I am back at work and bid on the Birmingham-Gadsden road train, which is mostly daylight hours. When stranded in Boyles Yard, I've kept my camera out, and heres some of the shots I have managed to get this week......
Great video Jerry! Now you can do better than that. Get a video going over the tall bridge at roper or going thru roper tunnel. It will seem more exciting to video something going track speed too.
Much much better Jerry, Expect for your talkative conductor. It sure was funny hearing Ol Russ talk for 8 minutes and 7seconds. i couldnt even hear his brakeman talk once. Russ sure does love to be heard . i just cant figure why it takes eight minutes to explain how to cut some cars off in a track. GOOD JOB BRIEFING RUSS,,,, HEA HAH you hillbilly.
Jerry, that's fascinating to watch. Thanks for sharing where and how you work, though you sure have a noisy office. I noticed that the diesel's RPMs were going up and down, more so when entering and leaving the yard, but also out on the road occasionally. Were you controlling the RPM, or is that a computer function, like cruise control on cars?
I'm controlling the RPM's. You are constantly looking at switches lined correctly when in a yard. Any one could be lined wrong and you have to be able to stop. Plus, you are running at restricted speed....able to stop in half your range of sight....so your constantly making adjustments with the throttle. When out on the main, you have to maintain 10mph until the last car clears the last switch. On top of all that, hold the camera steady!
Thanks, much like the right foot on the accelerator in traffic or hilly roads. Checking for mis-aligned switches implies that you know exactly how you are being routed through a yard. I had assumed that the yard's DS would route you where tracks were clear at the moment, then you would stop when you reached a red signal at the end. Wrong again.....!
The yardmaster does have control of SOME power switches. There are also hand throws mixed in. BUT....just because he says come into this track or that track, it is not a given that every switch is lined for that track. The remote switches might not work correctly. His indicator lights might not be working. A yard crew might have made a move through a hand throw in front of you. You have to know where you are going. While you are moving at slow speeds, a yard can really get you in trouble if your not careful and know where you are going. Go into a wrong track that has another train thinking they are going into....and well....you get the picture!
