Above 1200 Sq/FT Harley Jim's place

[xtremek]

We have 2 in Glenville. About 300' apart. They rebuilt the bridges and raised them significantly. Idiots still hit them. A couple weeks ago the bridges got hit within a couple days.

The real idiots are the designers who didn't completely fix the issue. (not that the truckers aren't) The one in Pontiac finally got fixed, and they fixed it right. The big issue was that the bridge supported a couple sets of train tracks that serviced the GM Fiero plant, so the lines were quite busy.

 

[harley jim]

Grizz, It dose get busy here but it's never boring. Thanks.

Not sure what's on the agenda for today, I need to see what I can get to move before I make plans,

 

[kaymccampbell]

The real idiots are the designers who didn't completely fix the issue. (not that the truckers aren't) The one in Pontiac finally got fixed, and they fixed it right. The big issue was that the bridge supported a couple sets of train tracks that serviced the GM Fiero plant, so the lines were quite busy.

What they did wasn't exactly trivial. In a world with endless money they could have got it over 16', but then some ahole would have tried to get a 17' thing through it. They started with a little round stone tunnel with a one lane hole and maybe 9' clearance in both height and width. They came away with modern steel bridges, and about 13' height and 30' of width clearance.

To depress the road lower to miss the bridges, would have created a lake fed by the Mohawk River under the bridges. To raise the bridge decks any higher would have extended the amount of rail that needed to be lifted to include a rail yard, and several road crossings, one rather large.

It's really stupid how we had a car and pickup truck only mouse hole for 130 years, that never had anything stuck in it. And a month after they make a two lane deal, with enough height for hay wagons and recreational trailers, the trucking companies decided this country lane will be their big goto for over height loads. I don't think the designers did anything wrong.

 

[bobg03]

What they did wasn't exactly trivial. In a world with endless money they could have got it over 16', but then some ahole would have tried to get a 17' thing through it. They started with a little round stone tunnel with a one lane hole and maybe 9' clearance in both height and width. They came away with modern steel bridges, and about 13' height and 30' of width clearance.

To depress the road lower to miss the bridges, would have created a lake fed by the Mohawk River under the bridges. To raise the bridge decks any higher would have extended the amount of rail that needed to be lifted to include a rail yard, and several road crossings, one rather large.

It's really stupid how we had a car and pickup truck only mouse hole for 130 years, that never had anything stuck in it. And a month after they make a two lane deal, with enough height for hay wagons and recreational trailers, the trucking companies decided this country lane will be their big goto for over height loads. I don't think the designers did anything wrong.

It's an amazing process to watch them raise the bridges over the rail lines. My employer raised all the bridges on our main line btw Worcester Ma and Albany in order to run double stacked intermodal trains. Prior to doing this any doubled stacks could only go as far as syracuse, Selkirk yd in albany is a pass thru so doubles were landed in Syracuse Dewitt yd and single stacks only went east.
Flag jobs are very profitable for a conductor, made a lot of money over a three year period.
Now they can run Doubles all the way from Worcester to Chicago, 10,000 feet of doubles is 2, 10,000 ft trains in one..

 

[kaymccampbell]

It's an amazing process to watch them raise the bridges over the rail lines. My employer raised all the bridges on our main line btw Worcester Ma and Albany in order to run double stacked intermodal trains. Prior to doing this any doubled stacks could only go as far as syracuse, Selkirk yd in albany is a pass thru so doubles were landed in Syracuse Dewitt yd and single stacks only went east.
Flag jobs are very profitable for a conductor, made a lot of money over a three year period.
Now they can run Doubles all the way from Worcester to Chicago, 10,000 feet of doubles is 2, 10,000 ft trains in one..

You speak words I like. I'm fond of trains. Their rumble, roar, and horns are my sleep aids.

 

[kaymccampbell]

Jim, sorry for coopting your space.

 

[harley jim]

Please continue, I love the talk.
They lowered the road once at this viaduct already its 10'10" now, just the right height to skim an a/c unit off of an RV, there is usually one laying around there.
These guys in the big trucks are trying to get to I 75 by going the business route instead of the bypass, on gps its shorter.
Carry on folks.
Edit, when I was a kid I lived a few blocks from the BNSF yard in Aurora Il. Those horns can sing you to sleep. I remember the regularity of certain trains, the signature of the way they blew there horns.

