When Trains Stop For A Crew Change, Before They Set Of For Their Trip, Do They Know Where And When They Will Be Stopping, Or Is It Whenever Their 12 Hour Shift Ends?
Also, I Have Seen On Youtube, A Train Crew Stop Their Train Somewhere On The Chicago Sub, I Think Hinsdale, And They Got Out To Get Coffee Or Lunch, And Than Got Back On The Train After Blocking The Crossing For A Couple Of Minutes, How Does That Work Can They Stop Whenever To Eat, Or Do They Call In Dispatch Ahead Of Time?
Crews have designated territories to operate. Origin Terminal to Destination Terminal. Some territories can be as short as 100 miles and in some cases even less. Other territories can be 300 miles and sometime even slightly more.
Main line trains normally operate from origin to destination with the only stops being those occasioned by normal operations of the territory, train meets, pickup & setoff work and/or mechanical issues with their own or other trains on the territory. They are not permitted a designated lunch period.
Local Freights aka Road Switchers may operate in turn-around service from a designated origin point or they may operate in point to point service (operating from A to Z on day 1, taking rest and then operating from Z to A on day 2). These types of jobs service local industries in their territory. These jobs MAY take a lunch period while on the main track with the permission of the train dispatcher. If the jobs have cleared their entire train into a industry track or line of road yard that does not have direct supervision they may take lunch without specific request. One lunch period is all that is allowed and the jobs will normally take lunch at the same locations on a recurring basis. Under no circumstance should a crew block a road crossing with their train while taking lunch.
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If for any reason a crew can't make it to their planned destination within their hours of service, a replacement crew (sometimes called a "dog catch" crew) will generally be sent out to relieve them. The railroads use private "taxi" firms for this purpose.
Sometimes circumstances will make that a regular thing, perhaps even at the same place. The new crew is brought out from their normal home base, and the old crew is taken back to the same crew base.
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I have seen examples where the train is going to be stabbed waiting for a meet. It has paused further back to grab some food supplies. If they are going to be stopped ahead anyway, it won't interfere with operations at all. There has generally been some chat with the dispatcher first, which is why the train crew knows that they are going to be sitting for a while. We are not talking about a full dinner, merely grabbing candy, a coffee to go, or similar, and hopping back on board. I can't recall whether any crossings were ever blocked; they would normally only be minor roads with little traffic to notice an occupancy a few minutes longer than usual.
John
We have many crew changes in front of Haley Tower (Terre Haute) Yesterday we had 5 PTI cabs waiting to change crews in front of the tower. Often it is because a crew has run out of their hours of service, But other times it is because the train is going from one railroad to another. The old Conrail E/W tracks cross the North/South CSX line & the crew may not be qualified to run on one of the lines.
Were seeing a lot of that now due to the rerouting of trains through TH due to the flooding in Tenn.
A couple of months ago, CSX had an inspection train come up from Evansville IN. They had a crew change in front of the tower, were the crew took the train North to a local siding, where the power was run around the train. The train was rhen brought back down to Haley, where another crew change was made & the train went West on to the old NYC tracks to Paris IL & on to Decatur IL. (While a train comming South from Danville IL, can go West after passing Haley, A train comming from the South wishing to go West, must go into the siding on the North side of town, run there power around the train & then go South past Haley & then West).. This happens regularly with a grain train that comes from the South & goes west to the big grain elevator in Casey IL
A follow up....Crews will usally notify the dispacher that they are running out of time (several hrs ahead) so arrangements can be made for the crew change. It usally involes 2 cabs. One bringing in the replacement crew & another to take the crew to their orginal destination, where they are put up for the night & can take a new train back to their home base the next day.
Crews are good about letting the dispatcher about their remaining time. Almost nothing is worse than running out of time & then having to wait on the train for several hrs waiting for a new crew & the cab to take them to the motel.
Things that cause you to run out of time:
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I have observed crew changes taking place between Benson and Mescal, Arizona many times on the Union Pacific Sunset Route west-bound trains.
A contract carrier brings the relief crew from Tucson in a van and takes the off-going crew back. Since Tucson is a major crew change and service stop and the trains are only 30-40 or so track miles from there, I have no idea if the relief crew takes that train to the next crew change point (Yuma, Arizona) or only as far as Tucson.
Generally speaking if a crew is qualified to run from point "A" to point "B" and for some reason they reached their hours of service limit and cannot finish their run, the van/cab will take them to the regular crew change point that they are heading to. Train crews generally go out one day & come back the next. If crews are brought back to their point of orgin, the RR may not have enough crews to crew a train going from point "B" back to point "A".
I'm just guessing, but I doubt the van/cab would take the crew past Tucson to Yuma. Again I'm guessing as I don't know the territory, but a crew stationed at point "B" may be qualified to run from "B to "A" or "B" to "C" but most likely not "C" to "D". The only reason why that might happen would be during some economic downturn & a crew member was laid off, he could then bump someone else off on another district if he had seniority.
While many railroaders would like to sleep in their own beds every night, they can make more $$$ if they go out one day & come back the next.
Rob
Since you can't run on territory that you are not qualified
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