When Trains wait on other trains

[Anonymous]

When a train has to wait for another one, what do the conductor, and the engineer do in the mean time? Are you allowed to leave your train, can you have family members come bring you food if your close by? Are there any rules as to what you can or cant do? Also thanks to everyone that has read and answered my posts.

[CSXrules4eva]

Depending on how long you have to wait for a train. Some railroads like UP allow one of the crew members to sleep while the other one is awake. Both members can't go to sleep at the same time. They are allowed to take turns though.

[JoeKoh]

if their train is short enough ive seen crews drop the train and take the power to downtown and go get a sandwhich or coffee.others just stay with the train and call home on cell phones.here in defiance they used to stop for ice cream and/or chicken while waitng for a train.
stay safe
Joe

[Anonymous]

When one train has to wait on another or several other trains it is important for the dispatcher to communicate that to the crew, and the crew needs to communicate to the dispatcher if they are going to get off the train for a bit and grab a bite. On my territory it is common to hold a freight for a hot piggy back 30 or more miles away. There are a couple of really HOT trains that have to arrive on the UP or go to Indy at very precise time windows, so these trains take presedence over everyting else. I've gotten several calls from crews on cell phones asking if they can go get a bite or even chew me out for putting them away so far from the oncoming traffic. I have a new respect for dispatchers after sitting in the hot seat and having to worry about 250 miles of territory with 11 radio bases and the phone lighting up at the same time. As a conductor I used to arm-chair quarterback the dispatcher and criticize moves they made, but not anymore! It's one thing for a crew because they only see their train and hear what's going on in their general vacinity. I've often been tempted to tell crew members, "Hey buddy, you can come downtown and sit in my seat anytime." But.... I wouldn't trade the chaos and mental overload for anything. It beats trying to stay awake on some dumpy old freight for 14 hours.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by n_stephenson

When one train has to wait on another or several other trains it is important for the dispatcher to communicate that to the crew, and the crew needs to communicate to the dispatcher if they are going to get off the train for a bit and grab a bite. On my territory it is common to hold a freight for a hot piggy back 30 or more miles away. There are a couple of really HOT trains that have to arrive on the UP or go to Indy at very precise time windows, so these trains take presedence over everyting else. I've gotten several calls from crews on cell phones asking if they can go get a bite or even chew me out for putting them away so far from the oncoming traffic. I have a new respect for dispatchers after sitting in the hot seat and having to worry about 250 miles of territory with 11 radio bases and the phone lighting up at the same time. As a conductor I used to arm-chair quarterback the dispatcher and criticize moves they made, but not anymore! It's one thing for a crew because they only see their train and hear what's going on in their general vacinity. I've often been tempted to tell crew members, "Hey buddy, you can come downtown and sit in my seat anytime." But.... I wouldn't trade the chaos and mental overload for anything. It beats trying to stay awake on some dumpy old freight for 14 hours.

yea i know you dispatchers have it rough, but i still do the monday quarter backing thing. the one thing that i really do not like is a dispatcher that does not know what he/she is doing!! the other day i was called to dogcatch a train and we set in the siding for 11 hours before we turned a wheel!!!

[Anonymous]

I was browsing through my local hobby shop one day, when a CSX conductor came in. His train had stopped right behind the shop and as it turns out, he was a modeler too. With all of his firsthand knowledge, I'll bet he has one heck of a layout.

[Anonymous]

samsooter,

Yes, there are some dispatchers that really don't have much of a clue as to what they are doing. There is a character in my office that simply refuses to listen and is going to get someone killed if he's not pulled out of service for good. I spent one of my days posting with this person only to become horrified with the lack of understanding as to what this individual was doing. There was a particular incident that I went behind this person's back to a chief to prevent a possible accident.

Anyways, there are also times that we dispatchers are at the mercy of the higher ups and maintenance issues. It's one thing to have a plan for running your piece of RR, it's another to see if it's actually going to work. There's just so many variables out there that can completely turn everything upside down. I by no means would want anyone to stop arm-chair quaterbacking because it keeps them involved in what's going. I have never hesistated to listen to a crew if they are willing to give me advice or suggest another move that is much better than the one I devised.