Model Railroading > Deep Rock Oil Train over Tehahapi Loop

Just a smattering of iPhone captures from my latest trip to the La Mesa Model Railroad Club in San Diego, CA on Sunday. This round, 32 ScaleTrains DPRX oil tanks with a pair of buffer Airslide hoppers up front (ScaleTrains 4566 & Tangent 4180). Half way through the trip I elected to swap leaders, for some reason a Kadee coupler started giving me fits on the first round.

Still a fun op session. Thanks La Mesa!

1.) Below Caliente
2.) Above Caliente
3.) Cliff

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Power was a pair of Tier IV ET44C4 units one from InterMountain, the other ScaleTrains with an InterMountain ES44AC (Feromex) third out.

4.) Round & round...
5.) Second lap, near Ilmon

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Anyone recognize where the new scenery is in that last pic? (no cheating...)

Pics also posted here...
http://www.pbase.com/mrmrl/la_mesa_club

6.) Allard/Bealville
7.) Tunnel 5
8.) ???

~ Mr. MRL

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Looks like the south switch at Woodford! Great shots, of a super layout.

Valleyman

Beautiful pictures and train, just wish we still had cabooses.

Great photos ! That place is a treasure. I enjoyed rail fanning that place myself after the RPM meet a few years back. Thanks for posting
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?3,2283228,2283228#msg-2283228

Very nice Robbie.You are becoming a regular down there.More please.
Regards,DK

Thanks for the feedback folks!

~ Mr. MRL

darned nice stuff! Thanks for sharing.

Gary B.
Waverly, NE

Valleyman Wrote:
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> Looks like the south switch at Woodford! Great
> shots, of a super layout.
>

It has been a very long time (is 44 years a long time?), but it doesn't look right for Woodford. Cable?

TAW

TAW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Valleyman Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Looks like the south switch at Woodford! Great
> > shots, of a super layout.
> >
>
> It has been a very long time (is 44 years a long
> time?), but it doesn't look right for Woodford.
> Cable?
>
> TAW



Actually folks this is fresh scenery at the West end of Rowen siding. If I panned to the right you’d have also seen several additional scale acres of new blue foam hills.

Mr. MRL

MrMRL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> TAW Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Valleyman Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Looks like the south switch at Woodford!
> Great
> > > shots, of a super layout.
> > >
> >
> > It has been a very long time (is 44 years a
> long
> > time?), but it doesn't look right for Woodford.
> > Cable?
> >
> > TAW
>
>
>
> Actually folks this is fresh scenery at the West
> end of Rowen siding. If I panned to the right
> you’d have also seen several additional scale
> acres of new blue foam hills.
>

Thanks. I was torn between Rowen and Cable, thought with 44 year old memory that it looked more like Cable. That layout is so accurate that I recognize virtually all of it. It's like a time machine for me.

TAW

Not nitpicking. Just trying to help you with 1:1 practice. The current Haz-mat regs require the hazmat loads to be as near to the middle of the train as possible for trains without enough cover cars. As such, your cover cars should be one on the head end and one on the rear. One on the rear is also required if you have a DPU or manned helpers.

Eng.Shadetree

shadetree Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not nitpicking. Just trying to help you with 1:1
> practice. The current Haz-mat regs require the
> hazmat loads to be as near to the middle of the
> train as possible for trains without enough cover
> cars. As such, your cover cars should be one on
> the head end and one on the rear. One on the rear
> is also required if you have a DPU or manned
> helpers.
>
> Eng.Shadetree


I believe I fully understand your description, but with this train shown above, I am for all intents and purposes still adhering to page 39 of BNSF's position in train chart per their specific 2017 US Hazardous Materials Instructions for Rail (updated June 1, 2017). These tank cars all fall under Group B of the PIT Chart. [UN 1267] "Flammable 3" There are no engines (working or not working) or occupied cabooses/business cars on the rear of this particular Key train or bulk commodity unit train. Thus the available buffer cars are not required to be equally divided to protect both ends. There is nothing to protect on the rear of this train.

There is no such verbiage referring to "cover cars" in BNSF specific instructions, either in the current Hazmat rules or SSI. Nor is there any mention that I can find describing any form of equal distribution of such equipment beyond the placarded group of cars in cases with no rear power or manned equipment.

You are fully correct though that Group B cars only require one (1) buffer between the placarded cars and engines (when in bulk commodity unit train service) if that is all that is available. Two buffers were available at the time this specific train was assembled.

If I am still in error of compliance for this HO scale train, please include any additional specificity you can provide. I'd greatly appreciate it and will gladly update my modeling practices for all future hazmat operations.


~ Mr. MRL - just don't add any rear helper sets...

shadetree Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not nitpicking. Just trying to help you with 1:1
> practice. The current Haz-mat regs require the
> hazmat loads to be as near to the middle of the
> train as possible for trains without enough cover
> cars. As such, your cover cars should be one on
> the head end and one on the rear. One on the rear
> is also required if you have a DPU or manned
> helpers.
>
> Eng.Shadetree


FYI Shadetree, Mr MRL is a current BNSF train service employee. I would say he knows what he is doing.

Minor correction: That's the EAST end of Rowen. With any luck, the bridge over Tehahchapi Creek just past the switch should be installed before the end of the year.

D F W


> Actually folks this is fresh scenery at the West
> end of Rowen siding. If I panned to the right
> you’d have also seen several additional scale
> acres of new blue foam hills.
>
> Mr. MRL