Planes and Boats and Trains. Wrecks!

[AndyinPA]

https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles ... -on-trains

Four railroads have asked federal appeals courts to throw out a new rule that would require two-person train crews in most circumstances, saying the mandate is arbitrary, capricious and an illegal abuse of discretion.

The identical challenges of the Federal Railroad Administration's rule were all filed this week in different appellate courts on behalf of Union Pacific, BNSF and two short line railroads — the Indiana Railroad and Florida East Coast Railway.

The new federal requirement, announced last week, was a milestone in organized labor’s long fight to preserve the practice and came amid increasing scrutiny into railroad safety, especially in the wake of the fiery February 2023 derailment in eastern Ohio.

Most of those railroads didn't immediately offer additional explanation for why they don't like the rule, but the industry has long opposed such a regulation and the Association of American Railroads trade group said last week that the rule was unfounded and not supported by safety data. The Indiana Railroad — like many short lines across the country — already operates with one-person crews, but the major freight railroads all have two-person crews that their union contracts require.

[raison de arizona]

Most of those railroads didn't immediately offer additional explanation for why they don't like the rule

[Volkonski]

After breaking free on Friday night on the Ohio River, 26 barges now accounted for

https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news ... -underway/

The commander for the Pittsburgh district of the Army Corp of Engineers told KDKA the 26 barges that broke loose have been accounted for, with some of them resting against the Emsworth Lock and Dam on the Ohio River.

He said early investigation found no issues with the dam and no one was hurt.

Pittsburgh Police said the call came in around 11:30 on Friday night.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard said 26 barges broke away from a vessel at mile marker one. Of the 26 barges, 23 were loaded and three were empty.

Those that were loaded were carrying dry cargo such as coal, but no hazardous materials were being carried.

There have been no reports of contamination or pollution.

Eleven of the barges came to a stop, pinned against the river bank by Brunot Island and now are being held by a tugboat.

The commander said that 9 stopped at Emsworth Lock and Dam.

[AndyinPA]

We had record flooding last week and again this week. I would guess that had a lot to do with it. We have also been dealing with very high winds over the last few days (including today). I don't know if the wind would have had anything to do with them breaking loose, but the high winds could certainly have helped them float away quickly. I'm surprised that some of them actually went through one of the dams without injury to the locks.




Edited to correct: They went over the dam, not through the locks. That makes more sense.

[northland10]

Even barges yearn to be free.

[chancery]

You kinda beat me to it.

[RVInit]

[John Thomas8]

[RTH10260]

Kelsey also likes to roast "air travel advisors" on Tik Tok --- much more of crazies on that site

[John Thomas8]

Kelsey also likes to roast "air travel advisors" on Tik Tok --- much more of crazies on that site

After watching a bunch of Leon Lush's videos, I'm not sure anyone posting to Tiktok is sane.

74 Gear and Mentour Pilot are rather interesting.

[RTH10260]

Massive Salvaging Effort at Baltimore Bridge Collapse Site....!

IMD Military Matters
13 Apr 2024

In the wake of the Baltimore Bridge collapse, the Key Bridge Response Unified Command is leading a massive salvage effort. Their priorities: ensuring safety, finding missing persons, restoring transportation, protecting the environment, and supporting the investigation. It's a unified mission of compassion, precision, and resilience, guiding the community through this dark hour towards a brighter tomorrow.

[John Thomas8]

[RVInit]

Kelsey also likes to roast "air travel advisors" on Tik Tok --- much more of crazies on that site

After watching a bunch of Leon Lush's videos, I'm not sure anyone posting to Tiktok is sane.

74 Gear and Mentour Pilot are rather interesting.

I watch both of those and also watch Pilot Debrief (Hoover). His videos are short and right to the point. Most of what he posts are his take on accidents, where did the pilot go wrong. Some of the accidents he posts about are crazy, you really wonder what the hell is wrong with some of those people who get in the cockpit of a plane and apparently think they are just invincible regardless of what they do or the attitude they bring with them.

