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One of my favorite shots occurred as I high railed across the railroad trestle spanning the New River near Prince, West Virginia. The adjacent highway bridge would soon be replaced by a new structure for motorists to enjoy. A short distance ahead is the beginning of the Piney Creek Subdivision area where CSX and West Virginia Trout Unlimited annually seeded 5000 brown trout fingerlings into the cold water stream. I am reflected in the side view mirror…
These two NS locomotives are straining up the slight grade out of Kenova yard approaching the Pocahontas mainline track while dragging loads of coal from the Kanawha River Terminals on the other side of town. The loads could have gone east to Williamson, or west to Wheelersburg or Portsmouth, Ohio.
A beautiful shot of a newly built CSX coal hopper near Whitesville, West Virginia. Carrying a load of West Virginia coal-likely from the Marfork Processing Plant- out of Boone County, West Virginia, the coal could go to be headed to a domestic steel company or an overseas interest. Note the "graveyard hump" shape of the coal in the car; this was the result of the shape of the chute at the preparation plant loadout molding the coal as it disgorged the mineral from the holding silo. Also, these coal hoppers dump the coal out of the car via doors located at the bottom of the hopper. They are not made for use in a rotary-dump facility.
A classic beauty – the Marshall Thundering Herd locomotive painted by crews at the Huntington locomotive repair shop. The unit had all the traction motors removed, so it could not move on its own; it had to be towed to the desired spot on game day. Here, the locomotive participated in Amtrak's National Train Day, hosted by the city of Huntington, West Virginia.
This CSX manifest train is headed west along the Cincinnati Subdivision towards the Queen City with a Norfolk Southern Thoroughbred locomotive in trail. Arrangements like this weren't uncommon, due to trains interchanging cars and rolling stock at larger yard facilities. The train originated in Russell, Kentucky.
A nice shot of Norfolk Southern's Williamson, West Virginia yard featuring the N&W Heritage unit coupled to a Thoroughbred pulling a coal train towards the west end of the yard. These beautiful Heritage units were always highly sought by rail photographers along the lines of the company.
Sad and poignant, the Upper Big Branch memorial stands outside Whitesville, West Virginia.
Some of the heavy stones along the river bank that secured the Upper Big Branch memorial.
I found these two fellows resting alongside a railroad crossing along the Logan Subdivision just outside Barboursville, West Virginia. Perhaps they knew of my record of successfully closing railroad crossings. They weren't going to let me close theirs!
The Lewis Tunnel has just been exited by our high rail vehicle on a trip along the Allegheny Subdivision. According to the date above the structure, it was constructed during the presidency of Herbert Hoover, himself a renowned engineer!
Laboring with a heavy burden of coal loaded at the Arch coal facility east of Holden, West Virginia, this CSX coal train has just passed Whitman junction as it prepares to enter the town of Logan and Peach Creek yard located to the west of town.
This beautiful scenery is located under the CSX mainline track adjacent to the James River entering Richmond from the west. Above the tracks is a cemetery, perhaps historic Hollywood Cemetery, resting place of many historic figures from the Civil War era.
Some of the beautiful scenery along the James River adjacent to the CSX main line entering the city of Richmond, Virginia.
It can be very challenging to work as a conductor or engineer on a train while moving into or out of a yard facility. Here, a collection of tracks, dwarf signals and high-mast signals will confront a train crew. These signals govern the movement of the train, and the switches determine the correct route. Are the switches properly lined for movement? The green-colored flag beside the track offers a clue. One must be absolutely certain before moving the train. The yellow-colored device sitting on the track is called a "Derail," and must be properly positioned for movement.
I caught this Amtrak run along the Peninsula Subdivision on a summer day near Providence Forge, Virginia. Amtrak had several daily runs between Newport News, Richmond, and Washington, D.C. Later, Amtrak service would be added to "Southside" Virginia, running between Norfolk and Petersburg along the Norfolk Southern lines.
This refurbished caboose was discovered during a trip to Providence Forge, Virginia. Stenciled for the Norfolk & Western, it sat alongside the CSX mainline on the Peninsula Subdivision between Richmond and Newport News, Virginia. Beautifully restored, it was a real treat to tour and photograph.
A different kind of caboose, stenciled for the Department of Defense (DOD) was spotted along the tracks during one of my trips. These trains were unusual, but always interesting to spot. They often carried sensitive shipments and traveled with armed escorts and in conjunction with local law enforcement agencies.
This West Virginia historical marker sits alongside the CSX mainline track along the Ohio River Subdivision near the historic Jenkins home. Located alongside WV Route 2, the home is a must-see for students of the Civil War and those who enjoy exploring the military history of West Virginia. The Jenkins home is located across the railroad tracks, so always remember to stop and look before crossing the railroad track.
A long line of CSX locomotives moves through downtown Huntington near the 16th Street yard office, former home of transportation crews working in town. Recently, the reporting station for these crews is at the former C&O Business Unit office at 7th Avenue and 9th Street. This line of locomotives may be headed towards the Huntington locomotive shop as they roll over the viaduct.
I found this B-25 "Doolittle" bomber parked at a small airport near Franklin, Virginia. I was traveling along the former Seaboard Coast rail line when I noticed it. Missing an engine, but otherwise in good shape, it was a real treat. On April 18th, 1942, a scant five months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, sixteen of these planes took off from the deck of the USS Hornet and bombed Tokyo. It was an incredible feat lead by General James "Jimmy" Doolittle of the US Army Air Corps.
The view ahead from a locomotive preparing to move. I am sitting on the conductor's side of the cab. The most crucial point about this photo is the switch located ahead of the train. Is it lined correctly for movement? Yes, it is. Switches must be checked, and double checked, before a train may move through them onto another track. The presence of the "red flag" on the switch stand in the ballast alongside the track indicates that movement is lined against the track to the right of the locomotive.
I caught the CSX Q302 headed east near Handley, West Virginia, on a summer day while doing some work in the area. Handley was once a teeming railroad spot, but over the years its role diminished. Huntington Division pool crews used to stop their trains in Handley while waiting for a re-crew. These trains usually originated in Russell, Kentucky, or Hinton, West Virginia, but could also arrive from the coalfield yards of Elk Run, Danville, or Peach Creek.
A former coaling tower sits along the Norfolk Southern mainline near Pritchard, West Virginia. Dating to the days of the Norfolk & Western, the structure still stands but is no longer in use. I encountered several of these coal bins during my travels, including ones in West Hamlin, West Virginia, and Lynchburg, Virginia.
On a stormy spring day, a CSX freight train travels along the Peninsula Subdivision on its way to Newport News, Virginia. I spent many days working in the area cataloging highway railroad crossings in an attempt to enhance the safety of the communities along the line. To the west of this location is Richmond; to the east is Williamsburg.
A coal preparation plant loadout nestled in the hills in Logan County, West Virginia, near Scarlet. The rail line is located along the Pine Creek Subdivision, and may be reached by diverging at the Logan and Southern Junction located near Omar, West Virginia. The line is approximately six miles long, and ends at a small storage yard adjacent to the preparation plant loadout.
I caught the CSX #5000 "Diversity in Motion" General Electric locomotive along the tracks near Catlettsburg, Kentucky. At the time, CSX didn't have many special liveries adorning its locomotives. That trend has changed, however. In recent years there are several locomotives honoring first responders, United States Military personnel, and law enforcement officers that feature beautiful liveries painted in Huntington, West Virginia.
Once, I worked with the city of Franklin, Virginia, on a downtown beautification and depot restoration project. It involved cleaning up the local railroad property in the city and contributing to the beautification efforts. Franklin was a rail junction shared by both CSX and Norfolk Southern. It was located along the route between Portsmouth, Virginia, and Weldon, North Carolina. I rode a train through the area once, going through several small towns in south Virginia including Branchville, Boykins, Franklin, and Suffolk.
A CSX grain express train heads eastward by Big Sandy Junction near Catlettsburg, Kentucky. The train will cross the Big Sandy River while traveling along the Kanawha Subdivision towards Huntington, West Virginia, a short distance to the east. The lower tracks of the Big Sandy Subdivision eventually end near Shelbiana, Kentucky, east of Pikeville.
A view of Elk Run yard after several of the tracks were expanded to accommodate extra capacity from coal traffic expected from the nearby Upper Big Branch mine. The coal from this mine was processed and loaded at the Marfork preparation plant just to the east of the Elk Run yard.
A General Electric wide-body locomotive sits in Elk Run awaiting a crew to take it to nearby preparation plants to load. To the east of Elk Run yard is nearby Whitesville, West Virginia, along with Marfork coal processing plant, and the ill-fated Upper Big Branch Mine, scene of a tragic explosion in 2010 that killed 29 coal miners. To the west of the yard is the Elk Run mine and storage yard.
An impressive amount of locomotive power is assembled at the Huntington locomotive shop. This view is westward, towards the former IDC (Inbound Diagnostic Center) building from the road leading out of the facility. The shop would regularly see hundreds of locomotives each year, some to be repaired, serviced, or held in storage.
The Q303 awaits departure, headed west towards Lynchburg and later to Clifton Forge, Virginia. The lonely location featured a former "railroad YMCA," once used by rail crews staying overnight at the terminal, just to the right of the train. The facility was later used as a community center by local residents.
The CSX manifest Q303 heads west past the old depot in Gladstone, Virginia, on a clear summer day. The small railroading village has largely been bypassed by the railroad in recent years, though there is still a storage yard and a couple local industries. Gladstone was a stopping point for several trains as they awaited crews coming from the hotel in nearby Appomattox, Virginia.
The former Chesapeake and Ohio depot in Alderson, West Virginia, is painted in a lively color and still stands in good shape for visitors to the town to enjoy. Alderson may be reached either by traveling between Hinton, and Ronceverte, West Virginia, which allows for more views of the railroad, or by taking a route from off nearby Interstate 64.
Near Catlettsburg, Kentucky, along the Big Sandy Subdivision, a CSX freight heads through town towards the nearby yard at Russell, Kentucky. Catlettsburg featured a rail junction where the mainline crossed the nearby Big Sandy River onto the Kanawha Subdivision. The Big Sandy traveled east towards Pikeville, Kentucky, and eventually the rail yard at Shelbiana.
It was always a treat to find a Conrail blue locomotive along the routes in West Virginia. This one leads a CSX coal train near Jackson, West Virginia, along the Shortline Subdivision. The occasion was a visit to the nearby Jackson Volunteer Fire Department for a Rail Safety Emergency Response class that I taught at the department. Conrail locomotives were rare by this time, a decade after CSX and NS divided Conrail after a 1998 merger.
The former trestle spanning the Guyandotte River near Man, West Virginia, was eventually converted into a riding trail along the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System in Logan County, West Virginia. I worked for several years to make this project a reality, but when I began, this is what I saw-an overgrown, inaccessible area. It was difficult to imagine at the time that one day the bridge would be accessible to ATV riders bypassing the residential section of the nearby town of Man.
A view from the window of my former office in Huntington, West Virginia. Huntington yard was a storage facility for both rail cars and locomotives. Some locomotives had departed from the nearby Huntington locomotive shop, a short distance east. As business in the West Virginia coal fields waned during the 2009-2016 period, many locomotives were stored or sold.
In the hills above the CSX mainline (former B&O) running adjacent to the Potomac River I found a former line of the Western Maryland Railroad, a long-ago abandoned and rusting hulk. This segment of the line was abandoned when the Baltimore & Ohio merged with the Western Maryland and the B&O route along the Potomac River was selected for use. Sights such as this can be seen at several points along the backwoods road.
The Randolph Tunnel, located adjacent to the Potomac River, has been visited by trespassers and vandals as evidenced by the graffiti present along the tunnel's entrance. There should be no trespassing in areas such as this. It is dangerous and illegal to be along railroad rights-of-way.
I caught this eastbound coal train poised just east of Fulton yard near Airport Road in Richmond, Virginia. The area featured double-track mainlines, allowing more than one train to traverse the area simultaneously. The area was heavily traveled along the rails, featuring multiple, daily runs of Amtrak trains headed into and out of Newport News.
An inside look at an unfinished signal bungalow located adjacent to a highway railroad crossing. These bungalows housed the electronics and batteries that controlled the active warning devices (flashing lights, gates, and pedestrian bell) at a railroad crossing. These bungalows should never be entered nor tampered with in any way.
I found the former Oakwood store of the New River Company along the route near Mossy, West Virginia, during a trip to Thurmond. "Company stores" such as these were common during a bygone era. Mining towns in West Virginia featured stores such as this, and many can still be found, although they long ago ceased to operate as company owned stores. Holden, West Virginia, in Logan County, comes to mind with a former Island Creek Coal Company store still visible in the community.
I caught the Amtrak Cardinal at a railroad crossing near Chesapeake, West Virginia. This crossing featured the only Federal Railroad Administration Quiet Zone in the state of West Virginia (2013) meaning that trains approaching the crossing did not have to sound their horns as is the case at other public highway railroad crossings in the state.
Preparing to cross the trestle over the New River near Prince, West Virginia, in a high rail truck during the Piney Creek Stream Stocking event with West Virginia Trout Unlimited. There was a narrow highway bridge adjacent to the railroad trestle which was slated to be replaced in the near future (2013). I particularly enjoyed this event due to a ride along the rails in such magnificent and beautiful territory deep in the West Virginia hills.
The sleepy yard at Quinnimont, West Virginia. There was not much action in the yard that day as CSX and West Virginia Trout Unlimited prepared for the annual stream seeding event along the Piney Creek Subdivision, located a short distance from the yard. Quinnimont is mostly populated by Maintenance of Way forces, having seen a reduction in coal traffic in recent years.
A large mural on the wall of the Prince station depicts life in a former time, as workers at a coal tipple prepare cars for shipment. It appears as if the track switch is lined for the movement of the car in which the worker has his right hand on the brake wheel. "Car dropping" was a process whereby a car was allowed to roll away from a loadout only to be stopped by the application of the hand brake when it had arrived at its destination. On the far left track a train appears to be ready to leave, with a locomotive coupled to the loaded cars in the distance.
The sign announcing the station at Prince, West Virginia. The historic location, a ghost from the days of Chesapeake and Ohio passenger rail service, was still serviced by the Amtrak Cardinal, which transited the area on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday. One of the last projects I worked on was an attempt to arrange a donation of the station and underlying land to a private entity. I am not sure if the effort was successful or not.
Near Parkersburg, West Virginia…one more great reason to Stay Off, Stay Away, and Stay Alive – remote control equipment may be in use, with no human being in the cab of the locomotive! Rail yards are private property and nobody should trespass in these areas. It is not safe; it is dangerous and illegal to trespass along railroad rights-of-way.
There are several interesting aspects to this photo depicting a normal day at the yard in Grafton, West Virginia. There is an NS Thoroughbred locomotive visiting that day, along with several CSX units. The former yard tower is along the tracks to the right, and an older coach wearing a Baltimore & Ohio livery rests along a stub track. The newer CSX yard facilities are located to the left. I visited Grafton to teach several Operation Lifesaver classes during my tenure.
Maintenance of Way equipment working at a crossing repair site in downtown Huntington. The machine would make several passes over the ballasted area, tamping down and securing the roadbed. Note the old crossing surface in the background consisting of timbers and asphalt. This discarded surface material would be removed, the area cleaned, and the finished surface would be ready for use by motorists. Scrap materials like these were disposed of in an environmentally friendly way to ensure minimal negative impact.
