Operations | Switching with a 6 Axle 

GFI = Ground Fault Interrupt

We wouldn't typically blow the horn, I'd walk the train across. I can recall the use of the horn in that scenario a few times, but through most of my conductor years before I had to go medically retired, we would approach slowly, walk the train across, We would typically go straight through if it was a protected crossing without a horn.

very nice layout. You did a good job blending the backround pictures into your layout. Looks almost real!! Thanks for sharing your video.

@ 15:51... yes the whistle is blown even if the engine is several cars back... the rulebook dictates you blow the whistle when occupying a crossing... so IF something happens you're covered... plus, railroad officials do randomly download the event recorders on the locomotives... and believe it or not they are looking for ANY non-compliant rule behavior... that event recorder is a tattle tale rat fink, so if you didn't blow for that crossing it'll show it... so to cover yourself, you blow, no matter how far back you are... also, the whistles on those big GE's are SUPER LOUD... drivers at the crossing will definitely hear it

Enjoyed the video. I was wondering if you ever considered separating your locomotive consist when you get to the destination and find there is not enough room for both locomotives to operate. I watched this happen in real life on the BNSF local in Guthrie OK. The consist was a GP38-2 and a GP50. In order the move the cars to their destination the separated and the GP38 did the spotting. That would add another option to your Ops. Keep up the good work.

Nice ops Rick thanks for sharing. Happy modeling!! -Jason

Hi Rick. John from Pennsylvania checking in. Great video! I’m guessing for safety a crew member would be out flagging the traffic and the engineer would blow the horn too for safety sake. Have a great day!

And so....... art mimics life. As real railroading gets more and more boring, so does the switching on the SoCal layout. Personally, I miss the variation of the motive power. Love your SF early Geeps every now and then. And the GP15-38-39-40 power. Also wish you had an MP15; DC, AC, T, whatever - just to keep things from becoming as monotonous as the real railroads have become. But, that's just me. It's your layout and I'm enjoying it, regardless. Thanks for another good one, Rick.

My City Pomona CA we have a spur Pomona CA to Chino CA at first St and parcels Union Pacific picks up a lumber company sometime. The spur follows reservoir St then Chino Ave. I believe long Beach local. I even spotted Cotton Belt Line diesel 1013 1984 GP 38 second unit One time. I heard that the spur was a Southern Pacific freight mainline one time. Used to continue Chino Ontario Montclair east line removed. Only reservoir St Chino CA remains the West loop. One time near oak Ave back 1980s Used to stop at General Dynamics

Yes, they use the conductor to control traffic at cross sections and do the switching.

Drop the empties on the north end of the west runaround so that you don't have to shove them across the grade crossing, and then foul the crossing again to pick them up.

I have a problem with the two piles of lumber at the yard. I am a carpenter, and I can tell you that nobody trow pieces of lumber the way you do on the ground. Lumber need to be stacked neatly on small pieces of lumber to keep it off the ground. The main reason is if you let the lumber the way you do all over, lumber will twist and will be unusable, especially in southern California where the sun will dries one side faster than the other. Just a thought, trying to make your layout more realistic.

GFCI Outlet

Good video as always. I live in the SouthBay area in L.A. County where I'm not far from seeing action on the Union Pacific. I've seen a U.P. local delivering and picking up cars on the line that runs from U.P. East L.A. yard south to the city of Carson to the ex Southern Pacific's Dolores Yard. This line also splits to the west in the city of Watts where U.P. serve industries like Space X in the city of Hawthorne and terminates in city of El Segundo east of the Chevron Oil Refinery. On my way to work in El Segundo one morning, I got stopped by the U.P. local delivering tank cars to the Chevron Oil Refinery and low and behold to my surprise, this U.P. local was working with a pair of SD70Ms instead of the normal four axle GP38s and 40s. I had to take pictures of this phenomenon on my smartphone. The SD70Ms looked out of place I say and funny doing work usually done by four axle U.P. locomotives. I've also seen U.P. using a high horsepowered GP60 on the city of Torrance local. I'm incorporating some of the industries and switching operations on your layout on my layout. I model U.P. in HO scale between the time period of 1965 to present day. I run a variety of U.P. diesel locomotives from GP15s to DDA40Xs. Keep these 👍 great videos coming! I'll have to make a trip down to the O.C. to catch some U.P. action.

Garrett, IN. CSX uses whatever power is available. Four axle, six axle, big truck with a heavy duty bumper... :P Aaand, another fun video, Rick!

I too have been vexed by that question. Common sense would dictate that with more than a certain number of cars it wouldn't make any sense, and possibly be dangerous, to sound the horn when shoving through a crossing. Don't know what that number is, though. Where's an expert when you need one?

No honk. Conductor riding the Shove on rear car. Might Flag Crossing if traffic is issue. My observations from Class1’s and Shortlines. Maybe a Conductor will comment.

Have you considered having a plug and play solor generator for backup power?

Cool session! Joy riding on the Dash-9!