A
Tour of
Montana Rail Link's Billings Transfer
Photos of 11/20/01 This page takes a long time to load. Be patient.
First we secure Track Warrants and Bulletins, check the General Orders, get any other tasks to do from the Yardmaster and Trainmaster. I drive over to the Laurel Roundhouse area to get the Power. We will have the MRL702 and the MRL703. New radio channels require us to get permission from the Roundhouse Foreman on Channel 3 to leave. They will lower the derail at the exit/entrance to the mechanical limits and we will head out into the yard.
Here we are Leaving the Laurel Roundhouse Notice the digital Quantam speedometer/aleter/accelerometer on the MRL702. There is a 5 mph speed limit in Roundhouse limits.
After I call the "Top of the East" foreman and get permission to use his lead, we head down a clear track, (this time east 7) and go to our train in East 11 track. Here we are on the Top of the East Lead. We will turn to Channel 2 and call the Bottom of the East to use their lead and get on our train in East 11.
After coupling the bottom of the East cars to the Top of the East cars, we call the Car Foreman on Channel 3 and let the carmen know we are set. They will couple the air hoses and inspect the cars, release the handbrakes, install and activate the emergency 2 way button on "FRED", let the train charge with air, ask me to set the brakes and inspect that all the brakes work. I call the dispatcher on Channel 1 and get a track warrant for authority from CTC Silo (Laurel) to CTC East Billings. The carman will roll us by when we leave and inspect the release and double check for handbrakes. (Photo above: Leaving Laurel on the Bottom of East lead extension)
My run from Laurel MP12 to Billings MP 0. A photo: 56th Ave, MP9,, about halfway to Billings.
As we arrive in Billings, after crossing busy Moore LN. and I slow down to let the crew off (above) so they can set out the train to Billings Yard.
I pull the train up and back into the New Yard. Tonight we a short, only 1440 feet long so I barely reach 29th street (above) in Billings. Usually we are clear up by the old Billings Depot. The MRL Billings Yard office is just to the right in this photo.
Backing into the Old yard. Notice the "Mary" readout 1649 is the distance counter in feet. "FRED" reads 00 now because the switch crew has pulled it off and it is laying on the ground. The small print below on "MARY" says "LOW PRESS", a readout that occurs accompanied with a 4 beep alarm when "FRED" moves with less than 44 lbs. of pressure. The 2 small yellow squares on Mary are "MOV" (indicating FRED moving...he isn't because it's laying on the ground, the ground vibration of the train makes the FRED think it's moving). The next little yellow square read "HVM ON" indicated the High visibility marker is flashing. The larger yellow square is "Emergency Enabled" indicates the FRED can put the train in Emergency via a switch that is on the right of the MARY (not visible in this dark photo. The Speedometer reads 1.6 as I am just starting back. The accelerometer reads 7.6 mph/min. and will go to 19.9 max readout. I'll back into the yard at less than 10 mph turnout speed into the New Yard.
After we cut off the train, we park the Power in the South Dock track at the BNSF hub center out of the way. Tonight we will have to take the MRL16(outside photo) switch engine down to spot the coal at Montana Power. I call the dispatcher and release the track warrant authority for the 703 transfer power, get permission to change the initial bulletins and warrant to the MR 16(control stand photo), get a work between Eastward main line authority between MP 2 and CTC East Billings so that we can go to Montana Power. I took the picture (above) after we got back from Montana Power as the Exxon Job was leaving and after I changed ends from the 702 to 703 on the Transfer Power. I call the dispatcher and clear the track warrant for the MRL 16, get permission to change the initial warrant back to the 703, get a work between on the Eastbound main and a Westbound warrant from MP2 to CTC Shilo for the trip back to Laurel.
We crossover to the westbound mainline, stop and hang FRED on the end of 3 track in the Old Yard, continue up to the West end of the Old Yard, past the Muffler Man, back into old 1, double Old 1 to Old 3, pull out on the main, and set the air. We pass into the 25 mph, stop and the crew walks the set making sure the brakes work. It is getting light now and we are getting tired.
Brake inspection complete, we brave our way over the rush hour traffic at Moore Ln. (above) and head back to Laurel.
MP3, MP4, MP5, MP6, MP7, MP8, MP9,
After we go by the reader at MP9, I call Laurel Yardmaster on Channel 4 and get instructions for yarding the train.
MP10,
(Above) About MP 10.5, we meet a BNSF coal empty.
MP11, MP12, Shilo, Mossman, BOE
We get right in the Yard today without calling the Bottom of the East job because it is between shifts for the Eastbound switch engines and everybody has gone home.
We Yard the train in Eastbound 7 going by the parked MRL111 and MRL12
While pulling through East 7, I call the Dispatcher on Channel 1 and release the trackwarrant.. After I stop sharply to allow the slack to run in so that the switch crews will be able to separate the cars when they go to switch this train, I continue reduce the brakepipe to 35psi. Then crew cuts the engine off and we head for the roundhouse.
For you railfans, inside the Roundhouse limits there was: a multicolored BNSF consist , A BNSF6514 in ATSF paint, and the MRL151.
"Pez" and I walk over to the parking lot, get in my pickup, I take him over to the Yard office and go home.
[CONTENTS] [INTRO] [TRANSFER] [Logbook2002]