These are concrete panels to be used in an upcoming grade crossing surface replacement project in downtown Huntington, West Virginia. Purchased by West Virginia Department of Transportation, this was the finest railroad crossing surface available in West Virginia. Normally, a combination of timbers, rubber strips, and asphalt was utilized by the railroad. WV DOT provided the upgrade through special funding that I aggressively pursued in order to make our crossings smoother for the traveling public.
Here, a ghost from another railroad's past was discovered near historic Petersburg, Virginia. The large concrete structures were part of the tracks of the Seaboard Coast Line, which utilized the "S" line through the area. The tracks had been removed some years before, but the foundations of the viaduct remained.
In the same area, a former Conrail (NS stenciled) leads a Thoroughbred locomotive along the same route. The locomotives likely appeared on CSX rails due to an interchange at a nearby location. I particularly enjoyed seeing the NS-stenciled former Conrail locomotives trimmed in black.
This shot, taken along the Potomac River in northern West Virginia, was one of several fast freights I observed that day. The occasion was a trip to the area to post eviction notices at campgrounds along the river situated on CSX property. There were many, varied trains in the area during the two days of the effort.
This bridge connected the city of Barboursville, West Virginia, with a large recreational area was one project I worked on during my Community Affairs & Safety tenure. The city wished for better access to several soccer fields but had to build the bridge over the railroad tracks. This required a lot of coordination, permits, on-site visits, and meetings. The line under the bridge runs from the Wye at Barboursville towards Peach Creek yard near Logan, West Virginia.
The CSX version of a specially painted "911" locomotive to honor first responders sits at the Webster Springs, WV, depot on a cloudy September day. Earlier, Norfolk Southern had also painted a special livery on an SD-60 locomotive to pay homage to those who serve us so faithfully. The CSX locomotive is a General Electric "Wide Body."
This Canadian National locomotive is attached to a Thoroughbred consist pulling an empty coal train into Williamson yard in Williamson, West Virginia at the Armor Crossing. This is an older unit, an EMD unit built by General Motors, likely an SD 70 MAC. "Foreign" units were more common along Norfolk Southern lines than CSX. It was not uncommon to spot the liveries of Union Pacific, Canadian Pacific, CSX, Canadian National, and Kansas City Southern along NS rights of way.
This is the Arnold B. McKinnon building, former home of the corporate offices of Norfolk Southern in Norfolk, Virginia. Called the "Emerald Tower," by some, I visited the site in 2018 as a newly hired manager at Norfolk Southern. I greatly enjoyed the time I spent in Norfolk. The training we received was first-rate, a two week orientation to the company, its policies, and railroad operations.
Newly hired, very happy manager standing outside the corporate headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia.
A visiting Thoroughbred locomotive sits on the west side of the CSX Huntington Locomotive Shop in Huntington, West Virginia. It wasn't unusual to spot locomotives from other railroads at the facility. It was always interesting to see units from other lines arrive at the shop for maintenance or repair.
Another special project performed by the paint shop crew at CSX Huntington Locomotive Shop was to convert an older unit in Chesapeake & Ohio livery into this beautiful Clinchfield Railroad unit. Freshly painted and prepared to lead the "Santa Train," out of Shelbiana, Kentucky, to Spartanburg, South Carolina along the former Clinchfield route, the unit was unveiled to much acclaim by CSX in time for Christmas. Here, she sits inside the paint shop facility awaiting finishing touches.
A westbound NS freight heads west along US 52 just outside the town of Ironton, Ohio. An industrial facility, one of several along the line, sits on the south side of the tracks. Further west is the huge Sun Coke facility, an industrial customer served by rail crews based in Portsmouth yard.
The author poses on the "B" end of restored unit 8272, a former CSX locomotive repainted in the classic Chessie System livery. The work of the craftsmen at the Huntington Locomotive Shop was second to none; they were locomotive artists at work. Here, I am demonstrating good safety form with three points of contact as I pose for the photo. I was the day shift foreman of the Purchasing & Materials Department at the locomotive shop during this time.
Another view of the unit destined to become a museum piece- a restored Chessie System locomotive lettered for the C&O Railway. Often, Chessie System locomotives featured three designs: C&O, B&O, and WM, denoting which railroad the locomotive had belonged to in former times, the Chesapeake & Ohio, the Baltimore & Ohio, or the Western Maryland. All three lines were merged to create the Chessie System in 1972.
This view looks west to east along Track #4 of the Huntington Locomotive Shop. Of particular interest is the immaculately maintained facility, clean, orderly, and very well maintained by the employees and managers who worked there. Track 4 ran the entire length of the shop and could be used to move a unit from the main shop eastward towards the paint shop. The unit sitting on the track is likely headed in that direction; the tan finish on the locomotive would soon be replaced with CSX colors.
Another locomotive begins the journey into the chamber of the paint shop at the Huntington Locomotive Shop facility. The sealed chambers were clean, airtight and well ventilated. The paint shop in Huntington produced some of the finest locomotive liveries in North America, whether the project was a regular CSX paint job or a special project featuring the Chessie System, Clinchfield Railroad, or the Chesapeake & Ohio.
"Flying a locomotive," at the Huntington Locomotive Shop involved attaching a crane to a unit, carefully securing it, then after close examination raise it above the level of other locomotives and move it along the "High Bay" area of the shop. This is how a unit was transferred from the primary track into the shop - #4- to another track for repairs or maintenance.
I caught this newer Canadian National locomotive just west of Big Sandy Junction, poised to pull a freight train over the Kanawha Subdivision towards Hinton, West Virginia. It was rare to spot locomotives from other railroads along CSX tracks, but occasionally they could be spotted. It was always a treat to find one of the more rare Canadian locomotives in service locally.
This Canadian National unit was a rare sight on any rail line, but I found it one day at the yard in Portsmouth, Ohio, attached to a Union Pacific unit and pulling a mixed freight train. This was the only such unit of this class that I ever witnessed. The unique "Zebra" stripe livery may have been to increase motorist visibility of the train.
NS painted several locomotives in a special livery to announce the conversion of older DC (Direct Current Traction Motor) units to more efficient AC (Alternating Current Traction Motor) locomotives. I spotted several of the units, this one pulling into a middle yard track in Portsmouth, Ohio, along the operating corridor. Black and Gray, Blue and Gray, and Yellow and Gray were featured on the units.
NS # 9384 carries an Operations Supervisor Trainee-Me-into Pritchard, West Virginia, on a late summer day. As part of our training, each manager on the Kenova District was required to ride with four trains each month, one in the yard, two in local industry service, and one over the road train traveling at least 50 miles. Most of my fellow managers had an extreme dislike for riding the trains, however, I couldn't get enough of it. Normally, I stayed on the train all the way into Williamson, but on this day my wife was waiting in Pritchard to pick me up for the trip home so I disembarked there.
On a stormy day over Portsmouth yard I caught this unusual cloud formation above the yard. We often felt like it rained every day in Portsmouth. One of my fellow managers once remarked that we worked in a rain forest; sometimes it did feel that way.
I caught another of the DC to AC conversion units pulling into Kenova yard on a sunny day in the summer of 2018. The train was pulling loads of coal through the yard towards the Kanawha River Terminals facility located across town. Before accessing the KRT facility, the NS crew had to call the CSX dispatcher to obtain permission to cross that railroad's mainline tracks which ran east-west along the Kanawha Subdivision.
I found this beautiful Chesapeake & Ohio livery alongside the CSX mainline tracks in Clifton Forge, Virginia. Nearby is the museum of the C&O Historical Society. Clifton Forge is a town with a rich railroad history and should be visited by anyone interested in Appalachian railroading. I was a yardmaster for CSX and Clifton Forge yard was one of the locations where I oversaw operations.
This NS work train sits aside the mainline near Fort Gay, West Virginia. Work trains were smaller, often featuring only one or two cars, a locomotive and a caboose. The work of these trains was directed by a roadmaster, a manager in the Engineering department. They could be used to clean up material such as old crossties, rail, ballast or soil.
Resplendent on a summer day is #7239 featuring a newly painted wide-body during a stop in Williamson yard. On the hill above is the highway running through town, US 52. This point in the yard was a stopping point used to recrew trains before they proceeded further west towards the yards at Kenova, West Virginia or Portsmouth, Ohio.
A westbound NS freight sits poised along the mainline track on the west side of Williamson yard. This consist, led by a Union Pacific unit, was a coal train headed to the Wheelersburg, Ohio, coal terminal located ten miles east of Portsmouth yard.
A Kansas City Southern unit is welcomed into the Huntington Locomotive Shop on a sunny summer day in 2017. These units were rarely spotted along CSX tracks; KCS is primarily a north-south railway running from the American heartland into Mexico.
I had found a unit similar to this one in a small facility located near Romney, West Virginia. This unit sits on a track inside the Huntington Locomotive Shop awaiting a transformation into a Clinchfield Railroad unit destined to pull the "Santa Train," an annual Christmas excursion train that CSX still operates each year over former Clinchfield territory. It surprised me how small the unit was in comparison to the more modern locomotives.
A visiting Union Pacific locomotive is towed by a track mobile along a running track into the west side of the Huntington Locomotive Shop. Track mobiles were used to move locomotives, and a special craft of employees, from the Firemen and Oilers union, were used to operate the vehicle. There were two in use at the shop and they could often be seen shuttling locomotives around on the different tracks.
Another special project of the Huntington Locomotive Shop was to adorn #7534 with the classic blue and gold livery of the C & O Railway. As was the case with the other projects, an older unit was brought to the facility, the paint removed, repairs made, and finally given a fresh coat of paint in a classic livery.
This beautiful shot of an incredible cloud formation on the east side of the Huntington Locomotive Shop was taken on a warm spring day. This side of the shop was a storage area for wheel sets, older locomotives, and scrap cars.
An impressive array of Thoroughbred power is poised along tracks on the east end of Williamson yard near the "Sycamore" signal. These trains would either head to the yard at Bluefield, West Virginia, 100 miles east, or, diverge from the mainline towards Weller yard located near Grundy, Virginia.
There are many steps involved when undertaking a complicated job such as painting an older locomotive in original Chessie System colors. The paint must be applied in stages, due to the different colors that are used. Orange, blue, yellow, black, all contributed to the finished product-a eye-popping locomotive headed to a museum!
One of my favorite photos, taken at night when I performed a duty called "Fire watch." Normally, the Laborer craft performed this work; however, when none of the craft members were available it became available for the clerks. Most of the lights inside the shop were turned off to conserve electricity, casting a haunting glow over the locomotives awaiting maintenance work. Every hour throughout the night I would inspect each area of the shop to ensure that all was well and no problems existed.
Unit "HLS 1," (Huntington Locomotive Shop) was the workhorse of the facility, often used to drag and push other locomotives undergoing final testing before being released from the facility back into transportation service. At the "Load Test," HLS1 would be hitched to another unit and would run east-west on a track on the north side of the shop until the necessary tests were completed. The tests were designed to mimic conditions found in mainline service to ensure that the locomotive undergoing the testing was ready to perform.
Getting ready to depart, two EMD units head west out of the shop along Track 4 towards the mainline. The Huntington Locomotive Shop was the main heavy repair shop in the CSX mechanical department network and had serviced thousands of locomotives over it's life.
Another view of the inside of the locomotive repair shop in Huntington. The shop was organized into smaller "shops," each tasked with building or repairing different components of a locomotive. There was the wheel shop, where wheels were ground to the proper gauge and constructed into sets; the electric shop, where traction motors were built and repaired, or the truck shop, where wheel sets were combined with traction motors and placed into an undercarriage frame that a locomotive body rested upon.
Rolling westward through the town of Kermit, West Virginia, located on the Kenova District of the Pocahontas Division, a Norfolk Southern "double-stack" intermodal train heads towards Portsmouth, Ohio, and ultimately Columbus, Ohio and Chicago, Illinois. The cargo originated at the Port of Virginia and was enabled by the NS Heartland Corridor project, in which tunnels along the route were widened and raised to accommodate the double-stacked intermodal containers. This forward-thinking, innovative project paid handsome dividends for Norfolk Southern.
In a place that I know very well, running past the entrance of the former Marrowbone Development mining complex a Thoroughbred coal train heads west towards the junction at Naugatuck. There, the train will await a signal from the dispatcher granting permission to leave the Delbarton branch and access the mainline. Years ago, the Norfolk & Western had changed the path of its track from the former route through Wayne County, West Virginia, to the current track configuration. The newly christened track is designated by the initials "NA" or, New Addition. Thus, milepost NA 1 begins near Naugatuck and runs all the way to Kenova, West Virginia, where the former mainline ran through the Lavalette area into Kenova yard and rejoined the line across the Ohio River towards Portsmouth, Ohio.
A Thoroughbred "Autorack" consist is led through Fort Gay, West Virginia by two units on a summer evening as the train heads towards Portsmouth, Ohio. There were two trains each day that hauled the autorack cars, one headed east and one west. These trains were usually some of the easiest to deal with, because they did not set off nor pick up cars in Portsmouth. However, a yardmaster in Portsmouth had to be careful, sometimes the trains could exceed 12,000 feet in length!
A rare sight in Williamson, West Virginia, is what apparently looks like a CSX train moving east through town. The train is actually an NS train, pulled by borrowed CSX locomotives. I used to wish for a CSX-NS merger in order that I might be able to work in my hometown; however it never happened.
One of my favorite photos – a lonely SD70 MAC sits along the track outside the Standard Line area of the Huntington Locomotive Shop. Dawn is just breaking on a humid summer morning as I catch this shot when arriving for the day's shift.
The north side of the paint shop area at the Huntington Locomotive Shop was an area that once resembled a locomotive graveyard, with former Chessie, C&O, Western Maryland, and Family Lines/Seaboard Coast Line units parked there. There are not so many units there on a summer evening when I took this photo against the backdrop of a beautiful sunset in Huntington, looking west.
Unit #80 sits in a bay of the Russell Locomotive Shop in Russell, Kentucky, as I arrive for the night shift in the Purchasing and Materials Department. Union craft employees could access underneath the locomotive to perform work by descending down a ramp to the area below. Employees used pushcarts, such as the blue one pictured, to carry supplies to each unit while work was performed.
Unit #499 sits in a bay at Russell Locomotive Shop. Each unit was pulled into the shop and parked in a bay while work was performed. Of note is the immaculately clean area surrounding the locomotives; there is no trash, scrap material, or tools left unsecured at the end of the shift. Cleanliness and safety were stressed each day at Russell Shop.
While working as a yard clerk at the CSX 16th Street transportation office, I caught a rare sight – a CSX locomotive adorned in black! I never saw any more locomotives painted in this way. This consist was headed west out of Huntington to points unknown.
A rare C&O GP 7 or 9 unit sits in Huntington yard across from the C&O Business Unit office at 7th Avenue & 9th Street. I caught this unit in town in a consist of locomotives being hauled away from Huntington. I am not sure what the "DCVR" marking on the side of the cab denotes. C&O Units were never painted in this particular shade of green; I suspect the unit had been sold to another line years previously.
On Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday nights, Amtrak train # PO51, "The Cardinal," made a stop in Huntington as it headed west, ultimately to Chicago, Illinois. I caught this appearance on a Friday evening as I worked as a clerk at the C&O Business Unit building at 7th Avenue & 9th Street in Huntington.
Copyright © 2023 Coaldust Books


