What's everybody doing today?
- Thread starter Grimm
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Dispatcher is giving us the hose again today. We got 90 minutes on the main line and shot 3 flash butt welds. Now we're sitting beside the track twiddling our thumbs. Our director hasn't even been able to persuade them to give us time.
Hopefully we can get another window on the track this afternoon and do a little more. People say it's great to get paid for sitting on your butt, but the day gets awfully long and boring...
Hopefully we can get another window on the track this afternoon and do a little more. People say it's great to get paid for sitting on your butt, but the day gets awfully long and boring...
thats not burn thats blackened
nothing worse than waiting, If on the other hand you could finish the job, get paid for the dispatchers EGO and just go home the time would be welcome
I always say, "Trains make money. Maintenance costs money". That's why the dispatchers won't let us have the track. They're under pressure to move freight and don't want anything interfering with that. They have Corridor Managers over them, breathing down their necks. "Precision Scheduled Railroading" was supposed to run fewer, longer trains and in theory we would get more time to fix stuff because of reduced traffic. But what it has done is put more pressure on everyone to get those big trains where they are going without delays. Couple that with slashing budgets and manpower, in order to pay bigger management salaries and bonuses and dividends, and we're all feeling the pinch out here...
My goals for today are very low. I just made an appointment to get a ceiling fan put in on our new porch. I'll put a cabinet together if it comes in soon. And I'll plug in a battery to charge IF I happen to walk by it & remember. Other than that I'm going to kill time on U-Tube & maybe watch a movie or something. It's been a while since I watched Angel & the Bad Man with John Wayne so.......
Waiting on the first round of storms, I can hear the thunder!!
It was good with fresh eggs n coffee..
Finished planting onions and put down some 19-19-19 to kick them off. Ran to CoOp to get some diesel fuel, pick up extra lynch pins and some green bean seed, and a bag of Treflan. Gonna spread that in a while. Take care of the birds and chill rest of the day
Please WINTER....come back soon !!!!! I miss you!
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I've been looking online for stuff for the modifications to the pump house. I'm trying to find a good solar powered ceiling light that isn't too big, is bright, and can withstand a damp environment. Right now we have an indoor plug-in lamp screwed to the center beam of the ceiling of the shed (which is not very tall). None of the outlets work. Hoping to find something around the same size for under $30. I want to be able to have light in there without power outages. Also wanting a battery powered fan. I want both to be able to switch on and off when I want to so they don't just run constantly.
Pulled the trash bag out of kitchen trash and hands were cramping. My brother saw me and didn't help. Just watched me. So I asked him to tie the bag off. He rolled his eyes at me but the muscles in my hands were spasming. Worse in my left hand. Part of that is from getting buzzed by an extension cord that is now leaking electricity. I went to plug in the portable induction burner thingy and realized I need a new extension cord. That one has been there for many years now though.
I'm waiting for my friend to call me to let me know when he's ready to go up to Alexandria to look at stuff for the shed and so he can return a TV to BestBuy for his workplace. They enlisted him to do the return. He needed to transport it in a truck.
I keep watching the tracking stuff for the new jet pump. UPS says a label was created but it has not been picked up yet. I hope the seller gets it to them asap. No running water sucks.
Pulled the trash bag out of kitchen trash and hands were cramping. My brother saw me and didn't help. Just watched me. So I asked him to tie the bag off. He rolled his eyes at me but the muscles in my hands were spasming. Worse in my left hand. Part of that is from getting buzzed by an extension cord that is now leaking electricity. I went to plug in the portable induction burner thingy and realized I need a new extension cord. That one has been there for many years now though.
I'm waiting for my friend to call me to let me know when he's ready to go up to Alexandria to look at stuff for the shed and so he can return a TV to BestBuy for his workplace. They enlisted him to do the return. He needed to transport it in a truck.
I keep watching the tracking stuff for the new jet pump. UPS says a label was created but it has not been picked up yet. I hope the seller gets it to them asap. No running water sucks.
Back home ...at 3. pm
all was great...........but too warm
Keep Your head down @Pearl some of them have been bad ones this round we want you safe, sound and sassy as usual!!!!!
@Spikedriver Sonny is working between Collierville Tennessee and Corinth, Mississippi.
There are two regular signal maintainers on duty for about 400 pieces of equipment in that area.
Sonny is a floater and has to work on both territories.
Each on of those is a critical location and a major safety concern.
If a backup battery at a location goes dead after a power outage the crossing lights and gates are dead, the gate comes down from being counter balanced to go to lowered position but the lights will not flash.