Fly with Kay is a fun watch, she really exemplifies the right attitude, excellent piloting skills, and in spite of the fact that she has pretty much every credential under her belt she is not complacent, uses her checklists, and all that put together probably help account for the fact that so far she has always landed safe and sound after every flight. Hoover did a nice video about her and gave her kudos for all of the above, showing the difference between her and the flights he typically covers. It's a great watch.

[John Thomas8]

Not many people talk about the crew:

[John Thomas8]

A bit of an evening chuckle:

[John Thomas8]

[Volkonski]

Third temporary channel opens for vessels to Baltimore port after bridge collapse

https://apnews.com/article/maryland-bri ... 5ad77d1395

A third temporary channel for boats to enter and depart the Port of Baltimore has opened, expanding further shipping access as collapsed sections of the Francis Scott Key Bridge are salvaged before the span can ultimately be rebuilt.

The alternate channel, located to the northeast of the fallen bridge, is open to “commercially essential vessels,” port officials announced late Friday.

The new temporary path, with a controlling depth of 20 feet (6.1 meters), a horizontal clearance of 300 feet (91.4 meters) and a vertical clearance of 135 feet (41.2 meters), allows a greater variety of vessels to access the port while crews work to reopen the main channel, Coast Guard and port Capt. David O’Connell said in a news release.

With the new channel open, about 15% of pre-collapse commercial activity will resume, O’Connell said. The first temporary channel opened April 1. The bridge collapsed early March 26 after it was struck by the cargo ship Dali.

[AndyinPA]

I clearly remember how shocked I was when this happened (East Palestine) that it was originally treated as local news here. IIRC, it didn't make national news until after the controlled explosion. We had been watching this closely here, with lots of local coverage for at least two days before it made much of a dent in national coverage. I was sure from the beginning that this was being seriously down-played. And I'm sure the recent $600 million settlement isn't really a fair one.

I live about 60 miles (ca. 97 km) from it.

[John Thomas8]

Marine tracker:

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/ho ... 8.4/zoom:2

Aircraft tracker:

https://www.flightradar24.com/35.58,-78.79/6

Rail tracker:

https://trainpositions.com/

[bill_g]

Not many people talk about the crew:

https: //youtu.be/kJvR0IyAsCU

Sure they do. Some gain fame on their own.

[John Thomas8]

I had to look 3 times, then scared the cat laughing so loud.

[northland10]

Marine tracker:

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/ho ... 8.4/zoom:2

Aircraft tracker:

https://www.flightradar24.com/35.58,-78.79/6

Rail tracker:

https://trainpositions.com/

No surprise that the rail tracker is Europe. US rail companies don't like folks paying attention to where their trains are. They claim it is for security purposes but it more likely that they follow their old habits of not paying attention to the rest of the world, even their own customers.

Amtrak has a tracker, and Metra (the NE Illinois commuter line) has updated theirs recently though sometimes the UP lines are off (yes, Union Pacific gets that way). Obviously, passenger rail has a greater use for online train tracking.

[pipistrelle]

Marine tracker:

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/ho ... 8.4/zoom:2

Aircraft tracker:

https://www.flightradar24.com/35.58,-78.79/6

Rail tracker:

https://trainpositions.com/

No surprise that the rail tracker is Europe. US rail companies don't like folks paying attention to where their trains are. They claim it is for security purposes but it more likely that they follow their old habits of not paying attention to the rest of the world, even their own customers.

Amtrak has a tracker, and Metra (the NE Illinois commuter line) has updated theirs recently though sometimes the UP lines are off (yes, Union Pacific gets that way). Obviously, passenger rail has a greater use for online train tracking.

I use https://asm.transitdocs.com/

[chancery]

Nadia Drake is a science journalist who specializes in astronomy, astrophysics and planetary science. She has a PhD in genetics from Cornell and is a former professional ballet dancer. Her father, Frank Drake, was an astrophysicist, a founder of SETI, and inventor of the "Drake Equation, a framework for thinking about extraterrestrial intelligence.

[Maybenaut]

She should fly Air India sometime. She’d be looking back fondly on this experience. No information, or false information, is what they’re best at.