Moose Valley

Operating Session April 15th 2000

This was the third operating session of the year 2000, and the last for the 99-2000 winter season.

The April O.S., can best be described as fun, crazy, and chaotic.   It's not that everything didn't run well - it did.  Thanks in part to the newly acquired CMX track cleaning car.  But whatever could go wrong with a train, it seems it did.  Several trains took 3 times the norm to cover the route, and various break-aparts, and locomotive malfunctions made for some very prototypical difficulties.   Even though we didn't start till almost 8:00pm, a reasonable performance was given.   Compare the statistics with the last OS.

Engineer J. Adams works bad power at Helper.
Engineer J. Adams passes set-off WM 304, as he works the beleaguered MVC-4

The EPA pays a visit.
EPA inspector S. Agne checks for toxins at Greenspring.

Yardmaster M. Keiser prepares paperwork for the next outbound.
Yardmaster M. Keiser struggles to get TV-21 into the yard.

MV 200 Ton Crane #20 works inside the tunnel near Hancock.
Among the chaos which rained on this OS, a PC Caboose, pulled a drawbar, which dropped on the track and derailed it near the junction with number 3 track inside the tunnel.  Poor photographic conditions are the reason for this shots quality, but you get the idea.

Forman K. Mazer works with the crane in the tunnel.
Wreck train foreman K. Mazer gets a little behind in his work with train WOR-202, assigned to clear the line after the PC caboose derailment in the tunnel.  He's personally overseeing the refueling of the crane, as it had become inoperative, further delaying the clean up.

MVRC-10 has stalled on the hill at Long's.
Typical of the problems this night, train MVRC-10 has stalled on the grade at Long's siding, having lost two of it's units.  The WM304 was set off at Helper with a draw bar problem, and the F7-B unit number 414, has shut down on the assault of this hill.

MVRC10 gets help at Altamont Station.
Compounding the misery, MVC-4 had a pull apart which resulted in the line being blocked by the last two cars of that train.  Due to a problem with an angle cock, the train didn't go into emergency, and the pull apart was not discovered until MVG-1 almost ran into them.  Here we see ENG-2 picking up the pieces and giving the MVRC-10 a needed lift.

304 gets tacked onto the MVC-4 for a short while to get it back to helper.
The 304 was in the way, so it was tacked onto the MVC-4 for a ride back to helper.

MVC-4 passes Drumore siding.
It should come as no surprise then that the wreck train is not at Drumore siding.   MV #133, an Alco FA-2 passes by the wreck train's home.  The crane had already left for Hancock on WOR-202

Mustang Suzi at Valley Loop.
Engineer M. Adams peers in from the distance, as Mustang Suzi (that's what the crews call her anyway) crosses the mainline on Valley Loop.

Kill me know! Please!
With all the Chaos going on, it was no wonder the Roundhouse foreman put his head on the rail.  The turntable had just been repaired from a mishap, when word came down about the two problem units on MVRC-10.  "I've had it!"  He shouted, as he lie there, asking the mechanic who was standing there, "I can't even get enough power on this railroad to run long enough to kill myself!"

TV-21 rounds Valley Loop.
The Roundhouse foreman was probably just having a bad day.  Good power like the F's on TV-21 were running just fine.

MV 133.
Alco FA-2 number 133, was new power for this O.S.  To find out more about it, click here.

Thanks to everyone for a great season!  Happy summer from the management of the

Moose Valley