We have RCX (Rail Crew Express) at my home and away from home terminal. Mason City has PTI, At Des Moines I've seen RCX, PTI and even Rentzenberger. At DM, if all else fails they'll use one of the public taxi companies.
In the past when major projects or other disruptions of the norm have caused massive dead heads, they'll hire a full size motor coach from a local tour bus company.
Currently, we do a lot of deadheading, terminal to terminal. Usually home to away from home. Just did that this morning. Those vans, and vans taking crews to/from trains at outlaying points get called as road vans. Terminals have local yard vans, and usually one that can go about out about a 25 mile radius of the terminal. That zone van used to be called Car 54, from the old TV sitcom, "car 54 where are you?" but I haven't heard that for years now.
The yard vans can assist trains or yard jobs working in the yard, take crews to trains or otherwise assist crews in the terminal. (I've used them to take me to the DP to inspect them when no mechanical person was available.) They've cut the number of on duty yard vans at both ends of our runs. (A VP went past a depot once and happened to see 4 vans waiting.) So at times now, it isn't unusual to have to wait 30 to 45 minutes for a ride to the train. At the Away Terminal, they also run crews to the motel, the motel van brings us to the depot. Unless all the yard vans are busy. Of course since they've cut the yard vans, often one can't take us to the motel after tying up. So we call the motel van. If a crew is almost ready to leave for the depot, they'll wait until that crew is ready. So sometimes the wait for transportation to the motel can take time. The worst I've had is 30 minutes, but some have waited an hour for a ride. If we haven't been checked in to the motel within 30 minutes of our released time, we can have our rest adjusted to reflect the actual time of checking and file an 8 hour penalty claim. (Like most penalty claims. they don't get paid right away. They eventually go to a conference between the railroad and union after so many claims pile up and are then disposed of. Usually paid, but less than full value.)
Cutting vans may be a quick and easy cost saving measure. But delayed trains and crews can offset any savings.
Jeff
tree68It's not uncommon around here to have a "local" get totally bamboozled when we have to close a road because of an incident. They know one way to get where they're going, and if they can't go that way, well...
I was in that catagory in 1972 when Hurricane Agnes hit the mid-Atlantic states. We had only moved to our new residence less than a month before Agnes hit and washed out the only way I knew to get home.
Fortunately the Yardmaster that worked for me also lived in the same area. Instead of it taking the normal 30-40 minutes to get home, we finally made it 5 hours after we started - we tried a multitude of 'back ways' and the multitude minus one were all blocked, either by water or trees or both.
The washout of the normal route was caused by excessive water draining against a culvert through an embankment that was the right of way for the Western Maryland RR just West of Owings Mills. When the embankment and culvert washed out it washed away a woman and her daughter in their car that were driving on Reisterstown Road. To my knowledge the car and their bodies have never been found.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
We mostly had Renzenberger (now Hallcon as previously stated). Renzenberger used a combination of Ford Econolines and Chevy Express vans around here (the latter being a healthy mix of RWD and AWD). Also had the odd suburban.
Hallcon seems to be mostly getting Ford Transits now. I don't know how well those are doing during winter. Although usually when there's more than a light coating, Renzenberger would pull their vans off the road(?). Yeah, I didn't get it, either.
PTI was in use in other terminals. They mostly use Chrylser minivans and Ford Explorers (I hear they get them after someone else's initial lease is over - don't know if that's true or not). When I first hired, they had a couple Astro vans in the one yard. All had north of 300,000 miles and were tanks. They had to be - as the roads in that yard looked like the surface of the moon.
I don't do much van riding anymore (thank Gevo), but for longer trips - I'll take PTI minivans any day. They are 1000x more comfortable than the cargo vans of Hallcon. Although, the Ford econolines weren't as bad - but they had cloth seats as opposed to the vinyl buckboards of the Chevies. Ford Transits just have obnoxiously small seats. Weird for a vehicle their size.
Turnover is high in that industry because pay is crap. And you have a schedule as bad as RRers. Always amazed me how certain entities will preach safety, but then have no problem with having a crackhead who got his license yesterday driving you halfway across the state.
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
Murphy Siding BaltACD GPS is a boon for the taxi drivers, however most railroad locations don't have any kind of specific street number type of address - which can still result in 'sketchy' directions to get where the crews are located. Anybody that can use their cell phone and Google maps should be able to find a railroad location that doesn't have a specific address. I use them all the time to direct my wife when she gets lost out in the country. (And we live in a state that has miles roads on a one mile grid and a street sign at each intersection.)
