I got called for the "V ELPBAR," a vehicle train going form El Paso to Barstow. It came into Needles with 3 motors on thehead end. But the inbound was to set out the third motor. We got in the van and met them at the east end of the yard to help them. They got on the third motor and we got on the head motor. At first we thought that they were gont to make the cut right there and take the motor to the roundhouse, but after some confused conversation we came up with a game plan. They told us to take the train up Yard 2 to the west end and we would make the cut there. We went to the west end, I tied 3 brakes and cut the power away. The inbound conductor made the cut between motors 2 and 3. I threw the switch. After they went over it to the roundhouse I threw the switch back and took my power back to a hook. I laced the hoses, cut the air in, and relwesed the 3 brakes. Our ledaer was the 1085, and old motor! We had to wait a while before we could leave. Our paper work order said that we were to set out the whole train in Barstow, but our IPAD said that we were to set out some cars in Nebo. They were not all in one block, so some switching would be necessary. We had 2 and half hours left when we got to East Barstow and Nebo was blocked by another train. A relief crew met us. We were happy about that. I went to the hotel and got there in time for breakfast. I slept most of th day. I got called for a baretable. On duty time was 10:15 pm. Our work order said that we were to set the cars out in the siding at Pisgah and take the two motors, and the ETD to Needles. Another crew had been called for a BARBAR and they wanted to swap with us. We agreed. At first, we were to dog catch an H train that had just left Needles. Then they told us to get on a a grain train that was at Dagget. We had to wait an hour or two for our van. The inbound crew was DOL. We got on the train. It had 4 motors on the head end and 2 on the rear. We were told that there were 8 trains terminating in Barstow, and the yard didn't have room for any of them. After a while they brought us in. They told us to set out the "Colton cars" (cars going to Colton, California) in Storage track 11. This would be cars 11 through 76. We came in Storage 10. I had to line the switch. I also had to line us out. I got in our van and brought the cut car up to the west end of the track. I tied 6 brakes, made the cut, took it over the switch, and rode the van during the shove. I stopped it before the crossing. I had the van run me up to the head end, tied 6 brakes, qand made the cut. I took my train over the switch, lined us back into track 10, and took us back to a hook. I laced the hoses and released the brakes. The van ran me to the head end. We went to the Receiving Yard. They told us to come into Receiver 4, leave our 2 DPs in R4, take our remaining cars in Yard 3, then go back and grab our DPs. The power would go to the house. I got out and had my engineer pull ahead. I tied the brake on one of the motors and made the cut. I rode the last car over the swtich and shoved us into R3. There were some cars on the east end. I got off about one car away and took us back to a hook. I had the van run me to the head end, tied three brakes, and cut us away. I took us back to R4 and made the hook. I laced the hoses and connected the MU cable bewteen motors 4 and 5. We took it to the house. We had to wait for another motor to get out of the way. Diesel servce told us the first four motors wold go to track 13, and the other two would go to track 15. I can't get an inbetween in Diesel Service, so I disconnected the MU cable before we went in. We took it into track 13. I made the separatiion. My engineer told me that the had no radio in the motor he was in so I had to use hand signals. I shoved him back over the switch, then threw the switch and lined him into track 15. He parked the motor and we were done. The van driver was nice enough to call a road van for me and the terminal manager wrote up a dead head ticket. I will be paid a basic day for working theBARBAR, an be paid for the trip back to Needles. I slept good, and got called for a stack train at 3:49 am. It was a big train- with 3 motors on the head end and 3 in the middle. It was nearly 15,000 tons and over 14,000 feet long. We got as far as second out from Klondike and stopped there. we wound up sitting there for 4 hours! A new dispatcher came on and asked us how long it would take us to tie our train down. "An hour and a half," I told her. We were on a steep hill, and our train weighed nealry 15,000 tons. It would have take 46 brakes to tie this train down. I didn't want to tie that many brakes on a hot day. (It was in the 90s). They sent releif crews for us and the train ahead of us. It took my engineer and I to the hotel. Aftter I showered and changed I was on my way to Fuzzy's to get something to eat when I saw a fire from the hotel window. I never did find out much about it. It looked like it was coming from Calico. (See the photos attached). I went to Fuzzy's, got my burrito, watchd some TV, and slept like a log. I got up at 6 for the free breakfast, and got called for a Z train just as I finished eating. Perfect timing! We got on a the steps. Our trip was just over 5 hours. I rolled my train by and tied up. My rest cycle starts at 7 am tomorrow. I might actually be off for the the 4th! Hopefully I won't get called before 7 am. I have attached a picute of our leader, the 8107. Have a Happy 4th!

I got called for the "Q CHISBD." On duty time was 6 pm. Usually this train has a setout in Barstow, but this time we didn't. We departed at 6:30 pm. Our train had 4 motors on the head end. Our HPT was 2.2. It was slow going. We stopped before Goffs. We heard that the BARKCK was stopped at Goffs because one of their motors was on fire. The fire department was there. Eventually we went by them and wew saw the second motor. The side of it was scorched pretty badly. We got to Dagget and we were told that we would be flipped and our outbound would come out to us in a van. It was 1:15. We were told that our outbound was on duty at 1:30 am. They showed up around 2:30 am. We got in the van and shared it withanother crew that was being flipped. We got to Needles and tied up at 5 am. I slept pretty good today. I should be called any minute. No pictures.

I got called for stack train, a big one. On duty time was 3:25 am. It was a big train,w ith 3 motors on the head end and 3 in the middle. After we were stopped for a while my engineer noticed that one n the DPS, the one that we were linked to, had died. I calculated our horspower per ton as 1.8. We could still get to Barstow. As we got closer to Barstow someone told us that our second motor had flames coing out of the stack. There was a lot of smoke conig out of it. . We stopped and my engineeer turned it off. Now our HPT was down to about 1.6. The rapid repsonder met us at Dagget and took my engineer back to the DPs. They got the motor started up again. It had stalled. We went into Barstow and they orjiginally told us. "crew swap on Main 4." Then they told us to tie it down. Our outbund was on duty but I don't know what happened to them. I had to tie 5 brakes. It was about 9 am. I went to the building that I had to go to in order to get my air pressure gauge calibrated. (It's supposed to be done once a year). The fellow did it and he put a sticker with an expiration date on it. The van driver was nice enough to wait for me. After I got to the hotel I got something to eat at Fuzzy's. I slept like a log. I got called for another stack train. On duty time was 4:30 am. It took a while for our train to come in. We got on at the steps. I tied up at 2:15 am and slept pretty good. I got called for the Z WSPLAC. On duty time was 4 am. It was a great trip! Less than 4 hours. By tht time we got to the hotel they had stopped serving breakfast. I went to Fuzzy's to get a burrito. I had expected that we would go out around midnight. But since we had run around several people during our trip we had to wait for them to mark up and get called. I kept looking at my cell phone and my prorjected time kept getting pushed back. I woke up 5:50 am and went down to breakfast. I got my call when I was eating. I was called for a stack train. On duty time was 7:35 am. I finished my breakfast and got ready. On the way to the depot the van driver was telling my engineer and I that there had been an accident on Main Street in Barstow the other day. Some fool was going 90 MPH on Main Street and he hit another car. He and the other driver were killed. We got on at the steps. It wasa a big train. We had 3 motors on the head end and 2 in the middle. When we got to Barstow they told us to pull down to the east end and security would close some doors. We had to wait for our outbound to come and releive us. It was a 9 hour day. I am now on a 2 day RISA and I have started a 3 day rest cycle. I have attached a picture of the 8266.

I got called for the SLPSKO. It had 2 motors on the head end and 1 on the rear. On duty time was 5:20 am. It was a good way to start out a Saturday morning. It was a pretty good trip until we got to Troy. They held us there for nearly 3 hours. They told us tht we would be relieved at Dagget. We finally got the singal. We had the signal through Dagget. I asked the router if the game plan was stil the same. We had the signal all of the way to the Barstow signal and stopped there. I still cpuldn't get a hold of the router. Shortly a van came with our outobund. I tied up after being on duty for 10 hours adn 40 minutes. It was hot in Barstow! I got a burrito from Fuzzy's, wached some TV, and went to sleep. Boy, did I sleep! I slept about 11 hours adn got up for breakfast at 6 am. I got called shourtly after for the Q LACCHI. On fduty time was 8:15 am. While I was in the van on the ay ot the depot I saw my train at the steps. The Emulator and our IPADS weren't wortking because IT updates our system every SUnday morning. Our inbound came in the depot lookng for us. I said, "We're not on duty until 8:15 am. We'll be up there." Finaly, the emulator started to work and I got our GTB number. I would get the rest of the info from my IPAD when I got on my train. We departed shortly after gettin gon, and it was a good trip until we got to West Needls. They held us there for an hour. Our air conditioner started to give out. We finally got in. There was a Form B just outside of Needls that I had to call on. They wre replacing a bridge on Main 1! (On a hot Sunday). My day was 6 hours long,and it looks like I will go to work again at 3 am. It was 106 degrees in Needles when I got there. I have attached a picture of our leader, the 7037.

