Driving a locomotives does not involve utilizing the number of
control options of some forms of transportation.  Unlike the family
car there is no steering wheel for the engineer since Locomotives
are limited to following the line of the tracks and unlike a 747
they stay on the ground.  Basic options are forward or reverse.  To
accomplish this there is a throttle for increasing or decreasing
speed.  There are braking options provided by the dynamic brakes or
by releasing air in the line causing the brake shoes to press
against the wheels of the cars and locomotives, eventually stopping
the train.   Mechanical braking is necessary since as the locomotive
slows down the dynamics fade away to nothing and are not sufficient
to actually bring the train to a halt.  Having said all this
remember that there are only three prime colors.  If you present
these to a Leonardo DaVinci he can manipulate them to produce the
Mona Lisa.  If you give them to Koko the Gorilla the results may be
slightly less impressive.
     It is the combination in which these are applied that is
referred to as train handling and here the fine touches come into
play.  The throttle is divided into 8 different positions (9 if you
include off) and the dynamics the same amount.  Placing the throttle
in run 8 means that the riostat is in this position controlling the
revolutions of the prime mover to generate the electricity that is
sent to the trucks.  Run 8 then simply signifies the amount of
electricity being loaded and also means that in a given hour a
certain amount of fuel (different for each type of unit) is being
consumed.  A four unit consist of SD40's generating 12,000
horsepower consumes 328.8 gallons every 30 minutes at Run 8.  A GP60
at Run 8 for one hour is estimated at consuming 186.9 galons and at
Run 1 12 gallons.  With dynamics set at 8 the prime mover is
basically at idle though providing coolant and is estimated at 23
gallons per hour.  If enough units are linked together through the
27 wire jumper cable, main train line and 3 air hoses creating one
giant unit, they should move the train, depending on its tonnage, at
a specific speed on a specific grade.  They will consume the same
amount of fuel depending upon revolutions whether they are working a
.5% grade or a 2.5% grade in any given hour.
     Going down grade the upper lever is used and the traction
motors become generators that send the electricity they produce to
resistor grids changing the electrical energy to heat energy which
provides resistance slowing the train.  The now generator traction
motors wheels are turned because the train wants to get to the
bottom of the grade.  The effective of gravity on the wheels is the
same as water pushing against the blades of a water powered
generator at the base of a dam or steam turning the turbines of a
steam powered generator.  The electricity generated flows against
the resister grid which as its names implies resists and sends the
electricity back to the generators causing them to slow down while
at the same time disipating the electrical build-up on the heat grid
much like the wires of a toaster.  On a 1% grade with a short train
not as much resitance is required for the braking action and the
lever can be set at a lower resistance level.  On a 2.5% grade with
a heavy train the wheels want to turn more rapidly to get to the
bottom of the hill and this desire to turn faster  creates more
electricity sent against the resistors which in turn must be set at
a higher level because of the increase in electrical "pressure".  As
the train slows the generators are turning slower and thus creating
less electricity against the grids which return less "pressure" and
eventually there is not enough electricity being generated to slow
the train and further mechanical intrervention must take over.
Maximum effectiveness is achieved at 25 mph with an effective range
between 12 to 40 mph.
     In an excellent description of what the air hoses between units
accomplish Doug Ellis states:
     (1) Actuating- This releases the engine brakes when a service
         application of the train brakes has been made.  The
         engineer has to hold the engine brake handle down for 4
         seconds per engine to fully release the engine brakes.
     (2) Application- This applies the engine brake when the
         whether stopping or standing still.
     (3) Main Reservoir- This hose is used to keep the pressure
         the same between all engines.  When the main reservoir
         pressure decreases it causes the air compressors to start
         charging the main reservoir.  The main reservoir is used to
         charge the train line, equalize the brakes after releasing
         the train brakes, sand the rail, and just about everything
         that is done with the air on a locomotive.
     (4) Train Line- That is the hose in which the air pressure is
         carried between the engines and the cars.
