The cold November sun has sunk into a cloud bank in the west and all
is dark around the high desert town of Yermo and the Union Pacific
Yard.  The sound of cars rumbling as they are switched and an
occasional view of smoke from  one of the yard  engines as it passes
near the lights in front of the office are the only sounds and
sights of life.  In the mechanical and fuel office the phone rings
with the Yardmaster informing Gary Johnson, who is on duty this
evening, that a set of light engines are being brought over to be
fueled and inspected.  As the hostlers park the units on one of the
fueling tracks Gary brings out the blue lanterns and flags to mark
the fact that work is in progress.  Since the sun is long departed
the flashing blue light on the track will supplement the flags until
the inspection and fueling are complete.  So far it all seems a
routine action probably taking place on roads all over the country.
Looks however can be deceiving as this service is being provided by
the most modern fuel system in the country, Union Pacific's Yermo
Yard Fuel Station.
With  construction starting  in 1991 the Fuel station was put into
operation in March of 1992.  With fuel available here the station in
the  Las Vegas' yard  was torn out and the crews transferred to
Yermo.  Two 1.5 million gallon tanks of diesel fuel and a protective
250,000 gallon water tank sit to the east of the fuel racks and are
connected by computer controlled pumps.  Actually the beauty of this
system is the  ease with which it is monitored and how everything
interacts to feed the 32 fueling racks which can handle up to 24
locomotives at a time.  Additionally there  are the 16 stations for
providing the lubrication oil and water to the units.
When the units were in place in front of the office Gary turned on
the pumps by hitting the appropriate numbers on the keyboard
imbedded in the office wall.  Along with the keyboard is  a graphic
display of the three pumps that interact as synchronized control
motors to provide the flow of fuel from the tank.  As they come on
system the display changes  to indicate things are humming.  As more
fuel racks are attached the motors sense the pressure drop and new
motors kick in to keep the pressure at the maximum of  210 gallons
per minute for each unit. Looking at the screen over on the desk he
saw that tank #1 was  green telling him  that the fuel would be
coming from this tank (tank #2 was displayed in red).  Since they
also were showing in green rather than flashing red he could see
that all filters were in place and working.  In case it was
necessary Gary had other information available.  The amount of fuel
in the huge tanks is monitored for level to 1/16th of an inch.  Each
1/16" represents approximately 150 gallons of fuel.  The monitoring
is so sensitive that in the morning as the sun comes up and heats
the tanks increasing the volume of the warming liquid the computer
continually displays the new figures.  Conversely as the day comes
to an end and the sun disappears the cooling fuel contracts and the
numbers decrease.  As well as showing the volume the temperature of
the fuel is also being monitored so that 11:30AM on November 15,
1992 in tank #1 the height of the fuel was 24' 11 10/16".  The
temperature was 67.3F gross volume was 936,874.94 gallons.  In the
course of a hot summer day this volume may fluctuate between 10 and
15,000 gallons simply from heat expansion.  Because of this
expansion the 40' tanks are not filled above 36'6" and should the
height reach 38' from expansion the sensors trigger an alarm.  The
temperature in the tanks are measured in 1/25th of a degree with the
max allowable 120F and a low of 20F.
All of the alarms and each instance of computer access is stored the
 and can be retrieved as a record for the previous four days.
Protection for the tanks are provided by the water tank and a foam
system.  The foam can be activated by turning three valves in the
office to smother a fuel fire.  Should one or both tanks be in
danger of fire or overheating water can be sprayed onto them from
water stations that are on the four corners of the tank farm.  With
any malfunction a horn alarm that can be heard for miles and a
blinking blue light sounds the alert.  Once activated the alarms
must be turned off on the computer in the pumping building.  The
250,000 gallon water tank also provides water to the fire hydrants
that ring the yard and are pressurized by the fact that the water in
the tank is at 28'.  Any drop in water pressure results in pumps
being turned on to provide more water and they remain active for an
additional 15 minutes after pressure is reached.  Fire is of course
a potential hazard around any fueling station
and the availability of fire blankets and fire extinguishers are
highly visible. Because of the chemical hazard showers and eye wash
stations are also easily reached.  Should an emergency occur the
entire system can be shut down instantly by punching one of eight
buttons.  Since the fuel is being fed by the pumps at the tanks
the  pressure  could result in rupture of the system.  For this
reason just east of the office is a surge tank designed to handle
any pressure increase safely.  The shower stations along the fueling
tracks also serve another function in the desert.  The computer that
keeps track of the fuel temperature in the tanks also monitors the
temperature trackside.  It is not unusual during the summer to see
it reading over 120F with one reading at 127F.  A quick pull on the
cord while standing fully clothed and hard hat temporarily discarded
beneath the nozzle can be a necessity rather than a luxury on those
occasions.