I got called for the H BELBAR. It was a 9,000 ton train. We had 5 motors on the head end and one on the rear. It was tied down on Main 1 when I came on duty at 6:20 pm. The temperature was over 100 degrees. Our work order said that we were to pick up one motor from the roundhouse in Needles, and pick up another one from the siding at Fenner. After talking with the dispatcher, and theh road foreman, we were told that our third unit had caught fire and the dynamic brakes were no good. The last two motors in our consist were dead. The rapid responder came out and did some tests on our third motor. He said that it was good for power. We talked to the dispatcher and she highballed the pickup in the Needles yard, since we would have enough power to make it to Barstow. My engineer told her that since wer were a 9,000 ton train I wouldhave to tie a lot of brakes to pick up that motor at Fenner and we would tie up the Main line for a while, so they highballed that pick up too. I had to untie 6 brakes so we could depart. Our HPT was 1.8 so we make good time, but they stopped us a couple of times to let other train run around us. We had about an hour and a half to work when they let us in the yard. We were told to take our train into Yard 7. Our train was short enough to fit in the track. I cut the power and we took it to the roundhouse. They told us to take it to track 14. All 5 motors fit there. We didn't have enough time to get our DP so the yard crew would do it. I tied up with about 10 minutes left. At the hotel the pancake machine was malfunctioning, as usual. I still got some decent pancackes. I slept for about 6 hours and then couldn't get back to sleep. I got a burrito from Fuzzy's and then I got my call at 5:10. I was called for the Z LACALT. It was a nice small train with 4 motors on the head end. On duty time was 6:40 pm. We waited at the depot for 3 hours before our train came in. They ran us pretty good. When we got to Needles there was another train on Mian 4 that we had to climb over so I couldn't roll my train by. No pictures. I tied up at 3:42 am. I worked 7 days in a row so I am now on a 72 hour RISA. I can use the rest.

I got called for the S LPCSCO1. On duty time was 2:01 am. It was tied down at East Goffs. It was a 16,000 ton train. A 16,000 ton train tied down on a steep hill llike Goffs would need a lot of brakes. It had 4 motors on the head end and 4 in the middle. A van took us out there. The van driver had some trouble finding our train and we had to help her. For some reason she had been told that we were taking the train to Needles. We were taking it to Barstow. We finally found our train. There was no note telling us how many brakes had been tied. So I started walking back and releasing them. I didn't count . Fortunately it was between 3 and 4 in the morning and it was nice and cool. (I was told later, by the engineer of the crew that had tied it down, that there were 25). The van ran me back to the head end. My engineer had to go back to the DPs and sign the cards. Once we got moving it wasn't a bad trip. They brought us into Main 4 and we were relieved. Our day was just over 8 hours. I got a burrito from Fuzzy's, slept for about 4 hours, and then I couldn't get back to sleep. There were NO RESTED Needles crews. I was projected for a U train right off my rest. I got ready to go to work. I got called for a Z train instead. It was the LACWSP- a small, light train with 4 motors on the head end. We got on at the steps. It was a good trip. We came in before sunrise. I have attached a picture of our leader, the 7981. I'm projected to go to work this evening.

I got called for the S LPKSCO. It wasn't a bad train Under 7500 tons and under 7700 feet. On duty time was 8:25 am. We had 3 motors on the head end. Our third motor died. My engineer called diesel service and tired to get it going, but it was in vain. When we got to Barstow they told us to tie down our train at the East Barstow signal, Main 3. They told us that we woud have to take a van to the Barstow yard, grab a motor, and put it on the head end of our train. I tied 3 brakes and we did a release test. The van came and picked us up. I called Diesel Service and they said that we needed to take 2 DPs off a train in Receiver 9. They werw facing west. The van took us to Receiver 9. I got my in between and we did the separation. We asked the router if we could go around the balloon and he gave us permission We went around the balloon. My engineer ran us from the second motor, "long hood forward" so I wouldn't have to stand on the steps and protect the shove. We could see everything. We shoved back to our train on Main 3. I got out and we made the hook. I laced the hoses, but I closed the anglecock between the last motor and the first car. We did the locomotive air brake test. The van showed up and Diesel Service showed up in a truck. They would have to do the "dynamic brake test." The van ran me to the rear end of our train. I would have to arm the ETD. We could go straight to the rear of our train-we were blocked by the gate at the Marine base. So we got on the freeway and went around. The van still couldn't take me all of the way to the rear of our train. There was a train in the siding at Nebo. I climbed over it and I had to walk quite a distance west to get to the rear of my train on Main 3. I told my engineer the ETD # and pressed the button. It armed. I told him, "pop it." He put the train into emergency. I made it back to my van,. It was a long walk. The van took me to the head of my train. We were done. The van took us to the hotel. We tied up with just under 12 hours on duty. I went to Fuzzy's for a burrito, watched some TV, and slept ike a log. I got up for the free breakfast right at 6. I had no sooner finished eating when I got my call. I was called for a Z train. On duty time was 8:20 am. In the van I found out that we had been swapped to a stack trian, then when I got to the depot and printed out our call boards I found out that we had been swapped to the H BARLUB. I asked the terminal manager why and he said it was because of a service interruption on the Cajon sub. Our power was on Ready 6, the first half of our train was in Departure 7, and the rear half was in Storage 11. Our train would have 5 motors on the head end, but the last two would be isolated. Our consist was facing the right way. I lined the switches and we headed out, but another motor was blocking us from getting out of Diesel service. Diesel Service told us to back up two motors so that motor could come in. I had to go to the rear of the consist and protect the shove. Once that motor go out of the way we came out and used D1 as a runner. We went over the switch and I shoved us back to our train. We made the hook, I laced the hoses, cut the air in, and the van arrived with perfect timing. He ran me to the rear of the train. I closed the angle cock, which was open, and released 3 brakes. I planned on riding to the storage yard in the cab with my engineer, and throwing switches as needed, but the Bow Tower told me to go ahead in the van and line the switches. I guess they were running behind. I went ahead in the van and lined my train out. Once the last car was clear of the switch leading to track 11 I stopped him. I lined us in to track 11, and shoved him back to a hook. I laced the hoses, cut the air in, released 3 brakes, and had the van run me to the rear. I armed the ETD, we id the Class III, and the two way. We were ready to go. The van ran me to the head of my train. We departed and we were going along pretty good. I looked in my IPAD and it said we wer to setout our 4th motor when we got to Needles. Normally the outbound helps us with that. Our train went into emergency. A track supervisort was coming at us in a truck and saw he saw a cloud of dust near the head end of our train. He boarded our train. When he saw me he said, "I trained you.' "In Denver?" "No, here." "I familiarized here when I came out from Denver." "That must have been it." He remembered that i had a younger wife. I told him "I'm divorced now." "Welcome to the railroad," he said. He had gone from being a conductor to being a track superivisor. He got in his truck and looked for the problem. He said it was the main hose between our 4th motor and our 5th one. My engineer went back and fixed it. We were on our way again. We stopped at East Goffs and waited over an hour . They had not called an outbound for us. Finally they told us to tie it down. I only had to tie 5 brakes. My engineer found a brake stick in one of the motors and I used it. That made it much easier. We did a release and it held. The game plan was that we were supposed to get on a Z train, ride it to a stack train where the crew was DOL. and try to take the stack train in. We had less than two hours to work. The Z train picked us up We got on the secondf motor. But the Z train went passed the train that we were sopposed to relieve. Evidently there had been a miscommunicataion. They sent a van out for the guys on that stack trian and they tied uup the same time as us. I tied up under 12 hours. I am now on a 3 day RISA. The other day some managers from Kanss City came out to talk to us about safety. They handed out some tokens. I have attached a picture of one. I'm going to enjoy my 3 days off.

I got called for the "S ALTLHA," which goes from Alliance, Texas to Los Angeles. It was a nice, small train with 4 mogtors on the head end. On duty time was 2:30 am. . The second motor was isolated. We weren't goin uphill as fast as we should have, and my engineer was afraid that we might stall out. So I went back to the second motor and put it onlline, and isolated the thrid motor, the Ferromex motor. That solved our problem. We got into Barstow around 8 am. I got to the hotel just as they were closing down the free breakfast at 9. I had some pancakes and eggs. I had trouble sleeping. I eventually got called for a vehicle train at 1:30 am. It was the V RICELP, 66 empty cars going from Richmod, California to El Paso, Texas. We had 3 motors at the head end. It was tied down on Main 4. We jsut had to untie it and go. It was a great trip! After 5 hours we were stopped 3rd out from East Needles, then they held us there. They wre doing one hour "spacing" on the Seligman subdivision. We sait ther for about three hous, then moved up one signal then another. Needles was having all sorts of problems. One train was splitting and having problesm with their ETD. Another train had a motor that was on fire Another had a motor that was leaking oil onto the walkway. They finally told us to go to East Needls and wait to be relieved. We waited and wiated. We went DOL. We had been DOL for an hour when we got relieved. I'm projected to go out around 6 am tomorrow On a side note, my son James went to the emergency room today because he was having abdominal pains. He just texted me that he is on his way home. I'm relieved about that . I was afraid that his appendix might have to be removed. I will have more information when he comes home.

