NWPist Wrote:
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> Again, thank you Jeff for sharing your knowledge
> with us! Very interesting about the conductor
> following in a truck. I suppose that was to save
> time so the conductor didn't have to walk back up
> the train. Those would be pretty decent trains,
> I'd say.

This is occurs on many (most?) smaller shortlines and gives flexibility in the case of a derailment or other emergency (like going to beans).

This is OPR's standard practice on the Molalla Branch where we run one direction on Monday and the other on Friday. The conductor gets his ducks lined up before the train arrives and the crew generally lines up their day enroute by radio.

Dick Samuels
Oregon Pacific Railroad