text:
engineering mistakes in history
However, in the same year, heavy rains and a failure caused by the neglection of a dam resulted in a disaster. A faulty repair of a Japanese Boeing 747 resulted in 520 deaths, resignation of Japan Airlines then President, the suicide of an inspection engineer, a guilt-stricken maintenance manager, and a one-third drop in air travel in Japan. In this episode, I talk Stuart G. Walesh, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, D.WRE about making engineering mistakes and learning from them as an engineering professional. This crippled flight to the moon took place in 1970. Later, industries started storing their tanks below the ground. At least you didn't lose equipment worth hundreds of millions of dollars (at least, I'm assuming you didn't). Ultimately, it led to the collapse of the bridge. On further investigation, it was deduced that during the launch of the space shuttle, a small piece of foam insulation had broken from the shuttle. It was awkward and top-heavy after encountering wind that was only a nautical mile from the port, it sank. 16 of the most expensive mistakes in history Over the years, the prices paid for some errors have been colossal, amounting to hundreds of millions, and in some cases even billions, of pounds. Throughout history, engineering mistakes have cost a lot of money, time and sometimes even lives. Recent Case Studies in Engineering Failure Analysis Articles. I chose not to list mistakes that are probably well known, such as the Tacoma Narrow Bridge or the Hyatt Regency Walkway. The shuttle orbiter thus couldn't tolerate the aerodynamic forces without the tank and the boosters, resulting in breaking off of other components and ultimately death of all the onboard astronauts. Warning Factors Although it was considered a technology masterpiece of her time, the sinking of the Titanic had many engineering flaws (both in the design of the ship and the implementation of safety procedures) that lead to her catastrophic failure and the loss of over 1500 passengers. On 17th July 1981 in Kansas City, two vertical walkways collapsed in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. This disaster occurred because of a flawed design of the reactor and the people operating it were not trained properly. These over-sized oversights and colossal blunders cost millions and surely raised the blood pressure of those who had to deal with the aftermath. After the Hindenburg disaster, the commercial use of passenger airships also ended. Fortunately, from mistakes lessons are learned but sometimes only once a high price has been paid. The big problem is that, some mistakes can have disastrous consequences, and many engineering mistakes, in … This incident is blamed as the worst engineering failure because of the quality of iron. The World's Worst Engineering Mistakes. 21 Greatest Mistakes in History That You Should Know About. In order to build the dam, an American-Irish civil engineer, William Mulholland was hired. The incident happened due to the neglect of the crew members who struck off possible signs of an impending catastrophe. Civil engineering is the loudest of the engineering's - what civil engineers make is visible and can be seen, touched and lived-in by many for many years. On 20th October 1944, a gas explosion took place in Cleveland, Ohio. This was a major disaster that occurred on July 17, 1981 in Kansas City, Missouri, killing 114 people and injuring more than 200 others during a tea dance. Engineers are well-compensated for … This catastrophe almost completely wiped off Johnstown and a total of 2209 deaths were reported soon after. In 1981, this structural collapse was considered the deadliest in the history of America. The airport was inaugurated in May 2004, and soon after, a huge portion of the roof of Terminal 2E collapsed. The airship caught fire and also crashed while trying to dock itself in New Jersey. However, they managed to return to earth on 17th April safely. IIRC it was followed by a similar issue with a stand at Liverpool's football ground. During that time, it was quite common to keep such storage tanks above the ground, and that was precisely the case here too. An image of a chain link. The World's Worst Engineering Mistakes. Upgrade: Cockpit teamwork. Today, we'll be looking at some oopsies that a simple "sorry" won't fix. She lives in South Florida with her husband and spends her free time watching Netf... Internet related infographics, curated daily, 9 Ways Turmeric Can Benefit Your Body And Brain, How To Create The Best Cookie And Wine Pairing.
Tahoma Vs Verdana, Purple Skin Sweet Potato, Bosch Wall Oven Reviews, Jvc Kw-v660bt Firmware Update, Brinsea Mini Ii Eco Incubator, Everything Is Cake Meme, How Long To Boil Celery For Soup, Bring Back Mars Delight, When Do Sharks Come Close To The Shore, Lucas 3 Tagalog, Masked Singer Contestants 2020,