     Now that we know what the engineer has at his fingertips we
have to look at what is behind the units to be controlled in the
form of the consist.  Strung out behind are the cars which in weight
and momentum attempt to follow physical laws that an object at rest
remains at rest and an object in motion remains in motion unless
acted upon by some outside force.  Heavier objects need more force
acting against them than lighter ones.  For this reason when double
stack technology first began to show on the various roads the rule
was that the double stacks were to be placed directly behind the
units and the TOFC and COFC were placed behind them.  This is
because during braking movements if the heavier cars were placed
behind the lighter ones the air pressure applying brakes would apply
equally on all of the cars connected by air hose.  The heavier cars
would be less effected and would continue forward with their greater
momentum and compress the cars where the brakes were slowing them at
a greater rate.  Not just in double stacks but in regular train
loads heavier cars must be placed closer to the units than empties
so that there is not a whipsaw momentum during braking (or
acceleration) causing busted knuckles.
     An additional problem faced by the engineer is the length of
train being controlled.  While the lead locomotive has crested the
top of a summit and is now proceeding down hill the rest of his cars
are still climbing.  Braking must take this into account so that the
engineer learns to start applying braking techniques at a point
where the downhill (or throttle for uphill) will exert the proper
reaction on the entire line of cars.  Mark twain refers in his "Life
on the Mississippi" of steamboat pilots taking a sighting on a
specific island headland to make a safe move across the current
avoiding sandbars and other obstacles all of which changed
constantly and had to be updated and tracked.  Engineers make
similar notations such as with a mile long train, "At mile post such
and such as I cross  the wash ease the throttle back to notch 6."
Road foreman of engineers Steve Fabbri recalls one engineer who
would take his sighting on a clump of trees and Steve asked him,
"What are you going to do if between trips someone comes along and
cuts them down?"  But of course each engineer, as an individual has
his own way of making these decisions based upon the train profile
and his own gut reaction of how the cars behind him are reacting.
From the time of the initial pullout the sensations experienced in
the cab such as slack reaction or the cars pressing against the
units give an indication of how things need to be handled down the
road.
     Having laid the background we will now see how all of this
applies to the 180 mile run between Southern Pacific's West Colton
Yard and its Yard in Bakersfield with its combination of desert
running and two of the topographical features that seem to interest
railfans all over the country.  These consist of Cajon Pass and the
Tehachapi Mountains with its famous loop.
     We start out our westbound run (on the Southern Pacific
movements towards San Francisco are designated as westbound and away
from San Francisco as eastbound.  This sometimes becomes confusing
since in Northern California you can pass milepost #100 three times;
(1) north of Manteca, (2) north of Stockton, (3) between Sacramento
and Roseville.) in the administration building at West Colton where
the crew of the westbound Mojave Flyer (the Mojave Flyer makes the
trip between West Colton and Bakersfield with a switch movement at
Mojave.  There are two Mojave Flyers so that on any given day one is
headed west and its counterpart headed east towards Colton) is
picking up its train orders and track warrants along with a train
profile.  The "GA" graph (train profile) gives us our tonnage (2,174
tons), tons per operative brake, and axle count excluding units.  We
have 6,000 horsepower between our two units and 11 loads and 28
empties for a length of 1,697 feet.  On the work order they find
they will be dropping off 37 and picking up 6 cars at Mojave.  The
car types and contents are also included in the documentation.  We
will be restricted in speed to 50mph because we have a car with
hazardous materials on the rear end and instructions of what to do
in case of mishap is included so that it can be turned over to the
proper authorities.  Our engineer today is John (J.D.) Edwards, the
conductor John DeLuaux, and the brakeman Paul W. (P.W.) Coffman.
Road foreman of engines Steve Fabbri will also be making the trip
with us.  We take the Rezenberger van to our units which are parked
down on track #2 beside the diesel service and discover we have been
assigned two six-axle units (six axle units are necessary on this
run to provide the needed tractive effort on the grades), Rio Grande
SD40T-2 #5357 and leased GATX #7352.  Steve checks the calibration
of the wheels so that J.D.  can set the speedometer and the ETD (end
train device).  Steve comes up with 2 3/8" for the flange which J.D.
doubles and then adds to the 36" wheel diameter coming up with 40.4.
The inspection card in the cab indicates that the last periodic
inspection was at Pine Bluff, Arkansas on 8-20-93 and Steve fills
out the daily inspection sheet (normally the engineer would do this
but teamwork will get us out of the yard sooner) and on 10-28-93
signs it off at 1540.
