Sunday, March 9, 2025

I got called for the "Z SBDWSP," a Z train going from San Bernadino to Willow Springs, Illinois. On duty time was 4:55 pm, Mountain Time. It looked like an easy day. No setuts for ick ups. I thought it would be "get on and get off." Instead when the inbound came in they said that we might have to set out a car in the "South House Extension." The inbound conductor volunteeered to stay and help us. The dispatcher came on and told us the car # and that we would not be setting it out in the South House extension, but instead the yard. So we excused the inbound conductor. After a few minutes the dispatcher came back on the radio and tols us that we would be setting it out in the South House extension, so I would have to tie my train down with the rear of the train on the hill. We pulled up. There was an engine in the east end of the South House exension. We notified the dispatcher. He said the rapid responder would be there to help us move it.. I started out by tying 6 brakes. My train moved. I tied 3 more. My train moved again. I tied 3 more. This time it held. By this time I had walked back to the depot.. The rapid responder ran me up to the South House extension. I made the cut and had my engineer pull ahead. I threw the swtich and had my engineer shove back. We did not make the hook on the first attampt I had my engineer pull ahead. The rapid responder got an in between and opened both couplers. I had my engineer shove back again and this time we made a good hook. The rapid reponser released the brake on the motor and "box carred' the egnine so that it would roll freely. I got on the setps on the west end of the mtoro and shoved us bck into the siding. The car, a 3 packer, easliy fit. I tied the brake on the car and did the release test. It held. I cut us away, had my engineer pull over the switch, restored the derail and lined the switch back to the main. I rode the shove back to within a car. I had my engineer make a hook, laced the hoses, and the rapid responder ran me to the head end of my train. I was tired. It didn't help that I had been awake since 7 am. The trip to Winslow was unventful. They ran us ike a Z train. I rolled my train by and took the van to the hotel. It was about 5 am when I got into bed. I took a nap and got up for the free breakfast at 6 am. I went back too bed and slep like a log. I got up, bought a frozen dinner from the front desk and ate. I ws expecting to get called at 5 pm. The call did not come. I looked in my cell phone and my time had been pushed back. I was to be called at 6:30 pm. I was debating going downstaris to have some coffee. As it turned out I got called for the "H KCKBAR" at 5:45. I got down to the depot, ran my paperework, and briefed iwth m engineer when she showed up. Then we got swapped to the Z WSPSBD. I had to print out new paperwork and we rebriefed. We had been on duty and hour when our trian came in. My engineer said that her grandmother was a Harvey Girl back in the 1940s. The trip back was about 8 hours. They ran us like a Z train I rolled my train by and tied up. I'm projected for a Z train after midnight tonight, but I think I will go to work sooner than that. I have included pictures of our two leaders, the 7116 and the 6855. Did you remember to set your clock ahead one hour? It didn't affect me because in Arizona we don't set our clocks back.

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