I got called for the Q DENLAC, which goes form Denver to Los Angeles. We got a van to take us out to the Topock Bridge to get on our train. We could file an RO for a basic day becasue of that. It was a long train but it was light because we carried mostly empty containers. It wasa good trip- just over 8 hours. Before we got in they told us to "see the trainmaster." We were being flipped. Our outbound came out to releive us on Main 4 very quickly. Our van was at the depot when we got there. We threw our stuff in the van and got to Needles before our 12 hours was up. Sadly the OT will cut into the RO. I did get some overtime. No pictures.

On Memorial Day I got called for the worst train I could be called for, the KCKBAR. On duty time was 12:01 pm. As usual it was a monster train- over 17,000 tons with 4 motors on the head end, 2 in the middle, and 2 on the rear. The trip started out pretty good. But as we got closer to Barstow we kept stopping. We finally got into the yard. They told us to come into Yard 7, make the cut, and put the rest in Yard 6. I called a van and got out. When the rear end of our trian was clear of the east end I got in the van and went down to the middle DPs. I tied 3 brakes behind them and cut the DPs away. I rode themover the switch, and we shoved into Yard 6. We found out that a yard job would be putting our DPs away. That would make it easier for us. I rode the DPs to the east end of R6, then had the van run me to the head end. I tied 3 brakes and cut my power away. There was a lot of activity in the yard. We had to wait for a while. We finally got to the roundhouse and set our motors on track 12. We were done. It was past 11 pm. I went to the hotel, selpt until breakfast time, had breakfast, and slept some more. I was asleep when I got my call. I was called for the BARLUB. We were on duty at 11:45 am. The terminal manager told me that our power was on Ready 2 and our cars were on Departure 6. Head end power only. It doesn't get any easier. We went out to Ready 2. The only problem was that we were blocked so we would have to shove back and use track 4 as a runner. I lined the switches and shoved us back. I lined us into track 4 and we got out of Diesel. We used D3 as a runner, and I shoved us back to our train. I made the hook, laced the hoses, and cut the air in. The van showed up. The brakes were at the west end. also, the ETD was hung but the hose was not laced and the anglecok was wide open. I laced the hose, we did the Class II, and I released the 3 brakes. We were ready to go in less than 2 hours. It started out as a good trip but they kept stopping us. It was about an 8 hour day. I rolled my train by and tied up. I'm projected to go to work around 10 am tomorrow. I hope you had a good Memorial Day. I have attached a citure of our leader, the 8195.

I got called for the V BLUBAR, a vehicle train. When we get to Barstow we never know how we are going to yard this train. On duty time was 10:25 pm. Our train was tied down on Main 2. It had 2 motors on the head end and 1 on the rear. I onlyu had to untie one brake. They stopped us quite often. We wondered if we were going to make it to Barstow. They let us in with about 3 hours left to work. They told us "Receiver 6, power to tthe house." This would be easy. Receiver 6 was the longest track in the Receving Yard, but our train barely fit in there. The first car was blocking part of the crossing, but the router said it as okay. I tied 3 cars, we did a release test, and I cut my power away. We took it to track 15 in the Roundhouse. We still had to get our DP. THERE WERE NO VANS AVAILABE. We waited a half hour for a van. We had on hour left when we got a van. Our DP was facing east. I cut it away, and they told ius to take "the short way." Since we were facing east I had to protect the shove. When we got to Diesel we had a wait a while. They finally let us in. They told us to put in in track 15. I walked ahead. We tied up just before we went DOL. They had stopped serving breakfast at t he hotel by the time I got therre, but the nice lady gave me the leftovers. I had so many jpancakes I was stuffed. I went to my room and slept like a log. I got a burrito from Fizzy's at 7 pm and went back to bed. I got called by a live person around 9:10 pm. They said they had been trying to call me . I guess I slept trouogh the call. I was called for a stack train at 10:25 pm. I accepted it. We had a student engineer. We waited about 2 hours for our train to come in. We found out that someone had closed an anglecock and broken into several containers. We got on at the steps. We stopped a few times. It was a good trip once we got going. About 6 hours. We came in on Main 4 and they told us to tell the oubound to pull down to th east end so security could close some containers. I rolled my train by and tied up. I am now on my 3 day rest cycle. I can use a rest. I have attached a picture of our leader, the 7663.

I got called for a Z train going to Barstow. On duty time was 4:30 pm. It was a good train. They ran us like a Z. We got in around 11 pm and were relieved by the outbound on Main 4. I slept pretty good, got up for the free breakfast at 6 am, and went back to bed. The wifi in the hotel wasn't working very well, so I couldn't log into the workforce hub. I wondered when I was going to be called. I slept most of the day. When I was finally able to log in I saw that I was projected for a stack train around 7:45 pm, so I got up and got ready even though I hadn't been called. I was headed out to catch the van when I did get my call. I got a burrito from Lola's on the way. There was a stack train at the steps that came in before our train. A crew had not been called for it. At the last minute they swapped my engineer and I to that train. We got on at the steps. The trip started out slowly because we had to wait for Amtrak to go by. It was a good trip. There wasn't a lot of traffic. As we got close to Needles I looked in my IPAD and it said that we had to set out our 4th motor. They brought us into the yard. I had to throw two switches to line us into Yard 2. Whe we got to the east end of the yard the outbound was waiting for us. They helped us do the set out and it went very quickly. The dispatcher had told us to put it in Roundhouse 3. I had to throw one switch to line us in. I'm projected for a vehicle train around 6 pm tonight.

I got called for a train that had the symbol of a grain train, but it was all tanker cars- that's a new one on me. 100 tanker cars, with 3 motors on the head end and 2 on the rear. Our IPADS said that at Barstow we would have to set out our two DPs and then pcik them up again- which made no sense. We had a good trip to Barstow and they brought us into Main 1. Then they told us to move our DPs from the rear of the train to the middle of the train. This was not going to be easy. First, I took a van to the middle of my train. I tied the brakes on cars 51 thorugh 60. We did a release test and it held. Then I made the cut. I had the van run me to the head end of my train, and we moved up to the "Mohave Connector. " I tied the first 10 cars while my engineer tied the 3 motors. We did a release test and it held. The van ran us to our DPs. I cut the DPs away. They were both facing east. We waited for permission to come out of the east end of Main 1 and run around our cars on Main 2. This proved to be the longest part of the job. Finally they gave us authority to come out. We moved east into the Amtrak siding. Since we were facing east I had to protect the shove. I rode the steps of the second motor. Boy, it was cold and windy! We shoved into Main 2, around our cars, and then onto the Mohave Connctor. I brought us to a hook at the rear of our train. I laced the hoses, cut the air in, and the van ran us to the head of our train. I released the 10 brakes I had tied earlier. Then I had the van run me as close to the rear of the train as it could-it could not go all of the way to the rear- and I climbed into the cab of the rear DP. We would have to shove back and make the hook with our train. The dispatcher told us to stop when we came to the Rio Seco signal. We shoved back. When the Rio Seco signal was in sight I stopped us and called the disptacher. We had to "flag" the signal. He recited a script and I repeated it. We then shoved back into Mian 1 and made the hook. I got out, laced the hoses, cut the air in, and released the 10 brakes I had tied earlier. All that was left was to hang the ETD on the rear of the train. But, Mechancical had not brought an ETD out to us, and we were almost DOL. The outbound came out to relieve us. We briefed them. The train was going north, to Bakersfield and it would need helpers on the rear. That's why we had to do all of this work. I tied up right at 12 hours, slept in my hotel room all day, and got called for the "Z STOWSP." Normally thisi s a longpool train, but there were no longpool crew available so they put a short pool crew on it, and it had to be dog caught. We got on at the steps. It was a good trip. Once we left Barstow they ran us all of the way. When we got to Needles they told us to tell our outbound to pull down to the East end as there were two opern containers. I rolled my train by and tied up. I'm supposed to catch a Z train at 4 pm today. I have included a picture of the leader on the Z train, the 7740.

