The Monster USCC Off-Topic Thread

[Fallstar]

hey ilvla2, check this out

http://shastaroute.railfan.net/Cards/CrowLndg.jpg

[ilvla2]

hey ilvla2, check this out

http://shastaroute.railfan.net/Cards/CrowLndg.jpg

Cool, thanks! The Skunk Train operates a few rail cars like that up here, in fact that's how the line got it's name, they say "you can smell 'em before you see them!". Their gasoline motors are easy to, well, smell in advance.

http://www.skunktrain.com

They serve from Willits inland to Fort Bragg on the coast, serving mostly passenger traffic but also freight to and from Fort Bragg and mail, groceries, etc. to various camps along the line, in fact some of those camps can only get their supplies via the Skunk Train. It connects with the Northwestern Pacific RR and Willits, which itself connects with the main rail lines at Schellville, near Sonoma and Napa. They are owned now by the Sierra RR, which also owns the Yolo Shortline, which runs from Sacramento to Woodland and the Sierra Railroad, which runs from Oakdale to Sonora, they operate freight and passenger on both lines.

Edit-The Motor Cars they run-





They also run steam and diesel-





You need to come on down and make the trip sometime! The Skunk Train travels through some HUGE and VERY old Redwoods, so beautiful!

[Fallstar]

Wow, you mean they're still operating? Amazing!

Ugh.... We had a couple of butt kicking storms last night, a real lightning show & heavy rain. Lost my Internet and had a power hit. Power came back right away, but Internet still down, almost 24 hours. :-/

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[ilvla2]

Wow, you mean they're still operating? Amazing!

Ugh.... We had a couple of butt kicking storms last night, a real lightning show & heavy rain. Lost my Internet and had a power hit. Power came back right away, but Internet still down, almost 24 hours. :-/

Posted via Howard Forums App.

Sure, why wouldn't they? They are doing well, and railroads across the nation are BOOMING, and set to grow even more in the coming years, this is a golden age for passenger and freight trains. Also, since the Sierra Railroad took over ownership of the Skunk Train they've made several upgrades to track, refurbished the Willits Depot and done a lot of work and restoration on cars and locomotives.

Sorry about your net, who do you have? We have Comcast (formerly Adelphia here in Mendocino County) here, the Blast! Tier (20/4, 30/6 with Powerboost). Is USCC still up for data at least? We have showers likely here Wed, Wed night and Thursday, the storm is just starting to move in tonight. We have had several power outages this winter, especially in Feb and March, March is being called "Miracle March" for bringing our precip back up to 100% normal levels after an abnormally dry December and January. The rain and snow has continued in April so far, we will finish out the season (the rainy/snowy season officially ends May 1st) a little bit above normal on snow and rain, which is great.

[Fallstar]

Hey, good for you on the drought going away. It's been a wild spring for us.

I had Qwest, and at some point they were acquired by Century Link. This is the first time we had an outage with them, but over 24 hours, must've fried some lines or servers.

I can only surf the Web on my phone for so long.

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[ilvla2]

Hey, good for you on the drought going away. It's been a wild spring for us.

I had Qwest, and at some point they were acquired by Century Link. This is the first time we had an outage with them, but over 24 hours, must've fried some lines or servers.

I can only surf the Web on my phone for so long.

Posted via Howard Forums App.

Lol Yeah, I hear ya there! We have two landline providers in Mendocino County, AT&T (formerly SBC, formerly Pacific Bell) who serves from Fort Bragg and Willits south, and Verizon (formerly GTE, formerly Contel of CA), who serves everything north. We can't get DSL in Redwood Valley as AT&T never has upgraded the CO in Calpella (it serves Calpella and Redwood Valley) for it, so Comcast is it for us. There is a WISP in the area, Willits Online but we're blocked from seeing their tower, and besides they are slower and more expensive than Comcast, they are really more for areas (ie.Potter Valley, Boonville, Covelo, Leggett) that can't get DSL or Cable HSI.

