Wood grain elevators are becoming rare. Not only does this town still have more than one, one of them is rather big. A 1960 topo map labels the railroad as Great Northern and a contemporary map labels it as BNSF. So it is not a shortline.
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Choteau, MT: Old Grain Elevators Still in Use
(Satellite, in 2021, there were four hopper cars parked next to the concrete silos)
Tuesday, February 9, 2021
Decker, MT: Decker Coal Mine is Closing and Spring Creek Mine
(Satellite)
Feb 5, 2021: Montana coal mine closes amid decline in demand
It is not unusual to read about coal mines in the high-sulfur Illinois Basin closing, but now the low-sulfur Powder River Basin is being impacted by the closure of coal-fired power plants.
 |
| CoalAge "The Decker mine is in the northwest portion of Powder River Basin. It produces approximately 5 million metric tons of coal per year." [I don't know if this was a file photo of a mine or if this dragline is in the Decker Mine.] |
 |
| missoulian Decker's production has fallen from 7 million tones in 2006 to 3 million tons in 2011. [I found draglines in the mine across the wastewater pond here and here. But according to Google Map, Spring Creek Mine is northwest of Decker. I could not find a dragline there. Then I learned that the mines on each side of the wastewater pond are East Decker and West Decker. [gem]] |
 |
| TheSheridanPress, pay count of 6 |
I could not find any shovels in any of the three mining operations in this area until I saw the photos in this article. I'm saving the satellite image because who know how long this shovel will still be here.
According to the road map, they built a new dam further south and significantly expanded the wastewater pond.
 |
| Road Map |
 |
| Satellite |
This article says it is the first Powder River Basin mine to close. The first part of that article says the state controls a $126.4 million bond that should cover the cleanup costs. And the bond isn't vulnerable to the bankruptcy outcome. But later in the article, it says the company wants to rob the pension and medical benefits to help pay for cleanup. I'm of the opinion that any executive that decides to underfund and/or rob a pension fund should be put in jail. Didn't we learn anything from the consumer electronics and smokestack business failures during the 1970s and 1980s? But I understand that if holding decision makers accountable for their decisions was true, Illinois state government would already have some people in jail.
Monday, February 8, 2021
Hamilton, OH: Miami & Erie Canal and OH-4 Bypass
(Satellite, OH-4 used to be the Miami & Erie Canal route.)
 |
| Facebook Reel |
Butch Stone posted two photos with the comment: "Miami and Erie Canal In Hamilton Ohio."
The Ohio & Erie Canal was on the east side of the state. This would have been the Miami & Erie Canal.
What is the name of the street and railroad?
I believe this is the PRR crossing over St Rt 4 in Hamilton and in the satellite view you can see the shadow of the bridge.
Tim Miller
ThanksAnd I now know where the "H" of CH&D is.
 |
| 1 |
 |
| 2 |
 |
| Dennis DeBruler commented on Butch's post I noticed that Google Maps called it OH-4 Bypass. They obviously built that bypass in the canals' RoW through town. 1915 Hamilton Quadrangle @ 1:62,500 |
 |
| Dennis DeBruler commented on Butch's post When I noticed that the canal paralleled the East Middletown Branch of the CH&D, I fired up the Aban RR Map to follow that route. But that route is missing. |
 |
| Dennis DeBruler commented on Butch's post Looking at 1955 maps explains why. The abandoned route is just a short segment between downtown and a cutoff that B&O built to a new yard near New Miami. 1955 Hamilton and Trenton Quadrangles @ 1:24,000 Canal Road and the Great Miami River Recreational Trail mark most of the old canal route to the northeast. |
Sunday, February 7, 2021
Wedron, IL: Sand Quarry and Depot Fire
(Satellite)
Two of the photos posted by HalstEd Pazdzior with the comment: "Some trains around Ottawa and Wedron.1/25/21" [These two are at Wedron.]
 |
| a |
 |
| b |
 |
| Street View |
 |
| Street View |
 |
| Bryan Hopkins posted, cropped Wedron, IL (Wedron Silica) South loading facility. Picture taken when I went to enjoy the celebration of the South plant. Texas barbecue was on the menu. Benjamin Hucker: Any idea when this loading area was built and what year this photo was taken? Bryan Hopkins: Benjamin Hucker Farimount started building this in late 2014 - continued through 2015 and was put in service at the beginning of 2016. I think the pictures is from 2017 - perhaps around spring. There were two capital projects to expand the plant. I am checking but I am going to guess that the front part of the plant close to the road - is the original plant. In 2006 there was an increase in dryer capacity. Then in 2012/2013 there was a project to increase the tonnage by 2.5 - I believe. I was the assistant controller for Wedron and all of the Fairmount plants from 2011 to 2020. I was part of the reduction that took place the week of April 5th of 2020. It will soon be a year. |
 |
| Dan Buckley posted, cropped The Wedron Sandlot train ready to head north! $$ [The comments discuss if that is enough power to get 100 cars up Wedron Hill. Most of the time it is. Ray Marshall has hauled 118 when BNSF joins the consist as above, but was down to 5mph at the top of the hill.] |
They have a big "sand box."