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Generous people have more time. That's the irony: those who sanctify time and who give time away – who treat time as a gift and not as a possession – have time in abundance. Contrariwise, those who guard every minute, resent every interruption, ration every moment, never have enough.
It seems like we race and race and never finish what we set out to accomplish each day. There is never enough time. But surprisingly the quote above rings true to me.
A month or two ago I got in a really good habit of reading the bible everyday. I just kept it simple and read a chapter a day. I have since gotten out of that habit, but one of the major things I noticed was that when I started to be more careful about spending that little bit of time in God's word is that I was able to accomplish much more around the house than I normally managed.
So that is another part of my schedule.
I'm going to be generous with (prioritize) my time with God and my charges. The rest will fit in.
< Previous 19: know yourself.
I found the same thing. I need to get back into the habit!
Still working on finding my habit again here too..haha. Why is it so hard?
Would love to here more from you and what you enjoyed!


text:
U.S News
'Naive' Kushner destroyed by CNN analyst for using an app 'you download for free' to share secret government business
On Thursday, CNN analyst Susan Hennessey railed against Senior White House aide and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, after it was revealed that he used his personal WhatsApp account to conduct government business.
"Is there a national security concern if Jared Kushner communicates with foreign leaders over WhatsApp?" CNN host Wolf Blitzer asked.
"Of course. WhatsApp is not a secure communication channel," Hennessey said. "The United States government spends millions of dollars every single year, some of the finest mathematicians in the entire world focused on providing secure communications for government officials. Jared Kushner has decided he wants to use an app you can download for free on your phone."
She added, "The bigger security concern here isn't just what foreign intelligence services might be looking at, certainly they're all trying to get these messages. But the communications he is having. The U.S. Government is all on the same team."
"They have to communicate with one another. The military has to talk to the State Department, and they have to talk to the Pentagon. They need to be able to be on the same page," she explained.
"Kushner is freelancing, and that puts our government at a disadvantage. Now we have foreign adversaries in some cases who know more about U.S. policy than we do," she said.
"It raises the question about whether or not Jared Kushner might be taken advantage of. We have seen foreign intelligence services reportedly think he is ripe for manipulation. He is naive and inexperienced, has a high level of access and complex business relationships. This is the perfect storm of a grave national security threat," she said.
Watch below via CNN:


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Uneventful Friday So Far
The dollar is unchanged against the yen and yuan but down 0.8% against the Australian dollar, 0.5% versus the kiwi, 0.4% relative to sterling and the euro, 0.3% vis-a-vis the Swiss franc and 0.2% against the loonie.
Share prices in India have jumped 2.2%. Elsewhere in the Pacific Rim, equities firmed 0.7% in Hong Kong, 0.6% in Indonesia, 0.5% in Singapore and 0.3% in Japan, Australia, and Thailand. Stocks are up 1.0% in Italy, 0.9% in Spain, 0.4% in France, and 0.3% in Germany but off 0.2% in Britain. Today is a quadruple witching day in the United States, which usually correlates with rising share values.
The 10-year sovereign debt yields of German and Britain have risen by four and five basis points. Japanese JGBs are unchanged. In Euroland, long-term rate spreads between the peripherals and Germany have stopped narrowing and remain still painfully wide. Spanish Prime Minister Rajoy is in Italy to talk over the situation with Prime Minister Monti there.
Oil and gold prices increased by 0.6% to $92.97 per barrel and 0.3% to $1776.00 per ounce.
U.K. public financial data in August were reported. Debt equaled 66.1% of GDP, up from 65.6% in July, 62.7% in August 2011 and 54.8% in August 2010. Public sector net borrowing equaled 12.362 billion pounds last month, same as a year earlier.
The Conference Board reported July indices of leading economic indicators for both Germany and Australia.
Germany's LEI ticked 0.1% higher after falling 0.5% in June. The index of coincident economic indicators also edged 0.1% higher in July.
Australia's LEI was unchanged in the latest reported month and accompanied by a 0.1% uptick in the coincident economic measure.
Japanese Prime Minister Noda, whose popularity in national opinion polls has been low, captured two-thirds of the leadership vote in the Democratic Party of Japan and will continue to lead Japan's government as a result. Noda continues to resist Liberal Democratic Party calls for elections now but will be held at the appropriate time. No decision has been made as yet on a supplementary budget to help economic activity.
Japanese stock and bond transactions generated a JPY 807 billion net capital inflow in the week of September 15 versus a JPY 380 billion outflow in the prior week. The Filipino current account totaled $2.8 billion in the second quarter.
An official at China's central bank expects third-quarter on-year growth to be somewhat lower than the first-half pace.
Dutch consumer spending fell 1.5% in the year to July, more sharply than the 12-month 0.5% decline in June. House prices in the Netherlands were 8.0% lower in August than a year before. Spain's trade deficit of EUR 1.7 billion in July was 37% smaller than the shortfall in June. Icelandic wage inflation slipped to 5.9% in August form 6.0% in July.
The Draghi bond-buying initiative has lessened capital inflows in Switzerland. Swiss reserves rose by less in August than in prior months. Swiss M3 money growth slowed to a 12-month increase of 8.5% from 9.5% in July.
Canadian consumer price and wholesale turnover data will be released today. Belgian business sentiment and Mexican labor statistics are other scheduled releases. No U.S. figures are on tap. The Fed's Lockhart speaks publicly. The U.S. election is six weeks from Tuesday. The first Obama-Romney debate is set for October 3 followed by a second on October 16 and a final one on October 22. The vice-presidential debate between Biden and Ryan will be held October 11.
Tags: British fiscal data, Japanese Prime Minister Noda
This entry was posted on Friday, September 21st, 2012 at 5:10 am	and is filed under New Overnight Developments Abroad - Daily Update. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.


