Western Railroad Discussion > If the train doesn't show...

…that storm cloud will just have to do!

Yesterday afternoon I came into a situation where I knew a train was coming, but the when part was up in the air, if you’ll allow me a cheesy pun. Thanks to TO member “mg8711” I had a heads-up that Uncle Pete’s eastbound MTPTP local was to meet a westbound grain empty at St Marys, KS. I just happened to be passing through Topeka on my way home from an impromptu chase of a very late Amtrak #4. He also informed me I would be running into a possible storm front, which I could see forming in the western sky. By the time I passed through Rossville, about 7 miles east of St Marys the sky had become really interesting. I don’t know my cloud types very well but with help from Google I’ll describe what I saw as a: “boiling & very dark nimbostratus formation moving rapidly from SW to NE”. Having grown up in Kansas the more down-home description would be: “Yep, rain sure is a-comin’…”

I pulled over at the UP crossing at NW Bailey Rd about a mile out of Rossville and watched the developing aerial show. I was thinking that train can show up ANY TIME, now! At one point I had near perfect composition @ about 24mm with an intermediate back-to-back Darth Vader hooded signal on the left with and those threatening black clouds as a backdrop. All I needed was the dern train! I waited quite a while then decided to go into St Marys to see if the westbound was still there, and maybe intercept the eastbound train. I found the westbound sitting in the siding, but nary an eastbound. That dark cloud bank was now directly overhead so I went back east to my original spot to just ‘stick it out’. Now the wind was swirling and I could see & hear gentle rumbles of distant lightning & thunder in the west & north. During the looong wait I had to let my faithful 4-legged companion (& chauffeur wannabe) out of the car to “go do her job”.

Question: When a sudden nuclear burst of electric blue light & immediate deafening crackle occurs directly overhead, just exactly how high can a squatted Jack Russell terrier jump without flexing her legs? To be continued…

1. UP crossing scene @ Bailey Road about a mile west of Rossville, KS on August 24, 2016.

Thanks for looking!
Lance Garrels
santafe199



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/16 12:44 by santafe199.

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Okay, I'll bite. How high will a Jack jump without flexing her legs?

Lee Hower - Sacramento

>Question: When a sudden nuclear burst of electric blue light & immediate deafening crackle occurs directly
>overhead, just exactly how high can a squatted Jack Russell terrier jump without flexing her legs? 

Well Lance, you said that part of the story would be continued.  I suppose it depends on how long it take her to come back to earth.  Looking forward to hearing the answer.  

Interesting story.  I think we've all been in a similar situation.  I've been places where I've waited 3 or 4 hours and never seen a train and on other occasions I've seen three in 30 minutes, both at the same place.  Kind of like fishing I guess.  I used to take my Miniature Schnauzer with me several years ago.  We could sit for quite a while.  I got to pass time by scratching his back or around his ears, and he got all the attention he could stand.  It's hard to beat a good railfan dog.  Heck, it's hard to beat a good dog whether he likes trains or not.

John

Glad I read this twice, thought you were writing about the guys I used to fan with!

Out

I'm on the edge of my seat!!  Charly doesn't jump, he just hustles back to the house (or car).

I saw my 12 year old beagle do a twenty four inch vertical once. Cant remember what spoked him though.

Edit to say thats a fantastic photo!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/16 19:53 by ChrisCampi.

Most people don't realize it but beagles can really jump when they want to. Our 6 year old beagle did a clean jump one time from a sitting position into a crip with a 36 inch rail, it was a thing of beauty.

A "crip" with a 36" rail?

Out