tied down at 1029. The Dead and Heywood were MT, but the stub had a full-size hy-railer on it. I had other stuff to do, so no idea how long the EB was immobile, and the radio was quiet, so no idea if it was lunch, a meet, or a recrew that was in store for the EB.

I know of one good sized speedo Athol to Orange that could be affecting eastbound traffic, I wonder if there's any others between there and Deerfield?

newpylong wrote:Oh yeah, we know who that certain person was who used to abolish jobs left and right just to do it. Since he has left I can't think of one big job that has been abolished, changed terminals, etc. Only job added.... Unfortunately I would have to side with management if a certain crew keeps f-ing the dog if they did something about it.

Heh. He's probably a member here. If I remember right he was a big fan of modeling.

atholrail wrote:I know of one good sized speedo Athol to Orange that could be affecting eastbound traffic, I wonder if there's any others between there and Deerfield?

the FRA and NS inspections killed them a bit ago. Lots of 10's on the single iron between Erving and Athol. Love how track can go from 40 to 10 or OOS just like that. Lot's of 25's sprinkled on the west end too.

TC 1612 gave out 2 more speedo's to D3 this afternoon. 362-361 #2 10. Other I can't remember, but it was between 361 and Wrights on the #2.

Per the radio on 01-25-2012, D-3 gave POSE the Worcester Main initially only to MP12 because of track work. In this one instance at least, things seem to get taken care of for PAR's CSX connection. PAR's PAS connection would seem to be getting less attention.
How close to another visit -- either real or virtual -- from NS?