got called for the "Q CHISBD." On duty time was 7:35 pm. We had a setout in Barstow. We had 4 motors on the head end. It seemed like the 4th motor wasn't putting out any power. Once we got to Goffs things really slowed down. They kept stopping us. I know that they were single tracking because there was a Form B near Ash Hill. We got a "wheel slip alarm" once we got through Ludlow. My engineer stopped the train and went back to the 4th motor. There was a light indicating that the handbrake was on. He called Diesel Service. They said to set the brake and release it, and if that didn't work "cut the wire." My engineer set the brake and released it, but the light was still on. He wasn't sure which wire to cut. We asked for the "rapid responder." The dispatcher told us to swap with another train that was going by, then they told us to swap back. (That has never happened before). The rapid resonder showed up and fixed the problem. We made it asfar as Pisgah before we went DOL. Another crew came ut and tied out train down. We rode in the van with them to Batrstow. They had closed down breakfast at the hotel when i got there. The lady gave me some lefover scrambled eggs. I got checked into my room, showered, and went to Fiuzzy's for a burrito. I went to bed around noon and slept like a log. I got called at 10:30 pm for a stack train. It was a big train. It came in Main 1 because it needed to be refueled. Our paperwork said that we had 3 motors on the head end, 3 in the middle, and one on the rear. When My engineer got on the computer said that it had no engine on the rear. Our radio was making a lot of static, and we asked Diesel Service to fix it. A woman came out and swapped the radio out. Also, we had two people deadheading with us. My engineer pulled ahead and I spotted the DPs at the fuel pump. A van ran me to the head end. All of this took some time, then we pulled up to East Barstow and waited, then we pulled up to Dagget and waited, then we stopped at Newberry for an hour. THE TRAINS WERE NOT MOVING! We didn't know why. I called the dispatcher and she said that she was sending a relief crew. I guess they didn't think that we could make it to Needles in 5 hours. A van showed up with a relief crew. The engineer was my next door neighbor. My engineer, myself, the deadheads, and another crew crowded into the van-7 people including the driver. I had the luxury of the front seat. He took us to Needles. I am now on RISA after working for 7 days in a row. I can use a rest.

i got called for an H train that I have never heard of before- the "H LAJBAR." It was going form La Junta, CA, to Barstow. It was not a bad train. On duty time was 6:20 pm. It had 4 motors at the head end and 2 at the rear. There were 3 "terminators" ahead of us. (Trains that were to be yarded in Barstow). We swapped with a grain train at Pisgah. We thought we would not have work, but there was a bad order to set out. We were told to set it out in the oil spur. We came in on the main. I called for a van. The bad order was 13 cars behind the middle DP. The van ran me back. I tied 3 brakes behind the bad car, and cut it away. Rather than ride the cut I took the van. When the last car was over the switch I threw the handthow into the oil spur and dropped the derail. I protected the shove from thevan. There was a 3 packer in there already. I took my train back t a hook, tied the brake and cut away. I brought my train over the switch, restored the derail, and threw the hand switch back. I took my train back to a hook, laced the hoses, and released the three brakes. We were done. For the trip back I got called for an X train. It was in I2. We had 25 cars to pick up in I4. I tied the first 3 cars, cut my power away, and rode the rear motor over the switch. (We had 3 motors on the head end). When the router threw the switch I shoved us into I4. The derail at the east end should have been up, but it was not. That made it easier for me because I didn't have to drop it. Our cars were at the west end of the track. I rode the shove and got off about a car away form the hook. I brought my power back to ahook, laced the hoses, and cut the air in. There were no brakes at the east end. The van ran me to the rear of the cut. The angle cock was open and there were 3 brakes at that end. I released them. I had the van run me to the switch and brought my train ahead. I stopped the last car just past the switch. The router threw the switch, I got on the last car, and rode the shove. I stopped it one car away, brought my engineer back to a hook, laced the hoses, cut the air in, and released the three brakes. The van rode me to the head end. As we departed, I pulled out my IPAD and reported the pick up- but it my IPAD the profile only showed the 25 cars that we had just picked up- not the whole train. PTC showed this error too. We got as far as Goffs before the error was corrected. We came into Main 4, were relieved, and I rolled my train by. I got called at 3 pm for the "S ALTLBE." On duty time was 5 pm. It was a nice small stack train with 3 motors on the head end. It took a while for our train to come in, then a while for us to depart. As we aproached Barstow they told us that we would be flipped. They stopped us at the East Barstow signal on Main 3. I only had to tie 3 brakes. The yard van showed up and took us t the depot. My engineer and I shared a road van with 3 other men. With 5 of us, and our gear, it was pretty crowded in the van. I sat in one of the back seats and slept most of the trip. I went DOL 15 minutes before we tied up. I slept pretty good today. I'm projected for a baretable this evening.

I got up Wendnesday evening after about 5 good hours of sleep and started to drink coffee. I expected to be called around midnight. My time kept getting pushed back and I was projected for around 5 in the morning, so I went back to bed. I got callled at 5:30 am, sjhortly aftr oging back too bed. I was called for the Q NEESTO." I did someting I usually don't do- I called the dispatcher while I was at home and asked her if we had to buld our train. She said that we did- our cars were on yard tracks 3 and 4- and that we might have to air test them. Our powr was in the roundhouse but it was not in the order that it was supposedto be. Our leader was behind another motor- so we had to jockey some engines around. I had to throw switches and lace air hoses. The dispacher told us we could use another motor besides the one tht was suppped to be our leader to make it easier- but we soon discovered that the motor we wanted to use had a problem and could not be used as leadar- so we jockeyed the motors around again. Eventually we had a consist of 3 motors together. All of the air hoses and cables were connected. But when my engineer started to run his tests he discovered that this motor had more problems than the other one- the main computer wasn't working and PTC would not come up. He called mechanical and they suggested throwing the ciruit breaker. Eventually the computer screen came up but there was an error message. The dispatcher told us to take the third motor off of an empty grain train that was gong east. It w3as at East Needles. We rode down there in the van with the outbound. The train had 3 motors on the head end. The third motor was facing west. We went trough the procedure that we usually go through when we set out a motor on the east end. The other cew helped us. We went in to Yard 2. At the west end we went over the switch. I threw it and shoved us back into the roundhouse and made the hook. I conneced all of the air hoses and the MU cable. We were just about to start the locomottive air brake test when the trainmaster called us over the radio and asked us why we hadn't departed yet. We had been on duty for over 6 hours at this point. I told him that we had a problem with our lead motor and we had to grab another one off a train. We did the locomotive air brake test. At last we had a consist of 3 motors that was ready to go. We still had to air test our cars. My engineer made a suggestion that we would save time and keep us from frogging up the main line- hang the ETD on the cars on Yard 4- test them and do the Class III, then go to the cars on Yard 3 and air test them with my air pressure gauge- them pull the cars out of yard 3 and and shove in to yard 4 to make the hook in Yard 4. I called the yard van. I grabbed an ETD from a table near the carman's shack. It had to tags on it. But when I hooked it up it would not arm. It was not fully charged. So I got in the van and took it to the table behind the depot where we charge ETDs up. I plugged it in and grabbed an ETD that was charged up. I went back to the rear of the cut on Yard 4., hung the ETD, armed it and we did the Class III. I rode the van along the cut to verify the set, then I cut the power away and shoved my engineer into Yard 3. We made the hook and I laced the hoses. The van ran me to the rear of the cut. I used my air pressure gauge to check the PSI- it was good. I walked the set int beween yard 3 and 4. Then I released the handbrakes, had my engineer pull out, lined the swich, and had him shove into yard 4. We made the hook, I laced the hoeses, cut the air in, released 3 handbrakes. I had my engineer roll by. All of the brakes wer released. We were finally ready to go. The trainmaster ran me to the head of my train. He told me that I was doing a good job. I got on the head of my train. I was tired and thirsty. The sun was up and it was hot. We had a good trip to Barstow- one of the best I have ever had. They ran us good. A relief crew was shadowing us. We made it all of the way into Barstow. They told us to tie it down on Main 1. We were almsot DOL. I only had to tie one brake. We went DOL just as we got off of our train. We went to the depot and tied up. When I got to the hotel I was tired. It was after 4 pm and I hadn't eaten anything all day excpet for a protein bar. My clothes and my arms were dirty from lacing hoses and connecting cables. I had thown a lot of switches. I walked to Fuzzy's and got a burrito and a drink. I showered up and watched TV until 7 pm and then zonked out in bed. At midnight I got up to go to the bathrooom and I was sore. I got called an hour later for the S LBTCLO. A stack train. Probably no work and an easy trip. We got on at the steps. They kept stopping us. We were getting close to being DOL when we got hit by the dragging equipment detector just outside of Needles. We had to stop just before the Needles signal. I called for the van. I had the car # and the axle #. The van ran me back. There was some ties and other debris on the road next to the track. There were some spikes, too. My poor driver had to get out and move things out of the way here and there. Finally we got to the car. It was toward the rear of the train. It was a 5 packer. We had several open containers on our train. Somone had opened the bottom containerand boxes had fallen into the well. One of them was dragging. There were boxes all over the place. I couldn't get down into the well to get it. Also, if I did get down there I wasn't sure I cuojd get out. This was outside of my job description. We were almost DOL and the rapid responder was on the way. The van and I headed to the depot and picked up our outbound. I went back to my train, and grabbed my gear. We briefed the outbound and tied up. The rapid responder was able to get the box ouf out of there and the train departed. This was three days in a row wthat I went DOL. I am now on myrest cycle. I can use a rest.