     We call the roundhouse over the radio to get permission to use
their 600 lead (at Colton the track designation is: #100's receiving
yard; #200's bowl tracks; #400' departure tracks; #600's round
house; #900's running tracks) since as a safety precaution for those
working around the units the roundhouse controls all of the
movements on their tracks.  The spring switches in front of us show
as green for clear while those beside us still have their lights as
blue and we head out passing to the control of the trim tower on the
east end of the yard.  As we continue down on what is now track #905
J.D.  tests the dynamic brakes to make sure everything is working
properly (better to detect a problem before we leave the yard).
Movement into and out of West Colton is protected by a tote board
with the one on the east (actual direction not S.F.  oriented) end
at Pepper Avenue.  It is flashing as #905 (our track) and we pass
under Pepper, switch to track #926 which is now flashing on the
board on the other side of Pepper and passing under again back up
against our train first passing through what appears to be a canyon
of cars also waiting to be taken out.  Passing under Riverside and
past the trim tower our conductor dismounts to give us instructions
via hand signal and radio ("15 cars") and we make the connection.
The carman assigned to getting us out gives J.D. the ETD calibration
number over the radio (so that our receiver will only react with the
ETD on the rear of our train).  We check the air pressure for leaks
by setting the air and then cutting the connection between the units
and the cars.  This allows the carman and the engineer to monitor
any drop in pressure with the maximum allowable loss 5lbs in 1
minute.  at 3lbs loss for 1 minute we are on the safe side and can
proceed.  Over 5lbs and we would have to correct the problem before
departure.  The trim tower gives us an, "All lined up"  and we head
back through the canyon of cars with instructions to, "Highball the
tote board."  The lights on the ground ahead of us all show yellow
and we are lined up for Cajon.  Looking back over our line of cars
as we curve up over the balloon track J.D. changes the radio
frequency from Channel #1 to Channel #2 and we are now under the
guidance of dispatcher WR52 up in Roseville (WR52 controls from East
Slover to the Cameron Crossovers (MP 370.4) ten miles west of Mojave
and WR51 from Cameron to Sandcut (MP 325).  There are plans to put
the operation from Slover to Bakersfield entirely under WR52's
protection) With our two units we are now at a length of 1,836' with
a total axle count of 168 (important for scanners which may give a
hotbox warning with the axle number).
     As we head towards Cajon, with our departure time at 1600 out
of the yard, the sun is partially obscured with the remnants of the
smoke from fires that have raged through Southern California the
last two days.  J.D. puts the throttle on "Run 8" and we head up the
single track with green signals showing ahead and by MP 484 it is
already dark enough to notice the reflection of our signals off of
the MP marker.  Without a lot of interaction between the engineer
and the unit other than placing the throttle at the "8" position
there might be a tendency to doze of, particularly if this was one
of those warm Southern California afternoons.  To counter this every
60 seconds or so (depending on the speed we are making) the alerter
buzzer sounds off and a grid of red lights illuminates above the
engineers head.  When this sounds off he must make some contact with
the controls or else the unit will automatically shut down.   This
safety measure is being installed in all units as they are being
shopped.
     We will be doing approximately 15mph up the 2.2% grade of Cajon
which will end at Hiland and as we pass "Dike" J.D.'s stopwatch
gives us a 15.58mph reading.  To our right we see a Union Pacific
YRLAB on the Santa Fe downhill track.  At Devore the usual gaggle of
railfans wave from beside their campers and they will be getting a
triple treat since the Santa Fe helpers are appearing on the
downhill tracks and on the uphill track a Santa Fe hotshot pig train
with Warbonnet power passes us, its ETD as a solitary red eye
winking at us disappearing around a curve.  We hit the horn at the
"X" mark (Santa Fe uses a "W" for its horn indication) and continue
our stolid pace.
