Checking the Rails
Dec. 12th, 2018 05:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kevin_standleeToday we had sunshine all day long, and it warmed up enough that Lisa allowed as it was time to go buy another pallet of fire logs from Big R. Except that the pickup wouldn't start. I brought the minivan around and jump-started her pickup, and she brought it out and hitched up the utility trailer while I called Big R to confirm that they had pallets of the fire logs in stock. We then puttered down to Big R and got a pallet. To Lisa's dismay, the pickup wouldn't start again even though she had let it idle a good long time. One of the guys at Big R jump started us using the battery on their forklift, which saved me having to walk home and bring the minivan down to jump her. Examining the installation date sticker on the battery confirmed that it's long overdue for replacement.
We drove home and Lisa backed the trailer into place and left the pickup running while we unloaded the 240 logs into the wood box. While we were doing this, a bit of oddball rail equipment came through.
This is a rail defect detector. I've heard on the radio that they were working with the local maintainer over the past few days and that they would probably be coming through Fernley on the main using their equipment to check the rails for cracks and other defects that can't be seen, but that could cause a rail to break if not addressed. Lisa, standing in the back of the trailer handing me logs, spotted/heard that the van was coming through and alerted me. She wanted a break anyway, so I ran out and took this picture.
We did get the logs put away and then the utility trailer, and then Lisa put the pickup in the garage. We'll go buy a new battery for it soon. In retrospect, maybe it's just as well that we didn't have to use it to go to SMOFCon.
We drove home and Lisa backed the trailer into place and left the pickup running while we unloaded the 240 logs into the wood box. While we were doing this, a bit of oddball rail equipment came through.
This is a rail defect detector. I've heard on the radio that they were working with the local maintainer over the past few days and that they would probably be coming through Fernley on the main using their equipment to check the rails for cracks and other defects that can't be seen, but that could cause a rail to break if not addressed. Lisa, standing in the back of the trailer handing me logs, spotted/heard that the van was coming through and alerted me. She wanted a break anyway, so I ran out and took this picture.
We did get the logs put away and then the utility trailer, and then Lisa put the pickup in the garage. We'll go buy a new battery for it soon. In retrospect, maybe it's just as well that we didn't have to use it to go to SMOFCon.
no subject
Date: 2018-12-13 01:34 am (UTC)The battery in my car spontaneously did the same thing a little over a year ago. It was fine when I went to work but by the time I was off-shift and ready to leave work for the day, I couldn't start the car. (So irritating!)