Back in October 1988 I was the regular engineer on the Desert Wind trains, 35-36. I was running #36 just coming out of Afton Canyon and started getting "color". I got up behind an EB stack train. I got the green and took off. I hear the DS in Salt Lake talking to another train, but couldn't hear the train. The DS is back on the radio and tells someone that she has AMT at Sands. A few minutes later she's back talking saying AMT is close to Kelso. My asst. engineer and I are looking at each other and wondering why some train out there in the night is so concerned about us. I'm closing in on Kelso and now I hear both sides of the conversation. "3519 West to Salt Lake, Barbara, you can't keep holding these signals against me, I'm having trouble with this train". Salt Lake: Well I don't test where Im going to have you meet AMT. About 2 minutes later, "3519 to Salt Lake, where's AMT, I'm in trouble, 3519 to AMT 36, where are you at?" I respond that I'm at Kelso and it looks like she has me line in the hole at Hayden for you. " well you better shake it, I'm not going to make it for you." I took that 45 mph curve at E. Kelso at 50mph and hauled up to the turnout at Hayden and got in the clear as this 12,000 ton potash train came by at about 60 or so, in emergency, sparks, pinwheels everywhere. He had retainers up, but still lost it. Saw the train at Yermo the next morning and all the wheels were BLUE. They had to replace EVERY brakeshoe from the 4 SD40-2's, 80 hoppers and caboose before they would let it leave Yermo.
@@gordonvincent731 awesome story to hear. I was on a desert wind train a few times. One time, the sucker died between yermo and Las Vegas. The damn UP didn’t want to let us use one of their engines according to radio chatter, but they finally did. It was cool for me because that meant that I got to be on Amtrak longer. Did you only run between Barstow and Las Vegas? Anymore stories that you’d like to share?
@@Atsf1976 We LA crews ran from LAUPT to Las Vegas and turned it over to the Salt Lake crews, then ran #35 back to LA. One of the best RR jobs I ever had.
And yet a few months after you had that harrowing experience, there was the San Bernardino train disaster. I'm sure that probably weighed heavy on your mind. Seems to a casual observer like me that there were some issues with the railroad in those days, sending trains down hills that were too heavy for the amount of stopping power provided.
@@JohnCrombossiery-p7v In this case, it was some bad judgement on the engineer. He, in railroad terms, "pissed away his air", even with retainers turned up. He was suspended for 6 months. UP special instructions for that part of the California Div. states that all WB trains exceeding 4,000 tons must stop at Cima and turn up retainers. That train had 80 short hoppers with 12,000 tons of potash from Salt Lake area going to the Port of Long Beach, Calif. for trans-loading to a ship.
@@gordonvincent731 I just studied up on retainers a bit, and it sounds like the retainer valves are supposed to help him conserve air, yet he wasted so much of it that he still had an insufficient amount? 💨😮 Was that caused by too many short brake applications?
That GE at 6:30 has quite a hum to it. Not quite like an EMD, but usually a GE sounds like an old 2-cylinder John Deere. I'm guessing it's the helper unit with a V16.
Nice video and thanks 4 time spent chasing trains all the way out in the cal. desert. Not familiar with that area as far out there in the sticks. I do like Afton canyon part of the sub. Looking at the 1st train I am hazarding a guess it was a West bound with well lite cars and empty center beams headed back West as we have here in Az's Gila Sub. Guessing that wood had been delivered to Las Vegas. Again, thanks for your time at the tracks for our enjoyment. .
Yeah the Los Angeles and Salt Lake sub, used to get 25 trains a day or sometimes more if there was rerouted traffic for some reason, but it's pretty dead these days. Kelso at the bottom of the grade, used to be a steam shop and roundhouse, for helper engines. That is why there is a wye track at Cima itself, so the helpers could turn around and come back to the shops and station in Kelso. That was a trip, watching that Herzog ballast train drop ballast remotely. I did not know they could do remote drops like that.
@@MrEricmopar thanks. I had no idea that they could do drop ballast that way either. Kelso has restrooms just in case you’re watching trains out there and need to take care of business.
In the 1990s, BNSF began outfitting ballast hoppers with center and side dump doors with raio-controlled operating doors. What an improvement in safe operation to stand away from a moving ballast train versus walking along beside a ballast car with a 15-lb lining bar, operating the door opening and closing the ballast unloading doors. Where y'all been! The only-ist thing I would have added would be a pre-listed manifest of all the car numbers in order you flip front to back while moving. Having to enter a car number on the move to change control from one car to another was fussing around.
