04 July 2007
GRMS-2
If you were around Gaines Street and Stone Valley Road today (4th of July, 2007), you probably noticed a very strange looking locomotive on the CSX siding. It's painted blue and yellow, has the CSX logo, is numbered "GRMS-2" and appears to be a rather high-tech device.
It turns out that it's a "Track Geometry Unit" and is a rolling computer center on rails. According to Wikipedia.org, it measures the gauge of the tracks, the relative level between the two tracks and does other non-destructive tricks to access the condition of the rails.
I wasn't smart enough to have a camera long when I saw it today, but there are some excellent photos of GRMS-2 on RailPictures.Net. Click here, here and here for photos of this very engine in other cities.
All the rail in Tallahassee, to the best of my knowledge, belongs to CSX. If you notice a problem with the railroad (such as a stuck signal, a vehicle stuck in a crossing, etc.) the number to call is 1-800-232-0144.
It turns out that it's a "Track Geometry Unit" and is a rolling computer center on rails. According to Wikipedia.org, it measures the gauge of the tracks, the relative level between the two tracks and does other non-destructive tricks to access the condition of the rails.
I wasn't smart enough to have a camera long when I saw it today, but there are some excellent photos of GRMS-2 on RailPictures.Net. Click here, here and here for photos of this very engine in other cities.
All the rail in Tallahassee, to the best of my knowledge, belongs to CSX. If you notice a problem with the railroad (such as a stuck signal, a vehicle stuck in a crossing, etc.) the number to call is 1-800-232-0144.
Labels: crossing signal, CSX, Florida, GRMS, level crossing, railroad, Tallahassee, track geomerty
15 January 2007
TLH015 - Remembering Dr. King
TLH015 - Remembering Dr. King
<Martin Luther King, Jr. Born January 15th, 1929; died too soon on April 4th, 1968. Dr. King was a peacemaker, an activist and a strong voice for freedom, equality and justice. Dr. King was the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Jimmy Carter.
The excerpt from Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech is from the Internet Archive. The photo appearing in our blog today is from the Wikimedia commons.
From his speech "Beyond Vietnam: A Time To Break Silence", at Riverside Church on April 4th, 1967; one year to the day before his death: "We are at the moment when our lives must be placed on the line if our nation is to survive its own folly. Every man of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits his convictions, but we must all protest...A time comes when silence is betrayal."
(found in Brad Blog.)
This is also a good day to remember a local hero in the fight for civil rights, the Reverend C.K. Steel, the late pastor of the Bethel Baptist Church. In 1956, Rev. Steel became a focal point and leader of a boycott of the local bus system in Tallahassee that lasted until 1958. Prior to the boycott, Americans of African descent were required to ride in the back of the bus.
Tallhassee has a monunment to Dr. Steel. Washington DC needs a monument to Dr. King. You can learn more and make a donation by clicking here.
The podcast ends with MLK Day, a piece of melodic poetry by Brooklyn-born emcee SELF-SUFFICE (Rapoets) and Seattle-born emcee FURYUS (The Sky Beneath Crew). The audio comes from archive.org.
<Martin Luther King, Jr. Born January 15th, 1929; died too soon on April 4th, 1968. Dr. King was a peacemaker, an activist and a strong voice for freedom, equality and justice. Dr. King was the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Jimmy Carter.The excerpt from Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech is from the Internet Archive. The photo appearing in our blog today is from the Wikimedia commons.
From his speech "Beyond Vietnam: A Time To Break Silence", at Riverside Church on April 4th, 1967; one year to the day before his death: "We are at the moment when our lives must be placed on the line if our nation is to survive its own folly. Every man of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits his convictions, but we must all protest...A time comes when silence is betrayal."
(found in Brad Blog.)
This is also a good day to remember a local hero in the fight for civil rights, the Reverend C.K. Steel, the late pastor of the Bethel Baptist Church. In 1956, Rev. Steel became a focal point and leader of a boycott of the local bus system in Tallahassee that lasted until 1958. Prior to the boycott, Americans of African descent were required to ride in the back of the bus.
Tallhassee has a monunment to Dr. Steel. Washington DC needs a monument to Dr. King. You can learn more and make a donation by clicking here.
The podcast ends with MLK Day, a piece of melodic poetry by Brooklyn-born emcee SELF-SUFFICE (Rapoets) and Seattle-born emcee FURYUS (The Sky Beneath Crew). The audio comes from archive.org.
Labels: Bus Boycott, CK Steel, Florida, Leon County, Martin Luther King, MLK, Tallahassee
