17 Sep 07
The Engine that Hit Damage is hardly visible to the engine that struck the truck. However, the front steps on the far side of the engine were bent quite substantially. Still, FRA regulations require engines involved in an incident like this to be inspected before they can be used again. So this engine was parked on a side track about a half mile to the north, where it remained for about 3 weeks before it was moved again. The backhoe here is the one used to realign the track.
|
17 Sep 07
Fixing the Track Here's "John Henry" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Henry_(folklore) fixing the track. In our high tech world where machines fix track by the mile, sometimes hand tools are the simplest way to get things done. Just before hammering the spike, he used an ordinary metal measuring tape to measure the gauge of the track, then tapped it into alignment with a backhoe (not the one on the truck that was hit though).
|
17 Sep 07
Damage to the Tractor All things considered, this tractor faired pretty well. Let's see, just 3 flat tires, a bent smoke stack, a mangled tire mud guard, the mirror and whatever that thing underneath it is mangled, and probably that dent in the fuel tank. A few scrapes and "bruises" round out the visible damage. They were able to get it started, though it sputtered and coughed, and something was leaking.
|
17 Sep 07
Backhoe on the Street This shows where the backhoe ended up. The flatbed trailer swung out from underneath the backhoe like pulling a table cloth out from underneath a set of dinner plates resting on a table. The backhoe went straight down to the street.
|
17 Sep 07
The Backhoe This backhoe was on the flatbed trailer being pulled by the truck. The truck was here first, then the gates came down, as can seen by the fact that the gate is resting on top of the backhoe.
|
17 Sep 07
The Tractor This was pulling the flatbed trailer that the backhoe was on. It ended up about 100 or so feet south of the crossing!
|
14 Dec 06
Owings Mills At the Owings Mills subway station for the Baltimore Metro rail system. Just paying my regards to Louis!
|
25 Nov 06
Welcome to Oklahoma! This is my first visit to Oklahoma! It didn't last long, but I found one geocache, drove on some dirt roads, and crossed the Red River.
|
25 Nov 06
We're going up there?!? Looking up from the base of the arch, this thing looks quite formitable. And inside that steel triangle is a set of pods hanging from a track like seats in a ferris wheel that will take us to the top.
|
2 Nov 06
At the top I'm standing on what I think is the top, looking down at my friend. There are actually several places where the rocks seem higher than those around them and each pile seems to be about the same height. The one I'm standing on may or may not be the highest one, I'm not sure, but my head is higher than any other rock pile at this point. We thought of piling a few more rocks at this point to make it clearly the top.
|
2 Nov 06
Tram & Me At the Top The train has gone as far as it can go. We're not quite to the top, but it isn't far away.
|
2 Nov 06
Still Going Up Still Climbing, now above treeline. Yes, that diagional line ahead is part of the Cog Railway.
|
2 Nov 06
Going Up Yes, the train is going up there!
|
2 Nov 06
Loading Up On the train, people still boarding. Just about ready to depart.
|
30 Oct 06
"Open the pod bay doors, Hal" There's nobody standing next to these doors to show the scale of their size, they're about 5 feet tall. Most people except for children need to bend over to get inside.
|
30 Oct 06
The Arch has a Shadow It would have been cool to go back down and look closely at the shadow to see it move as the arch itself sways. But it got cloudy before we got to the bottom.
|
30 Oct 06
Afraid of Heights? A view straight down shows there's not much directly below the viewing area.
|
30 Oct 06
Downtown St. Louis Finally, what we've come all this way for, a nice view of Downtown St. Louis
|
30 Oct 06
Inside at the Top The triangular shape of the arch means you have to lean over to look out the narrow windows. The arch sways gently even in gentle winds.
| |