Alexandria, VA Today

[Bob Bufkin]

Spent a couple hours at the Amtrak station in Alexandria, VA today.  I didn't expect to see a NS coal train but here it is:



Half with these cars:



The other half were these:



There is a power plant in Alex but I had heard it closed due to exvironmental reasons.  Guess it's up and running again.

[sirenwerks]

The Mirant Community Monitoring Group has been harrassing the plant's owner, Mirant, for some time about emissions, dust off the coal pile, etc.; but I think the plants up and running again after a court order shut it down briefly. Although I consider myself fairly environmentally-minded, it weirds me out how people move next to a power plant that's been there forever and then get offended by said power plant. Um, it's big enough where it being next door shouldn't be much of a surprise and you'd think people would have some common sense about its ops.

Anyway, does that plant have a rotary dumper to accept those gons? I thought it was just a shaker house.

[AlkemScaleModels]

The Mirant Community Monitoring Group has been harrassing the plant's owner, Mirant, for some time about emissions, dust off the coal pile, etc.; but I think the plants up and running again after a court order shut it down briefly. Although I consider myself fairly environmentally-minded, it weirds me out how people move next to a power plant that's been there forever and then get offended by said power plant. Um, it's big enough where it being next door shouldn't be much of a surprise and you'd think people would have some common sense about its ops.

Anyway, does that plant have a rotary dumper to accept those gons? I thought it was just a shaker house.

In 1996 at the N scale convention, we got a tour of the power plant. Some of the tourers got a chance to drive the loco over the rotary dumper (at least I think it was a rotary, my memory isn't that clear on that point).

The plant gets coal hopper, top goons, coltainers and lots of covered hoppers.  The coltainers haul out fly ash, the covered hoppers bring in some kind of pollution control additive.

[asciibaron]

the power plant is a neat operation - there is a small yard there, two diamonds, and an SW1200 i think to do the work. 

[Bob Bufkin]

Many years ago they use a fireless cooker to move cars around.  Neat little engine which I never shot a photo of.

[AlkemScaleModels]

Spent a couple hours at the Amtrak station in Alexandria, VA today. 

BTW you were about one mile from my house.

[Bob Bufkin]

Years ago I lived about 3 miles from the station.  Could hear the trains passing Cameron Run all the time.

Also saw these Metro cars.  Are these new.  First time I've seen them:

[crencs]

Not a  new train - just wrapped w/ an advertisement.  Another source of funding for an aging system that needs major maintenance everywhere!

  As a daily rider, I can tell you that they have been running trains w/ bad order cars last week and just keep the doors close when the train gets into the station - forcing passengers to scramble and pack the remaining cars that are working. http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1998213

 Oh and if the sauna like cars aren't  enough, the escalators have been giving metro users extra exercise too!  Dupont Circle especially. http://www.wtop.com/?nid=596&sid=2001175  I'm surprised that Metro management hasn't  started charging for providing a health club services.   :

Craig

[Philip H]

Not a  new train - just wrapped w/ an advertisement.  Another source of funding for an aging system that needs major maintenance everywhere!

  As a daily rider, I can tell you that they have been running trains w/ bad order cars last week and just keep the doors close when the train gets into the station - forcing passengers to scramble and pack the remaining cars that are working. http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1998213

 Oh and if the sauna like cars aren't  enough, the escalators have been giving metro users extra exercise too!  Dupont Circle especially. http://www.wtop.com/?nid=596&sid=2001175  I'm surprised that Metro management hasn't  started charging for providing a health club services.   :

Craig

They will be in a couple of months, once they get the off-peak pricing figured out.

[Robbman]

Spent a couple hours at the Amtrak station in Alexandria, VA today.  I didn't expect to see a NS coal train but here it is:



Half with these cars:



The other half were these:



There is a power plant in Alex but I had heard it closed due to exvironmental reasons.  Guess it's up and running again.

May not be a coal train... the COLTAINERs are in sludge service.