 |
| Satellite |
 |
| Dan Buckley contributed, cropped South end of Wedron |
Jeff Mathre posted two photos with the information: Weldron IL. Laverne Hudson collection, he worked during the 50-60's.
 |
| 1 |
 |
| 2 |
Saturday, February 6, 2021
Hudson, IN: Wabash Ashley-Hudson Depot
(Satellite, I'm guessing it is the rectangle on the topo map that is closes to Main Street.)
 |
| Terry Wisel Heintz posted |
 |
| Tommy Lee Fitzwater posted Year? Wabash Station Hudson, Indiana Larry Lichtsinn: Shipping milk cans. Mike Snow: Looking West Kelly Lynch: Definitely pre-1940. |
 |
| Dennis DeBruler commented on Tommy's post I never realized that Hudson was a railroad town whereas Ashley was a road town until I looked at this map. 1942 Ashley Quadrangle @ 1:24,000 Mike Snow: Dennis DeBruler Ashley was too a railroad town, they both were RR towns, the Roundhouse, Shops and Yard Tracks were located on the north side of Ashley until they were closed and relocated to Montpelier Ohio |
 |
| Raymond Storey posted ASHLEY HUDSON IND Raymond Storey posted ASHLEY-HUDSON IND |
Friday, February 5, 2021
Portage, WI: Closing a 1.1 GW Coal-Fired Power Plant by 2025
(Satellite)
"With Tuesday’s announcement, Wisconsin has just three coal-fired plants not scheduled for retirement: Weston, a 945-megawatt plant in Marathon County owned by WPSC and Dairyland Power; JP Madgett, Dairyland’s 387-megawatt plant in Alma; and We Energies’ 1,400-megawatt Elm Road generating station, which was completed in 2011." [WiscNews]
 |
| Jim Mihalek posted, cropped May 7, 2022 -- Had some extra time on my drive back Ohio last weekend, so jumped off I-94 and got a few pictures of the Alliant's Columbia Generating Station, near Portage, WI. For the last 30+ years I have only seen it from the interstate. Bob Koch: One generator set to shut down in '23, second and full plant closure in '25. Charles Friedman: Bob Koch I designed a steam generator for improved performance at this plant a couple of decades ago, while working for Alstom Power, the French company which had bought assets from Combustion Engineering, which originally built the coal-fired boiler. |
 |
| Michael French posted Portage power plant 80"s |
 |
| safe_image for Columbia power plant to close by 2025, ending coal-fired power in Portage Served by Canadian Pacific. "Wisconsin’s second-largest coal plant and source of carbon dioxide will shut down by 2025 as utilities continue the shift away from fossil fuels....Closing the 45-year-old plant will allow it to avoid some $250 million in maintenance and upgrade costs while also speeding the company’s transition to clean energy....In just over 12 months, Wisconsin utilities have announced plans to shutter four coal plants, putting Wisconsin utilities on track to retire more than half the state’s remaining 5,846 megawatts of coal-fired capacity over the next five years. Those same utilities already closed six coal plants with a combined capacity of 2,300 megawatts since 2015." [They plan to replace the 1.1 GW with solar power. There are a lot of comments in the Facebook posting about the viability of solar power. Click the "safe_image" link to see them.] |
I noticed the crane in this 2018 photo. Sure enough, a power plant is being shut down rather soon after they did significant pollution upgrades. This is one of the better articles I have seen about a plant shutdown because they address the lost value of pollution control upgrades. "The three utilities [that own this plant] together have yet to recoup about $958 million of their investment in the plant, much of that associated with a roughly $800 million pollution control upgrade installed as part of a 2013 settlement for air pollution violations. It will be up to the Public Service Commission to determine how much of that remaining investment they can recover from ratepayers, and whether shareholders could lose money because of the plant’s closing." [WiscNews]
 |
| Corey Coyle, Dec 2018 |
"With Tuesday’s announcement, Wisconsin has just three coal-fired plants not scheduled for retirement: Weston, a 945-megawatt plant in Marathon County owned by WPSC and Dairyland Power; JP Madgett, Dairyland’s 387-megawatt plant in Alma; and We Energies’ 1,400-megawatt Elm Road generating station, which was completed in 2011." [WiscNews]
 |
| WiscNews |
"Alliant previously announced plans to close its 417-megawatt plant in Sheboygan next year and cease burning coal at three plants in Iowa, though it will continue to operate a 725-megawatt plant in Ottumwa and also owns shares in three other Iowa coal plants. The company has told regulators that replacing coal plants with up to 1,000 megawatts of solar generation can save customers up to $6.5 billion over the next 35 years." [WiscNews]
