Railroaders' Nostalgia > One of those trips . . .

.   .   .   once in a while Santa Fe put on advertised jobs that worked LA to Barstow, CA, and return that had regular hours. This job worked the 828 (Harbor) train on duty 6 a.m. LA to Barstow on duty 6 a.m. Barstow to LA with SUN off. On THIS day air problems Barstow for hours, wyed power, found out train only leaked while at 90 psi but not with 20 pound reduction for terminal air test. A hose had rubbed many a crossing. After finally leaving hours later second unit died departing Barstow. The Harbor train is one of the heavier westbounds out of Barstow this day being 8000 + tons so made a scorching 25 mph Barstow to Frost before picking up helpers. After this normal delay departed Frost starting up the Cajon grade only to have the third unit die and stalled out here, at the old station of Thorn, above Frost. At least we cleared the crossovers at Frost but it's a long way to the next set of crossovers at Lugo so the railroad would be ten miles of single track for the next two hours while the San Bernardino helpers had to come all the way here and couple on the front. We eventually made it over the pass keeping the San Bernardino helpers on the head end but making them a part of my consist at San Bernardino and getting to LA with our hours of service expiring while the air was blowing for the final set at Hobart Tower in LA. Sometimes you're the winshield and sometimes you're the bug. Just another day on the railroad.
JB

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I was never sure which was worse-the dog you knew you were screwed on or the one you caught that should have been a decent trip that just kept getting it one way or the other and you could not get over the road and died 30 miles from home. 

3rdswitch Wrote:
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> getting to LA with our hours of
> service expiring while the air was blowing for the
> final set at Hobart Tower in LA.

I was in the BN Springfield MO yardmaster tower one night during the BN COMPASS to Santa Fe TSS cutover. We had a coal train coming that wasn't going to make it into Springfield. Spatch asked the yardmaster to be ready to pull it in.

When the train got close enough to ask for landing instructions, the YM asked how far they would get. He replied - in front of the yard office. YM was not telling the engineer he wasn't convinced. We both looked up at the clock.

The coal came into sight, moving right along, you might say. He kept moving right along until the train came to a really quick and smooth stop. It was like watching the Dinkys stopping at stations between Berwyn and Naperville.

(A couple of years ago, I took a Dinky from La Grange Road to Naperville - first time in 50ish years. The train showed, but didn't look like it was stopping. I looked at the timetable to see if there was an express I hadn't noticed. Nope - stopped with the hind car just to my left. I forgot about what the Dinkys were really like - says Metra but it's still the Q.).

The engine came to a stop right in front of the yard office . . .and the second hand hit the last second of their hours at that moment.

TAW

The Harbor train was normally a great train with no work enroute except the occasional auto set out eastbound at Martinez spur. Once on another "assigned" job, only once, made a ten hour continuous time ROUND TRIP LA Barstow, Barstow LA with the Barstow LA leg being the Harbor train.
JB

"No plan survives contact with the enemy."

EO
Wx4.org



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/26 07:46 by EO.

EO Wrote:
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> "No plan survives contact with the enemy."
>
> EO
> Wx4.org

No plan survives first contact with reality.

EO Wrote:
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> "No plan survives contact with the enemy."
>

A slightly different take I use:

• Strategy - your plan to deal with the enemy (situation).
• Tactics - what you need to do after you encounter the enemy and find out what they are actually doing.

TAW

TAW Wrote:
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> EO Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > "No plan survives contact with the enemy."
> >
>
> A slightly different take I use:
>
> [*]Strategy - your plan to deal with the enemy
> (situation).
> [*]Tactics - what you need to do after you
> encounter the enemy and find out what they are
> actually doing.
>
>
> TAW

Everything you talk about, strategy, tactics, planning…

Foreign concepts to Modern Day North American Railways.

Regards.

Posted from iPhone

I worked those those assigned jobs a lot. Primarily the San Diego train whuich was constantly changing thanks to  all the passenger trains Liking through freight but not being on call was a real treat. Thanks for the reminder of the bad trips we seem to forget in retirement .Bill Webb