Coal Train Handling 101
In 1996, shortly after the UP bought the SP, the UP had officers on the property; in the yard, on the runs, etc. learning how we operated and constantly checking up us. I was called on an eastbound manifest train to Sparks, NV. I hadn't been on the mountain run for a few years, so I wasn't 'qualified' for that run. To stay qualified on a run, you have to make at least one trip in a 90 day period. So, I called the road foreman to talk to him about it. He said, "You haven't for