[bobgrosh]

The center of tropical storm Fay is now about 40 miles east of the ALLY, an headed our way.

Due to windy conditions, debris fouled the mainline and blocked passenger train 2 on it's southbound route between Peach Falls and Mill Creek.

Heavy rains at the time prevented sending a crew to clear the track.

Operation will resume if there is a break in the rain long enough for the crew to remove some fallen limbs.

B0B

 

[blueregal]

Stay dry and safe bob, hope everything passes you over with no further problems!!! The Regal from sunny and dry Minatare Ne. We just have the west nile virus to contend with here!! Won't run or work on layout until early sept. when the mosquitoes fly off or die off here./DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/wow.gif

 

[Dr G]

Bob,

Just finished taking the shutters down from Fay's visit down here--yah I know only a Tropical Storm, but they said it was going to be a Cat 1 by the time it hit us. Went just east of my house--therefore I got the lesser of the winds. My receptionist lives in Ortona near Lake O and most of her roads are still under water./DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/crazy.gif This girl has a LOT of water in her, you know it is still raining here 3 days later!! She will go down in history as the storm that wouldn't quit.

Be safe and find a boat, ya might need it.

Matt, wet in Ft Myers

 

[bobgrosh]

Well, we are still getting a lot of rain. This is the first time I have had water standing between the two mainline tracks. I even saw one train leave a wake. We haven't yet gotten much wind, but enough to bring down a lot of cones, needles and small limbs. ( I just heard two hit the roof while typing the last sentence. ) I think now I have to wait for daylight and hope it stops raining long enough to remove all the debris.

 

[Dr G]

Bob,

I am guessing you run live steam or battery with your comment "I even saw one train leave a wake." Remember that Flaglers Key West Extension was taken out by a hurricane and the rescue train did not make it back to Miami. For what it is worth, my half baked switching layout survived intact--probably because I have almost no trees and there are no buildings on the layout yet--haven't even finished the track.

Matt

 

[pimanjc]

Bob,
Susie and I have been following the path of Fay. It looks like the eye is headed your way. You and your family, and property are in our thoughts and prayers. Be sure and take pictures of the aftermath.
JimC.

 

[bobgrosh]

No Matt, I'm running DCC.

 

[SteveC]

Good luck Bob,

I hope Fay doesn't decide to park herself over you the way she did us. To say that there's a lot of water within her is a vast understatement. We've still got trailing feeder bands coming through.

If you're situated in even a moderately low lying area, I would suggest that you start getting things you don't wish soaked up high. There are plenty of places over here on the east coast that have 22+ inches of accumulated rain fall and a fair number that have 30+ inches. The poor people that live along the St. Johns river basin are going to struggle with this for weeks to come. Since its only got an average drop in elevation of around one inch per mile and all the water that Fay dropped around Melbourne and such will eventually have to flow all the way up to Jacksonville.

 

[SteveC]

How are things going Bob, I hope things are still well with you and yours.

 

[bobgrosh]

Rain has not let up.
In excess of 20 inches in last 24 hours
Got heavier after the center passed, is now drawing moisture from the gulf, an moving' slow

Lots and lots of limbs down on the yard.

A Bachmann caboose took a good hit. the roof and cupola are gone. Can' find them.

Other than two box cars tipped over and one baggage blown off the tracks, and the unfortunate caboose, no serious damages so far. ( Same caboose as the owl carried off years ago.)

There are some automobiles on the ALLY that are submerged up to the roofs.

Power is still on, lights in the buildings and rolling stock are still on and signals still work. Have not tried the turnouts as I assume they are fouled. Still unable to run trains due to debris. I tried to take some cell phone Pict's, but you can't see much in them.

I had expected a little break in the rain last night. The break never came.

 

[SteveC]

Glad to hear that so far there's no major problems for ya'. The lady (i.e. Fay) isn't in any mood for giving breaks (e.g. let up of rain). Like sheep this storm has only two speeds too, unfortunately they are GRAZE and STOP, there just isn't any stampede in it.

From about 1:30 PM till around 6:45 PM today we got hit with one of those trailing feeder bands being pulled up from out of south Fla. and the whole time it was a real heavy downpour. Most of the rain storms in the trailer bands are convection based so unlike the main storm you get the added benefit of lighting and thunder too.

Expect to have areas that haven't flooded in many years to get swamped with this one. Hang in there and I hope all stays well with you.

I bet over there at the Suwannee state park between Madison & Live Oak they're going to set another new high-water mark on the tree.

 

[Dr G]

Bob,

Glad to see you and the ALLY are not floating away yet. I am suprised nothing has shorted out--a testiment to your construction techniques. Our thoughts are with you and Steve furher north in the state. We on the extreme west coast got lucky. Not so in the center and east coast of Florida. My wife has a theory that Fay will hit the gulf and come south again and repeat her circle. What are the odds of getting hit twice by the same storm? Good thing she doesn't know anything about the weather, otherwise I'd be worried.