There are over 280 crossing mechs in that section.
Sitting on the sideline is fine when you are close to home and extending a job, when you are eight hours away it is tedious at best.
@Spikedriver Sonny is working between Collierville Tennessee and Corinth, Mississippi.
There are two regular signal maintainers on duty for about 400 pieces of equipment in that area.
Sonny is a floater and has to work on both territories.
Each on of those is a critical location and a major safety concern.
If a backup battery at a location goes dead after a power outage the crossing lights and gates are dead, the gate comes down from being counter balanced to go to lowered position but the lights will not flash.
There are over 280 crossing mechs in that section.
Sitting on the sideline is fine when you are close to home and extending a job, when you are eight hours away it is tedious at best.
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- Mar 29, 2013
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Today we've had high winds, thunder and rain. Then the temp dropped to 33 degs and we had heavy snow most of the day. Right now the snow stopped. I'm going out to fire up the smoke house and make a batch of jerky.
Our foreman just pulled the plug. The dispatcher has been telling him, "Just one more train and then you'll get a shot" since 11am. It's 3:45 and Dispatcher said, "Just one more train" again. We get off at 5, and arent supposed to get OT unless its an emergency, so it's not even worth it to try.
I guess I'll go back to the hotel, clean up, go to the gym, and go to bed. What a waste of a day...
I guess I'll go back to the hotel, clean up, go to the gym, and go to bed. What a waste of a day...
Got the big tractor fixed… finally. It's been the same problem for 3 months. 2 other people 'fixed it' before me and reported different 'symptoms'. I found a set of schematics of the wiring… Just had to dig through 20yrs of dust, grime and check all the interlocks and their function. Checked and cleaned all the connectors in the cable run. That took 2hrs.
And as I suspected… it was something dad had ‘fixed’ already. Man knows nothing about electricity yet I still believe him when he says he fixed something…. Why?
The first section of cable off the hot post of the battery had a bad connection. Now it’s properly cleaned and repaired. I killed the engine are re-started it a half dozen times… no problems.
Tractor ran great so i plowed some more at the garden edges. Hooked up the bush hog, cleaned further around the garden, then cut around chicken pen and pole barn. Still need to do a days worth of bush hogging but it can wait until next week. Now I can plan the details of going up to the mtn for music this weekend.
And as I suspected… it was something dad had ‘fixed’ already. Man knows nothing about electricity yet I still believe him when he says he fixed something…. Why?
The first section of cable off the hot post of the battery had a bad connection. Now it’s properly cleaned and repaired. I killed the engine are re-started it a half dozen times… no problems.Tractor ran great so i plowed some more at the garden edges. Hooked up the bush hog, cleaned further around the garden, then cut around chicken pen and pole barn. Still need to do a days worth of bush hogging but it can wait until next week. Now I can plan the details of going up to the mtn for music this weekend.
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Careful it is still May you might get what you asked for
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- Dec 3, 2017
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Husband's doc appt took forever....made it home for a late lunch. Took a ranger ride around the area after lunch. It's a bit warm today, was too warm to work in the garden after lunch, but the ride was nice. Neighbor stopped in, and their new son was born yesterday, baby and mom doing well. There is a birthing center in our small town so no one has to go very far. So child number 3 for them! Getting the laundry done and dinner started.
Electrical gremlins are bad, that brings me back to the neighbors Ferguson TEA 20, actually this one is his dads, it would run like a top and then just quit, Came with crapp , like really crappy gas in it, it would start with a propane torch fed to the intake but wouldn't stay running. flush it it runs like a top, "til i move it, it quite. dead won't even crank WTHeck, check every thing battery is low voltage but the positive post is hot, I popped it off, big spark hunt around and find the positive cable had worn a spot of the insulation and could short. lucky it had a crap battery, cause it shorted to the aluminum GAS tank piece of hose and a couple of clamps fixed that, Scary and glad it did it right there not after I had "fixed" itGot the big tractor fixed… finally. It's been the same problem for 3 months. 2 other people 'fixed it' before me and reported different 'symptoms'. I found a set of schematics of the wiring… Just had to dig through 20yrs of dust, grime and check all the interlocks and their function. Checked and cleaned all the connectors in the cable run. That took 2hrs.
And as I suspected… it was something dad had ‘fixed’ already. Man knows nothing about electricity yet I still believe him when he says he fixed something…. Why?
Tractor ran great so i plowed some more at the garden edges. Hooked up the bush hog, cleaned further around the garden, then cut around chicken pen and pole barn. Still need to do a days worth of bush hogging but it can wait until next week. Now I can plan the details of going up to the mtn for music this weekend.
