Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 11 over Weekend
The Westport-Weston Health District reported 11 new COVID-19 case for Westport over the weekend. The State’s daily test positivity rate was up to 2.89% while hospitalizations were up 13.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 2,169 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 32 deaths.
State Daily Test Positivity: 2.89% [up from 2.61%]
State Hospitalizations: 238 patients [+13]
New Neighbors: Gofer Ice Cream coming to PRE, Neighboring Fortuna’s Deli
Gofer Franchise Systems LLC. ReleaseToday Gofer Ice Cream announced it will hold a Grand Opening for its new Ridgefield shop on Sunday, November 21, 2021. The company also announced a new ninth area shop will open in Westport in the Spring of 2022.
After many months of construction the Ridgefield shop at 407 Main Street is ready to officially open its doors. Early customer reaction has been positive according to new Franchisee Partner Eric Barrow. “We have been working hard to ramp up the crew and I am very happy with the initial response from the community” he commented. “I have been a member of the local Rotary Club for almost a year and we look forward to getting even more involved in the community now that we are open.” The new location is the chains largest to date and includes a Party Room space in the back of the shop in addition to the full line up of Gofer Ice Cream products. The Grand Opening will be November 21st from 12:30 to 4pm and will feature giveaways, face painting and part of the proceeds will go to local charity Filling in the Blanks to fight childhood hunger.
The company also announced a lease has been signed by new Franchisee Partner Hasni Waheed at 1240 Post Road in Westport, Connecticut. The shopping plaza in the Greens Farms area of town is next to Crate and Barrel. “The location was carefully selected and has many great neighboring tenants like the CT School of Music, Fortuna’s Deli, Splatterbox and many others in the center that provide a great flow of traffic from all demographics.” Commented Jay Ragusa, CEO of Gofer Franchise Systems. “Gofer has a variety of products and something for everybody. With our premium soft and hard serve, plant based and fat free options, I am confident the diverse set of neighboring businesses will benefit from our shop as well. It is a great location with great parking and several nearby schools. I like that it is away from the Main Street area of town. I believe it is similar to the neighborhood Greenwich shop on the Cos Cob town line that has been a huge success since opening in 2003.
Gofer Ice Cream continues to expand in the Fairfield County area and is currently looking to grow upstate in Connecticut as well into nearby Westchester County and Long Island New York areas in the future. Work also is currently underway for opening the eighth location, second in Stamford, at 2367 Summer Street in the Ridgeway Shopping Center. An early 2022 opening is planned. “If all goes as planned we hope to enter our 20th season with nine operating shops.” mentioned Ragusa. “It's been quite a journey for our family and it's great to see the success replicate to other communities, crew members and especially to the Franchise Partner’s family”.
Talking Transportation: Small Leaves cause Big Problems for Trains
Leaves vs. Locomotives
It sounds like a question on a kid’s quiz show: “How do you stop a train?”
A) Hail it like a cab?
B) Pull the emergency brake?
C) Put wet leaves on the track?
If you chose “C”, you were correct… and you must be a regular commuter on Metro-North.
This is the time of year that tries train engineers’ souls and commuters’ patience. On a single day one recent fall, 60 rush-hour trains were delayed by “slippery rails” when wet leaves caused trains to “slip-slide” on their usually solid tracks.
You may not realize it, but the flanged wheel of a train contacts the rail only on a surface area the size of a dime. That’s why trains can move so smoothly with minimal power… riding a small, but firm area of friction.
But when the leaves fall and get wet, they are ground into one of the slipperiest substances known to man, a compound called pectin. As the train rolls along, its braking computer senses the slip and tries to apply the disc brakes, just like your cars ABS system.
But often the brakes are applied so hard that a locked wheel is ground against the track, creating a flat spot on the usually round surface. In years past these flat wheel issues have taken 25% of cars out of service for regrinding.
Sophisticated train computers don’t like it when they think the train can’t stop so, on the new M8 cars running, the railroad had to reprogram the safety systems to reassure them the train wasn’t out of control and didn’t need emergency braking.
Worse yet, on some lines the slippery leaves can virtually leave the trains unable to move. Case in point, the Danbury branch line which is an almost continual up-hill climb from Norwalk to “The Hat City”, 397 feet above sea level. On this branch, diesel locomotive-pulled trains often can’t stop on hills at stations like Cannondale, so on some days they skip such stops and make a running start for the steeper climbs.
On an MU (multiple-unit electric) mainline train, all cars are locomotives, spreading out the traction-power the full length of the train. But on a branch line, a single Genesis locomotive weighing 120+ tons has only eight wheels touching the track, seeking enough traction to pull a fully loaded eight car train. That means eight dime-sized points of friction for a multi-ton load.
Sometimes the solution is as simple as sand dropped from special hoppers on the train just in front of the drive-wheels. The resulting friction gets the train going or helps it stop.
Mind you, this is a problem for railroads worldwide, not just here in the northeast.
Of late, Metro-North has brought in heavier armament… a specially designed car dubbed “Water World” equipped with high pressure hoses that blast the tracks free of the gooey mess.
They’re also experimenting with chemical sprays. And one inventor in the UK is even proposing to zap the goo off the rails with lasers!
So in the fall as we appreciate the gorgeous foliage, remember the words of Paul Simon during your next ride on Metro-North: “Slip sliding away, slip sliding away. You know the nearer your destination, the more you’re slip sliding away.”
About Jim Cameron:
Jim Cameron has been a commuter advocate for over 30 years, with a special focus on the Metro North railroad. He spent nearly two decades on the Connecticut Metro North Commuter Council, and most recently founded The Commuter Action Group. Jim Cameron’s Talking Transportation was a popular column on the former WestportNow.com prior to its cessation, and joins The Westport Local Press and several other online community organizations. A resident of Darien - he serves on its Representative Town Meeting and is Program Director of the town government TV station, DarienTV79. He can be reached at CommuterActionGroup@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter: @CTRailCommuters
Morning Weather Report
Today
A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 48. West wind 6 to 14 mph.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 32. West wind 9 to 13 mph.
Tomorrow
Sunny, with a high near 49. West wind 7 to 10 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 34. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.