Lewasite TV staring Phil.

[Blastgirl]

That's how most of us are. How many times have you talked to someone and thought later, "I should have said this." ;D

[Phil]

There the series is in sequence then. Come to think of it I never heard PWND spoken either. Like Mahnarch, I've seen it written a million times. I think you said it right though. Like 'pawned'

[Classicblast]

I like the reading of the mail through videos.

I don't blame Phil, a steering wheel makes a good table.

[Mahnarch]

I do use my steering wheel as a table quite often, also but, I'm also using a book...thing.


This is also the cause of many "Volvo Air-Horn Accidents" - since Volvo decided to replace their pull cords with a standard steering wheel push pad (where your 'regular' horn is).
We have tiny, thumb sized buttons at the bottom of our wheels for our electrical horns.
[Yea. Semis have two horns.]


I like the readings, too.
You get to see it send AND received.
And, to think/see "Hey! I sent that!"

It's awesome!

[Blastgirl]

No wisdom teeth? It's surprising such a wise man would have had them pulled.

[Mahnarch]

Hmm....now that you mention it....

My IQ DID drop a few hundred points afterwards.

Now I'm only at 156.....






[On the serious side: In flight school they prefer it if you have them pulled. It helps you deal with semi-circular balance and ear...popping...ness.
Plus, they were bothering me, anyway. So - YOINK!]

[Phil]

Just some rapidfire updates.

[Mahnarch]

Thank you, Phil.

May third...
Rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?


I give mine to Angel, too.
Haven't heard anything prior to this but, either way...
I'll be thinking of her and her own.

[Phil]

Her sister did get home the other day. That's as much as I know right now.

[Phil]

These tracks have been inactive as long as I've been with the company which just turned 19 years yesterday.

They had not been inactive too long when I started because I still had to work the area when they had tracks in that place.

What happens is the company usually leaves the tracks for an indefinite period of time. Sometimes they pave over the tracks on the street but if need be they could jack hammer the pavement and re-open the tracks and therefore use them again. That doesn't usually happen but I can't say it never does.

Well The next step is upon inspection they may decide that the tracks are no longer serviceworhty and even becoming dangerous. Ground is eroding, tracks decayed and whatever comes from there.

The area how ever many miles it is, sometimes it's hundreds of miles before they join active tracks, what is inactive gets removed.

That doesn't mean woods grows back immediately though. The rail companies still own the land as they had to buy it to put the tracks in in the 1st place. They are responsible to maintain a path for however long their contract is and if the land is owned it's whatever transportation contract they had. It could be a 25 year contract it just depends on the locations, state laws etc.

The red tape is so thick they usually maintain the area all the way through because stopping for the 20 miles on Pennsylvaina and maintaining the New York and Ohio sides of it is no less costly and should there be an issue or accident of some kind it can really get ugly.

So, they generally mow the area, keep the ground reasonable and de garbage it. Even without tracks. The companies tend to own a minimum of 45 feet or more. They have to own the track area and some on either side just to make it all possible.

Sometimes if the tracks ran through your property they will sell the land to you to aliviate cost of this but they woudl still clean and maintain that section going through.

If you are a snowmobile rider, ATV rider or dirtbike/motorcycle person or just like to hike the track ways are awesome because they are maintained and for hundreds of miles there's not going to be any traffic. You should know where they lead though and not just assume that you'll figure it out when you go. If you get to a bridge that went over water and the bridge is removed and their is not some other way over you could find yourself out of your way. Crossing roads is not really a problem it's just like crossing the street any other time.

Here is a blog I did almost a year ago that has paved over the tracks but the tracks are not necessarily permenantly disabled becaue they could reactivate them.


Railroad signs remain at the crossings either way as long as the companies still posess the property.

[Mahnarch]

Wow. Can't believe I missed the one from over a year ago.



I wouldn't think that the rail road....place... would want to use asphalt covered rails if rain water and...hobo urine...and stuff got on it over the years.

Seems like corrosion would set in - just a schosh (skosh. skowsh. schowsh..... how do you spell that?)

[Blastgirl]

I liked your video about the tracks Phil. They're very interesting and that the the company still takes care of the land. Do they really open up old tracks after years of being dormant?

[Phil]

Mahnarch, not exactly. Yes they might cut up the blacktop and re activate the tracks but they would for sure put new rails in. The track would be carefully inspected for the entire length and each and every liner rail and block examined along with ground and repaired and replaced as needed before anybody ran a train along it.

Using the blog taken by me at work at the crossing that still has tracks but they're paved over,
I probably implied that they might just chip away the pavement and the road is open once again. That's not true. At the very minimum the rails that cross the road and wood supports within that would be replaced. Those tracks have only been dormant for about 2 years. So the rails would need some repair but it wouldn't be too bad.

As you can see the blog I just put in the tracks are gone so that would need a whole rebuild. But like I said the land is maintained so it would only be like paving a street no clearing needed. Many bridges are removed along the way though so it's not quite as simple as that but I think everybody knows what I'm saying.

[Mahnarch]

Replacement seems logical.

What gets me is that crossing in Coopersville.
Along with the RXR signs there's also the STOP signs which I have to still, legally, stop at; lest I receive a ticket - even though the tracks don't go anywhere.
(They never had the barricades. Just signs).

Who can I call to get the stop signs removed?
Can I remove them myself.....and hang them in my garage?

[Phil]

That's what I mean. It's a formality for legal reasons. The rail companies probably still own the land and have to maintain it. That's why the sings are still up. There might be a white sign crossign the pole that says 'exempt' they don't always put those up but its a way of declaring inactivity.

As long as the companies are responsible for the land the sing aren't going to come down. Not that the lanes can be reactivated once the tracks are removed. At the very lease they would have to buy back any land they sold off.

If you have tracks in your land and they're removed, don't buy the land. Don't!!
It's a small amount of area, there's no other use of it, and the company will maintain it and you can use it it serves no other purpose so don't buy the land unless it's to prevent someone else from encroachment. If encroachment is not an issue, don't bother to buy the land let the companies be responsible for it.

But go ahead and make use of it. Why buy the cow if the milks free?

[Blastgirl]

Phil, this is a good idea.

[Mahnarch]

I said this months ago.


I thought I had it in my platform but, I guess it was the wrong venue.
I don't remember where I said it but, I did say it.
It's part of my POTUS plan.



I'll have to dig it up.
I think it was on Lewa, though....

[Kimm]

I remember you saying something like that too. I think it would be a good idea to directly stimulate things and I think it would work faster than giving money directly to the companies that are probably going to just waste it.