Can anyone direct me to where I can find a listing of the current crew change points for the Class I railroads?
I don’t think such a list exists. A crew can be changed anywhere. It’s usually a good idea to change crews where a van or truck can get to them, but even that doesn’t always happen. Your best bet for crew change points is where big yards and terminals are.
Is there somewhere that I can identify the big yards & terminals, then? How far can a crew go before it has to get changed? What happens to the crew if a van can’t get them? Where do they take the crew?
A crew can operate a train for 12 hours, or until they reach their destination, or they reach a point where the people in charge determine they won’t reach their destination before their time will expire, or any other number of factors.
If a van can’t get to them, well, then hopefully they are in multi-track territory and can hitch a ride on another train, otherwise, they will be hiking it to where a van can get them. But if that happens, the person who made the decision to recrew that train there is probably going to be doing a little explaining to the bosses (unless it was an uncontrollable emergency). The crew either goes back to their home terminal and home, or they go to their AFHT (away from home terminal) and to the hotel.
And if a crew gets changed out and they have time left, they may send them to go re-crew or fetch another train.
Some Csx crew change points are Garrett,Willard,Toledo,Lima,Avon and Crestline.There will be an intermodal crew change at North baltimore once the yard gets done.
Some Ns crew change points are Bellevue,New Haven,Elkhart,Toledo.
As mentioned crew vans come up to get crews where the trains are parked sometimes.There was a coal drag at the ohio/indiana line(indo).The crew thought we were a crew van.We met another crew on the csx indy line at ansonia ohio.They had to wait for a crew van to drive from crestline ohio to pick then up.They also mentioned the longer they had to wait,csx would have to wait before they could get back on another train.
I have seen them almost anywhere. Lately I’ve seen changes happen roughly halfway between two larger terminals. A SB and NB train will meet at a siding with the crews switching trains to go back from whence they came.
Here is what I know/remember
BNSF to PNW: Chicago Cicero Yard, La Cross, WI, Northtown, MN, Dilworth, MN, Minot, ND, Glasgow, MT, Havre, MT, Whitefish, MT, Spokane, WA, at Wenatachee, WA for Seattle Traffic and at Pasco WA for Portland traffic.
BNSF to Denver: Chicago Cicero Yard, Galesburg. IL, Creston, IA, Lincoln, NE, McCook, NE, Denver
BNSF Kansas City to Montana: Kansas City, Lincoln, NE, Ravenna, NE, Alliance, NE, Edgemont, SD, Gillette, WY, Sheridan, WY, Laurel, MT.
BNSF crews for the Orin Coal Line come out of Gillette, change at Guernsey, WY, then to Alliance, NE or Sterling, CO for another change.
BNSF crews via Casper, WY change at Guernsey, WY, Casper, WY, Greybull, WY and Laurel
BNSF Dilworth, MN to Laurel: Dilworth, MN, Mandan, ND, Glendive, MT, Forsyth, MT for Laurel or coal mines.
This helps. Thanks. Do you know/remember for the ATSF side?
I am not so well versed on the ATSF side. Here are my best gueses:
On the transcon they are: Chicago Corwith Yard, Ft. Madison, IA, Kansas City KS Argentine Yard, Wellington, KS, Amarillo, TX, Colvis, NM, I think, though it seems awful close to Amarillo, Belen, TX, Winslow, AZ, Needles, CA, Barstow, CA. At one time San Bernadino was, I don’t know if it still is, then to Los Angeles.
On the KC to Texas Line, I think Argentine Yard, Arkansas City, KS, Gainesville, TX, Temple, TX to somewhere in Houston TX. I think Cleburne, TX was a crew change point, but I don’t think it is any longer. Alliance yard north of Fort Worth sits right in the middle of the crew district, maybe that has changed things.
In Kansas I think it is Argentine Yard, Newton, KS, maybe Dodge City, KS, La Junta, CO, maybe Raton, NM. Beyond that maybe it is/was Las Vegas, NM. I guess that much of this line is no longer being used so it may be a moot point.
BNSF through northern SD, southern ND (Old Milwaukee Road): Minneapolis Northtown Yard, Willmar, MN, Aberdeen, SD, Hettinger, SD, Forsyth, MT. Traffic between Minneapolis and Lincoln, NE, changes crews at Willmar, MN and Sioux City, IA.
On the Soo Line/CP in MN and ND they are Minneapolis, Glenwood, MN, Enderlin, ND, Harvey, ND to Portal, ND at the border. Towards Winnipeg: Glenwood, MN, Thief River Falls, MN to the border at Noyes, MN.