robert.admin – Page 244 – Robert Raymond’s Blogtorium

March 10, 2011

OpsLog – FEC – 12/10/2011

“I need three guys,” the FEC superintendent emailed. “Extra operators for this Saturday.” Christmas is just around the corner, all manner of obligations, and the sessions sometimes suffer. With access to our club base, I got four at short notice. It’s interesting to take club operators to a stand-alone layout. Club ops are usually informal and easy-going. Home ops tend to be a little more by-the-book. The FEC is fun, but its also a fully-signaled main line effort, lots of industry, lots of switching, lots of following orders tight and right. So the worry, when I bring my pals over, […]

March 10, 2011

Metagame (review)

A friend of mine sent this to me with guarded praise. “It’s not great, but it’s interesting”. Quite a rave. And let’s just be clear that when I read, my editing light is lit. I love well-crafted prose, and the horn goes off when something jostles the story flow. For example, in Metagame, we have “R-shaped streetlights” (an issue of case, I think). A smiler: “Lily let go of D_Light’s hand, no longer needing him to guide her; he, however, did not let go of hers.” And this jolly description: “Even so, D_Light thought he could make out a large […]

March 9, 2011

Miss me?

Nothing like adversity to make you realize the important things in life. Two weeks ago, my wife caught on that someone had hacked our credit card. There were “kiddy” purchases to online trendy shops (and a damn food delivery service in Albany and a snack bar in a drug rehab shop in Phoenix). Like a horse with a broken leg, we took out our cards and shot them. You really learn what it’s like to be without credit without that card. Everything is in cash. I’m not a five-buck-lunch-run-the-card sort of yuppie, but there was something I wanted to buy […]

March 6, 2011

Fences make good nieghbors

Okay, I’m putting together this special page so all the N-trakers (and others) can help me find the fence I need for the Jacksonville bridge area. We’re trying to model the cribbing that lines the main channel and keeps the boats from smacking the pillars. Here is the actual Jacksonville fence. Yes, someday I dream of mounting that tiny little manitee sign on the fence. Here is my San Luis Obsipo corral, which I think would do a good job imposturing it. The thing is, I think I got this […]

March 1, 2011

Ying and Yang

“Maybe this wasn’t a good idea,” I thought as I came out of the drive this morning into the face of a sinister western sky. “Maybe I should turn back,” I considered as it started to spit. By the time I hit 17-92, this was a bad-idea, full-fledged. The rain was pouring down, the water was spanking off the spokes, and I was shaking my glasses to clean them. But I was committed now, and kept the push up all the way to work. I did notice that all the fossil-burners came in an hour late, fuming about the horrible […]

February 27, 2011

Be Safe

“Be safe”. How many times do you hear this? When you’re heading out for a weekend. Driving further than 50 miles. Going anywhere. Doing anything. Be Safe. Please. I beg of you! When did Americans become such cowards? When people hear I bike to work (with full lights and safety equipment along a route I carefully scouted) they become paralyzed with fear, equating what I am doing to riding a bike across Niagara falls on a cable. Trips abroad, the same thing. It’s always the cringing fear of terrorists, of criminals, of disease, of discomfort, of sadness, of disappointment, of […]

February 25, 2011

Am I in the right life?

The city had my bike path blocked off so they could leaf-blow it. I had to detour. A guy was stacking copper pipe on the loading dock at work, in front of the door he would shortly be using. I had to wait until he shifted his stuff to get in. I realized the back fender had come apart and was rubbing. Had to fix it in my office, dripping sweat. Forgot my badge when I went to the showers. Had to bang on doors (Willllmaa!) to get back in. There was SOMEONE ELSE in the showers today! Six years of […]

February 24, 2011

OpsLog – LM&O – 2/23/2011

I’m edging out of the haller at the Carbon Hill spur with a rusty cut of boxcars. Behind me, the setting sun glitters of the tin roof of the Champion Mine processing plant. Atop the embankment I’m climbing along, freight 247 squeals to a stop on the main, hissing like a leaky ball. I ease up to the turnout to enter the main just past him. While the brakeman scrambles down to lean against the switch stand, I ring the dispatcher. My orders are to hang out for train 68, varnish eastbound. Already I can hear his bell ringing up […]

February 21, 2011

OpsLog – Chicago Union Pacific – 2/21/2011

Tonight’s session found me running Chicago’s primary yard, a busy place that forwards loads to Proviso, North Platte, the coal fields and, eventually, Cheyenne. Yard working isn’t my big cup of tea. I can do it, I’m okay at it, but there is always that busy-and-now-interrupted feeling as trains barge in while I’m in the middle of shuffling a cut. Worse, I wasn’t on my game tonight. Twice I broke trains down and sorted cars onto receiving tracks, popping their identifying paperwork into the matching slots, only to find out I’d screwed up along the way. There is no gut-clench […]

February 20, 2011

Crash!

Sunday afternoon, driving home after some unauthorized workplace-printing. Stopped at a light, six or so cars back, a little to the left so I can see forward. Just as the light is changing to green our way, a young kid on a tricked-out bike flies into the intersection, running in on a stale yellow. Now, I don't know what he did, but suddenly I see his back wheel going into the air – a horrific spill. I couldn't see what might have caused it but he had the entire 4×4 lane intersection to himself between the lights. Could have been […]