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"I don't think I'm the only one who can beat him, but it is a short list," said Stormy Daniels' attorney.
Stormy Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti said Wednesday that he is "seriously considering" challenging President Donald Trump in 2020 ― and suggested he would be willing to get dirty if he did.
"If that means that we have to crawl down in the gutter and trade shots with this guy in order to ensure that he's not re-elected ― well, then that's what we gotta do," he said at Vanity Fair's New Establishment Summit in Los Angeles.
Avenatti told Vanity Fair's Emily Jane Fox that he would decide by Jan. 1 whether he would run.
Michael Avenatti says he's not the only person who could beat Trump in 2020 "but it is a short list."
Avenatti has already been challenging the president in the legal arena by representing Daniels, who says she had an affair with Trump and was paid to keep quiet about it before the 2016 election. He also challenged Donald Trump Jr., the president's son, to a fight during a spat on Twitter this week.
Fox pointed out that a presidential run would require Avenatti, a former political operative who says he has been raising funds for Democratic candidates, to undergo intense scrutiny of his own personal life. She also recalled a nasty tweet Trump wrote last month, in which he called Avenatti "a total low-life" because the lawyer had decided to represent a woman accusing then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct.


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Yohji Yamamoto Men's Fall 2022
Beyoncé's Vogue Portrait to Enter Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
The portrait was taken by 24-year-old Tyler Mitchell, the first African-American photographer to shoot the cover for the magazine.
By Layla Ilchi Plus Icon
Layla Ilchi
Recent Articles by Layla Ilchi
'Euphoria' Season Two Leans Into Fantastical Fashion
Sports Illustrated Announces New Advertising Mandate for Swimsuit Issue
Fashion Industry Mourns André Leon Talley
August 7, 2019, 11:27am
Beyoncé at 'The Lion King' film premiere, John Salangsang/BEI/Shutterstock
Beyoncé is getting the Smithsonian treatment.
The singer's portrait from her Vogue September 2018 cover shoot will be on display at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. The portrait was photographed by 24-year-old Tyler Mitchell, who became the first African-American to shoot a cover for the magazine in its 126-year history.
A post shared by Tyler Mitchell (@tylersphotos)
Mitchell took to his Instagram account on Tuesday to share the news, posting the portrait with a caption reading: "A year ago today, we broke the flood gates open. Since then it was important to spend the whole year running through them making sure every piece of the gate was knocked down. And now, I'm glad to share this picture is being acquired into the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery's permanent collection."
Beyoncé's Vogue September issue cover made headlines for the fact that editor in chief Anna Wintour gave the singer creative control over the issue. Beyoncé helped choose Mitchell as the issue's photographer and wrote the captions for the images.
"It's important to me that I help open doors for younger artists," Beyoncé wrote in an article for the issue. "There are so many cultural and societal barriers to entry that I like to do what I can to level the playing field, to present a different point of view for people who may feel like their voices don't matter."
Since the Beyoncé cover shoot, Mitchell also photographed Zendaya for Vogue's June 2019 issue and two other editorials for the magazine.
Read more on Beyoncé here:
All the High Fashion Looks From Beyoncé's 'Spirit' Music Video
Beyoncé Meets Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at 'The Lion King' UK Premiere
Beyoncé and Blue Ivy Carter Wear Matching Alexander McQueen at 'The Lion King' Premiere
WATCH: Blue Ivy's Stylist Takes Us Into His World


The 2015 BC CLEAR funding process is complete. This look at the 2015 eligibility requirements, selection criteria and application process is for information only.
The BC Clean Air Research Fund (BC CLEAR) promotes research excellence by funding transformative research of strategic importance for the management of air quality in British Columbia.
BC CLEAR is sponsored by the BC Ministry of Environment, jointly managed with Metro Vancouver and Environment Canada. The Fraser Basin Council administers the program in partnership with the BC Lung Association.
Learn about the projects funded by BC CLEAR.
The BC CLEAR Fund contributes to the work of graduate students who are focusing efforts on air quality solutions. Read more.
For more information contact Eliana Chia.
A computational framework called BlueSky predicits smoke creation and dispersion by wildfires in Western Canada. This tool is thanks to the collaboration of the BC and Alberta Ministries of Environment, the University of British Columbia and the Canadian Wildfire Information System at Natural Resources Canada.
BC CLEAR funded a research project to build on the success of BlueSky by extending its forecast range in Canada from BC to western portions of Ontario, including southern portions of the Yukon and Northwest Territories, and improving the predictive capabilities of the dispersion model that determines how forest fire smoke spreads. These results are being used to evaluate wildfire smoke-related health effects at the School of Population and Public Health at UBC. BlueSky forecasts can be viewed by the public at www.bcairquality.ca/bluesky.
Receive news on BC Clean Air Research Fund and keep current on the latest clean air related research in BC.


text:
Q: Scrolling problems with touchscreen and openjfx on linux using GTK I am currently working on a touchscreen focused kiosk-type application with a list of videos. The user will scroll to the video he wants to see using the touchscreen, and press on it to view it. I am running this on an intel NUC with Ubuntu 20.04 LTS installed. This is the lsusb info of the touchscreen:
Bus 001 Device 018: ID 2575:0401 Weida Hi-Tech                CoolTouchR System

I am writing this application in java/javafx because it is what I'm most comforable with.
When I'm using GTK3 (default), the application does not respond to any touch screen events,
I found here, that I can use -Djdk.gtk.version=2 to force java to use GTK2. This works, for normal touch inputs, but when I start scrolling the screen snaps back, after the user moves his finger without touching the screen to scroll farther than the screen allows. This only happens on Linux in javaFX applications. GTK applications, like the Ubuntu applications store do not have to problem.
You can see it happening in this gif I recorded.
Watch the scrollbar/numbers when I start dragging from the bottom to go down.
Gif link
I have tried using different versions of java/javafx:

*

*Oracle JDK 8

*OpenJDK 8

*OpenJDK 11 + Gluon OpenJFX 11 (tried v15 aswell)

*Liberica OpenJRE 8 full

All of them gave the exact same problems with GTK2/GTK3
The code to replicate this error is as follows:
public class App extends Application {
    public void start(Stage stage) throws Exception {
        VBox vBox = new VBox();

        for (int i = 0; i < 1000; i++) {
            vBox.getChildren().add(new Label("Label: "+i));
        }
        ScrollPane scrollPane = new ScrollPane(vBox);
        scrollPane.setPannable(true);

        stage.setScene(new Scene(scrollPane));
        stage.show();
    }
}

I haven't been able to find a fix yet, has someone else encountered this before? Does anyone know how to fix this? Thanks

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


This summer will see up to 180,000 employers with a staging date reach their deadline for completing their declaration of compliance with The Pensions Regulator.
Employers with staging dates of 1 January and 1 February will have deadlines to complete their declaration of compliance by the end of May and the end of June respectively and so by now they should be well under way with their plans.
To meet automatic enrolment (AE) duties, there are a number of steps employers will need to take.
Employers can find the information they need about AE at www.tpr.gov.uk/employers. TPR writes to and emails employers with key information about their AE duties. This means it's essential that TPR holds accurate and up to date details. In particular, it's important TPR has the correct email address for the person undertaking AE tasks so that their alerts hit the right inbox. Employers who nominate a contact and receive TPR's updates are more likely to avoid being non-compliant.
Employers must check if their staff are eligible to be put into a pension scheme. Currently, eligible staff are those between 22 and state pension age and who are earning more than £10,000 per year.
Employers will need to tell all their staff in writing about AE. Even if staff are not eligible they must be given the opportunity to opt in or join a pension scheme.
Staff who are eligible must be put into an AE pension scheme which employers will have to contribute into. TPR has information on their website on how to choose a scheme including a list of providers who have master trust assurance. Employers will also need to check their pension scheme is compatible with their payroll software.
Completing the declaration of compliance is a statutory duty and it must be submitted within five months of an employer's staging date, or duties start date. The declaration is an on online document that shows TPR the steps an employer has taken to comply with their AE duties.
Employers should leave themselves plenty of time to complete the declaration as failing to meet the deadline could lead to a fine. Most warning notices issued by TPR are because employers have missed their declaration deadline.
Employers and their business advisers should be clear who is carrying out which task. Some employers have become non-compliant because they wrongly assumed their business adviser, or pension scheme provider, had undertaken a particular task for them (such as completing the declaration of compliance).
Any new employers that set up their business from October last year will not have a staging date – their AE duties will start as soon as they take on their first member of staff. There is an online step by step guide which will tell them what to do and by when. Employers with instant duties will also need to complete a declaration of compliance within five months of their duties start date.
From 6 April 2018, minimum pension contributions increased from a total of 2% to 5%. This means pension contributions after this date will need to be at the new increased level. More information about pension contributions can be found at www.tpr.gov.uk/increase.
Make a note of all logins and passcodes.
Start your client's declaration in good time before their deadline; you can save your progress and return at a later date.
If postponement has been used for any staff, the declaration cannot be submitted until after the postponement period has ended.
Save your declaration at regular intervals as the system will timeout after a short period of inactivity.
Remember to select 'submit' at the end of the form to complete the process.
Employers and advisers should agree who is completing the declaration of compliance and that the information is correct.


