grumpyff

Power was provided by three locomotives spread throughout the consist. P32-ACDM #222, BL-20GH #126, and BL-20GH # 110 on the rear

For all the train buffs out there...Due to the wash out along Metro North's Danbury branch 3 locomotives and a group of coaches currently stranded in Danbury will be moved today along the mostly unused Beacon line. The train will depart from Danbury and head to Brewster at about 10mph, crossing the large bridge in Brewster behind the Honda dealership. There is no set time so keep your eyes open. Metro North moved two locomotives and 10-12 coaches yesterday. Here is a link to a thread on Railroad.Net. http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=67&t=79811&p=908601. The trip yesterday took about three hours to complete.

It went to Grand Central and was broken up there. One mini (1 locomotive & 3 coaches) went back to Brewster, another mini went to Harmon and the Genesis with 7 coaches went into service. When I get home I will post photos that I took.

Yes it is but the train will not go that far west. Just north of Brewster it will switch on to the Harlem Line and proceed south into Brewster yard

Runs from Danbury, CT through Brewster, Patterson, Hopewell junction to Beacon,NY. Speed restrictions. Since the line is not maintained and most crossings must be flagged. Metro North owns the line in NY and bought it for future potential use. Currently it is o Lu used a couple of times a year

The train has just left Danbury

Looking through Flikr.com I found these training photos. Credit to the photographers My linkhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/uberzombie/330972313/ My linkhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/29847057@N03/4038800640/in/photostream/

So, By your thinking, without my union, the NYC PBA, since 1998 I would have gotten only about a 4% pay increase in the last 13 years. When times were good and the money was flowing on Wall Street, the City of New York had the balls to tell cops and firefighters "sorry, we have no money for pay raises", but I remember Mayor Giuliani giving himself close to a 50% pay increase saying " We need to attract the best possible candidates". Sounds good to me, NOT. My Union tried to negotiate every two years, and the city would drag its feet every time, with the city refusing to negotiate. Every contract ended up in binding arbitration (which could go either way, in fact that was the reason for the $25,000 starting pay a couple of years ago). Even after 9/11 with public support for cops and firefighters at an all time high the city told us to go scratch.. they had no money. How about getting rid of the politicians pension, which they get after one term in office, or their health care, which is better than ours. PS my union provides my dental and eye care, not my employer. Without my union I would have to re-qualify on weapons my job requires me to carry on my own time (a day off), but I would have to stay for the whole day, not when I am finished. Without my union, I could be judged, and actions taken against me for lack of summons/arrest activity (quota bill) Without my union I would have no recourse to complain about substandard conditions we are forced to work in. Ever been in a NYC police precinct, most are falling apart. Without my union I would have no legal representation for actions taken at work, even if I did nothing wrong in the course of my employment. I could go on an on. So why is my union a bad thing.

M7s seat less customers than the M1 due to ADA compliant bathroom and electronic equipment protected in the car body, so a greater number of cars were needed to maintain number of seats. The M8s have he same problem, but are wider than the M7 so there is greater comfort for the passengers. M7 designed to be narrower due to LIRR requirements, Metro North was forced to be stuck with it.

I feel for the crews involved, and hope that they know they did everything they possibly could have done to save the children's lives, and that they are taking advantage of any counseling that is availible to them. As to the scumbag that fled the country I hope she gets the justice she deserves,. Hopefully Nigeria will cooperate with any State Department requests for extradition.

The ship is bigger than some of its port of call. Oasis, and its sister Allure of the Seas are the current largest cruise ship afloat. The can sail with 5400 passengers (at double occupancy although some cabins can hold 3 to 4 people to a maiximum of 6296 ) and a crew of 2165 from 65 different countries. Unsure, where fire protection water comes from, but there are standpipes all over the ship. EFD, maybe next time on the margarita . we flew to Miami, and left from Ft Lauderdale.

Safety boat in the water Post drill assessment clean up

Foam really flowing now bouncing the foam off the deck

crew of three exit the hatch onto the deck Maintaining closeness of the nozzles. starting the foam

Each vehicle will vary greatly depending on usage, even within large departments. It should be left up to trained mechanics who can determine when a vehicle has begun to deteriorate to the point it is no longer safe or cost effective to continue to repair. With all the current economic problems my fear is things will get run till the wheels come off, and then the wheels get put back on.

