La Junta T&E Base

[Ethan Klapper]

Just got off 4, and there was an operational aspect of the route that, to me, was as interesting as the semaphores and the automatic train stop: The La Junta T&E base.

What's the point of having a T&E base in basically the middle of nowhere, where there's only one run out of it that lasts for less than 4 hours? Would there be an hours of service issue to extend the Albuquerque and Kansas City crew duty time?

I will say that the La Junta conductors seemed pretty young...is this where people with low seniority are based?

 

[Bob Dylan]

The explanations is with the HOS Rule for T& E Crew being no more than 12 Hours on duty plus the required rest period! greatcats corrected some of my bad info that I'd gotten from a crew member in the SWC several years ago so I edited this post!

And with Seniority determining assignments , you are probably right about newbies being assigned to this crew base since there probably aren't a lot of people clamoring to live and work in LA Junta! ( To paraphrase the old WWI song: How you gonna keep 'em in La Junta once they've seen Denver?!)

 

[Palmland]

LaJunta would work well if the SWC had a Denver section via LaJunta-Pueblo-Colo Sprgs as was done long ago by the ATSF.

 

[greatcats]

I have spoken previously with one of the La Junta based conductors. La Junta only covers the run east about 200 miles to Dodge City Kansas, about 3 and a half hours running time. ( Albuquerque covers from La Junta west. ). This may seem like a silly assignment, but it work in such a way that the crew returns the next morning and only one engineer is needed. They leave La Junta around 7:45 pm, advance the clock an hour to Central time, and arrive Dodge City around midnight. They are then provided several hours rest at a motel, which must amount to at least four hours. The return trip leaves Dodge City about 5:30 in the am and arrives at La Junta around 8. Because of the four hour break ( called a swing ) and the normal running time comes out to less than 12 hours in a 24 hour period, this is legal under the Hours of Service law. There are two regular assignments out of La Junta; one works Monday to Thursday and the other Friday to Sunday, although these may have changed. ( how do you like that, Mr Hudson? )

 

[Ethan Klapper]

Thanks for the informative answer. One question, re this:

They are then provided several hours rest at a motel, which must amount to at least four hours.

What happens when 4 is late and 3 is on time? This is actually what happened with me. We had some ABS signal issues in the TWC territory of far Eastern Colorado that required the conductor to inspect three bridges. We didn't arrive at DDG until 1:51. But 3 (15) departed DDG on time this morning at 5:25. That's less than 4 hours.

 

[greatcats]

Here's your answer: About 2 years ago I was on 3 and awoke when we stopped on time or early in Dodge City. We sat there past departure time and I punched up on Amtrak status that 4 had been over 2 hours late, arriving around 2:05 am. We then departed at around 6:05. I am not sure how they consider on and off duty times.

 

[greatcats]

Ethan - just read your previous comment again, which mentioned the less than 4 hour figure. I can't speak for what may have happened in that case. Various behind the scenes things could have occurred. Who knows, maybe they furnished another crew? As a former crew dispatcher for another outfit, I know that sometimes some exotic figurings of crew times were conjured up, but I am not going to say anybody at Amtrak was doing anything improper.. I know that one time on the Southwest Chief I asked where the conductor who originally gave me that information was, as I was expecting to see him, and was told that he was off that trip because he had run out of hours the previous trip, which probably meant that the westbound was so late that he did not have sufficient rest to cover his job in the evening. That gentleman told me his home was in Denver, and he lived in La Junta during the week when he was working.

 

[railiner]

Just to add to the seniority....

It has been my experience in many years of transportation, that all else being equal (wages, etc.), that places like LaJunta have the highest seniority, and big cities like NYC or LAX have the lowest. For a family, life in a small city can be much better than in a huge one. For a single person, that might be just the opposite.....

Of course, big cities with a multitude of choices in hours and days of assignment do have the advantage in that respect....

 

[jphjaxfl]

Lajunta was a division point on the Santa Fe and thus a crew change point. It was also a junction where passengers arriving from Denver could change to Santa Fe mainline trains. Freight crews also changed in Lajunta. I spent the night in Lajunta at a small older hotel by the train station where the railroad crews stayed. There were trains going through all hours of the night.

 

[railiner]

Didn't the ATSF have a crew dormitory at La Junta? Or was it a railroad YMCA? I believe they also had their own hospital there at one time....

 

[ElDuderino]

Remember, since La Junta is also a crew base, if need be, they can call a dogcatch to intercept 3 en route if the crew's HOS is to expire instead of holding at DDG for a crew legal off of a split.

 

[CHamilton]

Remember, since La Junta is also a crew base, if need be, they can call a dogcatch to intercept 3 en route if the crew's HOS is to expire instead of holding at DDG for a crew legal off of a split.

I've been around AU long enough that I almost understand that. But perhaps a translation might be in order for those who need it.

 

[railiner]

"Dogcatch" is a slang term for a relief crew. They could either let them ride out on No. 4 until they meet with No. 3, or send them ahead in a crew van, whichever expedites best...