Edit-Even if the CO was DSL ready, we still couldn't get it at our place as we are 20,000+ Cable Feet from the CO, though as the crow flies we're about 2-3 miles from it.

[Fallstar]

I'm back on normal/regular internet! woohoo! They must have fixed it some time last night. Big sigh of relief! lol!

[ilvla2]

I'm back on normal/regular internet! woohoo! They must have fixed it some time last night. Big sigh of relief! lol!

Right on, congrats! It's pouring here right now.

[Fallstar]

A co-worker said the outage was due to a rock/mud slide in central OR.

I kind of like when it's pouring rain...except when I have to work outside in it.

[ilvla2]

A co-worker said the outage was due to a rock/mud slide in central OR.

I kind of like when it's pouring rain...except when I have to work outside in it.

We've had some of those here this year too, though phone and internet have not gone out, just power a few times. I love the rain too, as long as I can keep somewhat dry

[Fallstar]

ivla2, do you play Draw Something on your phone? I like doodling and Pictionary, but man, I didn't think I'd get so addicted to this game! lol! What's not so good is it's eating my battery! I have to plug in every evening to recharge!

[Fallstar]

p.s. I didn't see the photos of the trains before They look wonderful, especially the forests. thanks for sharing those pics!

[ilvla2]

ivla2, do you play Draw Something on your phone? I like doodling and Pictionary, but man, I didn't think I'd get so addicted to this game! lol! What's not so good is it's eating my battery! I have to plug in every evening to recharge!

Cool drawings! I actually haven't played it, but I know a lot of Note Owners are really addicted to it, I will have to try it out, you have got me really interested now! I know what ya mean on the Battery, too bad we can't just pull electricity from the air, oh well, someday! Wait, Grandpa Munster did wireless electricity on the Munster's, but it backfired as I remember lol

[ilvla2]

p.s. I didn't see the photos of the trains before They look wonderful, especially the forests. thanks for sharing those pics!

No problemo, you are mucho welcome mi amigo! It is so beautiful up here, I dare say it's probably one of the most beautiful places on Earth, with the mountains, rivers, coastal areas, national forest, Redwoods and wildlife like Elk, Deer and Bear. The Redwoods are amazing, thousands of years old and some grow to almost 400 feet, making them the tallest living things in the world! They only grow in California and in a TINY corner of extreme Southwest Oregon. In fact, the tallest Redwood in the world, the Mendocino Tree is just about 10 miles west of me in Montgomery Woods State Reserve, it's 367 Feet tall, now THAT's a tree! Their cousins, the Sequoia only grow in the Sierra Nevada's and are the largest living things on Earth, with the largest one being the General Sherman Tree.

That said, this ole country is full of beautiful places, and I feel blessed to have traveled extensively by train and car not only in CA, but in most of the US. My favorite states will always be in the West though. Come on down anytime, I'll show ya around the area!

[Fallstar]

No problemo, you are mucho welcome mi amigo! It is so beautiful up here, I dare say it's probably one of the most beautiful places on Earth, with the mountains, rivers, coastal areas, national forest, Redwoods and wildlife like Elk, Deer and Bear. The Redwoods are amazing, thousands of years old and some grow to almost 400 feet, making them the tallest living things in the world! They only grow in California and in a TINY corner of extreme Southwest Oregon. In fact, the tallest Redwood in the world, the Mendocino Tree is just about 10 miles west of me in Montgomery Woods State Reserve, it's 367 Feet tall, now THAT's a tree! Their cousins, the Sequoia only grow in the Sierra Nevada's and are the largest living things on Earth, with the largest one being the General Sherman Tree.

That said, this ole country is full of beautiful places, and I feel blessed to have traveled extensively by train and car not only in CA, but in most of the US. My favorite states will always be in the West though. Come on down anytime, I'll show ya around the area!

Those look so cool, especially the steam locomotive. I think it would be neat to take rides on some of those...do they stop in the forests (for photo opportunities)? How far is your area from Santa Rosa? I have an ex-nun/hippie/activist () second cousin (she's in her 70s) that lives there.