Woke up the 16th to see this set outside as I headed off to work. And while that power was getting tied down by the service track, the switch crew was busy sorting in the yard.
And then later that evening, the power was put together with some other eastbound GP's and on the head end of an M train waiting to depart east off 2 track. Funny thing is, by the morning of the 17th, it was still sitting there, then the big power was taken off before lunch. Then part of it was put back later, and the train finally was gone between 11600 and 1800. No hurry for this train!! Did a video drivweby too, it's at the bottom... And a short Sidney local heading out... It always looks funny with SO much power pulling 2 hoppers!
Really like your view of 7197 and train! That Sidney local must have some work to do, along the way. Otherwise how to justify two big units?
There are two reasons. First, operating rules; gotta have a cab to face forward on the way home from Sidney. And in winter, 2 hot cabs. Second; they usually do come back with a large string of sugar beet syrup and other cars. There is work up there, at the beet plant and on oil upload yard also. It is fun to watch the little short thing with so much power tho!!
Alan, I think it's just cold. Extremely cold! I have caught units like that in Minot. There might be a leak, too. Here's a similar effect I bagged in Minot on CP last month:
That was my first thought, but it wasn't idling. As cold as it was outside, it should have been idling until it got put on the turntable to go into the shop. So my guess was a leak or broken pipe.
Had an even shorter Sidney local the other day. That horn sure sounds old too, like it swallowed a pigeon! And it was raining some on Thur. so I was able to catch this eastbound pulling the hump,
My last stop there, the (now CBRW) water tank at Wheeler (WA) still had it's BN emblem. Maybe a couple of years ago now? Time flies, memory fades...
Last night I was able to catch this train eastbound going over the hump. It is empty, looking at the springs and hearing it. But, I don't know for sure what it is. The hoppers are extremely hammered with a lot of damage I would expect to see from a rip-rap load. It looks like large rocks have been dropped into these cars.
Possible these are for plastic pellets? There's a company in Auburn, Wa near me that makes all the plastic grocery bags, sandwich bags, garbage bags, etc and they have 20-3- of these railcars on site at all times.
Though I haven't been in the USA for sometime now, is this a norm on the BNSF and other companies? By having a rear remote unit on the longer trains?
Yes, it helps for better train control, better air supply to the braking system, and on grades, it helps distribute the power better.
I have seen it on every unit train here, and those are usually 100 plus cars. Most mixed freight doesn't seem to have them. I suppose due to the many empties mixed into the train. Some do have one on the rear here, but it seems to be the exception.