I got called for a nice, small, stack train. The work order said that there were no set outs and pick ups. It started out as a good rip, then they kept stopping us. As we got closer to Barstow we found out we were comboing with another train. There was a stack train behind us about the same size as us, with three motors on the head end. They took us into Main 4 at Barstow. I had the easy part. I just had to tie 2 brakes to tie us down. The other conductor had to remove our EDT, bring his train to a hook, and then connect all of the hoses and the MU cable. We were told that we were being flipped with the other crew. My engineer had to do several tests, including the dynamic brake test. We had to wait for Diesel Service to show up. Finally the test were over and we were in the van, headed back to Needles. We had been DOL for an hour when we got to Needles. It was 2:30 AM. I claimed the "flip rate." I slept good. I'm projected to be on the KCKBAR at 5:10 pm today. Lots of fun. No pictures.

I got called bright and ealry on Monday morning for the for the KCKBAR, and as usual it was a big train (over 13,000 tons). On duty time was 6 am. While we were waiting for it to come in the dispatcher told us to go out to East Needles and get on the H AMSBAR because the crew was going DOL. We were to tie it down on Main 3. We met it at the intermediate signal. We got on and took it to Needles and tied it down on Main 3. Then we got on our train when it came in. We got as far as Cadiz and the disptacher told us to wait there. We would swap with the crew of a baretable. The baretable was not really a baretable. It had some empty auto cars at the head end. But since they were empty it was a baretable. We brought it into Needles and the outbound crew was wating for us when we got in (that is unusual). We went to the depot and I put in a claim for "handling cars that were not on my train." It was denied so I will put it in again. The next morning I was called for a baretable at 4:40 am. We would set the train out at Pisgah. I called Lola's and ordered a burrito. My engineer and another crew were in the van. My engineer and I were swapped with the other crew for some reason. We got a stack train. It was tied down on Main 4. We just had to untie it and go. I had to untie one brake. It was a good trip. When we were almost to Needles the dispatcher told us to set out one car due to a hot bearing and that the oubound would help us. We were ined into yard track 2. We got to the east end and the outbound was waiting for us. They said to "go home" because they would do the set out. We offered to help them but they said, "go home." so we went and tied up. I am now on RISA, and I will soon start my rest cycle.

I got called for the H KCKBAR." On dtuy time was 8:30 am. When I got down to the depot and I found out we had been swapped to the V BIRBAR," a vehicle train that goes from Birmingham, Alabama to Barstow. I found out that we had some manifest cars on the head end- so it was really an H train. When we get this train we never know how we are going to yard it. We might break it up and put it on different tracks in the Storage yard, we might put half of it in the Storage yard and the other half in the Receiving Yard, or we might put the whole thing in the Receiving Yard. In this case we never found out. We had a good trip up until we got to Dagget, then we sat there for a while. Then we moved up to East Barstow and sat there for an hour. Then the dispatcher told us to tie our train down and there was a van on the way. I only had to tie two brakes. I went strahght to the hotel. I grabbed a burrito from Fuzzy's went to bed and got called for an X train at 5:15 am. Breakfast at the hotel was early and the van was late so it worked out pretty good. I got something to eat before I got on the van. The terminal manager said that our train was in I1 and we had to setout a "bad order" to I4. He gave me the car # and said it was 40 cars back. We had to wait for a van. When we got one we asked the van driver to hang with us to assist us and he said that whe would. We asked the router if we could make our move and he said no because a west bound train was coming into I2 and was setting out to I3. We thought that we should go first because our setout would not take very long. Our van finally had to take off to help someone else. Of couse, it was just before we made out move. I had my engineer pull the bad car up to me. I tied 3 cars behind it and made the cut. I rode the car over the switch, and when the router threw it I rode the car into I4. The router told us that the other crew was shoving into I4 from the west end and I should watch for them. This was a situation that could have been dangerous, but they stayed way at the other end of the track. I took the car over the derail, tied the brake, did the "single car securement, cut it away, and put the derail up. I rode the car over the switch, and then shoved it back to my train. I laced the hoses, cut the air in, and untied the three brakes. A differnet van showed up to take me to the head end of my train. We had a good trip back and got relieved around 3:30. I rolled my train by and tied up. I have attached a picture of our leader, the 6438. Also, there is a poster published by my union on the bulletin board of the depot with a picture of an Erie Lackawanna engine on it. The Erie Lackawanna used to go through my home town of Mount Morris, New York. They got bought out by Conrail in 1976. It's interesteig that the SMART Union has a picture of an Erie Lackawanna engine on the poster since they haven't existed since 1976. Most people out here have never heard of the Erie Lackawanna.

I could have had all day Thursday off. I was still on my rest cycle. But I marked up earlly at 7am. It said I was 33rd out and not projected for the next 24 hours. What I didn't know was that I was the only conductor on my board that was rested up. I got called at 8:10 am for the "SAMASCO, a train going from Amarillo to Long Beach. On duty time was 10 am. I gulped down my coffee, and got ready to go. I grabbed a burrito from across the depot. It was a big train with 3 motors on the head end and 2 on the rear. We were limited to 55 MPH because our TOB was over 118. When I got to the depot I saw this UP model train engine on a table. (I have attached a picture).A UP engine in a BNSF depot? Nobody seemed to know how it got there. We had a pretty good trip. Our outbound came out to meet us on Main 2. I tied up around 5 pm. I grabbed a burrito from Fuzzy's, watched some TV and went to bed. I could not sleep. I kept tossing and turning. I kept getting up to watch TV and trying to sleep again. I must have dozed off around 3. I got up for the free breakfast at 6, and went back to bed. I got called for the "SLHGALT." On duty time as 11:15 am. I was going back with a different engineer. We had a student engineer. This train was over 15,000 feet long. We had 4 motors on the head end, 3 in the middle, and 1 on the rear. We got on at the steps and they ran us really good! We didn't stop until we were at West Needles. They brought us into Main 1. We had to wait a few for the outbound to come out but they came out right when they were on duty. I'm projected to go out tomorrow afternoon.

I got called for the SLUBSCO, which goes from Lubbock, Texas to Long Beach. On duty time was 1:15 pm. Our train came in shortly after we were on duty. It was a pretty good trip. They kept us moving. We had 2 motors on the head end and 3 in the middle. We had 168 cars and weighed over 13,000 tons. They stopped us at East Barstow and told us that we would be relieved there, and that we were being flipped. The rapid respnder came out to sign the cards on our locomotives before midnight, and the van came out with our outbound. When we got to the depot we were told htat we would be sharing a van with another crew, and the other crew wasn't there yet. We aited 2 hours for their train to come in. Finally they showed up. Our van was already there. I got into the back and slept most of the trip. I tied up around 2 am. I got to bed around 4 am and woke up at 9 am and did some running around. I am now on RISA, and my rest cycle starts tomorrow. I am off until Thursday morning unless I mark up early.

I got called for a grain train going to BARSTOW. On duty time was 8:15 pm. It had 3 motors on the head end and 3 in the middle. For some reason our lead motor was low on fuel- it only had about 1000 gallons. The whole train was going north, so we knew that we wouldn't have to break it up when we got to Barstow. They told us to bring it into I1 and spot it for fuel. They would fill up all of the motors een though all of the motors except the leader had enough fuel. A carman came out and fueled up the 3 motors on the head end. Then I had to get out and spot the DPs. When we were stopped I asked the carman if I could sit in her truck and she said yes. It was cold out. When she was done she gave me a ride to the head end of my train. The router told us to pull ahead to the pad and tie our train down. I only had to tie 3 brakes. A van gave us a ride to the depot. I got in bed aroud 4 am, went down for breakfast, and went back to bed. I literally got called off my rest. On duty time was 1:38 pm. I was called fo the "Q BARCHI." It had 4 motors on the head end and 2 in the middle. It was what we call a "combo" train. The front half was all intermodal cars, the rear half was conventional cars. We were limited to 55 MPH. The termilnal manager told us that our train was past Megatoms and tied down. The van took us out there . He took us to the "Riverside Drive" side because we thought it was safer. (There is a homeless camp on the other side of the tracks). We had to cross all 3 mains to get to our train. I knew that I had to untie 4 brakes. I walked by on the same side of the train as the homeless camp. There was a homeless person near the first car. He didn't look up at me. I released the 4 brakes, walked back 3 more, and walked to the head end of my train. We had to wait for a couple of trains to leave before us, then they gave us the signal. Our trip was just over 5 hours. I'm projected to go to wourk around 1 pm today. No pictures.