     The Rio Grande unit we are in still has one of the old style
rotating Mars headlights and so as the light grows dimmer it sweeps
from side to side illuminating the foliage.  The smoke in the air
catches its beam along with the two lights mounted between the
number boards.  Above us on the interstate a stream of headlights
and tail lights are a luminous river and below us a Santa Fe signal
is flashing red to protect its eastbound on the uphill.  Beside us
rock cuts provide an eery sight and Steve uses his flashlight out
the side window to show me the formation the crews refer to as the
bowling pin.  The scanner kicks off at MP475.1 with a report of no
defects and then another scanner inspecting a train ahead kicks off
which with consultation of the train lineup we have on board allows
the crew to track where other trains they will be meeting with are
at the moment. They guess this to be the RVHOQ (Roseville/Houston
out of Bakersfield which will bypass Colton on its way east over
Beaumont Hill).  This is one of the reasons that the detectors
between Warren-Mojave (MP 377) and East of Magunden (MP 318.8)
broadcast on both the Santa Fe and SP frequencies.
     Because of the dry season (as evidenced by the last few days
 disasters) we pass some tank cars filled with water for
 firefighting use tied up at a siding.  Despite the smoke this has
 the potential to be a beautiful night on the desert since a full
 moon is now rising and J.D. turns off the sweep mechanism of the
 Mars light making it a steady illumination as we continue to climb
 past "Canyon" with the steady throb of the unit occasionally
 interrupted by the "alerter".  We continue through green signals
 which have a placard with the letter "G".  The G stands for "grade"
 giving the engineer permission to proceed at restricted speed
 should he encounter a red.  This is because of the hazard of
 stopping the train and being unable to produce the tractive effort
 necessary to continue again.
     At MP 465.3 we receive another "No Defects" message and before
we can actually see the green signal around the next curve the
reflection off of the rails lets everyone know we are still cleared.
We pass over the top at Hiland (MP 463.0) and begin to pick up speed
downhill to our limit of 50.  We notify WR52 we are leaving Hiland.
At the point that J.D. estimates enough of his train is on the
downhill side he switches over to dynamics and by  MP 460 we are
traveling at 50mph.  We dip under Interstate 15 and then out and at
MP 457.9 receive another no defects report.
     By now we are picking up owls that fly in and out of the
headlights and the occasional jack rabbit that paces the train and
then veers off into the brush.  The desert sand looks more like snow
in the moonlight and with the population buildup we have frequent
crossings with the gates reflecting the headlight beams, red lights
flashing and cars coming to a halt at the sound of our airhorn
blasting through the night.  While we have been on a slight upgrade
past the siding at Phelan we start down grade again and taking the
throttle off go back onto dynamics.  Using the signal box as a mark
the throttle which is at 1 or 2 (depending on their tonnage we are
pulling) when J.D. reaches the dragging detector at MP 446.6 he
knows it is time to go back onto dynamics.  He positions the
dynamics lever which has a easy sliding motion compared to the
ratchety feel of the throttle.  Traveling at night brings a
different set of "rule of thumb" running  since only the track ahead
is illuminated it is by watching his gauges that the engineer gets a
sense of uphill or downhill travel.  At night knowing your marks
becomes even more important.  Anticipating where the rear of your
train is situated in relation to the grade change was especially
important in the days when the conductor was in the last car and
rough handling meant slamming him around as he was preparing beans
over the cook stove.  Now there is only "FRED" back there to keep
happy but of course one doesn't want to make the hazardous material
car unhappy either.
     MP 446.6 gives us a "No defects" and our train speed and at MP
443.5 we pass over the inky ribbon of the California Aqueduct.  The
train we heard tripping the detector earlier is sitting at the
siding at Wash (MP 435.1) and we dim our headlights so as not to
destroy the night vision of the crew standing trackside to give us a
rollby.  As we pass them we turn them back on and give their train a
similar inspection.  They give us a good rollby and we notify them
that their ETD is still blinking.
     Suddenly a problem!  We trip the hotbox detector at MP 430 with
a message of "Stop The Train, Stop The Train" and the information
that it has found a problem with axle 159 which is the third car
from the end.  We come to a halt and the conductor and brakeman
climb out of the second unit and we see their flashlights bobbing
through the night as they walk back to check twenty axles on both
sides of the one reported.  We notify the dispatcher that we have
stopped because of the detector and WR52 authorizes us should we
need to make a reverse movement to Wash to set out our car. This
proves unnecessary as we get a false indication report from the
conductor and notifying the dispatcher we are proceeding J.D. puts
us at Run 8 to get us started again and by MP 428 we are in dynamics
again at 50 MPH with the lights of Palmdale strung out in front of
us.  Making the portion of the run to Palmdale with undulating
changes of grade is a constant switching back and forth between the
throttle and dynamics with a touch of air brakes which is where the
expert touch becomes important in keeping the slack between the cars
from busting a knuckle.