BaltACD GPS is a boon for the taxi drivers, however most railroad locations don't have any kind of specific street number type of address - which can still result in 'sketchy' directions to get where the crews are located.
Anybody that can use their cell phone and Google maps should be able to find a railroad location that doesn't have a specific address. I use them all the time to direct my wife when she gets lost out in the country. (And we live in a state that has miles roads on a one mile grid and a street sign at each intersection.)
You should apply to be a Hallcon dispatcher!
We have a mile-based rural road grid out here too, but rail lines tend to cut across it diagonally and some roads are dead ends with small, poorly marked "no exit" signs. For an inexperienced person it would be easy to make a wrong turn and end up facing a farmer's shotgun!
It doesn't help when the Chief, Trainmaster or Hallcon give the driver the wrong location or the message gets lost in transmission. Cell service is also spotty or nonexistent in many areas out here still.
And once you get outside of farm country the grid roads are few or absent leaving only logging and oilfield access "trails" to get near the track (it would be charitable to call them "roads"). These routes do not have numbers and do not show up on many maps, and older Google Earth images may not show all of them.
I used to work on a line where relieving crews required the taxi to enter coal mine property, and sometimes drive on the haul roads. The one mine had adopted left-side driving on their roads, and not all the van drivers knew this. There was at least one near miss with a haul truck in a curve. After that the mine required new hire drivers to take a course before entering their property.
The light-duty low-ground clearance vehicles Hallcon and municipal taxi companies buy do not do well in this environment.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
It's not uncommon around here to have a "local" get totally bamboozled when we have to close a road because of an incident. They know one way to get where they're going, and if they can't go that way, well...
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
BaltACDGPS is a boon for the taxi drivers, however most railroad locations don't have any kind of specific street number type of address - which can still result in 'sketchy' directions to get where the crews are located.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
SD70Dude: " . . . Taxi costs also come out of a separate budget than train operations, which leads to oddities like light-engine moves for repositioning crews, because that will cost the local trainmaster nothing, whereas a taxi trip will show up on his record in a unfavourable light. . . "
Railroading 101. That used to not count as a 'train-start' either - is that still the case?
Those of us here 'of a certain age' will remember the "cost per dispatch" story in this article - there, it involved brakeshoes:
Couple of great posts there, SD70Dude and BaltACD - thanks for time it took to write them up.
- PDN.
SD70Dude BaltACD What and how big that bottomless pit is on taxi expenses is a function of what form of 'back office' controls go into the ordering of taxis and the acknowledgement of service from the taxi's ordered. Without having a formal systematic means of recording the order, confirming the taxi applied to the order and formal acknowledgement that the ordered service has been successfully rendered, taxi expenses are a bottomless pit that is virtually inpossible to audit as the records generated are minimal at best and non-existant for the most part. CN contracts with a company called Hallcon Crew Transportation to handle all taxi trips across Canada (Hallcon and Renzenberger recently merged). Hallcon directly employs some drivers and owns some vehicles, but also sub-contracts operation to local taxi companies in some places. For at least as long as I have been working CN has highlighted and tracked taxi costs minutely, I believe the laser focus started with Hunter's "deadheads are evil" philosophy. Every taxi call is given a CN-initiated trip number which is logged into both CN and Hallcon's computer systems, and all costs, names, train-IDs and other records are assigned to it. Taxi costs also come out of a separate budget than train operations, which leads to oddities like light-engine moves for repositioning crews, because that will cost the local trainmaster nothing, whereas a taxi trip will show up on his record in a unfavourable light. On-call taxi drivers will not do anything unless they get a trip number from a CN supervisor or their own supervisor (who got it from CN, possibly via a Hallcon dispatcher). Some locations have a driver on-duty all the time for local trips, these guys only need a crew member's employee number and signature for local trips. BaltACD There are multiple parties that have legitimate authority and need to order taxi transportation - Chief Dispatchers, Trick Dispatchers, Yardmasters, Trainmasters, Crew Callers readily spring to mind as legitimate taxi ordering personnel and the orders of each address different aspects of the need for the taxi's. Only CN supervisors have the authority to generate trip numbers and call taxis, normally this is done by the Chief Dispatcher or Trainmaster. Dispatchers used to be able to do this too but that authority was taken away from them a couple years ago and I