The 16 cabinets for oil and water are heated and the booms can be
turned in any direction to service the units.  The lube oil, stored
in a 15,500 gallon tank, is heated from the tank to the boom (as
well as in the cabinet). This is important in the winter because
cold oil, which tends to flow like molasses, can  increase the time
at the spent at station.  Water, provided by the lower boom, has its
NALCO treatment added automatically once again by the computer in an
effort to reduce scaling with just the right amount.
How do all of these materials reach the high desert?  Fuel is
purchased by the Petrol Supply Division of the Union Pacific in
Omaha and handled by Renee Barbe and L.D. Rieke.  They check with
Yermo to make sure there is room in the designated tank and then
arrange the purchase from either Chevron or ARCO in Los Angeles (It
is important to fill only one tank on a given day so that the entire
shipment of product can be made without shutting down the pipeline
while valves are set for the second tank).  With arrangements made
and everyone notified all of the man on duty has to do is set the
valves on the designated tank.  Shipments are made in 10,000 barrel
lots utilizing the Cal Nev Pipeline.  Each barrel represents 42
gallons for a total shipment of 420,000 gallons per lot which takes
approximately eight hours to pump into the tank.  While this may
seem like an enormous amount, on November 14, 1992 69,027 gallons of
fuel were pumped and between midnight and 11:30am on Nov. 15 28,593
gallons which averages to 1.3 million gallons per month.    Oil is
brought in by truck and all waste oil sold to a recycler who removes
it from the premises while waste water is handled in an evaporation
pond next to the building.
Currently all of this equipment is   handled and monitored by just
one man per eight hour  shift. He is also responsible for performing
the routine inspections on the units and entering the data on the
computer.  While the maxim used to be, "It ain't over till the paper
work is done."  Now it is more aptly phrased, "If it ain't on the
computer you didn't do it."  While the fuel is running into the
tanks he makes his walkthrough inspection, checks the oil and adds
as needed, makes sure all paperwork is in place and up to date and
handles any small repairs (lights, brake shoes).  If action needs to
be taken beyond what he is equipped to handle he will flag the unit
to LA or Salt Lake City depending upon its direction and the urgency
of the repair.  He is also responsible for the daily inspections on
the switch engines in the yard.  Currently Yermo is providing the
fuel for coal trains, YRLA (Yermo-Los Angeles) and the reverse LAYR
as well as the yard switchers.  Hotshots such as K-Line,  APL, and
NPLAZ continue straight through and are refueled at Los Angeles.
All in all it takes about 15 minutes to fuel and check a four unit
consist from the time the first hose goes on till the last one comes
off.  The future may find more work and more personnel working this
most modern of service stations on the Mojave Desert.  There is room
for expansion here just as the railroad continues to expand.  Yermo
sits above the busy ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach providing a
safety valve and switching station as the UP's container traffic is
handled down in Los Angeles' East Yard.  With the units now fueled
for further work and their inspection done Gary ties down the oil
boom he used on the first unit and removes the flags and lanterns.
In the office the phone rings and the yardmaster informs him that
one of the coal trains waiting in the east end of the yard is ready
to make the trip down the hill and will need to be fueled.  After
entering into the computer the
data against the units he has just completed  he is ready to put the
system to work again doing what  it was installed to do.  Keeping
the Union Pacific fueled, lubed, and all fired up.
I want to thank Gary Johnson and Greg McClaine for their help in
explaining and showing me what is involved in keeping  the UP's
locomotive fleet supplied with fuel at Yermo.