I got caled for the KCKBAR. On duty time was 4:30 pm. It was a huge train- with 4 motors on the head end, 2 in the middle, and one on the rear. The dispatcher asked us to go out to East Needles to relieve the inbound because they were almost DOL. So we went out there in the van. We sat there for a while. They didn't run us very well. We really doubted that we would make it to Barstow before going DOL. Bu they brought us in with less than two hours to work. The router told us to come into Receiver 7 make the cut, and then shove the first half of our train into Yard 6. I told him we were DOL at 4:30 am. We pulled into R7. I called a van. I got out and had my engineer pull ahead. I stoped him when the DPs were in fornt of me. I told the van to meet me at the east end of R6. I tied 3 brakes and cut my train away behind the 2 DPs. I rode the steps of the last DP. We went over the switch and I had my engineer stop. When the router threw the switch I started the shove. We shoved back until the front of our train was behind the clearance markers. A yard job had been told to put our DPs away, since we didn't have time. I had the van run me to the head end of my train. I tied 3 brakes and cut the 4 motors away. We took them to the roundhouse. I had to throw 3 switches toline us into track 13. We pulled nto 13 and went DOL while we were walking form the roundhouse to the depot. It was about 5 am when I got to the hotel, I checked in, showered, and went down for breakfast at 6. I slept a good 8 hours and wentt o Fuzzy's for a burrito. I was showing for a Z train then a Deadhead, then the Bartul. I got called for a stack train at 5:30 pm. On duty time was 7 pm. We got on our train at the steps. It had 4 motors n the head end and 1 on the rear. We had a great trip! Just over 4 hours I tried to roll my train by but Amtrak pulled up and was in the way. I'm projected to go out tomorrow afternoon. I have attached a picture of our leader, the 7662.

After having two days off due to my rest cycle I got called for the Q ALTLAC, which goes from Alliance, Texas to Los Angeles. On duty time was 2:10 pm. It was a small train with 3 motors on the head end We had a student engineer. It was a good trip. We pulled into Main 2 and our outbound arrived shortly afterwards. When we got to the depot we found out that we were ebeing flipped. This is the thrid time in a row for me. Our student engneer stayed in Barstow, since he is a student. The van was already there for my engineer and I. We got back about 30 minutes before our 12 hours was up. I'm projected for a U train at 6:08 pm this evening. Three flips in a row. Some guys want to get flipped and they never get flipped.

I got called for the "S HUDSCO." On duty time was 9:50 pm. It was a pretty good trip until we got to Amboy. There was a broken rail. We waited for an hour while the track supervisor repaired it. We finally got the permission to go over it at10 MPH. We were told that we would be "flipped." (Twice in a row for me). We stopped at East Barstow and got relieved there. My engineer and I had the van to ourselves. It wound up being a 12 hour day. My rest cycle starts tomorrow morning. I hope I don't get called before then, Happy Easter.

I got called for a train with an unusual symbol- the "U KELSDG1 01M." It was an empty military train going to San Diego. Flat cars that are used to carry military equipment. It said that the cars were the property of the U.S. Army. Now, I lived in San Diego for 35 years. I know that San Diego is a Navy town and a Marine town. But there is not a large Army base there. I can't explain it. It was a good trip. We tied it down on the Rio Seco track. It was a light train, less than 3,000 tons. I only had to tie one brake. They told us to see the terminal manager before we tied up. They flipped us. We had to wait a while before the van showed up. It did show up and they took us back to Needles. I should go out tonight around midnight. No pictures.

I got called for a good train the Z ATGLAC. It was a 6 hour trip. We got in by midnight. My engineer and I hoped hat we would go aout around noon the next day and have another daylight trip. Well, it didn't turn out that way. I sat in my hotel room for a long time. I finally got called for the H BARTUL at 7pm. The IPAD said it was a big train, over 11,000 tons. It had 4 motors on the head end, one in the middle, and one on the rear. I thought sure that the yard crew would be buiding it, since they usually build trains with a DP. But when I talked to the terminal manager he said that he only had one yard crew and they had something else to do. My engineer and I would have to build it. It was cold and windy. We went out to the roundhouse. We had a consist of six engines. My engineer could not see because our lead endne had another motor in front of it and we were facing the worong way. I had to shove him out of diesel service, around the balloon, and to the west end of departure 2. We hooked the DP onto the rear of our train and I laced the hoses. We cut away and used I1 as a runner. We put our other DP on the east end of the same cut of cars. From there we had to pull ahead and then shove back into D7 to hook onto the front end of our train. I called for a van. I made sure that all of the cars were ther and all of the brakes were released. Then came the hard part. I had my engineer pull the cut over the 57 switch and shoved him into D2. (The van driver was not very helpful.). When we made the hook I laced the hoses and cut the air in. I made sure all of the cars were there and released the brakes at the est end of D2. The van diriver took me to the head end of my train and I released her. We had been on duty since 8:30 pm and were ready to go at 2 am. We had to wait to come out of D7 for a while due to traffic in the yard. My IPAD said that when we got to Needles we would have to pick up 3 cars from Yard 7. Then it said we had to pick up 8 cars from Yard 7. The dispatcher told us that the outbound would do the pick up. I had to throw two siwtches to get us into Yard 2. We had 90 minutes left to work when the outbound relieved us. I'm projected to go to work around 11:30 Pm tonight. No pictures.

I got a short call for the "Q MEMSCO." It said that I was on duty at 9 am, but that was only 90 minutes from the time I got the call. This is what what we refer to as a "short call." We have 2 hours to get to work. Regardless of what the automated voice says, I have two hours. I made it to the depot by 9 am anyway. When I did I found that we had been "swapped" to the "Q MEMOIG." The Q MEMOIG was the rear half of the train that I had been called for. I would have to split the two trains, hang the ETD on the MEMSCO, do the Class III, and then do the Class III on my train. On top of that we had several cars in Yard 3 to pick up. I grabbed an ETD and my engineer and I got in the van. We got on the DPs in the middle of the MEMSCO. I closed the anglecock and made the cut. I hung the ETD, did the two way, and the Class III. Everything went well and they pulled out. We pulled our train ahead. We were in Yard 2 so the cars we were to pick up were next to us. They were all there. When we got to the west end of the yard I cut my two motors away, rode them over the switch, and lined the switch for Yard 3. I only had one switch to throw. I brought my engineer back to a hook, laced the hoses, cut the air in, and released the three handbrakes. There was a note in the coupler of the first car telling us what time the cars had been left there. It had been less that 24 hours. I had my engineer pull the cut of cars over the switch, lined the switch back into Yard 2, and brought him back to a hook. I laced the hoses, cut the air in, and released the brakes. I had the van run me back to the rear of the train. I pressed the button to arm it, did the two way, and the Class III. We were ready to go. I had the van run me up to the head end. I remembered that this engineer smokes cigars, so I brought him one of the cigars that I bought when James was born, 19 years ago. (Only one person took a cigar). I have nearly the whole box left. The trip was okay. When we got to Barstow they told us to tie it down on the Mohave Connector. (The train was going to Bakersfield, then on to Stockton and eventually Oakland). Our train was light. I only had to tie 2 handbrakes. after I checked into the hotel I went to Fuzzy's for a burrito and some lemonade. I went to bed around 9. I got up for the free breakfast at 6. I was projected to be called at 7:15 so I got ready to go. I got called right at 7:15 for a stack train going from Los Angleles to Clovis, New Mexico. We had a student engineer. We got on at the steps and were ready to depart when we heard somebody open the front door of our engine. He said he was a trainmaster in training and needed to make a trip. This was puzzing, as the BNSF just laid off a bunch of trainmasters. The fellow didn't know where he would be working. He is supposed to take trips all over the system. It turned out he is also a guitar player so he and I had a lot to talk about. When we got to Needles they told us to take it through Yard 2 to the East Needles signal where we would be relieved. Security would be closing several containers. We had to wait a while to be relieved but they showed up. I took a SMART Rest. No pictures.

I got called for the KCKBAR again! On duty time was 7:30 am. this time it was a little smaller than the previous time. Still, it was pretty big. We had 4 motors on the head end, 2 in the middle, and one on the rear. We were making good time to Barstow. Then they stopped us at Dagget for a while. Then they moved us up to East Barstow. We sat there for a while too. (One of the problems with this train is that it's so big that it takes up two tracks and the Receiving Yard has to wait until two tracks are open before they can bring us in. We had 90 minutes left to work when I heard a rock hit my window. I looked down and I saw a van with two railroaders- we were bing relieved, but no one had told us. I went directly to the hotel. I went to Fuzzy's to get a burrito, and I went to bed. I got up for the free breakfast. They were sering it early. My phone rang at 6 am. I was called for the H BARKCK! (I came to Barstow on the KCKBAR and I was leaving on the BARKCK, the two worst trains). Today the BARKCK was smaller than usual. I finished my breakfast and got down to the depot. I was goinig back with a different engineer- and we had a student engineer. The yard crew was building our train- which was unusual because we were head end power only (when it's head end power, or "conventional" as we say, usually the road crew puts it together). When our train was ready we took the van out to Tom's Megaburgers and relieved the yard engineer on our train. They ran us pretty good-until we got to Homer. Then they stopped us for a while. We went down to West Needles and waited a while. We had been on duty for 10 and ahalf hours when they brought us in. I rolled my train by. I have attached a picture of our leader, the 7880. I'm projected to go out tomorrow late in the morning. I hope so. I need some sleep.

