Western Railroad Discussion > Saga of the 201 Switch

Sunday, 17 Jan, Mandan's 201 switch crew of three was called at 1630. I was called to assit the crew at 1830. This crew, on Sundays only, has the tasks of taking cars to transfer with the DMVW at Great River and Menards Plant at McKenzie. These tasks are accomplished weekdays with the Mandan-Jamestown local. Normally the Sunday 101 switch crew would make up the train. However this day there was no 101.
So the 201 had to build their train first. Here was theit approximate timeline:

• 1630-2100 Crew builds train and parks on the mainline and goes to beans while the car men do the air test
• 2145 - Departs for Great River with 40 cars, 35 for transfer to DMVW with frac sand, drill pipe and cement, and 5 loads of lumber for Menards. Engineer and foreman ride the train while the helper takes the van to Great River. (this will be crew transport procedure all the way)
• 2215 - Train arrives at Great River and first collects 7 cars from the DMVW
• 2330 - Transfer complete and air test on the picked-up cars, train departs east for Menards
• 0000 - Train arrives Menards: Empties picked-up, five loads spotted, power run-around train to head west, air test on cars retrieved
• 0130 - train departs for Mandan
• 0230 - train arrives Mandan, cars spotted on 12 track, power to the house
• 0300 - time to go home

Note: This schedule would have been impossible if there was traffic on the Jamestown Sub and a super-sharp dispatcher in Ft. Worth who had all the signals stacked at Great River and Menards. Thanks for riding along.

Bismarck Bill

1. 201 switch crew making up their train in the Mandan yard
2. Waiting arrival of the BNSF 3157 at East Great River
NOTE: no other pics of Great River as it's adjacent to the North Dakota State Pen "NO PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED"
3. Arrival at Menards siding
more....

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4. Diagram of Menards
5. Arrival at Menards
6. Backing into Menards industrial spur
more....

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7. Lonely Fred lies awaiting his re-attachment
8. The 3157 returns to the siding (signals stacked at West Menards)
9. 3157 passes the siding switch headed for East Menards to run-around the train
one more....

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10. Fred is re-attached and armed (helper's lantern in view)

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Nice commentary. Four hours to build a forty five car train? Welcome to the rules of modern railroading.
JB



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/18/21 11:33 by 3rdswitch.

3rdswitch Wrote:
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> Nice commentary. Four hours to build a forty five
> car train? Welcome to the rules of modern
> railroading.
> JB

additionally-last week's high wind warnings disrupted flow of H trains (manifests). Incoming cars scattered all over the yard.

BB

Great narrative of the account of what took place and photos to go with it.  Today's RRing does consume a lot of hours and minutes to put a short train together.
Brian Stevens

SCKP187 Wrote:
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> Great narrative of the account of what took place
> and photos to go with it.  Today's RRing does
> consume a lot of hours and minutes to put a short
> train together.
> Brian Stevens

I'll second that!!

Larry