NEVER trust the weather man

[E.M. Bell]

After watching the weather forecast all week, and them saying that Saturday (10-01-11) was going to be cool and mostly sunny, Carmon and myself started making plans to get out of the house and shoot some trains. We had planned on shooting around Danville and on down South a bit, but Butch soon had me convinced to join he and Aron (NSgelocos) down in Tn to spend the day around Nemo. I had not taken Carm to Nemo yet, so that seemed like a good plan.

We left the house at a little after 0600 (under clear skies) and started South. After the sun came up, it became clear that it was anything but sunny...but figured it would clear off. Long story short, 12 hours and 300 miles on the road for nothing but clouds, that kept getting darker and thicker as they day progressed. We spent about 4 hours at Nemo to shoot a pair of Southbounds, and by that time I had enough, and we headed for the house (even hit a little rain in a place or Two)... The National Weather Service was STILL saying mostly sunny for that part of TN and here in KY yesterday afternoon.. What little faith I had in them is all but gone now!

Here are my meager results from the day...

NS 177 and 161 at Nemo TN, on the 2md district of the CNO&TP





and a little photoshop work with that 177 shots produces a shot of a catfish in its natural habitat...

[nsgelocos]

After you all had left, me and Butch went to bridge 89 and caught 223. After that we saw what was keeping the trackage down north of Nemo. There was a ballast cleaner that exited the tunnel not to long after 223 and stopped to begin it's work of cleaning the ballast to Coleman. After he went out of site around the corner the scanner came on with the work train operator saying "Dispatcher it must be national take-a-picture-of-a-train day down here. There are about 30 kids trackside. We advise any passing trains to blow there horns." I thought they were talking about me and  Butch. It turns out there were three truck loads of people camping that went to visit the tunnels that had shown up about the time the MOW arrived. The dispatcher warned NS 117 later to keep a watch out for the kids. By the time 117 had got there, they had gone.

[butch]

We also found a new angle for T24

[butch]

MOW that tied up the main for over an hour

[butch]

And the most interesting train of the day was the last one at T24

[lwjabo]

Those were some good pictures. How in the work did they cut through all that rock?

[E.M. Bell]

Good shooting Butch, but I think that ballast cleaner is about the most interesting thing we (didnt) see all day. That thing has to be a mechanics nightmare, but its a fun to watch. Had I known it was going to come on down South of CW tower, we would have stuck around a bit longer.

As a high and mighty RR official once said, there are three key elements to good track..Drainage, good drainage, and great drainage.  Clean Ballast is Happy ballast!  

[nsgelocos]

If someone could explain what the dirt on the conveyer belt is for, I would be very satisfied.  ???

[butch]

Thanks Emmett, we had no idea it was coming.  We knew MOW had the track and was horn happy coming through the tunnel, but I didn't even have the camera out until it slid out of the portal.  As for cutting the rock, you can still see the bores in the face where they drilled to blast.

[lwjabo]

When they sift the ballast the dirt goes on the conniver. Normally it's thrown out side the ditch but in narrow places that can't be done. When they get to a place they can they will throw the dirt off into the weeds. Nte the hopper can and does the same thing.