 

[bobg03]

Their rumble, roar, and horns are my sleep aids.

They were mine too with a good competent crew member on board.....

Whose main line are you near?

 

[kaymccampbell]

They were mine too with a good competent crew member on board.....

Whose main line are you near?

Let me guess that it's a NS and CP joint venture at this point, as it's most of what I see in the way of motive power, and they built/rebuilt the intermodal train yard near Mechanicville.

 

[PelicanPines]

We got no real overpasses / bridges here... what we got is dead ends. I have often sat in a lawn chair watching a FULL tractor trailer with a sleeper and screaming driver realize their GPS directions are wrong. Being forced to Back OUT of a 2000 foot dirt road lightly complicated by invasive tree branches.

I do miss the sounds of trains. For me it has been replaced with the sounds of deer snorting and racoon romping.

 

[rmack898]

We have an active line about a mile from us here at the Grove. We can hear the trains every night and it’s quite pleasing to hear the horns at each crossing.

 

[bobg03]

Let me guess that it's a NS and CP joint venture at this point, as it's most of what I see in the way of motive power, and they built/rebuilt the intermodal train yard near Mechanicville.

Yes NS sounds about right, it's west of the Alabany/Selkirk yard owned by CSX. CSX runs Intermodals to/from Mass to Buffalo and beyond and north/south to Jersey and Philly. NS has a joint yard with Pan AM up there where they ship Intermodal and freight to Northern Mass and up towards Maine.

 

[kaymccampbell]

Yes NS sounds about right, it's west of the Alabany/Selkirk yard owned by CSX. CSX runs Intermodals to/from Mass to Buffalo and beyond and north/south to Jersey and Philly. NS has a joint yard with Pan AM up there where they ship Intermodal and freight to Northern Mass and up towards Maine.

This stuff is Canada bound. It's parallel with the Champlain canal. North of Albany, above Mass.

 

[drivesitfar]

Any thoughts to that truck driver hitting bridge on purpose to get insurance funds cause a nice looking truck from the front but engine could have been wasted?

love the train stories!! In our area there is a trillion dollar commuter train being built and cement drivers have been in strike for 6 months.

another cloudy rainy cool day here but one thing for sure is if you wait ten minutes the sun might shine and get warmer (or it could snow). Have a great day!!

 

[harley jim]

Dont think so Drives he is a hired gun driving a company truck.
That was the third one to hit it last week.
There not using the correct gps.
GPS for big trucks has a filter for bridges and viaducts, my buddies on the PD say all of the drivers tell them that's the way my gps said to go. That tells me there setting are for passenger vehicles not commercial trucks.

 

[Chrisb62]

Dont think so Drives he is a hired gun driving a company truck.
That was the third one to hit it last week.
There not using the correct gps.
GPS for big trucks has a filter for bridges and viaducts, my buddies on the PD say all of the drivers tell them that's the way my gps said to go. That tells me there setting are for passenger vehicles not commercial trucks.

That may be true but the big ole sign saying low bridge should mean something.....

30+ years ago my wife and myself delivered a trawler type vessel to Maine from Florida and the last thing I did before starting the truck was measure height and width, just like I believe you are "supposed" to do even today. Came to a bridge not warning of low height ahead but knew as soon as I saw the sign i was too high to make it , about a quarter mile reversing around a bend with cars mainly helping. Point being that the driver is in charge of the load and vehicle no matter what "GPS" says. Wow lots of words..........

 

[harley jim]

Chris, you are exactly right, it dosent matter what the gps says the driver is where the buck stops.

 

[harley jim]

Setting in the parking lot at the oral surgery office, Pat is finally getting her tooth fixed. They have taken almost six weeks to get this done.

 

[xtremek]

6 weeks? Is this the same *********** that jacked it wrong the last time? Whatever the case, I hope it comes out well today.

 

[harley jim]

Yep, same one. It was quicker than starting from scratch.
Pat said they treated her really good and Dr. Dumbo was polite today, they pulled two that were broken.
She had to take Tamoxifen for five years, they told her back then it would probably take a toll on her teeth.