I got called for the "H KCKBAR." On duty time was 10 am. It was a big train. We had 3 motors on the head end, 3 in the middle, and two on the rear. Our train weighed over 21,000 tons and was over 10,000 feet long. This may have been the heaviest train I've ever had. We got as far as Danby when the detector desk said that we had a hot bearing. We had to stop and I had to inspect it with my heat sensor gun. It was only the 5th car back. The bearing was 158 degrees farenheit. I checked the 12 bearings ahead of it and the 12 behind it and they were all cooler. The detector desk said that we had to set the car out. Cadiz was the nearest place. It was on a hill. Since our train was so heavy I would have had to tie 47 brakes. It was in the 90s. Fortuately there were some baretables in the siding at Cadiz. They told us to set out the car at Amboy. They said we could proceed at 30 MPH, and 5 MPH over bridges. Since our train was so long, and sic\nce there are a lot of bridges between Danby and Amboy- we went 5 MPH the whole way. It took us 4 hours to travel the 20 miles to Amboy The sun was down. They took us into the siding. (At Amboy the spur is off of the siding). I tied 5 brakes and it held. (The ground is flat there). I made the cut. My engineer said he thought he could pull the cut past the switch without going through the signal. He was right. I threw the swtich and dropped the derail. There is enough rooom in that spur for maybe two cars. I rode the car in. A "Savage" security officer was watching us. I tied the handbrake and we did the "squeal test" (we pushed the car to make sure the brakes squealed). I made the cut and my engineer pulled the cars ahead. I restored the derail and threw the switch back. I rode the cut back to within a car length form our train, got off, and brought my engineer back to a hook. I had to lace the hoses in the dark. I got them on the first try. My engineer did the "Class III" while the brakes were still tied, then I relased the 5 handbrakes. The security officer gave me a ride to the head end of the train. He told me that he was the borhter of one of our engineers. He gave my engineer a ride back to the DPs because the cards needed to be signed. We had been told that we would be relieved at Amboy. A van showed up with our relief crew. We had maybe an hour left. The van took us to Barstow. We went thoguht the drive through at Jack in the Box My engineer and I were hungy, and I was thirsty. I got into bed in the hotel around 1 am. I got up for the free breakfast at 6 and went back to bed. I got my call at 11:30 am. I was deadheaded back to Needles in a van with two other men. I'm projected to go to work around noon tomorrow. No pictures.

I got called for the "B LPCSCO5." It had 3 motors on the head end and one motor in the middle. Behind the middle motor were baretables. The front half of the train was a regular stack train. Our work order said that we were to split it in Barstow. My engineer said that we would probably be told to take another motor out of the roundhouse because one motor wouldn't be enough for the rear half of the train. (The front half of our train was going to Stockton, the rear half was going to Long Beach. Our trip was slow. At least one train broke down and needed helpers They were single tracking. I noticed that my IPAD said that we were to set out one of our motors at Goffs. The AMSBAR was broken down in the siding at Goffs. Their leader was dead. Setting out our second motor would be a lot of work. Then as we neared Goffs we heard the crew of the AMSBAR say that they were in the van and heading to Barstow. I refreshed my IPAD and the set out was gone. We made slow progress to Barstow because they kept stopping us. We had maybe an hour left to work when we got to East Barstow and they told us to split the train. The rapid responder came out to help us. He ran me to the second motor in his truck. I tied the brake on the DP, and 6 handbrakes. I made the cut. The rapid responder had an ETD for us. I hung it and we did the Class III. We were finished just as we went DOL. The rapid responder ran me to the head end of our train. Our train was not tied down. We let the router and the terminal manager know that we were DOL and our train needed to be tied down We had to wait about an hour. A dog catch crew came out and tied our train down. They were nice enough to let us use thier van to take me to the hotel. My engineer went to the depot. I got to the hotel in time for breakfast. I slept about 5 hours, watched some TV, and slept for 3 more hours. I got called for the "S LHALPC3.' On duty time was 10:40 pm. I was ready to go when I got my call. I hadn't eaten all day. When I got to the depot I got some food from the deli. The terminal manager told us to go out to Hodge and get on our train. They were having problems and the crew was DOL. When we got there they said that ther was no air at the rear of the train. They suspected that someone had closed an anglecock and was robbng the train. The rapid responser was trying to find the problem. We had no sooner got on our train when the rapid responder said that he had found two open anglecocks. The air started to come up. It passed the train check. We were soon on the move They ran us good, but there were a lot of trains in the yard when we got to Needles. They told us to tie it down at the East Needles signal. It wasa big train-over 15,000 feet and over 14,000 tons. We had 4 motors on the head end, 2 in the middle, and 2 on the rear. My engineer tied the 4 motors and I tied one handbrake. It held. (It's pretty flat at East Needles). The van ran us back to the depot. On the way we counted 60 open containers. We filed a caim for 130 miles for getting on our train at Hodge. I am now on my rest cycle.

I got called for the "B LPCSCO5." It had 3 motors on the head end and one motor in the middle. Behind the middle motor were baretables. The front half of the train was a regular stack train. Our work order said that we were to split it in Barstow. My engineer said that we would probably be told to take another motor out of the roundhouse because one motor wouldn't be enough for the rear half of the train. (The front half of our train was going to Stockton, the rear half was going to Long Beach. Our trip was slow. At least one train broke down and needed helpers They were single tracking. I noticed that my IPAD said that we were to set out one of our motors at Goffs. The AMSBAR was broken down in the siding at Goffs. Their leader was dead. Setting out our second motor would be a lot of work. Then as we neared Goffs we heard the crew of the AMSBAR say that they were in the van and heading to Barstow. I refreshed my IPAD and the set out was gone. We made slow progress to Barstow because they kept stopping us. We had maybe an hour left to work when we got to East Barstow and they told us to split the train. The rapid responder came out to help us. He ran me to the second motor in his truck. I tied the brake on the DP, and 6 handbrakes. I made the cut. The rapid responder had an ETD for us. I hung it and we did the Class III. We were finished just as we went DOL. The rapid responder ran me to the head end of our train. Our train was not tied down. We let the router and the terminal manager know that we were DOL and our train needed to be tied down We had to wait about an hour. A dog catch crew came out and tied our train down. They were nice enough to let us use thier van to take me to the hotel. My engineer went to the depot. I got to the hotel in time for breakfast. I slept about 5 hours, watched some TV, and slept for 3 more hours. I got called for the "S LHALPC3.' On duty time was 10:40 pm. I was ready to go when I got my call. I hadn't eaten all day. When I got to the depot I got some food from the deli. The terminal manager told us to go out to Hodge and get on our train. They were having problems and the crew was DOL. When we got there they said that ther was no air at the rear of the train. They suspected that someone had closed an anglecock and was robbng the train. The rapid responser was trying to find the problem. We had no sooner got on our train when the rapid responder said that he had found two open anglecocks. The air started to come up. It passed the train check. We were soon on the move They ran us good, but there were a lot of trains in the yard when we got to Needles. They told us to tie it down at the East Needles signal. It wasa big train-over 15,000 feet and over 14,000 tons. We had 4 motors on the head end, 2 in the middle, and 2 on the rear. My engineer tied the 4 motors and I tied one handbrake. It held. (It's pretty flat at East Needles). The van ran us back to the depot. On the way we counted 60 open containers. We filed a caim for 130 miles for getting on our train at Hodge. I am now on my rest cycle.

I cot called for the Q NWHSCO6. On duty time as 8:30 pm. It was over 8500 feet with head end power only- but with the new rule we could go 70. It was a 6 hour trip. When we got to Barstow they told us to take it into Main 4. We had to wait an hour for the outbound to come and relieve us because their conductor got a late call. I asked for terminal manager for one of the new flashlights and he gave me one. I got to the hotel in time for breakfast and I slept for 8 hours. I got up and got a burrito at Fuzzy's. I got callled for a stack train going home. On duty time was 7:30 pm. We got on at the steps. It was a prtty good trip, but when we got to Needles they told us that they weren't callling trains and they held us at West Needles for about an hour. They finally gave us the signal and told us to tie it down at East Needles. I only had to tie 3 brakes. I should go out this evening.

I got called to dogcatch the U JOEWAT, or the "rolling bomb." We had 95 tanker cars of HAZMAT: gasoline, alchohols, and ethanol. We had a loaded hopper on each end of the train to at as a buffer, and we had 3 motors on the head of our train and 2 on the rear. The rear most DP was dead. Our train was still in the yard, on Yard 2. The crew was still on it and they had been non duty for 6 hours. They had set out a bad order and were waiting for helpers. The train would not make it to Barstow without helpers. We relieved them. The helper crew came on duty about the same time as us. The helpers hooked on to the rear of our train. We had been on duty for over an hour when we departed. The dispatcher put us in the siding at Goffs for a while, and then the siding at Amboy. They seemed like they wre in no hurry to get us to Barstow. Our helpers broke off at Pisgah. When we did get to Barstow they told us to take the defective motor to Diesel Service. We called for a van to run us to the rear of our train. When we got there we found out that the motor would not run under it's own power. We called Diesel Service, and the router. The rourtr told us to leave it on the rear of the train. The outbound would add another DP on the rear and they would "tag it and drag it" as we say. We were also told that we were being flipped. We jumped into a van that had been called for another crew and shared it with them. We had never seen this driver before. He was weaving pretty badly. He blamed it on the wind. I'm projected to go out around 5 am tomorrow. I'm sure that I will go out much sooner than that.

