Western Railroad Discussion > USG Plaster City Narrow Gauge Drone Shots

Here's a few aerial shots a friend and I took of the USG Plaster City Narrow Gauge operation a month or so ago. The first shot is of the train crossing the Carrizo Wash Bridge at Milepost 15.4. The second is around Milepost 11. The final shot is of the afternoon gypsum train heading northbound from the plant around Milepost 3.

-Jarod

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Pretty cool!  Thanks for posting.

Man, that's gotta be Video of the Day just for the uniqness. 

Fantastic video. Thanks for sharing. 

Jason Rose
Spring, TX
Rio Grande Explorations

Is the audio recorded from the drone, or an external recorded? Which drone are you using?

KM-ML4000 Wrote:
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> Is the audio recorded from the drone, or an
> external recorded? Which drone are you using?

The audio is from an external recorder/mic setup on the ground I matched up in post production the best I could. The Drone is a DJI Inspire owned by my friend. This one of the first times we flew it with him as the pilot and me controlling the camera gimbal. We didn't calibrate the gimbal level as is evident in the horizon slant. The HD version is uploaded to Youtube.

-Jarod

Please forgive my ignorance regarding this operation but I do have some questions.

What's the story with the water car? Is it included on every train? Which end of the railroad is originating the water? Is there more than one water car on the property? 
In the area of train operations, can anyone tell us about air brake tests? Does the train crew perform any tests? Does the train crew also have duties other than train operations i.e. track 
or locomotive maintenance?

I worked one week on the SD&AE's Plaster City job out of El Centro in 1963 but all our trips to the plant were in the evening, after the sun was down. Any insights are appreciated.

Charlie 

cewherry Wrote:
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> Please forgive my ignorance regarding this
> operation but I do have some questions.
>
> What's the story with the water car? Is it
> included on every train? Which end of the railroad
> is originating the water? Is there more than one
> water car on the property? 
> In the area of train operations, can anyone tell
> us about air brake tests? Does the train crew
> perform any tests? Does the train crew also have
> duties other than train operations i.e. track 
> or locomotive maintenance?
>
> I worked one week on the SD&AE's Plaster City job
> out of El Centro in 1963 but all our trips to the
> plant were in the evening, after the sun was down.
> Any insights are appreciated.
>
> Charlie 

The water car is the primary source of potable water at the quarry site as there is no well or sustainable water supply on site. The train crew is responsible for filling and emptying it into a stationary water tank at the end of the journey. They usually transport it on one of more trains per day depending on the level of water in the tank at the quarry. If the water supply is sufficient, they will leave it off the train. The crew cuts the water car off when they reach the quarry and it is fully empty in the time it takes them to load the train with gypsum, so it can come in and out on the same train.

Since the railroad is "FRA Insular" they do not have to perform Class I air brake tests at the beginning of each journey. The railroad has a mechanical department which is composed of a dozen or so employees not on train crew. They are responsible for inspecting the track each morning, inspecting the train, and switching cars out for maintenance. The railroad has two locomotives, so one can be down for maintenance or used for switching duties at Plaster City while the other is doing the run.

-Jarod 

Thanks for the elevated shots of the mine from your previous report, and also for the great drone video clips here.

Very cool photography - thanks for posting the video.

It really surprises me that when they rebuilt the two DL535Ws, they left the roof access hatch to the engine bay open, and there's no grill over the radiator fan.  I mean I know it never rains out there, but still you'd think they'd close it up to keep dust, dirt, and critters out.

NDHolmes Wrote:
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> Very cool photography - thanks for posting the
> video.
>
> It really surprises me that when they rebuilt the
> two DL535Ws, they left the roof access hatch to
> the engine bay open, and there's no grill over the
> radiator fan.  I mean I know it never rains out
> there, but still you'd think they'd close it up to
> keep dust, dirt, and critters out.

It is interesting that they have configured them that way for a few years now. Being that the locomotives were designed for the cold climate and snow of Alaska and the Yukon Territory, they suffered engine compartment cooling issues here in the heat of the So Cal desert. USG experimented with removing various access doors on the hood sides over the years, this seems to be their final solution. I don't see the open radiator fan being much of a problem as most diesels are setup that way with some sort of screen or mesh cowling But I agree that leaving the top the prime mover completely open to the elements will not prolong its lifespan with all the dust, debris, and rainwater getting in there. Contrary to popular belief, it DOES rain in the desert....and when it does, it POURS!

-Jarod

Thanks for your reply!

Charlie

What motor is in the  unit? Sounds like a Cat to me.

scwillis Wrote:
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> What motor is in the  unit? Sounds like a Cat to
> me.

ALCO 6-251D

-Jarod