Best wishes,

Matt

 

[bobgrosh]

It STOPPED raining.

Well for a while at least.

The water level is going down, not much, but some. I have to wade through four inches between the ALLY and the garden shed. Will have to work on a raised path and better drainage this winter.


I walked the mainline and cleared hundreds of limbs and pine cones from it and the three passing sidings. I ran my modified "pine needle chewing" track cleaning loco around twice, one for the main and again for the passing sidings.
Two passenger trains are back in service.

Now I can continue with adding some features to my animation software. I moved my laptop from the shed to the patio so I don't have to wade through the "lake" every time I need another cup of coffee. It is raining again a little, but at least there is not much wind to bring down more junk. (I'm not sure how much more junk here could be in those trees :^) ) As long as the trains don't hit a pine cone or limb, they will keep the pine needles off the tracks, so I should be good to go again.

Next time it stops raining I have to pick up and bag all the stuff I tossed off the tracks. Plus all the stuff that is in the yard. UGH!

 

[Road Foreman]

Bob,

Keep your power dry..
Pictures, Please!!

BulletBob

 

[Les]

I'm glad to hear you're dealing well with this storm and the damages are slight.

I have a question about FL: isn't there a huge swamp that was all over the news last year, to the effect it's going dry? Pretty sure there was, or I'm confused. (Not at all improbable).

So, wouldn't Fay fill the swamp back up? /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/unsure.gif

Just wondering.

Les W.

 

[bobgrosh]

Posted By Les on 08/24/2008 3:50 PM
...
I have a question about FL: isn't there a huge swamp that was all over the news last year, to the effect it's going dry? Pretty sure there was, or I'm confused. (Not at all improbable).
So, wouldn't Fay fill the swamp back up? /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/unsure.gif" border=0>
Just wondering.
Les W.




I have moved "back" to Florida a dozen times in my lifetime. Since 1954 I have seen lakes turn to swamps, then to pastures, and then to housing developments and back to lakes again.

All the "Fisheads" (people born here) know what now looks like a barrier Island, used to be a sand bar, and before that, the Gulf. The older ones remember back even further to when there was another barrier Island and how their grandpa got rich selling lots on it to "Snow Birds".

Yep, Not far from my house is a place that was a swamp in the 60's. Called Moccasin Swamp then. Some smart developer renamed it to Pine Meadows. Big new development. Was on the national news the other day about using air boats to "rescue" the idiot Yankees who bought homes there.

 

[Dr G]

Les,

I believe you are refering to the drought we have had for the last 2 years. Lake O (the major water source for South Florida) was somewhere near 15 feet below normal. Fay may have actually helped quite a bit with lake water levels. The other problem is the aquifer is low--drought plus too many new people moving into the state. Problem with lots of rain in a short time period is that it creates more run-off that anything else, and that only serves to wash polllutants (fertilizer, oil from cars etc) into the lakes and rivers and then the gulf. Slow rain over long periods of time is what is necessary to fill up the aquifer.

 

[Les]

Bob,

Okay, I had in mind the Everglades. Just couldn't think of the name when I first posted.

My personal take on this 'Global Warming' is, 'not to worry, over time things will straighten out. Or not.' Outside of commonsense, individually-chosen stewardship of the land, there's not much else we can do. Thus, all the wailing and carrying on about the climate changing and Your Carbon Footprint is not news to me and it's wearing on my nerves. I figured about what you told me, and I'm glad to hear it from someone who ought to know.

I hail from the MO Ozarks (St. Francois Mtns) region, and that land doesn't change much at all. Can't, hardly: it's all rocks.

But the main thing is, you and yours are all right so far as I can tell, and the land's going to be there (or not) so, all's well. I never heard of an owl carrying off something like a caboose. Maybe it was a retarded one? /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/whistling.gif

Les W.

 

[Les]

Dr G:

I had in mind the Everglades, but I'm a tad vague on FL geography.

If you look at my post above to Bob, you'll find my opinions on the Global Warming crisis. However, your point re the aquifer is well taken. And the pollutants are regrettable.

We've had a remarkably wet year here in MO. There's a huge aquifer in the midwest--the name of which I once knew--that is also low for the same reasons you cite. When people remark to me about the 'wet year' I reply that we need about 50 more of them, again for the reasons you cited. I get strange looks.

While I now live in St. Louis, back home creeks that had edible fish in them in the 50s are now slimy puddles and wet-weather runs. I remain to be convinced population pressures are the cause of dry decades, however. History paints with a wider brush.

At any rate, more water won't hurt, even if it comes in feet rather than inches; some will make it back into the aquifers. Of course, the human costs are there, and they are real. A change in living choices will go a long way toward curing that, but it must be voluntary.

Les W.