SD40-2 Remotes??

We have them here in Galesburg. I got stopped at a railroad crossing in Galesburg when 7832 pulled a train out of the yard and them pushed it back in as they where putting on an R & D track. the loco was clearly marked as remote. So me being as curious as I am, I Drove down over the yard only to find about 4 more of them running down there.

 

Jack,

Funny thing you should mention remotes. I go to the Tacoma, WA yard on Fridays when I can to do some train watching. This past Friday a train came in to the yard from the north. In the consists about 10 cars deep was a slug with a remote SD-38-P coupled to it. I have seen these in Pasco, WA at the hump yard. Not long after this train had put its cars away and put the power to the house one of the yard switchers came out on the south end of the yard and it to was a remote. The operator was on the ground with the remote box hanging around his neck. Two man switch crews, what next.

 

What is next is one man switch crew. They alread have some......

 

THey're getting pretty common here in the norhtwest. BN9900 and I were in Seattle today and saw a number of RCUs in service. Interbay and Balmer yards now have signs warning crews to look out for RC locos.

 

Do the really save time in switching? Seems like the operator/eng. has his hands full paying attention to the loco, and then also has to pay attention to a switch list??

 

Jim,

Not real sure if the romotes are money or time savers. I have a friend that works for UP and he said that the UP is useing lots of remotes on long haul trains but none in the yards yet.

The first one I ever saw was at the hump yard in Pasco, WA. And then a couple of weeks ago in Tacoma.

Like everything else I guess we wait and see.

Shannon

WP LIVES

 

Here is an article that appeared recently on the Trains.com website. Although it deal with CSX and not BNSF, it sounds like the same would apply...

http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/004/147yddzd.asp

William