Getting Real column - 11
10. Locomotive No. 29 is on the head end of train No.
14, the Merced Local, this day. It is shown waiting for
the semaphore to drop at the AT&SF interlocking plant
so that it can proceed toward Merced Falls and, ulti-
mately, El Portal.
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11. While train No. 14 was switching cars onto its train
in Merced, locomotive No. 25 was doing likewise in
El Portal for the El Portal Local. Here is it pulling a YV
flat car loaded with a state roads department Fresno
scraper out of the auto loading track.
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orientation for visiting operators before the operating sessions.
I have a checklist of the things I want to cover during these
orientations. For example, I like operators to take water at all
12. Earlier today, the engineer of the Log Train, the
No. 8, picked up its assigned caboose and left Merced
at 7:30 a.m., running light to Merced Falls. There it
pulled out the log cars spotted the previous day on
the Log Spur, ran around them and then coupled back
onto its caboose. It is now 9:34 a.m. and the No. 8 is
just crossing the county road as it leaves Merced Falls
for Bagby and a meet with the Rock Train.
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water tanks or water plugs. Some of them are operational so
I demonstrate how those work. I also point out the need to
return all mainline switches to be lined for the mainline as
required by Rule 104, and remind them that all of the derails
on the layout are operational.
The goal
During the orientations, I also encourage operators to not chat
with each other about current day subjects, such as what tele-
vision show they watched the night before while waiting for
MRH-Nov 2014
