When a trian gets re-routed over a “new road” (maybe another railroad’s line) because of a derailment , MOW project or natural disaster, what does the Hoghead (and crew)do if he does’t know the road he must now travel?
The answer is that the crew is joined by one of the host roads conductors who will act as a “pilot”. More often than not, that “pilot” winds up running the train! Now, if the problem sends trains off their normal route for a long period of time, the host road might go to the extent of qualifying the crews involved, in which case a road foreman or superintendent will ride with the detouring crew for the required number of trips. The crews affected would also take a written test on local rules as well. (Baseball season is close. I wrote “ground rules” GO RED SOX!!!)
Quite often, due to trackage rights and run through agreements, the crews already know the “host” roads rules and track.
Here in Houston, within the Metroplex, there is a joint dispatching center, run by UP and BNSF, with both staffing it.
To keep things fluid, most trains enter the complex from one side of the city, and leave from the other, (directional running) which means BNSF often has to use UP tracks to get where they need to go, and vice versa for the UP…it doesn’t matter who’s train it is, the dispatcher will run it on the fastest and most easy route to it’s destination, which means you can have a UP dispatcher running a BNSF grain train through the middle of UP’s Englewood yard to get it to the PTRA…or a BNSF dispatcher staging a UP train in Pierce Yard for departure.
Most of the crews that hold regular runs know all the tracks, regardless of who owns them…most crews have been to every yard in the city, and have held most of the runs into and out of the complex to the point they are all qualified on the other road.
I am a conductor on the PTRA, but I carry a UP and BNSF timetable, get their track bulletins and tracks warrants, and am qualified to work a train anywhere inside the Houston Metroplex…
Out in the country, I would imagine that most of the crews that work those runs are already cross trained in their connecting or interchanging roads rules and regs…and most have been over the tracks enough to be familiar with them…if not, or its a “new” crew, then it works just like PBenham said, they request a pilot to guide them.
Ed
That has happened I was called to pilot a deture train due to a derailment on the IAS between Rock Island and Bureau. I had to go to Barstow and bring the train to Galesburg, the engineer on the reroute got up after I was on board and said it was my railroad go ahead and run the train, he told me that he had been over that track was (1) time and that was 3 years ago.
Rodney
When you are called as a “pilot” are you called off the extra board, as I can’t imagine it’s a regular job. Does each railroad pay their own employees?
Pilots are called off of the extra board.
Rodney
hey rodney…i need to talk to you away from the forums… send me an email please… can you send it to… theunderdog69@hotmail.com please…
thanks
csx engineer
If they ever send a conductor out as a pilot the train wont move as it is a qualified engineer who can truely be a pilot. and conductors cant run trains. i will only get out from behind the throttle for 2 reasons a qualified engineer with a valid locomotive engineer certiffication or the road forman of the division. also you wont take test for the host road either as this would haft to be given every year.