The first article referenced in the above quote explains the pollution upgrades mandated in 2013. "The agreement adds pollution controls at the Columbia power plant near Portage and tightens sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide limits to more stringent levels at both Columbia and a coal-fired generator at Edgewater that will continue operating. No cost estimates were available on those projects yet....As for who will shoulder those expenses, WPL spokesman Steve Schultz said, 'The civil penalty will be paid for with shareholder dollars. The environmental projects, those are projects that can be rate-based' — meaning, the utilities can ask the state Public Service Commission to have ratepayers pick up the tab." [madison]
 |
| June 24, 2022: safe_image for Wisconsin coal plants to keep running amid reliability, supply chain concerns William B. Hearn: There in MISO which is taking about 3 to 5 GW daily from PJM. Brian Granville: William B. Hearn but yet we just got PJM capacity numbers last week and they are half as much as they were in the last auction... we don't know how they are gonna keep ANY of the older units on at the new price William B. Hearn: Brian Granville That's surprising with how the price of generation has increased. Tim Stehle: Hmmmm… So are you revealing PJM “agreed” to sell capacity that it allowed to be shuttered to a location that is in a downward spiral itself? For what purpose - Govt takeover? Oh THAT will reduce rates for sure… |
 |
| wiscnews |
Thursday, February 4, 2021
Oregon, IL: Sand Quarry and Sand Coating Plant
Quarry: (Satellite)
This plant coats the sand dug from the nearby quarry with resin to support foundries that use sand castings. The same sedimentary processes 500 million years ago that caused a lot of coal to be in the Illinois Basin also provides Illinois with a lot of sandstone and limestone. Before fracking, glass making and sand casting were the two major applications of the high-quality silica sand found in Illinois. I knew of significant sand quarrying operations west of Ottawa, around North Utica, and around Troy Grove. In fact, the Ottawa mines is why a remnant of the CB&Q to Eola Yard still exists. That remnant is now owned by Illinois Railways. And the quarries at Troy Grove is why a C&NW remnant from Dekalb still exists. That remnant is operated by Union Pacific.
I wonder how the sandstone is converted into sand. Does just running heavy equipment over the stone do the job?
Coating: (Satellite)
 |
| 1 |
 |
| 2 |
 |
| Dennis DeBruler commented on Jeff's post The buildings did not agree with the sand quarry. But then I noticed that they do agree with the plant next to the quarry that coats the sand for casting applications. |
I saved some satellite images to record the number of hoppers spotted at the plants.
 |
| Satellite |
 |
| Satellite |
The quarry has abandoned their two original pits and are now working a third pit.
 |
| Satellite |
I wonder how the sandstone is converted into sand. Does just running heavy equipment over the stone do the job?
 |
| Satellite |
.jpg) |
| Marty Bernard posted The CB&Q Oregon Turn The Oregon Turn, aka the Oregon Way Freight, ran from Eola Yard, through Aurora, and up the signal track main to the town of Oregon, about half way to Savanna. After working the small yard and customers, it would turn and trace it's way back to Eola. It was a way freight meaning it did work as it went along. One piece of work was to bring cars to Oregon for the Mt. Morris Turn, which we just discussed a couple days ago. In this photo the power is CB&Q NW2 9234 built in August 1946. The photo was take September 5, 1964 near Rochelle, IL. The corn has been harvested. The NW2 became BN 531. The boxcar with the NB on it belongs to the Northampton & Bath RR. To see the detail please look at it full screen. Well, where is the waycar? That's a 40-foot combine on the end. Damn it, the train was a mixed train. I could have ridden it had I known. I only found out years later. Marty Bernard sharedDave Rodgers: I worked the Mt. Morris turn in the 70’s. Those cars look like they came from the paper plant. Surprised it came from Eola with just a switch engine. Would make more sense if it came out of Rochelle. Marty Bernard shared Jan Hervert: I remember riding this mixed train while I was in high school in the early 1960's. I think the round trip ticket was around $8.30. We got on in Aurora and it got dark before we got back. The stove provided heat on the way back. I don't know if they used any coal for the stove, but I remember they were breaking up some old oak wood furniture for heat. I must have pictures somewhere. Kenneth Fruit Another job for the Oregon Turn way freight was to pick up a US mail car at Oregon from Kable Printing Co in Mt Morris brought down to Oregon by the switch crew. My great uncle Henry Fruit was the engineer on that switcher. The Oregon Turn then would take it to Aurora to be put on a dinky or suburban for the Chicago post office. Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o15TWaFBs3MGo and you see where that mail car was added behind CB&Q 4960. |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)