am not sure if they have regained it yet. BaltACD Wild cards that get thrown into the equation revolve around how many crew members the taxi is to haul. When I was working, the maxinum number of crew members that could be hauled by one taxi was FOUR and all their attendent luggage. That can mean two, 2 man train crews - but if you have 3 or 4 men in either of the two train crews you will need 2 taxi's. For us it varies by vehicle size, I have ridden in everything from a Prius to a custom-built 6-door lifted 1-ton diesel pickup. In general they won't make you cram into the middle seat but the third row of a minivan or SUV is fair game. Some local taxi companies have 4x4 15-passenger vans for railroad or oilfield calls. Confusion and frustration ensues when there is a mixup about the number of employees to be transported, most often because trainees are forgotten about. BaltACD Couple of other things entered into ordering cabs. Taxi companies expected 2 hour advance notice and would charge extra if an ASAP order was issued with a need time of less than 1 hour from the order time. Taxi company's were also assessed a penalty amount for serviced that was not rendered or rendered out of standard (what constituted 'standard' we were never told). Not sure what Hallcon requires for a call, but it must be a lot less than 2 hours or CN would be bleeding red ink from those fees. There are a huge number of ASAP calls because the Chief forgot to call someone (remember how I said Dispatchers are not allowed to do it themselves...). BaltACD Ordering taxi's for single track territory is much easier than it is for double track territory. Trains needing a taxi on single track 99.9% of the time will need the cab to report to one end or the other of a genuine passing siding - these locations become known to taxi drivers in short order. When needed on double track territories the location will generally be one of the many highway crossings at grade and the need for these tend to be more infrequent than on single track and fewer drivers can find the locations. Around here, most taxi companies that regularly haul railroaders will install CN radios in their vehicles, allowing them to call the crew for directions once they get close. GPS really helps too. Driver turnover is a real problem, the new ones take quite a while to learn railroad slang and all the local names & locations. On the other hand, there are a few experienced drivers who could probably switch the yard better than me!
BaltACD What and how big that bottomless pit is on taxi expenses is a function of what form of 'back office' controls go into the ordering of taxis and the acknowledgement of service from the taxi's ordered. Without having a formal systematic means of recording the order, confirming the taxi applied to the order and formal acknowledgement that the ordered service has been successfully rendered, taxi expenses are a bottomless pit that is virtually inpossible to audit as the records generated are minimal at best and non-existant for the most part.
What and how big that bottomless pit is on taxi expenses is a function of what form of 'back office' controls go into the ordering of taxis and the acknowledgement of service from the taxi's ordered.
Without having a formal systematic means of recording the order, confirming the taxi applied to the order and formal acknowledgement that the ordered service has been successfully rendered, taxi expenses are a bottomless pit that is virtually inpossible to audit as the records generated are minimal at best and non-existant for the most part.
CN contracts with a company called Hallcon Crew Transportation to handle all taxi trips across Canada (Hallcon and Renzenberger recently merged). Hallcon directly employs some drivers and owns some vehicles, but also sub-contracts operation to local taxi companies in some places.
For at least as long as I have been working CN has highlighted and tracked taxi costs minutely, I believe the laser focus started with Hunter's "deadheads are evil" philosophy. Every taxi call is given a CN-initiated trip number which is logged into both CN and Hallcon's computer systems, and all costs, names, train-IDs and other records are assigned to it. Taxi costs also come out of a separate budget than train operations, which leads to oddities like light-engine moves for repositioning crews, because that will cost the local trainmaster nothing, whereas a taxi trip will show up on his record in a unfavourable light.
On-call taxi drivers will not do anything unless they get a trip number from a CN supervisor or their own supervisor (who got it from CN, possibly via a Hallcon dispatcher).
Some locations have a driver on-duty all the time for local trips, these guys only need a crew member's employee number and signature for local trips.
BaltACD There are multiple parties that have legitimate authority and need to order taxi transportation - Chief Dispatchers, Trick Dispatchers, Yardmasters, Trainmasters, Crew Callers readily spring to mind as legitimate taxi ordering personnel and the orders of each address different aspects of the need for the taxi's.
There are multiple parties that have legitimate authority and need to order taxi transportation - Chief Dispatchers, Trick Dispatchers, Yardmasters, Trainmasters, Crew Callers readily spring to mind as legitimate taxi ordering personnel and the orders of each address different aspects of the need for the taxi's.
