Putting the mail back on the railroad ....

[Tom]

I'm not sure but in my experience with working on refrigeration equipment on the U.P. railroad at least, I don't think a person could get through to the dispatcher to let them know about something like that. Every time I got called out to work on a refrigerated rail car on the U.P., I would get a personal cell phone number for the dispatcher on duty that day, if I was lucky. A couple of times I was called out and tried to get through to the dispatcher and a different one was on than I had dealt with before, and I couldn't get hold of anyone. I just set up my blue flags and tried to get the work done before anyone came by to work the siding the car was on. In one instance, I went to work on a car, called the dispatcher, and was told I had it clear to work on the car for five hours. Apparently that dispatcher then went off duty because 1 hour later, a train crew showed up to pull the cut with the car I was working on and wanted to know who set up blue flags on the siding they were sent out to work!

Wow, I can't believe I missed this thread originally. If you see an emergency or pending accident about to happen on the tracks, here's the number for UP and BNSF to call (Emergency Numbers):

Union Pacific: 1-800-892-1283

BNSF: 1-800-832-5452

Please do all rails a favor if you're anywhere near the UP or BNSF and program these numbers in your cell phone, they are UP and BNSF PD numbers, but they get patched through to the dispatchers REAL quick. I have used the UP one now twice, once when a tour bus had overturned off the side of Highway 99 near Salida and emergency crews were fouling the main (with a headlight way down the track as I was calling it in), and once when a Honda Accord was stalled on the tracks at El Pinal near my home while out running errands with Alicia. THAT train plugged it as it was already at Sears and narrowly avoided a collision. The old lady in the Accord had to be physically YANKED out by the cops because she panicked in the car. I promptly called the desk jockey over at Stockton PD and now ALL SPD officers have these numbers programmed, so spread the word. Tell all your railfan buddies and if they see anything hankey or about to go bad, tell them to CALL.