@@glennfoster2423 I barely ever see ballast cars (never seen them dump with my own eyes, only seen them on run throughs) and I guess that I didn't pay much attention to them. lol.
My wife and I take the desert route between Palm Springs and Las Vegas through Kelso. Last year we heard of a runaway on the hill there anybody have information about that I’ve never been able to see any of the damage or found out what happened to the crew or why the train ran away. I happen to be a locomotive engineer retired from Wisconsin.
@@georgepulford2056 I went down there, but I couldn’t fly my drone there because it’s considered like a national park. Never heard anything about the crew and I don’t recall off hand why it became a runaway. If I find anything out, I will post here
Dont know if this helps,but i know around Vegas you can catch up to 3 or max 6 trains during mon-tue 2pm until 530pm ,the other days of the week idunno,on the last 2 weeks of any month
@Atsf1976 from what I remember in the past three months near Southwest LV by 215/decatur- the Z or I-SCLB waits in the siding around 2-3 for the Z-DVLB(3-430pm) to pass
Thanks for another great one. I haven’t been to this area and I really don’t know why as have been so close numerous times. The lack of traffic would probably keep me away now but is it correct that it used to be a lot busier? Is the maintenance routine or are they preparing for more traffic? Thanks again.
It has never been busy in the 20+ years that I've known about it. It's just a leftovers type of line or if something happens, they can re-route traffic on this line. I think that the maintenance is just routine. Next weekend begins my trip from Crozier, AZ to Cajon Pass/Beaumont Hill.
🙏🙏🙏 and thank you Dad for all those can rides🌹🌹🌹🙏🙏🙏
Back in October 1988 I was the regular engineer on the Desert Wind trains, 35-36. I was running #36 just coming out of Afton Canyon and started getting "color". I got up behind an EB stack train. I got the green and took off. I hear the DS in Salt Lake talking to another train, but couldn't hear the train. The DS is back on the radio and tells someone that she has AMT at Sands. A few minutes later she's back talking saying AMT is close to Kelso. My asst. engineer and I are looking at each other and wondering why some train out there in the night is so concerned about us. I'm closing in on Kelso and now I hear both sides of the conversation. "3519 West to Salt Lake, Barbara, you can't keep holding these signals against me, I'm having trouble with this train". Salt Lake: Well I don't test where Im going to have you meet AMT. About 2 minutes later, "3519 to Salt Lake, where's AMT, I'm in trouble, 3519 to AMT 36, where are you at?" I respond that I'm at Kelso and it looks like she has me line in the hole at Hayden for you. " well you better shake it, I'm not going to make it for you." I took that 45 mph curve at E. Kelso at 50mph and hauled up to the turnout at Hayden and got in the clear as this 12,000 ton potash train came by at about 60 or so, in emergency, sparks, pinwheels everywhere. He had retainers up, but still lost it. Saw the train at Yermo the next morning and all the wheels were BLUE. They had to replace EVERY brakeshoe from the 4 SD40-2's, 80 hoppers and caboose before they would let it leave Yermo.
@@gordonvincent731 awesome story to hear. I was on a desert wind train a few times. One time, the sucker died between yermo and Las Vegas. The damn UP didn’t want to let us use one of their engines according to radio chatter, but they finally did. It was cool for me because that meant that I got to be on Amtrak longer. Did you only run between Barstow and Las Vegas? Anymore stories that you’d like to share?
@@Atsf1976 We LA crews ran from LAUPT to Las Vegas and turned it over to the Salt Lake crews, then ran #35 back to LA. One of the best RR jobs I ever had.
And yet a few months after you had that harrowing experience, there was the San Bernardino train disaster. I'm sure that probably weighed heavy on your mind. Seems to a casual observer like me that there were some issues with the railroad in those days, sending trains down hills that were too heavy for the amount of stopping power provided.
@@JohnCrombossiery-p7v In this case, it was some bad judgement on the engineer. He, in railroad terms, "pissed away his air", even with retainers turned up. He was suspended for 6 months. UP special instructions for that part of the California Div. states that all WB trains exceeding 4,000 tons must stop at Cima and turn up retainers. That train had 80 short hoppers with 12,000 tons of potash from Salt Lake area going to the Port of Long Beach, Calif. for trans-loading to a ship.