     Constant communication between the engineer and the dispatcher
becomes important as we approach the signal at 420.5 which is
flashing yellow.  J.D.  calls on the radio and as we approach it
changes to green.  Through Palmdale we drop from 40 mph to 35 with a
yellow flag displayed (actually a reflecting metal square on a post)
as we leave the 26 year old Palmdale Cutoff that was built to
provide Colton with direct access north bypassing the need to travel
through Los Angeles on the Saugus Line and watching out the window
can see that a stiff breeze is kicking up from the sight of an
American flag standing straight out off of its pole.  At MP 412.0 we
receive a no defects message causing everyone to breath a sigh of
relief but better for a detector to err on the side of caution then
to pass on a potential derailment.  WR52 also informs us that we
will be picking up an extra empty car at Mojave and seeing a green
flag at Lancaster return to 50 mph again.  Leaving Lancaster we get
additional instructions from the dispatcher that we will be holding
in the yard after we switch for three trains to clear.  At MP 396 we
start up the grade on Rosamund Hill with the detector giving us a
reading of "speed 5-zero, no defects" and J.D. attempts to stand up
and take a bow.  Actually once we are on the grade (1.3%) our speed,
once again depending on tonnage, will drop to 30 or 32.
     We enter the yard at Mojave with a red over red over lunar
signal, pass the "Welcome to Mojave" sign at 5mph and running over
blowing tumbleweeds pass an empty coal train with its ETD blinking
like the red eye of Sauron.  We drop off the crew and pull forward
so  they can remove the ETD from the cars that will be set out and
then with one of them riding the rear car proceed to make out
setouts.  There are eight tracks in the Mojave Yard and we will be
leaving off empties that will be going back to Palmdale with our
counterpart.  Communicating over the radio our conductor guides us
back and forth among the switches and with our through load down to
4 cars we pick up an additional 3 loads and 1 empty for a total now
of 8.  The ETD goes back on the rear and while we do the air test we
watch the tops of an SP train's cars pass over the coal cars
beside us and then in the distance a Santa Fe approaching down the
grade.  With permission from the dispatcher we back out of the yard
and cross over to main track so that the Santa Fe can clear, back to
the signal and allow him to enter the single track before
proceeding.  Once again both trains dim their lights out of courtesy
and then back on to provide each other with a running rollby.  We
head up the hill passing the coal train which is on the parallel
track with green signals for both at the signal bridge at MP 377 and
J.D. puts it into run 8 on the 2.2% grade.  While this is the same
grade as Cajon we now have only 8 cars and the difference translates
to 35mph.  If the car count and weight had remained the same the
sharper curves out of Mojave would have meant a decrease of 2mph
since between Colton an Hiland none of the curves exceed 6% while
here they are sharper.   Signals facing us once again display the
"G" placard. We have the green over the slower coal empties at MP371
so proceed on the Calaveras Cement Co. at Monolith (MP 370.4) where
we find two loaded cars so our brakeman and conductor tie down the
cars with their hand brakes  we back into the switch and against the
cement loads, join them to our train and then pick up the other 8
and continue on towards Tehachape.
    At MP 363.8, just east of Tehachape (MP 360.5), the high wide
detector in the form of an inverted "U" gives us the first
indication that we will be going through tunnels.  Since double
stack traffic over the mountain is by the Santa Fe they will be
paying for the ultimate widening and deepening of the tunnels.
Should a load fail to pass the detector the Santa Fe must set it out
and return it to Barstow for other arrangements to transport it
east.  At the detector is also a speed board to decrease  to 25mph.
At a speed board the decrease takes effect 2 miles past the sign
giving the engineer time to make the necessary braking maneuver.  An
increase in speed takes place at the sign.  We pass a work train
tied up at the K&J siding and next to the Tehachape Depot the AEI
detectors.  We are now in dynamics set at 4 1/2 at 475 amps and
gliding down the hill at 25mph.  I use the term gliding since in the
cab the difference is dramatic as we cease to feel the throbbing of
the throttled power and the engineer has to pay strict attention to
his gauges.