Only CN supervisors have the authority to generate trip numbers and call taxis, normally this is done by the Chief Dispatcher or Trainmaster. Dispatchers used to be able to do this too but that authority was taken away from them a couple years ago and I am not sure if they have regained it yet.
BaltACD Wild cards that get thrown into the equation revolve around how many crew members the taxi is to haul. When I was working, the maxinum number of crew members that could be hauled by one taxi was FOUR and all their attendent luggage. That can mean two, 2 man train crews - but if you have 3 or 4 men in either of the two train crews you will need 2 taxi's.
Wild cards that get thrown into the equation revolve around how many crew members the taxi is to haul. When I was working, the maxinum number of crew members that could be hauled by one taxi was FOUR and all their attendent luggage. That can mean two, 2 man train crews - but if you have 3 or 4 men in either of the two train crews you will need 2 taxi's.
For us it varies by vehicle size, I have ridden in everything from a Prius to a custom-built 6-door lifted 1-ton diesel pickup. In general they won't make you cram into the middle seat but the third row of a minivan or SUV is fair game. Some local taxi companies have 4x4 15-passenger vans for railroad or oilfield calls.
Confusion and frustration ensues when there is a mixup about the number of employees to be transported, most often because trainees are forgotten about.
BaltACD Couple of other things entered into ordering cabs. Taxi companies expected 2 hour advance notice and would charge extra if an ASAP order was issued with a need time of less than 1 hour from the order time. Taxi company's were also assessed a penalty amount for serviced that was not rendered or rendered out of standard (what constituted 'standard' we were never told).
Couple of other things entered into ordering cabs. Taxi companies expected 2 hour advance notice and would charge extra if an ASAP order was issued with a need time of less than 1 hour from the order time. Taxi company's were also assessed a penalty amount for serviced that was not rendered or rendered out of standard (what constituted 'standard' we were never told).
Not sure what Hallcon requires for a call, but it must be a lot less than 2 hours or CN would be bleeding red ink from those fees.
There are a huge number of ASAP calls because the Chief forgot to call someone (remember how I said Dispatchers are not allowed to do it themselves...).
BaltACD Ordering taxi's for single track territory is much easier than it is for double track territory. Trains needing a taxi on single track 99.9% of the time will need the cab to report to one end or the other of a genuine passing siding - these locations become known to taxi drivers in short order. When needed on double track territories the location will generally be one of the many highway crossings at grade and the need for these tend to be more infrequent than on single track and fewer drivers can find the locations.
Ordering taxi's for single track territory is much easier than it is for double track territory. Trains needing a taxi on single track 99.9% of the time will need the cab to report to one end or the other of a genuine passing siding - these locations become known to taxi drivers in short order. When needed on double track territories the location will generally be one of the many highway crossings at grade and the need for these tend to be more infrequent than on single track and fewer drivers can find the locations.
Around here, most taxi companies that regularly haul railroaders will install CN radios in their vehicles, allowing them to call the crew for directions once they get close. GPS really helps too.
Driver turnover is a real problem, the new ones take quite a while to learn railroad slang and all the local names & locations.
On the other hand, there are a few experienced drivers who could probably switch the yard better than me!
On my territory CSX dealt with a number of service providers who each had designated territories they covered. Among those service providers were Hallcon, Renzenberger, Professional Transportation Inc. (PTI) and a number of others. Some providers wouldn't handle runs that started in their territory and ended outside their territory, others would. Sometimes the providers would send a driver that did not have sufficient company working time left to make the run desired. I believe the drivers may have been covered by something similar to OTR trucking Log Book regulations on driving time.
The Division Manager decreed that taxi transportation would not be used on the runs between Philadelphia & Richmond - point to point - crew would be transported on Amtrak, in both directions for this run. Use of Amtrak limited the movement of crews to specific time windows to correspond to Amtrak schedules between Philadelphia and Richmond.
Some of the service providers did have CSX radios installed. In some cases crews were able to give directions for the drivers to reach them; in other cases the crews had no idea how to get to the location where they were (a number of newly hired crews and the only thing they knew was the physical characteristics of the RAILROAD, but not on the roadway characteristics that would get the driver to the crew's location.
GPS is a boon for the taxi drivers, however most railroad locations don't have any kind of specific street number type of address - which can still result in 'sketchy' directions to get where the crews are located.
