Western Railroad Discussion > A Routine Trip and Then...........

The assignment was routine: take a Mandan-based crew to Eland to pickup a loaded crude oil train and take it west to Glendive. After comparing the wheel with the train, the crew proceeded to the head end. After setting up the power and releasing the hand brakes, the crew toned-up the BNSF Mandan dispatcher to get authorization to enter the Dickinson Sub mainline between West Dickinson and East Fryburg. 

The dispatcher answered and gave the BNSF 7575 west authority to enter the main and then asked: "do you still have your van?" The conductor answered yes, he has to take me to South Heart after I close the mainline switch at Eland. Dispatcher: "does the driver have enough time to shadow you west as there's a service interruption west." (Answer yes). The conductor and I discussed where I would be - Fryburg, Medora, Sentinel Butte and Carlyle Road  (@ND/MT state line). All the time monitoring channel 70 for further instructions from dispatcher.

Instructions were received passing Fryburg: Tie down your train at Rider and proceed to Sentinel Butte to relieve a crew that's running short on time. Rider is the siding west of Medora, ND. West Rider road access is "fair weather only" as it's a trail past the west switch. However our mild winter (very little snow) allowed the van to get train-side. By the time we got to Sentinel Butte, darkness was falling and a very-tired crew of the  H-DILLAU was glad to be relieved. Thanks for riding along.

1. The BNSF 7575 west climbs Fryburg hill. You can see more of the train in the background. The Fryburg Oil Terminal is to the left of the photo.
2. At West Rider, the conductor climbs to the "road" after setting the prescribed number of hand brakes as the engineer wraps up things on the locomotive.

Bismarck Bill 

---

---

Ahhh, the life of a van driver....you get blessed IF you can do it and you get cursed IF you cannot do it.
Hmmmm, must be working for the railroad business!!

DaveL
"honest" I DO miss my 4 years of van driving!!
 

Thanks Bill for very interesting story of Van driving and what the crew has to go through.

Larry

 

All-around nice.
Brian Stevens