     As we round the corner for the west switch at Marcel (MP354) we
get a flashing yellow which we see in advance reflected off of the
rail and a double yellow at MP352 meaning we will be taking the
siding at Walong.  At the east switch we get a red over yellow and
take the siding.  As we pull into the siding we can see below us the
headlight of the ascending train.  The rule is to keep a train
ascending the grade on the move to keep from stalling.  We come
around the curve and there is a red light at the end of the siding..
     Stepping down from the rain at the Loop Ranch on this moonlit
night we can see the horses in the pasture separated from us by the
fence.  The headlight sweeps around the bend in front of us, dims
and we watch the eastbound Mojave flyer with power of an SP GP60/SP
SW1500/Santa Fe C30-7/Metro Link/CSX.  Not the usual "Flyer" power.
     Once again with a green signal we pass a bad order articulated
TOFC set with trailers still in place and at Rowen (MP 345.5)
continue on green.  As we glide through tunnels the light reflects
off of the sides and the trees hanging near the tracks reflect back
at us.  At tunnel #8 the middle of the tunnel consists of the
natural rock with the concrete lining only at the ends.  When we
leave tunnel #7 at 25mph we have only 23 seconds to stop after
spotting the signal so the reflection on the track once again gives
us a needed early warning.  At MP336 we get a yellow since except
for light engines the horse shoe curve at Caliente is restricted to
15mph for westbounds.  We get a red over green at Caliente meaning
that when the rear of our train hits the speed marker we can return
to 25mph.  Making the run at night gives a different perspective and
the reflective bright orange paint on switches creates a diamond
pathway along the tracks.  Since we are still headed downhill we are
still gliding through in dynamics and pass the remnants of tunnel
"1/2" (named because it was created after tracks were realigned and
all of the other tunnels had been numbered).  We talk to WR51  who
has us on a red signal and makes the switch to green hitting the
appropriate computer keys at Roseville when we tell her we have only
10 cars and can make the move in time to clear for the train ahead
of us.  WR51 was not just taking our word for it.  She could see the
position of the other two eastbounds as red lines on her computer
with the appropriate symbols printed over them.  Talking to
Bakersfield as we climb out we request information as to where they
will be putting us in the yard and are back to 50mph after clearing
the west switch at Ilmon.  Just past the western high wide detector
at MP 328.6 we hit a section where the grade switches from a
downgrade of .4% to an upgrade of 1% necessitating some fancy
throttle manipulation to keep the train together and then we are
heading down the 1% grade to Bakersfield, passing a eastbound Santa
Fe J.B. Hunt train and then a second Santa Fe with mid train
helpers.  At Edison it is only 8 more miles to Bakersfield and at
00:40 pull into the Bakersfield yard at its Quantico entrance (named
after Quantico Blvd), wait for a Santa Fe transfer to shove back
into the yard, line into track 11 (at Bakersfield the car tracks
have numbers and the engine tracks letters), cut off our cars and
pull forward.  After a nights sleep at the Best Western it will be
time to make the trip in reverse.
     The afternoon finds us climbing aboard the 1-RVWCM-27 (1st
section of the Roseville/West Colton Manifest train which left
Roseville on the 27th day of the month).  We will be taking on a set
of four six axle mid train helpers which will be cut into our train
at Bakersfield rather than further east.  Road Foreman of Engines
Les Sack will be chaperoning, Terry Word (9 1/2 years as an SP
engineer) will be handling the train and Allen Stroub will be our
conductor.  This will be a much heavier train than yesterday which
is the reason for the four units and the helpers.  At 5,277' it is
three feet less than a mile and over that when the units and helpers
are factored in.  Total axle count will be 392 and a weight of 6,656
tons.  Lead unit will be SD45 #7533 which had its last periodic
inspection on 9-29-93 at Roseville.  Terry makes his inspection,
adjusts his side mirror, fills out the inspection sheet and as the
air test has already been done when the hostlers put the train
together Allen is ahead of us lining switches to get us out on the
main since we are on track #4 and need to get over to track #2.  As
we pull forward to the corner of Edison and Oswell the rest of our
train is still coming through the crossover and Allen keeps us
informed over the radio as to the status of our rear end.