I got called to deadhead to Barstow with 3 other men in a van. On the way we were told that there are no more trainmasters in Barstow- and from now on the Terminal Manager will do everything that the trainmaster did. Trainmasters have been laid off system wide. There was a trainmaster at Barstow 24 hours a day 7 days aweek, now they are gone. We were also told that from now on trains with head end power only that are over 85oo feet can go 70 MPH-previoulsy they were restricted to 55 MPH. Trains 10,000 feet or longer must have a DP on the rear- that rule hasn't changed. When we got to Barstow the trainmaster's office was empty, and there was a note on the window that said, "Out of business." We asked the terminal manager if there were any trains that we could take to Needles so we could "flip" but he said no so we tied up and went to the hotel. I slept about 6 hours, got up for the free breakfast, and went back to bed. I was awakened by a telemarketer at 11 am. I couldn't get back to sleep so I got a burrito from Fuzzy's. I evetually went back to sleep and got called for the "Q LACCHI" at 5:30. On duty time was 7 pm. As my engineer and I went over the profile we noticed that our train was over 8600 feet long (cars only) and we had 5 motors on the head end- no DP. We looked for the new rule in our IPADS. Another conductor helped us find it. Yes, there it was in writing. We could go 70MPH. We got on at the steps. The inbound told us that we had 3 containers open at the rear of our train. We were a "Nike train," (we had lots of Nikes in our contianers). This is the kind of train that thieves love to break into. Security closed the containers. The dispatcher ran us good. We only stopped twice. We saw security most of the trip. Security or the railroad police were at several crossings, or riding on the highway near us with their lights flashing. We got into Needles after midnight and I tied up around 1 am. It was a 7 hour day. I should go out this afternoon. I willg et some held away for staying n the htoel so long. I have attached a picture of the trainmaster's window- and our leader, the 4601.

I got called for the "Q MEMSCO" for the second time in a row. For the second time in a row our train was to split at Needles. For the second time in a row I was on the head end and the other crew had to do the split. They would also have to pick up some cars in Yard 3. On duty time was 7:30 pm. Our trip was about 8 and a half hours. Our outbund came out pretty quickly. I got into bed around 4 am. (Daylight savings time had just ended and the clocks moved ahead). I got up at 6 am for the free breakfast and slept another 4 hours. I got up and I couldn't get back to sleep. I went to Fuzzy's and got a burrito. I got called for an X train going from Fresno to Minot, North Dakota. It had 2 motors on the head end and 100 empty grain hoppers. I was hoping that we would just get on and go. But the work order said at we had to pick up 51 empty hoppers in Storage Track 12. The inbound crew had 5 hours left but they didn't have to do it. Also, our train was in I1. We couldn't go directly into the Storage Yard from I1. We would have to go out to the main line and shove in. The van ran us out to our train. We asked the van to stay with us. We told the router, and the bowl tower what we needed to do. We went thorugh the East Barstow signal. I got off and rolled my train by. I got on the last hopper and we had a red over a flashing red. We shoved into the storage yard. I had the van run me back and I lined the switches. I shoved us back form the van. When we got within two cars of the hook I removed the ETD from the rear of our train. There was a work train trying to do some work in track 14 and they were irritated because we frogged them in. I brought my engineer back to a hook. I laced the hoses and cut the air in. I put the ETD in the van and we went to the end of the train,. My engineer could not hear me over the radio but the work train was nice enough to relay my messages to him. I hung the ETD. We did the Class III and the two way. There was one brake at the rear of the train. There were 3 brakes on the east end of the cut. The van ran me to the head end. They ran us pretty good. But our train was limit

ed to 55 MPH and we were underpowered. We got in around 3 am. I filed a cliam for riding the rear of my train for over 1 mile. I am now on my rest. I have attached a picture of our leader, the 8489.

I got called for the Q MEMSCO. On duty time was 6:30 pm. We had 3 motors on the head end and 3 in the middle. Our work order said that we had to split our train. My engineer and I got on the head end and another crew got on our middle DP. They made the cut and hung the ETD for us. It was a good trip to Barstow. They stopped us a few times. We got to Barstow in the wee hours of the morning and tied our train down on Main 2. Our day was just over 8 hours. I slept for a couple of hours, got up for the free breakfast, and went back to bed for a while. I woke up in the afternoon and could not get back to sleep. I went to Fuzzy's to get a burrito, and got called for the "Q STOCLO." ON duty time was 8 pm. Our train was tied down on Main 2 when we went on duty. It was a good train with 3 motors on the head end and 2 on the rear. Our trip to Needles was longer than it should have been because there was a lot of traffic ahead of us and we had to keep stopping. When we went through Amboy Ii looked in my IPAD and it said that we had to set out one of our motors in Needles when we got there. We came into Needles around sunrise. The outbound met us at the east end and they helped us. The setout went smoothly and we parked the motor on roundhouse 2. I should go out again this evening.

I got called for the "H GALBAR." On duty time was 3 pm. It was a big train with 4 motors on the head end and 1 on the rear. They were in no hurry to get us to Barstow. We sat at the depot in Needles for a while before we departed. They put us into the siding at Goffs to let a train run around us, then put us in the sding at Ash Hill. We swapped with a Q train at Ash Hill. We only had 2 hours left to work. The other crew had much more time left than we did. We got as far as Dagget on our Q train and they sent our outbound to us. I went straight to the hotel. I slept for a couple of hours, got up for the free breakfast at 6, went back to bed, and I woke up around noon. It was a beautiful day in Barstow so I walked over to Fuzzy's and got a burrito. After I ate I could not get back to sleep. I kept looking at the lineup t see what train I was going to get but it kept changing. I finally dozed off. I got called for the "S LBEMEM." It was a nice small train with 4 motors on the head end. On duty time was 11:30 pm. I had been in the hotel over 20 hours, and I will get some "held away" for that. It took a while for our train to come in. We got on at the steps. It was a good trip. When we got to Needles the dispatcher told us that we had several open containers and that we would have to instruct our outbound to pull down to the east end so security could close them. An H train was stopped on Main 4 and we had to climb over it. I didn't sleep good today. I will probaably go out in a couple of hours. I have attached a picture of our leader, the 6866.

I got caled for the "B HCKSCO," a train of empty intermodal cars, or "baretable flats" as we call them. Our work order said that we were supposed to pick up more baretables out of a siding. at Saltus. I looked in my TCMs and they said that the switch at the west end of that siding was "hard to throw." I notified the dispatcher. After we had departed they told us to "highball" the setout. Before we got to Barstow my IPAD said that we were to set out our last two cars in Barstow. When we got in they told us that we were to set out our first two cars. I told them that my IPAD said that we were to set out our last two cars. A different voice came over the radio and called me by name. They said that the cars were lines 3 and 4, and they gave me the car numbers. The router first told us we would be going into Receiver 7, then they told us that we would be going into Receiver 5 and setting the cars out to Receiver 1. We pulled into Receiver 5. I got my "in between" and walked back to look for the two cars. It seemed to me they were much farther back than lines 3 and 4. I found them, tied 3 brakes behiind them, and made the cut. I rode the last car over the switch, and then I shoved us into Receiver 1. We were told to make a hook. I got off when we were about one car away and took my engineer back to a hook. I tied the brakes on the cars tha we were setting out (they were each "5 packers," so they each had one brake on each end). Then I cut us away and rode thel ast car over the switch. I was stopped under the bridge. I kept asking the rotuer to throw the swtich but he did not respond. (I didn't know it but he was having radio trouble). We finally got the swtich and I shoved us back into R5. I stopped us when we were a car away and shoved my engineer back to a hook. I laced the hoses and cut the air in. Since we larady had brakes tied I didn't tie any more. I walked up to the head end and the engineer called for a van and tied the brakes on the motors. I wrote a note for our outbound, telling them that there were 3 brakes tied about 15 or two platforms back. A van showed up quicker than we expected. We went to the depot and tied up. It had been an 11 and a half hour day, which meant that I would get some overtime. I went to the hotel, slept for a few , and got up at 6 for the free breakfast. I went back to bed and slept like a log. I got called for a stack train. On duty time was 5 minutes after noon. We got on at the steps. It was a nice, small stack train with 3 motors on the head end. No setouts or pickups. Still, it was an 8 hour day because they stopped us a couple of titmes. When we got to the Needles singal it was red. I asked if we could flag it and the dispatcher said yes. The railroad police told us that we had several open containers. We notified the outbound that they would have to pull down to the east end so security could close the doors. I stayed behind to roll my train by and told them they had 5 containers open. I tied up. I am now on my rest cycle. I have attached a picture of our leader, the 6202.