Ask a Railroad Conductor

[Retro69]

Originally Posted by Mr Twisty

Satellite view of a portion of Tehachapi... the loop is the track.

.

When my wife and I lived in Southern California we took a trip up to see "The Loop". We were lucky enough to catch a long freight on it. Very cool seeing it cross over itself!


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[Est.July.4.1776]

Originally Posted by Mr Twisty

Satellite view of a portion of Tehachapi... the loop is the track.

We lived near a RR crossing, they came thru at 5am every morning. Dad always told mom, "Well, it's too early to get up and too late to go back to sleep, what you wanna do?"

I'm from a LARGE family

.

Haha... that's hilarious

[Est.July.4.1776]

Originally Posted by Skrail

I also work for the railroad. Live in Kalamazoo,MI. and work out of Elkhart, Indiana. 16 years on the rail...Engineer since 99...My dream job, and helps afford all the Camaros!

Which railroad? Could very well be the same as me... (CN)

[Est.July.4.1776]

Originally Posted by Retro69

When my wife and I lived in Southern California we took a trip up to see "The Loop". We were lucky enough to catch a long freight on it. Very cool seeing it cross over itself!


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I'll bet that was a sight to see... I always wanted to see the Horseshoe Curve.

[sam5828]

Well the best RR movie out there is unstoppable. It actually happened in the terminal I worked out of. Engine 8888. The engine has poems on the back wall which are pretty good.

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[Est.July.4.1776]

Originally Posted by sam5828

Well the best RR movie out there is unstoppable. It actually happened in the terminal I worked out of. Engine 8888. The engine has poems on the back wall which are pretty good.

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Ah yes, crazy 8's. I assume you have the same "no pictures" policy that we do, or I'd ask you to post a pic of 'em.

Unstoppable is definitely a thrilling movie, but it sure lacks in realism in so many areas... but if you can take it at face value, it's a fun movie.

[cam62]

Originally Posted by Est.July.4.1776

Ah yes, crazy 8's. I assume you have the same "no pictures" policy that we do, or I'd ask you to post a pic of 'em.

What's the no picture policy about and why?

[sam5828]

Originally Posted by Est.July.4.1776

Ah yes, crazy 8's. I assume you have the same "no pictures" policy that we do, or I'd ask you to post a pic of 'em.

Unstoppable is definitely a thrilling movie, but it sure lacks in realism in so many areas... but if you can take it at face value, it's a fun movie.

Ya I have only been on the engine once. And never thought of taking a pic. I quit about 4 yrs ago. But ya no pics and no cellphones anymore. Can have them with ya just not on. I worked on the Toledo sub and also in Selkirk NY going to Boston and jersey. I know out west they have cell detectors along the tracks that alert dispatcher. And the weed weasels have ones too.

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[sam5828]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSX_8888_incident

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[Tayap79]

Originally Posted by Est.July.4.1776

I'll bet that was a sight to see... I always wanted to see the Horseshoe Curve.

Actually living and working in the town where Horseshoe Curve is located, pretty neat to see a train on 3 sides of you when they are headed up or down the mountain. We had a steam excursion here a few months back where they took a trip up around Horseshoe Curve.

Check it out.... Link Hit HD when the video starts...much better.

[Bhobbs]

What is your favorite locomotive?

Mine is the Big Boy. They are reviving the one that is displayed near my house. I'm excited to see one running.

[sam5828]

Originally Posted by Bhobbs

What is your favorite locomotive?

Mine is the Big Boy. They are reviving the one that is displayed near my house. I'm excited to see one running.

Mine was the one that had good AC in the summer and good heat in the winter and a crapper that didn't stink.

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[Est.July.4.1776]

Originally Posted by cam62

What's the no picture policy about and why?

No electronic devices permitted while on duty.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Ch...rain_collision

This started the movement. As it stands now if a railroader is caught by the FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) with their phone on, the FRA can levy a $17,000 individual fine on that person. Kinda makes any speeding ticket seem like chump change... The only exception is a stand-alone camera for photographing safety issues / concerns.

[Est.July.4.1776]

Originally Posted by Bhobbs

What is your favorite locomotive?

Mine is the Big Boy. They are reviving the one that is displayed near my house. I'm excited to see one running.

Two part answer... as a rail fan, there are a lot of them that I like... my favorite is the C&O H8 2-6-6-6 Allegheny... the heaviest locomotive ever built, and, although only slightly smaller than the Big Boy, it was more powerful. Truly an impressive beast... I planned to get a tattoo of one in full steam on my bicep as the centerpiece of a half sleeve.

http://www.steamlocomotive.com/allegheny/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2-6-6-6


I also dig the Big Boy, the Pere Marquette 1225 Berkshire that I've been donating money and time to the restoration of, the GM Aerotrain, and things like that...

Originally Posted by sam5828

Mine was the one that had good AC in the summer and good heat in the winter and a crapper that didn't stink.

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Second part of my answer is this. As a railroader, this is dead nuts accurate. One thing we have that most railroads don't is microwaves. Our Canadian counterparts have provisions in their contract that require all locomotives to be equipped with a hot plate, and a microwave... Union Pacific, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, CSX, etc... don't have that... and on a cold winter day, it's a game changer to have some hot soup... but railroaders are resourceful guys. Search for "Manifold Menus" on Google and you'll see what I mean... there are countless recipes for guys to cook by placing their food at various locations on the engine block / intake manifold, etc... but yeah, I love a WhisperCab locomotive with decent A/C, and one of our own CN units so I have a nukebox. I can deal with a stinky sh*tter because I worked for a sewer department for five years before I started doing this, but I'd much prefer not having to smell it anyway.