Western Railroad Discussion > Tight Squeeze Tuesday

Dispatcher: "Can you fit between switches at Lodge Grass?"
WB coal loads: "We can give it our best shot."
EB coal empties: "We'll let you know when you're clear on this end."

They managed to fit with no more than a car length to spare on either end.  The empty coal train led by BNSF 9329 was able to get a signal out of the siding and proceed east.  As for the dispatcher's rationale, there were two other eastbounds behind the 9329, and I guess they wanted them moved up instead of held at Benteen and Dunmore for the loaded train.  Three photos 11/9/2024, Lodge Grass MT on BNSF's Big Horn Sub.

mike woodruff
north platte ne

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swaool Wrote:
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> Dispatcher: "Can you fit between switches at Lodge
> Grass?"
> WB coal loads: "We can give it our best shot."
> EB coal empties: "We'll let you know when you're
> clear on this end."
>
> They managed to fit with no more than a car length
> to spare on either end.  The empty coal train led
> by BNSF 9329 was able to get a signal out of the
> siding and proceed east.  As for the dispatcher's
> rationale, there were two other eastbounds behind
> the 9329, and I guess they wanted them moved up
> instead of held at Benteen and Dunmore for the
> loaded train.  Three photos 11/9/2024, Lodge
> Grass MT on BNSF's Big Horn Sub.
>
> mike woodruff
> north platte ne
<
< I wonder how many side swipes have happened, since the Super-sized train craze has been going on................

There was a UP eastbound stopped in the siding at Cascade Locks, OR, in the Columbia Gorge, and in a few minutes, a slow-moving wbd. comes to a halt.  Per the radio scanner, two no-fitters!  The DS says, "I show your train as 4,050'."  The conductor on the ebd. says, "My paperwork shows 7,739'."  The WB ran to the last siding to the east from the DPU.  Luckily, it wasn't two no-fitters above at Lodge Grass.

mapboy

Often times we have to disengage PTC to make meets like that…if not, it will dump the train as you inch up to the signal. Always nice when the hog is doing his best to cuddle up close to the signal, trying to gauge the distance out the windshield, all-the-while PTC is flashing red and beeping counting him down to an Emergency Brake Application.

Having done both, I'd rather sneak up on an EOT than a stop signal. Eight days a week.