 

[racer-john]

Had to look that one up. Hope everything goes well, will be thinking of you, as always. I'm on Firmagon, one needle every 28 days, until...

 

[harley jim]

Thanks John, things should get back to normal now. I haven't forgot your coin!

 

[racer-john]

Thanks, Jim.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

I hate dentist so much I got an aftermarket set of teeth.

 

[xtremek]

Glad to hear today went a lot better. My socket is still a junk collector, like 2 months later. I hope she heals quickly.

 

[harley jim]

Pat is doing great today, she even took Kay to work this morning.
My neighbors operator showed up today and started digging.


He did an excellent job.

I will get some gravel and dress the lot before I put the carport there.


Then he started removing concrete!

He did a great job on the concrete removal. The piece that is left is poured with the basement, I'll need to get my concrete saw running and cut it to remove it.

Then Tyson brought over a fuel tank that he wanted to cut off the runners and have me get it sandblasted, It was leaking fuel so after blasting it I brought it back to the shop and welded two hairline cracks. I told Tyson what had happened and he said he would psi test it.
Then Kayla called and asked if I knew anyone who could mow the lawn at the animal shelter where she volunteers, there mower broke and was in the shop.

So I loaded the John-Ferguson on a trailer and went to town. Notice the nifty hand rails!!!


When I got home and unloaded the trailer and put it back in the tractor shed I took the tractor and moved about 10 buckets of dirt up to the gate I put in the woods, it was about 20" low on the hinge side. I wanted to track in some dirt there before the rain hits tonight, the rain will help settle the dirt.
Then it was time for supper.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Busy day.

 

[xtremek]

I hope you're feeling ok today, after how busy you were yesterday.

 

[harley jim]

It was a very busy day, my shoulder is a little sore from swinging the sledge hammer but not bad, I feel really good today, I'm headed to tractor supply for chicken feed

 

[harley jim]

It was wet outside so I went to the basement, Pat and I got the second coat of poly on the cieling, now we touch up the paint and start installing the flooring. I need to get parts to powder coat also.

 

[xtremek]

The last of the neck breaking over now?

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Now it is time for sore knees.

 

[harley jim]

Yes, the cieling is done, thank goodness! I'll let it dry a couple of days and put the can lights back in for the last time.
And yes its knee time, I have a hole in the floor where I brought the utilities in that needs to be patched, and there is a drip in one of my water filters that needs some attention.
I've had both knees replaced and they really hate what I am about to do. I'm thinking a hover board and a milk crate might help, lol.

 

[bobg03]

I've had both knees replaced and they really hate what I am about to do. I'm thinking a hover board and a milk crate might help, lol.

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but it never seems to get any better. Mine were done in 2014 and 2015 and even tho they don't hurt no more, kneeling down really *****. Now throw disabling arthritis from the waist up (they got it out of my legs when they were in there numerous times) into the picture, getting down on the ground is not a pretty picture and getting back up is a comedy show for anyone watching.

 

[harley jim]

Bob I agree with you,
I got both of mine done in 2016 and they dont have much less pain than before. I have had most of my neck fused and three vertebrae that are shot, the doc said I'm covered in bone spurs. Both rotators are torn. I go to a pain management doctor also. The Doctors collectively have told me basically to stand still and take up space.
It is hilarious to see me trying to get up off the floor.
I am not going to let that stop me or dwell on it, stay tuned it will be fun.

 

[xtremek]

HJ, I don't want to hear about what you do on your knees, that's between you and Pat. TMI.

 

[xtremek]

^ I just couldn't help myself. Sorry, someone had to do it.

 

[legenddc]

I bought knee pads before we redid our floors. So happy I got them. Best $25 purchase in a long time.

 

[Strouty]

Sometimes knee pads are the only way to go, I had a three week job working in this awkward space on the inside of a water tower and I wish I had used kneed pads, my knees have never been the same.

The gate looks great and the extra dirt made it look perfect. Looks like things are progressing nicely.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

It is hilarious to see me trying to get up off the floor.

Don't you have a front end loader, or maybe an engine hoist? Before I had back surgery, Steph used to threaten to run the winch cable through the ceiling.