New company idea - Choober :D
SD70DudeIn addition to trainmasters I've gotten rides with yardmasters, clerks, carmen, track foremen, signal maintainers and even a superintendent.
And of course, an offer by railfans in the vicinity to give a conductor a ride back to the head end has been gratefully accepted on a few occasions. That is out on the line, away from official help (and eyes).
tree68 I've heard taxis here used to ferry the conductor around for more complex moves - a tremendous time saver if, f'rinstance, they are doubling out off four tracks. I've also seen the local trainmaster serve the same function. Usually, though, it's just ferrying crews around. A former denizen of the forum, Nora, was a RR taxi driver - some of her runs were pretty lengthy.
I've heard taxis here used to ferry the conductor around for more complex moves - a tremendous time saver if, f'rinstance, they are doubling out off four tracks. I've also seen the local trainmaster serve the same function. Usually, though, it's just ferrying crews around.
A former denizen of the forum, Nora, was a RR taxi driver - some of her runs were pretty lengthy.
The longest regular taxi run I know of on CN would be close to 300 miles, this being a double-sub terminal to terminal deadhead.
In addition to trainmasters I've gotten rides with yardmasters, clerks, carmen, track foremen, signal maintainers and even a superintendent.
Pretty much anyone else who has access to a company vehicle and happens to be there. Whatever gets me around faster.
Didn't CottonBeltMP104 mention something about being a van driver?
SD70DudeAlways interesting to note the differences between our two countries. In Canada we are allowed 24 hours off-air, and in certain cases exceptions may be granted to extend that to 48. Taxis are an incredibly useful tool but also represent a bottomless money-sucking pit that management periodically tries to reign in (usually after a major expense report or audit is done). Getting a ride then becomes like pulling hen's teeth. This leads to increased train delay and crew costs, which escalate until the next report/audit. The cycle then repeats itself...
In Canada we are allowed 24 hours off-air, and in certain cases exceptions may be granted to extend that to 48.
Taxis are an incredibly useful tool but also represent a bottomless money-sucking pit that management periodically tries to reign in (usually after a major expense report or audit is done). Getting a ride then becomes like pulling hen's teeth. This leads to increased train delay and crew costs, which escalate until the next report/audit.
The cycle then repeats itself...
In the final year of my employment the carrier implemented at computerized taxi ordering system that tracked and assigned audit numbers to every taxi request. The system was also accessed by the approved taxi vendors who update the information they possess (identity of the drive and ETA at the requested destination) - when problems developed both the carrier and taxi company could zero in on the particular run, driver and location. I was never in a position to see how much, if any, this system saved over the prior taxi ordering control systems (which were next to nonexistant).
Another thing we used to do in the yard (there was a fire-road crossing that had to be kept clear) was run a long section of train-line across the crossing. You'd have to make a separation, but no cars were being added, and the separation time would be minimal. That would probably save considerable time in the air-test process, but would require someone to be back at the joint, before any moves were made to put the train back together.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
Why not just get permission to make a forward move, kick off the conductor, move up so he can get on the hind end, protect the crossing, make the joint, and perform the air test? Then a reverse move (with permission, of course) so he can get back on the locomotive, and (perhaps after clearing up the grade crossing for a time), highball.
Mom used to use the expression, "Penny Wise and Pound Foolish".
Always interesting to note the differences between our two countries.
Murphy Siding BaltACD Was the train on the Main or on a siding? If on a siding were the engine pulled down to the end of the siding? If on the Main, and the engines were pulled up to the clearance point for the road crossing - what are the walking conditions beyond the road crossing. I can continue to ask a number of other questions that will enter into the reasoning of why the crew did what they did, where and how they did it. Remember air brake rules - would you rather perform a Class 1 walking air test on a larger number or smaller number of cars if they are going to be 'off air' for a period exceeding 4 hours? Train was on the main. Locomotives were stopped short of a paved road far enough back not to set off the lights. The walk back would be on the ballast past mosquito ponds. The walk forward would put you on pavement real quick. As zugmann points out, they probably had a van haul the conductor back and forth to do the work- even though this train is 30 miles out in the sticks. Does that air test involve checking every car in the train?
