Western Railroad Discussion > BNSF fullerton ca local (LA Basin)

I dont know the actual working nickname for this local.  (please dont tell me the digital name) It works out of La Mirada yard...to Fullerton M-W-F.  To Santa Fe Springs TU & Th.   Works with a caboose ...Ex SF XV caboose, that desparately needs a restoration paint job.   On Fullerton days, they work the industrial lead that comes off the Metrolink (ex-SF) orange sub at CP La Palma.  They work about half a dozen large industries back along the lead.  The switch to the lead faces south, so they usually shove from La Mirada to CP La Palma, and then pull on to the lead, altho they can do the reverse some days.  When they are done, they shove back on the lead back on to the Metrolink Orange sub, and head engines 1st back to La Mirada yard. 
1. Morning arrival at the 6 track yard along Kimbery ave in fullerton.  They use the yard to sort out cars, and some cars for industries are stored there waiting for spotting later.
2. I hate to show this..but just "for the record"  ex- SF caboose.
 



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/11/19 22:12 by pdt.

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3. Shoving back into a  huge Foamcraft plant.    Heavy duty industrial area, with lots of industry sidings.
4, Power blocking kimberly ave, as they spot tank cars.
5. What ever this is, it doesnt look like there's anything non-toxic being used in this plant...  

If you've never been on a local crew switching a chemical plant, it always takes a while cause each different chemical has to be spotted at a certain place.  Lots of re-arranging cars all the time.  Plus the plants usually use some of a cars contents, then want to have the car put out on a storage siding for a while, till they need it again...back and forth with cars all the time.  Tank cars move on a mileage basis, there is no demurrage, so chemical plants have the cars hanging around to store chems as long as they need them.

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Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) is one of the main ingredients in making polyurethane foam. Nasty stuff... flammable and a respiratory sensitiser, so needs handling properly.

BNSF's 2nd La Mirada Local

Moving a tank car from one point to another within the same facility by the local train crew often referred to as an Inter-plant switch (IP). Often costs the customer $$, unless a specific contract has been worked out.

~ Mr. MRL



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/13/19 07:36 by MrMRL.

Thanks for the info... 

Any idea where the 1st and 2nd La Mirada locals work?   Just curious.  Local activity in this area is all new to me....  Are there locals out of Commerce too?   There's certainly a ton of industry between Vernon and Fullerton.  Lots of industry track going everywhere, but IDK how much is still active.

pdt Wrote:
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> Thanks for the info... 
>
> Any idea where the 1st and 3rd La Mirada locals
> work?   Just curious.  Local activity in this
> area is all new to me....  Are there locals out
> of Commerce too?   There's certainly a ton of
> industry between Vernon and Fullerton.  Lots of
> industry track going everywhere, but IDK how much
> is still active.

1st usually works within La Mirada Yard and the immediately adjacent industries. 3rd typically works industries around Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs. No (road) Locals out of Commerce, that territory is covered by Los Angeles yard/switch jobs.

Yes, a ton of industry between Vernon and Fullerton, but look closely at that rail... around 80-90% of the industry leads are not used anymore. 

~ Mr. MRL

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/13/19 07:37 by MrMRL.

MrMRL Wrote:

> Yes, a ton of industry between Vernon and
> Fullerton, but look closely at that rail... around
> 80-90% of the industry leads are not used
> anymore. 
>
> ~ Mr. MRL

To bad that America has become this. So many industries, or goods manufactures that don't use rail. To bad a shortline can't handle most of LA/Orange.

Hard to tell how many of all those factories/warehouses are vacant, how many were abandoned by large companies, and now used by small companies that are too small in volume to use rail....

LAJ switches the vernon area..I would imagine they could have expanded their switching area if BNSF wanted to get out of the switching business.

Very sad indeed. When I was a brakeman for Santa Fe in '79, TEN roadswitchers went to work AT Pico Rivera, FIVE roadswitchers went to work AT Fullerton and TWO roadswitchers went to work AT Santa Ana. The SECOND Fullerton used to work ONLY on this spur. This was back when Kimberly Clark received and released FIFTY cars A DAY alone! TONS of industry rail served. Technicality, on Santa Fe what are referred to as "Locals" were actually road switchers that were restricted to working WITHIN twenty five miles of their on duty point. LOCALS, on the other hand, were EACH advertised individually to work within certain limitations that USUALLY exceeded the twenty five mile road switcher limits. Confused, don't be, forgetaboutit!
JB

Wuddn't switches within a facility be INTRA-plant while Inter-plant would be between plants, sd in intra-state vs. inter-state commerce?
MrMRL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BNSF's Third La Mirada Local
>
> Moving a tank car from one point to another within
> the same facility by the local train crew often
> referred to as an Inter-plant switch (IP). Often
> costs the customer $$, unless a specific contract
> has been worked out.
>
> ~ Mr. MRL

Steve Donaldson
Pacific Grove, CA

CPRR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> To bad that America has become this. So many
> industries, or goods manufactures that don't use
> rail. To bad a shortline can't handle most of
> LA/Orange.


I understand your frustration, but I look at it a little differently... For a fair percentage of these “no-longer-rail-served” industries where boxcars were once lined up along one side, on the other side there are now 40-53’ container trailers parked at truck docks. Many of these trailers still end up at one of the numerous area intermodal rail yards for transport across the country and world.

Mr. MRL 

Does the track and yard pictured (along kimberly ave in fullerton) have a name that the crews call it?  

When I worked on the EL a hundred years ago, there were names for everything, that u'd never see in an ETT anywhere.
Occasionally , someone would hand draw a diagram of the tracks in a certain area, especially an industrial area ith lot of tracks.

pdt Wrote:
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> Does the track and yard pictured (along kimberly
> ave in fullerton) have a name that the crews call
> it?  


Typically called the ‘K-C Spur’ or ‘K-C Lead’, short for the major industry on the line Kimberly-Clark Corp.


Mr. MRL

This is the 2nd La Mirada. I'm the conductor on this road switcher.......

The Kimberly Clark Spur is down to only three regularly served industries: Kimberly Clark paper plant, Future Foam ( the receiver of the tank cars) and a warehouse that I think gets boxcars of paper. A propane dealer may still get a few tank cars. Unfortunately Kimberly Clark plans to close their paper plant that gets boxcars of wood pulp.  A bakery, a cold storage company and a paint company have spurs but are not currenting using rail service.

My obersvation has been that the roadswitcher comes to Fullerton with the locomotive leading most of the time, the crew decides if it is better to shove or pull to Fullerton. The caboose is somewhat optional, but is needed when the roadswitcher has to shove to Atwood to switch a plastic plant along the San Berdoo Sub. with a west facing switch.

what are the limits of the Second La Mirada Roadswitcher and what days does it work?

Cliff