     "Allen, do you want me to clear Oswald?"
     "Yeah, might as well."
     Ahead of us we can see the track appear to climb.
     "SP7533, traffic is now moving across Oswald."
     "Ok."
     We have a green signal ahead but we pull under the shade of the
bridge where Fairfax Road crosses over the tracks so our helpers can
cut in where Allen cut the rear 28 cars.  We pull forward and Allen
reconnects after the helpers move into place.  After he receives the
word over the radio that everything is together Terry puts the
throttle at Run 6 and we move out at 40mph.  As the grade increases
to 1% Terry places it at Run 8 and we hold the 40mph but by MP 324
near Sandcut Run 8 only brings us to 32mph.  After Sandcut it is
down hill with the dynamics alternating between 5 and 5 1/2 and then
at the bottom where the flood of 1983 cut the tracks the throttle is
cut back on at Run 5.  Here we pass under the west high wide
detector and then go back on double track at Ilmon (MP 331.3).
Ilmon used to be a siding but after the flood the track was
straightened out and made double track between Ilmon and Caliente.
By MP 333 Run 8 translates as 30mph.  At MP 334 the head end is
again pointed down hill but the rest of the mile-long train is still
headed uphill and Terry must anticipate how it will react as he
places the throttle at run 6 and then when the track flattens out
Run 5.  We get a green signal where the track merges again to one
and as we climb out of Caliente we can see the rest of our train to
our right and get our first sight of the helpers.  Climbing out of
Caliente we start up the 2.5% grade while the rest of the train is
still on flat ground calling for the right combination to keep
everything rolling.
     At Bealville we again glimpse our helpers, this time to the
right, and as it is late afternoon the sun steadily sinks over the
ridges as we climb taking the shadow line up with it.  Passing
Woodford we meet a train waiting at the siding for us to pass before
continuing down hill.  At the loop we are at a steady 20mph at Run 8
and as we pass over our train we see the cross memorial for the
conductor and brakeman who died in the San Bernadino derailment. The
sun is just illuminating the top of the hill and the cross reflects
brightly and then dims as the shadow line climbs steadily higher
before our eyes.  This serves as a moment of reflection for every
train crew that passes and reminds them that railroading is not a
game but that mistakes can have life and death consequences.  Rule
books are meant to be followed for a reason and it is better to err
on the side of caution.
      We stop at the summit to help cut out the helpers.  As we
maneuver back against our train a huge, pale moon rises over the
hills that are covered with the windmills placed there to take
advantage of the wind and generate electricity.  With word over the
radio that everything is tied up we make the air test and then
proceed without the helpers.  Once past the cement plant it is down
hill to Mojave and the dynamics provide the braking starting at MP
364.  As we glide past the cattle in the fields beside the tracks
and the windmills, some of them starting to turn, on the brown
hillsides.  Our headlights are starting to noticeably reflect off of
the tracks in front of us and at MP371 the grade becomes 2.2% which
will continue to Mojave.  Releasing some of the air Terry allows the
shoes on the cars to provide some of the braking as the track
noticeably drops before us.  In days past this would have sent the
brakemen to the roofs to madly turn the wheels jutting off of the
ends.  The drop is more dramatic than at night when just the tracks
ahead were illuminated giving more of a feel for the terrain and in
the clean, crisp desert air hills to the side of us stand starkly
dark against the sky which shifts from pink to blue as it nears the
horizon.  Keeping the dynamics between 6 and 7 the descending speed
stays between 28 and 30mph on the speedometer.  Greasers now appear
on the curves in front of us as dark smudges against white ballast
illuminated by both the headlights and the moon.  Passing under the
MP 377 signal bridge we see the lights on our track turn red while
those on the left are green for the headlight we see climbing out of
Mojave which turns out to be the empty oil cans returning from Long
Beach and headed back to Bakersfield.  It has been a while since we
have had a crossing in front of us and as the tail of their train
and the front of ours coincides with a crossing Terry lays on the
horn to warn any cars that might be tempted to jump the actual
raising of the gates.  As we drop off empty cement cars at the yard
we hear the detector going off for the oil cans.  We notify WR52 we
are ready to leave the yard getting a green signal ahead on the
single track (from Mojave to Colton it is all single track with
sidings).  Noting that Purdy Road will be the indication of when the
rear of the train has cleared the yard, upon reaching the crossing
Terry increases the speed from 25 to 40mph and we will keep this
speed till Lancaster after which we climb to Hiland and then it is
all down hill over Cajon.