BaltACD Was the train on the Main or on a siding? If on a siding were the engine pulled down to the end of the siding? If on the Main, and the engines were pulled up to the clearance point for the road crossing - what are the walking conditions beyond the road crossing. I can continue to ask a number of other questions that will enter into the reasoning of why the crew did what they did, where and how they did it. Remember air brake rules - would you rather perform a Class 1 walking air test on a larger number or smaller number of cars if they are going to be 'off air' for a period exceeding 4 hours?
Train was on the main. Locomotives were stopped short of a paved road far enough back not to set off the lights. The walk back would be on the ballast past mosquito ponds. The walk forward would put you on pavement real quick. As zugmann points out, they probably had a van haul the conductor back and forth to do the work- even though this train is 30 miles out in the sticks. Does that air test involve checking every car in the train?
The portion that is off air over 4 hours would be subject to an initial terminal test. The part still connected to the locomotive's air supply and train line pressure is maintained at 60 psi or greater, would not need to be retested.
zugmann Murphy Siding Did the conductor get dropped off the train to make the cut and set the brakes, and then have to walk a mile back up to the head end, only to reverse the operation later? For moves like that, you can use the van that is there to pick you up (or drop you off) if it happens to be there.
Murphy Siding Did the conductor get dropped off the train to make the cut and set the brakes, and then have to walk a mile back up to the head end, only to reverse the operation later?
For moves like that, you can use the van that is there to pick you up (or drop you off) if it happens to be there.
BaltACDWas the train on the Main or on a siding? If on a siding were the engine pulled down to the end of the siding? If on the Main, and the engines were pulled up to the clearance point for the road crossing - what are the walking conditions beyond the road crossing. I can continue to ask a number of other questions that will enter into the reasoning of why the crew did what they did, where and how they did it. Remember air brake rules - would you rather perform a Class 1 walking air test on a larger number or smaller number of cars if they are going to be 'off air' for a period exceeding 4 hours?
Murphy Siding A question or two about a railroad operation: This morning I stumbled across something interesting. A BNSF ethanol train was parked on the main out in the country, a couple miles away from an ethanol plant. A gravel road ran parallel to the sitting train. A mile back from the engine at the next mile road, the train was split to allow access on the cross-road. The stub end of the train had about 8-10 cars. Did the conductor get dropped off the train to make the cut and set the brakes, and then have to walk a mile back up to the head end, only to reverse the operation later? Why wouldn’t they split the train 8-10 cars behind the engine and leave a mile long train on the other side of a mile road? Does it have to do with how many brakes have to be set? Bonus: 2nd engine was the rattiest looking KCS locomotive imaginable. The paint job was removing itself.
This morning I stumbled across something interesting. A BNSF ethanol train was parked on the main out in the country, a couple miles away from an ethanol plant. A gravel road ran parallel to the sitting train. A mile back from the engine at the next mile road, the train was split to allow access on the cross-road. The stub end of the train had about 8-10 cars. Did the conductor get dropped off the train to make the cut and set the brakes, and then have to walk a mile back up to the head end, only to reverse the operation later? Why wouldn’t they split the train 8-10 cars behind the engine and leave a mile long train on the other side of a mile road? Does it have to do with how many brakes have to be set? Bonus: 2nd engine was the rattiest looking KCS locomotive imaginable. The paint job was removing itself.
Was the train on the Main or on a siding? If on a siding were the engine pulled down to the end of the siding? If on the Main, and the engines were pulled up to the clearance point for the road crossing - what are the walking conditions beyond the road crossing. I can continue to ask a number of other questions that will enter into the reasoning of why the crew did what they did, where and how they did it.
Remember air brake rules - would you rather perform a Class 1 walking air test on a larger number or smaller number of cars if they are going to be 'off air' for a period exceeding 4 hours?
A question or two about a railroad operation: This morning I stumbled across something interesting. A BNSF ethanol train was parked on the main out in the country, a couple miles away from an ethanol plant. A gravel road ran parallel to the sitting train. A mile back from the engine at the next mile road, the train was split to allow access on the cross-road. The stub end of the train had about 8-10 cars. Did the conductor get dropped off the train to make the cut and set the brakes, and then have to walk a mile back up to the head end, only to reverse the operation later? Why wouldn’t they split the train 8-10 cars behind the engine and leave a mile long train on the other side of a mile road? Does it have to do with how many brakes have to be set? Bonus: 2nd engine was the rattiest looking KCS locomotive imaginable. The paint job was removing itself.
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