text:
/* DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE - it is machine generated */
#include <jni.h>
/* Header for class com_devseed_fiveinarow_ChessKernel_StepNode */

#ifndef _Included_com_devseed_fiveinarow_ChessKernel_StepNode
#define _Included_com_devseed_fiveinarow_ChessKernel_StepNode
#ifdef __cplusplus
extern "C" {
#endif
#ifdef __cplusplus
}
#endif
#endif

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


CALL OR VISIT THE STUDIO TO BOOK YOUR FREE CONSULTATION!
Let us create something unique for your special occasions or gifts!
Price of the pieces (due at the beginning) + hours of labor (due at pick-up); Give us all of your ideas and pick out your colors! Pieces are available for pick-up 8-10 days after the order is paid for. You will be contacted when the work is ready for pick-up.
$15 (for one) or $25 (for 2) due at booking + hours of labor (due at pick-up); just like ceramics, your finished pieces are available for pick-up 8-10 days after the order is placed (or near your due date if it is far in advance). You will be contacted when the work is ready for pick-up.
$50 (due at booking) + hours of labor (due at pick-up). Canvas can be a guestbook for an event, a duplicate of our in-house works (fully customize-able, color, wording added, etc.), or a completely new work. Give us the date of your event and we will come up with a time-frame for completion and pick-up. Duplicates are an 8-10 day turn-around. You will be contacted when the work is ready for pick-up.


Generally, planning for a customized program begins one year before the expected program start date. To submit a preliminary inquiry or to request a formal proposal, please contact Customized Programs, at customprograms@spanishstudies.org or 413-256-0011.
Seis: Pack your bags and guide your students abroad. Get ready for cross-cultural learning!


Boca Raton and the surrounding Gold Coast region offer an unlimited variety of recreational, entertainment and cultural venues for every age and interest.
Mizner Park – One of the finest lifestyle centers in South Florida is located just steps from The Residences. Mizner Park features spectacular dining venues, popular retail shops, an iPic movie theater, a state-of-the-art amphitheater and concert green, as well as The Boca Raton Museum of Art.
Marinas – The Intracoastal Waterway is a famed, South Florida landmark. Home to many exclusive marinas and yacht clubs, direct access to the Atlantic Ocean makes it a playground for boating and recreational enthusiasts from all over.
The Arts – Along with The Boca Raton Museum of Art, the city is home to numerous world-class cultural spaces including the Boca Raton Historical Society and Museum, Lynn University Conservatory of Music, The Symphonia, the Wick Theatre and FAU's University of the Arts. Boca Bacchanal and Festival of the Arts Boca are also major events on a year-round cultural calendar.
Beaches – The absolutely pristine sands of Boca Raton's sun-drenched beaches are a national treasure. There are three city beaches – Spanish River, Red Reef and South Beach. Besides swimming, beachgoers can enjoy canoeing, kayaking, surfing and snorkeling along miles of serene, tropical seashore.
Green Spaces – There are 46 parks within the city, totaling more than 1,600 acres. An almost infinite variety of sports, recreation and other outdoor activities can be enjoyed year round.


"Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God, my God."
By the time I was nine years old, my father had passed away. I had simply walked into the back door of my house, which was adjacent to the alleyway, a short jaunt from my school. There, as I stepped through the doorway, was my father with his head in his arms lying face down on the table. I had not known it at that moment, but he was already embraced in Jesus' arms as he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage.
Many years later, on a dimly lit slick street, my youngest brother attempted to maneuver his bicycle past a strewn garbage lying on the road. It was dark,and rain lashed out relentlessly making it impossible to avoid an oncoming car. He was hit from behind and died shortly thereafter.
And years down the pike, my second brother, struck by a vehicle after pulling out of his driveway, suffered many years from a traumatic brain injury. Withing a few short years later, at the age of 50, he was found dead in his house apparently from natural causes. Natural causes I assume that were attributed from his prior car accident.
These deaths created a great void in my life and a yearning for love that only a parent and sibling can bring. It is a love so great, so unconditional that an ordinary friend can not manage. Yet, God knows our needs and sends people that we become extremely close to filling this void. These people become extended family members that can be called on whenever the need arises and a void is filled once we hear their voice.
Do you have a friend out there that you feel is as close to you as a sister or brother? Maybe there is an elder friend who surrogates as mother or father? These are wonderful angels whose blessing can only come from our Father. Be grateful for these individuals who bring such joy to our lives and such comfort when needed.
Today's verse is taken from the Bible. Naomi had lost both her sons while living as an expatriate to Moab. She tried to send her young daughers-in-law away to find new husbands, and she planned to return to Israel. But Ruth would not leave her. In a beautiful expression of her love for Naomi she spoke those words in today's verse. Her love was so great she became more than a daughter-in-law. She became a daughter to Ruth in the same way we become members of each other's families for those close friends who bless our lives as extended family.
who can fill a void that has been opened.
You bring these people into our lives for fulfillment.
your gifts to me and allow me to love them like my own.
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul."
The twenty-third psalm has to be my ultimate favorite verse. I remember as child, when my father died, I reverted to it often. It was mentioned in my second grade class numerous times and class projects were based on this unconditional love. It is no wonder, that during the most tumultuous time of my life, at age eight, I reflected on this often- especially alone at night trying to restlessly sleep.
Speaking this verse, I'd picture myself in soothing green pastures with grass as high has my waist delightfully strolling with Jesus by my side. We'd gaze in awe as fields of Clasping Clone, Baby Blue Eyes, Celandine, and Corn Flowers erupted in bright hues around us. We'd walk hand in hand as he guided me past another breathtakingly beautiful oasis that evolved around each bend. With each trek, my mind would soothe as I'd realize all this beauty was created just for me. I knew he was here in the depths of my mind whenever I reached out for him.
Other times I'd be atop cascading mountains, embraced by a porch swing, in front of a weather-worn hewn cabin overlooking the Smoky Mountains. Here we'd swing together his arms offering comfort until my breath steadied and I was at peace again. We'd speak few words allowing the glory of unadorned mountain tops refresh my soul.
Throughout my life, the Lord has been my Shepherd. He has provided for me and my life has been blessed. Oh, my life has not been without challenges and difficulties. But when danger threatened, God has always protected me. When I experienced loss, God has comforted me. I've felt his love and protection my entire life. My faith ensures that when I am unable to tend to my needs any longer, I hand them all over to God. His hand is always with me, loving me, guiding me, and taking care of me.
Heavenly Father, thank you for being my Shepherd. Thank you for providing for my every need. With your guidance and protection I feel secure and fulfilled. Shepherd me today and every day. If I ever get lost, please come and find me and lead me home to you again. Amen.
"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits."
Today is a new day. No matter what you may be facing today, realize that God wants to satisfy your needs by placing good things in your life. Do not forget these benefits as you pray daily. Do not place yourself in that mediocre lifestyle thinking, "I deserve this." You don't, and this is just another life lesson that will pass. These days allow us to pass through the fire coming out like gold blazing another trail.
If you have made mistakes in your life remember that forgiveness is a benefit and move past this freely without chains. If you feel overwhelmed, overworked, or just plan tired, pray for strength as a benefit. If you need healing today, than that healing is a benefit. Pray for these benefits precisely, remembering God wants to satisfy your needs. Be exact in your prayers and have the faith he will bless these needs.
God will bestow these benefits on you that will strengthen and empower you to over come any obstacles in our life. Today is a new day. Remember that God is amazing, let him fill your life, and through him all things are possible.
Heavenly Father, I thank you for your goodness.
I take none of your benefits for granted.
I know you are loving and gracious.
I praise your name each day and accept your gifts with a graceful heart.
Today is a new day to love you. Amen.