They will mostly stay on the New Haven line. Occasionally you may see them in Croton or even Brewster, but that is rare.

For the NYPD, members on patrol are supposed to wear the vest at all times. There are some exceptions to this. Most vests are warrantied by the manufacturer for 5 years. With that, when I joined the NYPD in1998 we were fitted for our vest, and told that would be our vest for the next twenty years. It took the death of PO Dillon Stewart in 2005 to get us new vests, rated to a LEVEL IIIA, and the panels overlap. Officer Stewart was shot while in a car chasing a another car, he was hit just under the arm, and the bullet went through the small gap between the front and rear panels. Keep in mind most vests are not stab and puncture rated so they will not stop a knife or other sharp object. Vests are also only rated to stop some handgun rounds, they will not stop a rifle round. Here is a link to a chart that explains the different vest levels, http://www.njlawman....ody%20Armor.htm Vests are hot during the summer, often retaining heat and sweat of the user. Bullet resistant vests also will not be effective if they are soaking wet (heavy rain, enter body of water, etc) Also fitting the vest is important, if it is too big, the user will have trouble sitting down ( the vest will move up and hit you under the chin/throat area, and if too small it will be ineffective. Most are not designed to be folded, or rolled up (there are some on the market that can be), as any crease in the panel will affect its effectiveness. From what I have read in the news media, the incident on Long Island the shooter was intending to kill people. Not sure if the responding crew had a chance to see the firearms before they even got off their apparatus, or if the shooter had it concealed until they approached.

Your anger is directed in the wrong location. It is the State of Connecticut's fault. Metro North owns 50% of the cars and wanted to replace them years ago. The state dragged its feet until it was too late. MTA Metro North did the best they could with the cards dealt to them. Only The first train did the 4000 mile acceptance test, now the rest only have to do 1000 miles of trouble free testing. Better to wait the get stuck between stations because something new and untested failed.

Hope the Involved officers make a speedy recovery. Perp already got his justice

Typical money grubbing lawyer BUll#%$. Hopefully the officers involved can breath easier tonight.

While passing through Pleasantville today, I spotted the new Tower Ladder 5, a 2010 KME 95'. Here are a couple quick pictures I was able to take while crews were familiarizing themselves in the operation of the tower ladder. Once the weather improves I will return to take some better photos. Starting with the driver's side:

The City of New York is estimated to have made almost 4 BILLION DOLLARS durinng the 1990's on our money. What did we get in return...told sorry we have no money for raises and 5 year contract of 0, 0, 3, 3 , and 6. Bloomburg is out of control wanting to eliminate the Variable Supplement, for everyone....guys already retired to guys currently working. He wants to eliminate it, and keep the money so he can waste it on projects like City Time, which is coming up on billion dollars in fess paid over ten years, originally projected to cost just 63 million. The payroll system does not work correctly, and is estimated now to cost 40 million a year to run. The money belongs to the union member, not the city. Want to eliminate the the City's involvement, fine , give the money back to were it came from, with interest, Union funds.

Putnam County Annual FireFighters Ski Races Held at the Thunder Ridge Ski Area, Patterson, NY Sponsored by the Patterson Fire Department No. 1, inc. Sunday February 13, 2011 1pm Proceeds will benefit The Burn Center at The Westchester County Medical Center, Valhalla, NY SUNDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2011 1PM RACE TIME $100 DONATION PER 5 PERSON RACE TEAM $25 PER INDIVIDUAL RACER Team and/or individual timed runs firefighters and EMT's will Ski/Snowboard a course in Full Turnout Gear carrying 3" hose Please contact Adam B. Stiebeling at (914) 879 - 9867 or pfd12abs@yahoo.com Please RSVP by February 9, 2011 with numbers of racers

Due to limited registration (on team) the event has been canceled.

Just a reminder that the registration period is about to close on February 9. Responses have been poor and the event is in danger of being cancelled. Please respond if you are planning to attend.