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.