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.