Western Railroad Discussion > Joint Line Q train today . . .

.   .   .   after sitting between the end of double track at Palmer Lake and the first siding south at Monument on single track up here on the joint UP BNSF Denver Pueblo Joint Line for more than two hours the fairly new to the Joint Line Q Alliance, TX to Portland, OR finally was moving north on the normal southbound only main one on the ever popular and very photographed exSanta Fe bridge over Spruce Mountain Road on the south side of Larkspur. I have seen this train often and it USUALLY gets very good handling. Today it sat as two empties ahead went wrong main Palmer Lake to Littleton. Normal procedure for these moves is the first train gives up track behind about every ten miles, today the first train "rolled up" Littleton to MP 37 which allowed the DS to give the second train a track warrant CP Palmer Lake to MP 37 but for whatever reason the first train never "rolled up" again until clearing track warrant territory at CP Littleton which caused the second empty to sit at MP 37 for about an hour so the DS never gave the Q train a track warrant until the second train was moving and "rolled up" MP 39 behind. Both Mounument and Academy siding were clear at the time and the DS could have put the preceding two empties into each siding allowing the NORMALLY hotter Q train to run around thus causing no delay to the Q. I have seen them do this on more than one occasion, why the Q got this handling today remains a question that I will never get an answer to. Arm chair quarterbacking? Absolutely, as a retired rail, and if others don't agree you need to go confess :-), all we did was second guess the DS all the time, part of the enjoyment of the job. Kinda like the extra burden of being the best driver on the road. Probable reason for the wrong way moves was UP installing the new switch to the Big Lift Auto facility runaround?
​JB



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/17 15:13 by 3rdswitch.

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Nice location! Tree climbing:}

JB,

I would be wondering if FBE's post on the Fallbridge being open now has something to do with the BNSF not accepting any westbounds off the MRL, even the Q ALTPTL..   Maybe cause it has a boeing car on it, but it would create further traffic on the Seattle Sub when they are trying to get the log jam open from the Fallbridge..


SP8100



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/17 19:05 by SP8100.

You really need to read some of TAWs stories on Noatalgia forum:) Should explain it all.

Nice catch JB

Read em all.JB

Wow, very nice, I have never seen that angle! === === = === JLH

I'll bet thats one piece of railroad that the "joint line" railroads wished they hadn't "single tracked"!

It amazes me they never at least reinstalled a second track CREWS to SOUTH SPRINGS which would have involved nothing more the laying track? Not as bad a bottleneck since reduced traffic last year (from thirty plus a day to ONLY twenty plus a day)  :-)   Even though it is not at all unusual for an eight hour lull mid day, evenings and nights are humming. Today was unusual as eight northbounds ran in daylight without a southbound in about eight hours. Typical Joint Line traffic is fleeting.
​JB



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/17 22:14 by 3rdswitch.