I WISH !!!!! This is my deep wishes
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- Mar 29, 2013
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It looks like winter here today. Last year our last snow was June 26th.
Workers came for a very short day. They didn't get much done, and I'm not happy about that. They will be back Friday, which is the day the vanity countertop arrives.
Ran out for a couple things at the grocery store in between storms.
Changed the bed sheets, folded and put away laundry, etc. etc.
Tomorrow is chemo, so there goes Thursday. I really hate looking forward to feeling like pure crap for 12 hours ...
So, y'all have a great night!
Ran out for a couple things at the grocery store in between storms.
Changed the bed sheets, folded and put away laundry, etc. etc.
Tomorrow is chemo, so there goes Thursday. I really hate looking forward to feeling like pure crap for 12 hours ...
So, y'all have a great night!
Long day, sometimes when you have a starting problem it is so weird and unfindable it drives you NUTS.
Had an almost new 2000 Kodiac with a 3116 cat 10 spd Fuller Tandem dump truck that you could walk out, get in and it would not start for anything.
You could prod poke fool around for an hour and it may not start, Two 1200 batteries hot enough to weld with. It was almost impossible to get to the starter to cross out the solenoid so we just started parking it on a a hill while we were working and it would hold enough air to roll off if it wouldn't start.
Finally got a break and got it in the shop, it started every time they tried it and they could not find anything at all wrong in the system. Two days after that we parked at a restaurant for lunch and it would not do squat. I flipped the hood over and crawled in there with the thing and traced every wire under the hood came to the exciter wire for the solenoid<> it had welded itself to a piece of casting flash on the side of the engine block and it was easy to tell that had been the problem all along if anything shook it even a little it would break free and start.
I chipped the flash off wrapped it for a foot and split a piece of vacuum hose and taped 3 feet on it.
Never had another starting problem.
Heres what it looks like in the truck
Had an almost new 2000 Kodiac with a 3116 cat 10 spd Fuller Tandem dump truck that you could walk out, get in and it would not start for anything.
You could prod poke fool around for an hour and it may not start, Two 1200 batteries hot enough to weld with. It was almost impossible to get to the starter to cross out the solenoid so we just started parking it on a a hill while we were working and it would hold enough air to roll off if it wouldn't start.
Finally got a break and got it in the shop, it started every time they tried it and they could not find anything at all wrong in the system. Two days after that we parked at a restaurant for lunch and it would not do squat. I flipped the hood over and crawled in there with the thing and traced every wire under the hood came to the exciter wire for the solenoid<> it had welded itself to a piece of casting flash on the side of the engine block and it was easy to tell that had been the problem all along if anything shook it even a little it would break free and start.
I chipped the flash off wrapped it for a foot and split a piece of vacuum hose and taped 3 feet on it.
Never had another starting problem.
Heres what it looks like in the truck
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We went to Jakes FFA banquet this evening. He received several awards but the one that was really cool was the Star Farmer Award for our area. I guess teaching him how to grow weed wasn’t such a bad thing after all! 
The American Star Farmer is awarded to the FFA member that demonstrates the top production agriculture supervised agricultural experience in the nation. The member must demonstrate outstanding achievement, active FFA participation and an exemplary scholastic record.
The American Star Farmer is awarded to the FFA member that demonstrates the top production agriculture supervised agricultural experience in the nation. The member must demonstrate outstanding achievement, active FFA participation and an exemplary scholastic record.
That boy is something else HB
He is so different than I was at his age, it is shocking he came from me.
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Hauling more stuff off my place into my third 20 foot dumpster...I also am making a cache at the back side of my one acre of "good" stuff and covering it with brown tarps. After talking to my current homeowners insurance who now says my polocy is cancelled june 10 with no consideration of reinstatement I hit up a couple of insurers to get quotes and specifacations as to how shiny they want my house and grounds....
Bank run, pay bills, buy cigarettes and maybe a couple of fish sandwiches with what I got left.
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- Jan 5, 2022
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We are expecting to be rained in all Memorial Day weekend. I feel sorry for the campers and boaters.
Since I'm stuck inside, I plan on cleaning house. The washing machine repair guy is coming tomorrow and since I've been hobbled with this leg for 4 months, my house is a wreck. Husband has been great about bringing home meals, but a mop and broom aren't his strong points.
Since I'm stuck inside, I plan on cleaning house. The washing machine repair guy is coming tomorrow and since I've been hobbled with this leg for 4 months, my house is a wreck. Husband has been great about bringing home meals, but a mop and broom aren't his strong points.