     Now down to 88 cars we leave Mojave in dynamics watching owls
and jackrabbits appear in the light beams and behind us and to the
side  lights appear like the orange sparks in some dying fire or
volcanic eruption which you can reach out and touch.  One of the
pleasures of night time railroading is this floating sensation with
under a full moon the snow like sand and the dark blotches of
bushes.  The lights on the horizon give a dramatic illustration of
just how built up this stretch of desert has become but along the
tracks the route is still mostly empty.  Past Lancaster a double
yellow puts us into the siding at Dennis where perfect timing by the
dispatcher makes it a meet on the run with both trains passing at
reduced speeds and clearing each others tails to continue on into
the night.  The next yellow (MP 413)is a double yellow telling us we
will taking a divergent route and at Palmdale Jct. (MP 414.4) we get
a red over green and the switch is lined for us to take the cutoff
track to the left.
     Now we are definitely climbing with the throttle at Run 7 and
then back down to Run 6 over the undulations keeping us at 4omph.
At MP 421 Run 2 keeps us there and MP 422 an increase to Run 5 and
then Run 6 Terry anticipates what will be needed for the trailing
cars to keep everything at speed.  By MP 423 Run 8 is again required
and then we have miles of absolutely straight track ahead of us
climbing to MP 429 at a steady grade with only the alerter buzzer
mandating some sort of reaction.  The high tension wires that supply
Los Angeles appear along our route and cactus appear to have their
hands raised in salute.  At Hiland we look over and to the right
down at the Santa Fe tracks far below.  We glide down via the
dynamics whose whine is muffled by the cab and passing Mormon rocks
see our first railfan standing in the dark at Canyon  beside his
truck.  He waves and Terry hits the horn in a change of salutes.  We
continue down Cajon and ten minutes out from Slover call  Colton for
permission to enter and instructions on what to do with our cars.
The dynamics between 7 and 6 and the air pressure at 80 psi keep us
to a nice 30 mph and in the light of the full moon the rocks of
Sullivan's curve hang over us while below an eastbound UP is
climbing the Santa Fe tracks.
     Colton notifies us that we will be dropping our train off at
track  #153 in the receiving yard and then taking our power to the
house (diesel service next to the wash racks).  As we cross over
Interstate 10 we see the sign "check your radio channel" and change
back to channel #1.  coming in on the elevated main tracks we look
down into the illuminated yard where the carmen are working the cars
under the orange lights. Continuing through we enter the receiving
tracks on the west side of Cedar with the tote board flashing #900.
entering the receiving tracks to be greeted by a double row of
sentinels in the form  of yellow lights lining both edges of the
yard.
     "SP 7533 5 cars."
     "SP 7533 3 cars."
     "SP 7533 that'll do."
     Terry dumps the air brakes and Les who is now on the ground
cuts the hoses.  Terry walks through to what was until now the
trailing unit and we head back through the yard following the yellow
lights amongst the blue as our path homeward leaving the cars behind
for the receiving yard carmen to inspect and ready to be humped.
     It has been a long two days but it has been interesting to
observe how a train is handled by a skilled engineer.  Anticipating
what the conditions will be ahead and how your train will react,
depending upon its makeup, is an art.  It is acquired over time and
not by everyone.  The run between West Colton and Bakersfield
provides the test of both mountain and desert railroading which the
engineers who work the route encounter on every run.  We did it over
two warm fall days but in the summer the heat can have additional
effect and in the winter snow and the resulting slippage can add new
factors.  It is a run not for the faint of heart and Southern
Pacific is justly proud of the men and women who accept its
challenge.
     I want to thank Steve Fabbri, Les Sack, John Edwards, John
DeLuaux, Terry Word, Allen Stroub, Roger Boone, Carolyn Hall, John
Ready, Doug Ellis, and Jack Martin for their help in preparing this
article and for allowing me to ride along with the Southern Pacific
as it fulfills its mission to its customers.