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As part of my conductor training for BNSF, I had to learn to hustle power. Because of the different collective bargaining agreements, we had to be mindful of which units were put in the lead position. We didn't have to worry about cab signals at Clyde Roundhouse, but things like a refrigerator, prop...

I thumbed thought this thread. Maybe I missed something. The sick day issue is really secondary. The issue really is that since PSR has been implemented, the railroads have tightened up their attendance policies. It all goes toward having a few employees on the payroll as possible. I guess that I ha...

I've read about the B&A having a connection in New York State other than the one that is presently used. I have also read about the branch out of Hudson, which used to connect with and was affiliated with t he B&A. Somehow the NY components of the B&a aren't really known to me. Someone p...

I looked at the proposals posted above. It appears that Buffet's New Santa Fe expects some pork out of this. I don't really see why they really need that much extra infrastructure, as in a third main track for the entire distance. The Mainline is not that busy as to not accommodate the freights and ...

One other difference was that different trucks were used between the two models. The FP45 had Flexicoil trucks, while the SDP40F had HT-C. The Flexicoil had coil springs and one motor faced the opposite direction in the truck from the others. The HT-C used rubber blocks for suspension. Supposedly th...

I was on a Blue Island transfer out of Cicero once. I think that only a few local cars might get interchanged at Congress Park now. Since Cicero became primarily intermodal, the number of cars is near nil. Most interchange is via the Santa Fe side. This is because trains from Galesburg can head dire...

Recently a friend of mine posted a picture of the Guilford business train of the 1980s. It had one of the GP39-2 transferred from D&H to B&M, and the MEC boiler equipped GP7, which had been reassigned to D&H. In the consist were several lightweight stainless steel passenger cars, and of ...

Twin Cities for US operations, and Calgary for Canadian.

I wouldn't get too worried about missing connections, because the service is run well. I can see how you can worry if you are doing the ride on a tight schedule between appointments. If time is that tight, then if you plan on starting the trip in Chicago, then Id suggest making the westward leg earl...

I really think that these are a smart buy for Metro. It seems like many other commuter agencies seem to want to reinvent the wheel with each new locomotive order. These are off the shelf with almost 30 years of service behind them.

BandA wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 12:40 pm What microprocessor(s) does the GP40MC use?

I haven't ridden the T in a long time. I have noticed elsewhere, such as where I work that some absolute signals are approach lit, while others will stay lit even with no train in the block, as long as there is a route lined up through the plant.

I hadn't known anything about the prefix being based on your application number until I moved to Illinois for my first railroad job on BN. We had a sign in sheet where we had to use our SS# for some reason instead of employee number. Being from Connecticut, my number was of a different series than a...

This discussion is interesting because there is so much to speculate about. One point which was not touched on was whether any state governments would have subsidized passenger service. Even now many Amtrak routes are subsidized. New York State and neighboring Vermont are two good examples. Even bef...

You may have better working conditions on a short line. There may be downsides too. First, the customer base is not as diverse. If a customer goes bust, changes to trucks, moves, then it may be all over. Many short lines also run on a shoestring. This may not be advantageous for making a career. I r...