text:
Information published on 19 May 2020 in the UIC electronic newsletter "UIC eNews" Nr 692.
Postponement of UIC-KORAIL Training Session on Railway Passenger Service based on IT Technology in Seoul, Korea to 5 – 9 April 2021
Due to an unexpected situation, we would like to inform you that the UIC-KORAIL Training Session 2020 on Railway Passenger Service based on IT Technology planned has been postponed to 5 – 9 April 2021.
The goals of the programme are to share knowledge and best practice of railway passenger service in the Asia-Pacific region, to discuss quality service and to find ways to cooperate. The main themes are:
Overview of the rail ticket distribution: from concepts to databases
Rail Ticket Digitalisation: the barcode solution from mass transit ticket to high-speed ticket
Artificial Intelligence: to serve the customer at the train station AIRobot
UIC IT solution for Rail Passenger Control. Paperless ticketing
PRM Assistance Booking Tool: how to guaranty assistance for the impaired passengers (wheelchairs…)
We hope that it will be a great opportunity for all of you to broaden your understanding of UIC Asia-Pacific railways and strengthen cooperation among members.
For any further information please contact Béatrice Ségéral:
segeral@uic.org
6th UIC Covid-19 Task Force meeting held on 12 May 2020 ARIADNA invites entities and companies to find out about and use the Galileo satellite navigation system Audiovisual material on Covid-19 available in the UIC mediacenter – 19 May China: CR Wuhan Group Co., Ltd. takes practical measures for regular epidemic revention and control First Inclusive Station network meeting held on 12 May 2020 Germany: Building up test capacities – DB Schenker transports hundreds of thousands of Corona test kits Joint WCO-OTIF-OSJD statement on responding to the impacts of Covid-19 on cross-border railway transport Online questionnaire for railway vibrations in infrastructure caused by passenger trains Spain: European railway museums unite to face a new period Tweet of the week 11 May – 15 May
e-News articles with keyword Training
Seventh training session on railway maintenance, 9-20 November organised by UIC African Region (25 November 2020) Ceremony for the Belt and Road International Scientific and Technological Organisation Cooperation Platform held on 17 November (23 November 2020) Free Online Course for Rail Users and Professionals (22 October 2020) Latvia: SJSC "Latvijas dzelzceļš" with operational services in Rēzekne will simulate oil product spillage and fire elimination (9 October 2020) 6th edition of UIC World Congress on Rail Training: "Unite, Inspire, Connect" (7 October 2020)
e-News articles with keyword Asia Pacific
UIC takes part in emlyon business school's virtual event on Facebook: "The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI): a sign of China's rising power?" (25 November 2020) Ceremony for the Belt and Road International Scientific and Technological Organisation Cooperation Platform held on 17 November (23 November 2020) UIC participates in the 13th UN Intergovernmental Regional Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) Forum in Asia, organised virtually by UNCRD and co-hosted by UNESCAP in Bangkok on 10 and 11 November 2020 (18 November 2020) UIC participates in the 29th plenary meeting of the International Coordinating Council on Trans-Eurasian Transportation (CCTT) (9 November 2020) Rail System and Standardisation development and APRA Regional Interfaces (5 November 2020)
e-News articles with keyword Promoting
IRS Candidates – Standardisation Awards (14 January) Video: Translate4Rail Language Tool (14 January) The UIC Covid-19 Task Force has published a new state-of-the-art entitled "Contamination Rates on Trains" (14 December 2020) Modus workshop on "The future of multimodal transport: Horizon 2040" Save the date: 19 January 2021 (14 December 2020) UIC Passenger department has just launched GEOHSR (Guidelines on Operational Efficiency for New and Existing High-Speed Lines) (10 December 2020)
e-News articles with keyword Artificial Intelligence
Workshop on use of high-accuracy coordinate track adjustment systems for greater efficiency of existing infrastructure (3 November 2020) UIC-UNIFE-UITP Joint Statement: Giving public transport a central place in the world of tomorrow (9 June 2020) Postponement of UIC-KORAIL Training Session on Railway Passenger Service based on IT Technology in Seoul, Korea to 5 – 9 April 2021 (19 May 2020) Innovation workshop on Artificial Intelligence (AI) held on 14 November 2019 at UIC Paris (19 November 2019) UIC Digital Days held on 3 – 4 October 2019 at UIC Paris headquarters (8 October 2019)
e-News articles with keyword Distribution
Approval of the OSDM Online Solution: IRS 90918-10 Version 1 (18 December 2020) New OSDM (Open Sales and Distribution Model) platform to replace UIC's PRIFIS international tariffs distribution tool (9 November 2020) First UIC Open Sales and Distribution Model (OSDM) technical meeting held online on 22 October (28 October 2020) Postponement of UIC-KORAIL Training Session on Railway Passenger Service based on IT Technology in Seoul, Korea to 5 – 9 April 2021 (19 May 2020) The TAP-MD (Maintenance & Development) Working Group met on 20 and 21 February in Brussels (5 March 2019)


WASHINGTON - "As AEP's statement makes clear, the current uncertainty about U.S. policy on climate change is a handicap in making long-term investment decisions. Companies are left to guess whether they have invested too little or too much on technologies that will help them meet potential future regulatory burdens. It is time for Congress to pass national legislation that will reduce heat-trapping gas concentrations to a safe level. This will not only meet our legal obligations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, it will give companies the clarity they need to make wise investment decisions.
"World Wildlife Fund's PowerSwitch! initiative works with utilities that commit to take a responsible approach to producing power in the age of global warming. These companies have made significant commitments to utilize renewable energy or energy efficiency technologies, and every one of them supports policies to limit carbon dioxide emissions.
"While we commend AEP for recognizing that mandatory reductions in heat-trapping carbon emissions are imminent, it is discouraging to learn that the company will continue to rely on the most polluting fuel, coal. This is a backwards approach - attempting to update a 19th century fuel rather than rely on modern, clean energy technologies that increase energy efficiency and produce power from renewable sources like the wind and sun."
American Electric Power yesterday released "An Assessment of AEP's Actions to Mitigate the Economic Impacts of Emissions Policies" in response to pressure from shareholders. The report covers actions AEP is taking to mitigate the economic impact of increasing regulatory requirements, competitive pressures and public expectations to significantly reduce carbon dioxide and other emissions.
In the report, AEP states that while the immediate future of climate change policy is uncertain, "mandatory reductions of greenhouse gas emissions are likely in the next decade." The report recommends that the company take into account the possibility of such requirements when making long-term investment decisions. However, the report also endorses an approach that would see AEP continuing to rely heavily on coal for energy production, despite the fact that coal has higher emissions of carbon dioxide than other fuels.


These log splitters are towable and runs on petrol with a Honda motor. We have three available. They are a vertical splitter with a powerful ram cutting through most woods. A ring lifter is attached and is operated by the same lever as the knife and an extra wide table allowing up to three people to feed, split and clear the wood easily. Roll the timber rings on to the ring lifter and start splitting!
With our temporary fencing systems you can secure your construction site be it commercial, residential or even a pool, in no time. You can hire temporary fencing for all types of building and maintenance works, including civil, commercial, industrial, demolition, mulit-unit developments, home building, renovation, extensions, landscaping, pools, enclosures etc.
A 2.5 kva generator with two power sockets. Useful to provide power for various tools, keep a freezer going in cases of power outages etc. This generator is a pull start and is powered by petrol.
A 3.5 kva generator with two power sockets. Useful to provide power for various tools, keep a freezer going in cases of power outages etc. This generator is a pull start and is powered by petrol.
This small single axle trailer with it's high sides is ideal for those small carting jobs such as garden waste, a few pieces of furniture to shift, small bales of pea straw and much more. A small car is capable of towing this trailer.
This small single axle trailer with a cage is ideal for those small carting jobs such as garden waste, a few pieces of furniture to shift, small bales of pea straw and much more. A small car is capable of towing this trailer.
This tandem axle 3.5m x 2m flat deck trailer with a head board 650mm in length is great for carting baleage, hay as well as pieces of equipment or furniture where side access would be useful to get it on and off the trailer. It is also legally capable of carrying a 6m pack of timber. It comes with two ramps if required.
This trailer is rated to 2500ton, its tare weight is 860kg so is legally capable of carrying 1640kg maximum.
This tandem axle 2.4m x 1.8m trailer with head board of 650mm is ideal for carting baleage, hay as well as pieces of equipment or furniture where side access would be useful to get it on and off the trailer.
This furniture trailer is ideal for shifting house, office or anything of a similar nature. It has a capacity of approximately 10.7 cubic metres. The trailer is rated to 2.5ton.
Also available for hire is a dollie - piano trolley, a sack barrow, or sack barrow with 2 blankets.
This single axle 2.4m x 1.8m trailer with head board of 650mm is ideal for carting baleage, hay as well as pieces of equipment or furniture where side access would be useful to get it on and off the trailer.


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Steve Jobs interview: One-on-one in 1995
Best Places to Work in IT 2019
Excel 2010 cheat sheet
JM Family: Eliminates more than 1,400 physical servers
A systematic approach to sustainability includes a high-powered solar array, leading to No. 12 on our list.
By Mary K. Pratt
Contributing Writer, Computerworld | PT
The IT shop at JM Family Enterprises has taken the typical steps to make its data centers eco-friendly: It has consolidated systems, virtualized servers and set up hot and cold aisles to drive down energy consumption.
Such initiatives have enabled the widely diversified Deerfield Beach, Fla.-based automotive services company to eliminate more than 1,400 physical servers and avoid using more than 5.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually over the past several years.
But IT leaders thought they could do more, so they invested in alternative energy, installing a solar energy array at the company's Alpharetta, Ga., data center. The array is capable of supporting 100% of the data center's power requirements and eliminating an annual release of 205 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
[ Related: Meet Project Honolulu, Microsoft's new Windows Server management GUI ]
The switch to solar is one of many sustainability initiatives that the company's IT unit has undertaken.
Vice President and CTO Shawn Berg says IT has been actively involved in such projects since 2006, when it first started to virtualize data center servers.
"We've always focused on community and the environment; they were core issues for us," Berg says.
Virtualization, which has been an ongoing, multiyear effort, was IT's initial step toward a more formal, systematic approach to sustainability that the company adopted in 2008, Berg says.
In addition to virtualizing servers, the IT department has adhered to a rigid equipment refresh cycle to ensure that the company uses the latest, most energy-efficient systems. And the Georgia data center, built in 2009, has many green features in addition to its solar array.
Now the IT department is focused on adopting green efforts in other areas, Berg says.
Green Tomorrow
"JM Family is committed to being environmentally sustainable in the near term and the long term," says Shawn Berg, vice president and CTO. "We're focusing on the renewable energy area and demonstrating our commitment to our associates and the communities we work in."
This year, JM Family started a virtual desktop project under which IT aims to eventually provide all employees with virtual desktops. This will help cut down on the amount of e-waste the company generates and reduce energy consumption. JM Family estimates that the thin clients will use 80% less energy than traditional PCs.
IT also helped implement a print reduction initiative this year, Berg says. The goal is to cut paper consumption by 12,000 pounds per year.
And in an effort to further reduce its impact on the environment, Berg says, JM Family is looking at the possibility of sharing data center space with other companies.
Next: Top Green-IT Vendors
More Green-IT 2011
Top Green-IT Organizations
No. 1: Kaiser Permanente
Top Green-IT Vendors
How we chose the winners
Opinion: How CIOs can help curb e-waste
Mary K. Pratt is a freelance writer based in Massachusetts.