@@gordonvincent731 I just studied up on retainers a bit, and it sounds like the retainer valves are supposed to help him conserve air, yet he wasted so much of it that he still had an insufficient amount? 💨😮 Was that caused by too many short brake applications?
Interesting clip of the trains and places in California . Thanks for sharing 😊
@@andrewthacker114 thanks for watching. I hope to stop out there again this year
That GE at 6:30 has quite a hum to it. Not quite like an EMD, but usually a GE sounds like an old 2-cylinder John Deere. I'm guessing it's the helper unit with a V16.
Enjoyed watching once again and awesome footage. Have a wonderful evening.(Steve)
Thanks Steve. You too buddy.
@Atsf1976 you're very welcome and thank you also.
Nice video and thanks 4 time spent chasing trains all the way out in the cal. desert. Not familiar with that area as far out there in the sticks. I do like Afton canyon part of the sub. Looking at the 1st train I am hazarding a guess it was a West bound with well lite cars and empty center beams headed back West as we have here in Az's Gila Sub. Guessing that wood had been delivered to Las Vegas. Again, thanks for your time at the tracks for our enjoyment. .
@@ManifestPhil99 thanks for watching and commenting Phil. I want to visit that sub and lordsburg. You railfan those two sub?
Mega awesome freight trains 🚆 video 📹 brilliant captures especially the close ups really great viewing 👍 👌 👏
Thanks Trevor. Next weekend is drone time buddy
Yeah the Los Angeles and Salt Lake sub, used to get 25 trains a day or sometimes more if there was rerouted traffic for some reason, but it's pretty dead these days. Kelso at the bottom of the grade, used to be a steam shop and roundhouse, for helper engines. That is why there is a wye track at Cima itself, so the helpers could turn around and come back to the shops and station in Kelso.
That was a trip, watching that Herzog ballast train drop ballast remotely. I did not know they could do remote drops like that.
@@MrEricmopar thanks. I had no idea that they could do drop ballast that way either. Kelso has restrooms just in case you’re watching trains out there and need to take care of business.
In the 1990s, BNSF began outfitting ballast hoppers with center and side dump doors with raio-controlled operating doors. What an improvement in safe operation to stand away from a moving ballast train versus walking along beside a ballast car with a 15-lb lining bar, operating the door opening and closing the ballast unloading doors. Where y'all been!
The only-ist thing I would have added would be a pre-listed manifest of all the car numbers in order you flip front to back while moving. Having to enter a car number on the move to change control from one car to another was fussing around.
@@glennfoster2423 I barely ever see ballast cars (never seen them dump with my own eyes, only seen them on run throughs) and I guess that I didn't pay much attention to them. lol.
About 108 cars.
My wife and I take the desert route between Palm Springs and Las Vegas through Kelso. Last year we heard of a runaway on the hill there anybody have information about that I’ve never been able to see any of the damage or found out what happened to the crew or why the train ran away. I happen to be a locomotive engineer retired from Wisconsin.
@@georgepulford2056 I went down there, but I couldn’t fly my drone there because it’s considered like a national park. Never heard anything about the crew and I don’t recall off hand why it became a runaway. If I find anything out, I will post here
sheessh
@@AlexanderNugroho-g6r what?
@@Atsf1976 its damn good bro
@ thanks Alexander. Glad that you liked and watched.
Dont know if this helps,but i know around Vegas you can catch up to 3 or max 6 trains during mon-tue 2pm until 530pm ,the other days of the week idunno,on the last 2 weeks of any month
Sounds good. Thanks for the information. Are they usually manifests and intermodals?
@Atsf1976 from what I remember in the past three months near Southwest LV by 215/decatur- the Z or I-SCLB waits in the siding around 2-3 for the Z-DVLB(3-430pm) to pass
A manifest,local or coal train pops up before or after the intermodals
@ I will be on the lookout for. You out in Vegas?
@@Atsf1976 yeah I visit the tracks around 2-5pm latest would be 530
Thanks for another great one. I haven’t been to this area and I really don’t know why as have been so close numerous times. The lack of traffic would probably keep me away now but is it correct that it used to be a lot busier? Is the maintenance routine or are they preparing for more traffic? Thanks again.
It has never been busy in the 20+ years that I've known about it. It's just a leftovers type of line or if something happens, they can re-route traffic on this line. I think that the maintenance is just routine. Next weekend begins my trip from Crozier, AZ to Cajon Pass/Beaumont Hill.