Welcome to my little bit of the Internet!
If you've somehow stumbled onto this site and are wondering who the heck CLJ is, then you're on the right page.
The tagline is a bit of a clue – I was born and grew up in Yorkshire. But after 21 years, I left my Northern roots and headed to London. Now, I'm wandering.
Having a big passion for writing, life, travel and people, I studied journalism at university (at Leeds if you wondered), which led me to create this lil' blog.
As time has passed, I've started to share more of my creative writing (including poetry!), as well as my thoughts about the world around us. This is mixed with a heady dose of brilliant quotes from those far more intelligent than myself.
A blur of fiction and reality, I hope that you find something of interest here. Feel free to read, comment, share your thoughts or get in touch!
Oh, and that's me below. Hi!


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THE FILMY CHARCHA > Blog > Digital World > Web Series > Rahul Tewari: Appreciation for my performance as Churan in Main Monica has been an overwhelming experience
Rahul Tewari: Appreciation for my performance as Churan in Main Monica has been an overwhelming experience
TFC Desk
Rahul Tewari is seen in the character of Churan in Amazon Prime Video's latest release Main Monica. The show is being produced and written by Paromita Ganguly, Amber Wasi and Ranjeet Chitrakaar and presented by Arre. He talks about the web series.
Churan is an interesting character. "It's all in his name. He is a man who has in him small portions of mischief, trickery and survival instinct all mixed together. I am very thankful to the writers producers who approached me in 2018 with the story and character brief and had been in constant touch. The excitement for me playing as Churan was equal from both sides. When I decided to move to Mumbai, on the first day, I auditioned for Churan. A lot happened after that, but they made sure that they got me on board, which is really an honour for me," says the actor, who was last seen in Rocket Boys 2.
The costume and the look helped the actor in the prep. "I spent enough time observing & talking to the make-up artists on the set and also tried understanding who Churan is and what is his purpose in life," he says.
Sharing a memorable BTS from the set, Rahul adds, "When Rajjo comes out as Monica to his parents (played by Abhishek Chauhan). In that scene, Chandni (played by Disha Thakur) and I were standing behind and had a clear view of the mother's reaction. In that scene when she starts blaming him for fooling them, she suddenly starts appreciating his talent to pull off Monica without anyone noticing. When she said 'shabbash, tu kamal ka actor hai beta', I actually broke into tears, something happened to me and I ran to the green room and cried for the next 15 minutes. No-one got to know about it."
The Comedy Thriller genre is a hit with the audience. The best thing about Main Monica is that it keeps you at the edge of your seat. "The Script, music according to Rahul, adds to the series.
"Appreciation for my performance as Churan has been an overwhelming experience. Also, things slowly pickup and in the latter half of the show, it is very good. So, only when you watch it carefully do you see my character evolving *with the plot," he adds.
Being part of varied content on OTT, Rahul is happy with the rise of the medium and its growth in the last two years. "No doubt there have been more opportunities for everyone. But I believe the audience is still warming up to it. There are more ideas to create and more venues to experiment," he says.
About the process he follows to stay updated as an actor, Rahul explains, "I watch, watch and watch as much variety of content as possible. I also, reflect, reflect and reflect on everything I see and perform, and work on it to make it better, keeping in mind the resources I have around me."
Every actor has their dream role. So what's that one character or characters that he would like to perform in his lifetime? "There are many, honestly. Tyrion in Game of Thrones, Bill The Butcher in Gangs of New York and Joker (one of the best characters ever written) are my favourite characters. And, I would like to do something like them that try my own version. There are many more such parts that inspire me and make me greedy to push my limit so as to try new things," he ends.
Dibyendu Bhattacharya speaks about Ranjeet Chitrakar, Amber Wasi, and Paromita Ganguly's Main Monica!
ZEE5 and Ekam Satt celebrate the unsung heroes, spies of India via 'Mukhbir – The Story of a Spy' City Tour
Main Monica has been a personal journey for Ranjeet, Amber and me :Paromita Ganguly
The Impact of Streaming Platforms on the Distribution and Consumption of Bollywood Films
Top 10 IMDb Highest-Rated Must Match Netflix Series.
TAGGED: Amazon Prime Video, Main Monica, Rahul Tewari
TFC Desk January 23, 2023
'The Last of Us' episode 2 Review – Naughty Dog's masterpiece now on OTT.
'मिशन मजनू' की निर्माता गरिमा मेहता कहा, एक्ट्रेस अपनी मुस्कान और अच्छे वाइब्स से सेट पर तनावपूर्ण स्थिति को भी पिघला सकती है!
What Celebs Speaks about US
https://filmycharcha.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/The-Filmy-Charcha-Compress.webm
Music January 30, 2023
Entertainment January 30, 2023
Bollywood Gossips January 30, 2023
Television Gossips January 30, 2023


I met Erin several years ago, just as I was settling down and having children. From the moment I met her I was inspired by her creative spirit, her relaxed child rearing and contagious need to speak what was on her mind. Her art and design evoke images from the past, with a clean and fresh feel. I love the simple yet detailed, hand done imagery she brings to life. So when WHS was in need of a logo, we knew just who to turn to. Seeing Erin's process from the conceptual to screen printing aprons, letter pressing note cards and having our perfect logo for the launch of our website was so charming we wanted to share it with you all. Read her interview and watch the video below!
WHS: When did you realize your love for creativity and design?
Erin Pata: My mom tells the story of me being the little girl in the grocery store check-out line and she could visually see my fingers twitching, not for the candy, but for the brand new box of crayons sitting there on the shelf. I was the kid always drawing and creating things... the family christmas card, my halloween costumes, and once I learned to use the sewing machine I started modifying my clothes in high school since my mom wouldn't buy the stuff I wanted. What's interesting is that both my sisters were singled out and put in the advanced art classes. Not me. But I am the only one who has ended up doing anything in the creative fields. It just goes to show you it's not about talent. It's about passion. Passion is the most enduring kind of fuel.
WHS: What or who inspires your design?
EP: Right after my first baby girl I got this insatiable urge to turn my attention into making things for her. I happened upon a fabric designer who turned out to be from my tiny home town in Ohio (population 10,000) who was revolutionizing the stale, cutsie-pie, cotton print quilt world of ducks and cows in the early 2000's. She was reinventing the overused farm animal and country checkered cotton prints and turning them into uniquely colored, bohemian, modern designs and patterns. As a graphic designer who is visually oriented to the world, her fabrics caught my attention and pulled me back into the creative bliss swing. Her name is Amy Butler and the fact that she lived in a house that I had played in as a child made it even more serendipitous to me. I made everything I could make. I sewed baby blankets, diaper bags, dresses, pants, backpacks, curtains and even started reupholstering my furniture. I finally made too many things so I had to start selling them to justify buying the next season's line of fabric.
WHS: When did you realize your creativity could be turned into a business?
EP: My creativity felt a little manic and had already expanded out of print design in to the world of sewing and building. I got to the point where I could no longer use or gift what I was making so I decided to start selling my goods. It was fabulous time in my life. I had a baby on my back at the sewing machine. I didn't care about the money as much as pairing interesting fabrics and designs together to make something. As life with three babies started to settle in I found those precious two hours to myself everyday during nap time to be a time I could experience that creative bliss and even start to make a little money on the side.
EP: Butterbean Studio's tagline is Where Art and Farming Collide. Pata Bros. Farming and Ranching has been continuously owned and operated by a single family for over a century. In 1912, Candido Pata, a Swiss immigrant, started with a twenty acres near Lompoc, California. Through the 1900's he and his two boys raised cattle and butterbeans. Now more than 100 years later, his two grandsons continue to work the family plot together and grow a variety of dry-land farmed beans. Although the machinery may have evolved a bit, not much else has changed.
I am a graphic designer. Half of my time is still spent with graphic design clients. I design logos, invitations, posters, brochures. The rest of my time is spent branding his goods (beans, honey, cattle… seriously, I actually do brand the cattle in the spring), packaging and shipping his goods to people and stores across the country. His time is spent out in the fields growing thing and tending to the cattle. But sometimes he sorts beans and sometimes I tend to the cattle. The packaging is designed, produced and marketed by me, the farmer's wife, and the bags are filled by the kids to earn some spending money. It is truly a family business.
WHS: When and how did you get into letter pressing and screen printing?
EP: Forever interested in cutting out the middle-man, learning how things work and living far from town, I have developed a strategy to just do everything myself and never need another human being for anything. It's the apocalypse-prepper side of me. So the next logical step after designing something yourself is to print it yourself. I looked online for a few months and finally found the press I was looking for up in Santa Cruz. The man was a teacher selling off his extra presses so he gave me a deal, a half hour lesson and sent me home with a bag of ink and tools. I have since supplemented my letterpress education myself with Youtube videos and a healthy dose of not waiting for things to be perfect before jumping into it. I am content learning as I go.
WHS: We adore our logo! Can you tell us about your process in designing it?
EP: It starts with a sketch. I still use paper and pencil to get some broad ideas out and get the client's approval on the direction. Lauren and I discussed the concept together and the three areas that the logo needed to communicate… Food and Drink, Plants and Herbalism, and Animal Husbandry. We came up with an illustration of a cast iron pan, various plants and a cow as the main representational elements. I threw in a couple other iconic homesteader type tools like a pitchfork and an ax (thanks for letting me keep the ax next to the cow). Then, once the sketch is settled I get out the art supplies that I've collected since my childhood, the paper I picked up in Switzerland, the tools I've inherited from family, and get into the zone to bliss out the artwork. In your case, we decided it was going to be a brightly colored watercolor which leaves little room for mistakes or changes. But that's okay because we have the computer. I scan the image and take it into Photoshop to make the text slightly bigger or to move the cow over a little. I can even mess with the colors. You guys were a very easy client. I think we got that logo done in 3 days. Sometimes that's better than having too much time to mull on it.