BNSF 5546 • Fullerton CA • 06/04/24

            A Lesson in "Frogging"!

I've been railfanning seriously for over fifty years, but this was a first…

While waiting for an eastbound BNSF train led by a pair of Canadian Pacific diesels, as the sun was setting I spotted an approaching headlight off to the west, on Track 3.  And concurrently, a westbound rounded the curve at Fullerton Junction on Track 2.  This seemed a bit odd, and the eastbound train would have to hold for the westbound, and Track 3 ends at Fullerton Junction – at least for trains heading east, rather than south (such as Amtrak's Pacific Surfliners), and Track 1 – which also heads east – was available.  As the westbound 14,402-foot Intermodal Stack train, S-LPCLHG1-30L (Logistics Park Chicago IL to Los Angeles Harbor CA [GGS]), was passing the Fullerton Transportation Center (serving Amtrak and Metrolink trains), it began to slow as the midtrain DPUs passed by.  And then it stopped, blocking the eastbound U-WATAXT7-04A, a 5,729-foot Unit Train (consisting of a lot of loaded intermodal well cars, followed after its three mid-train DPU diesels, by a long string of empty ethanol tank cars, led by BNSF ES44C4 5546.  

So now, with Track 2 blocked, including the crossovers needed for Amtrak's approaching , everything was at a standstill.  Gridlocked.  Dead.  Constipated.  And, as I was soon to learn:  "Frogged".  (Frogging – verb, the result of two trains of excessive length blocking each other due to their lengths not clearing crossovers)

Curiously, my contact at BNSF's Hobart Yard in Los Angeles could not determine the problem, and neither could the Amtrak ticket agents in the station.  There was no communication.  So, after an hour, I headed over the BNSF 5546 to see if I could get the attention of the engineer, Mr. Ongley.  Fortunately, he was able to fill me in as he was preparing to make a reverse move, now that his conductor (Mr. Lopez) had arrived on foot at the end of their train, and was positioned on the last tank car.  So, I trekked back across the pedestrian overpass yet again to pay a visit to the Amtrak agents and fill them in.  With a train due on ten minutes, they were very happy to know have some idea what in the world was going on!

I'm not a dispatcher, but I've known a few through the years.  And with the dispatchers on this section of railroad having just been relocated from nearby San Bernardino to Fort Worth, I've heard from a few employees that those in Texas are not necessarily as familiar with this new, to them, territory as they should be.  Perhaps, also, the clerk at the Watson Yard south of Los Angeles may have misreported the length of the unit train as well.  I’m not sure where the blame lies, but somehow a few of the many pieces didn't come together right this evening.  Fortunately, no wheels left the rails, and no crew members were injured.  And kudos to the westbound's engineer, Mr. Allen, for noticing that his nearly 2½ mile-long train was not going to fit in time to roll to a controlled stop!  Well done, gentlemen!  And I was sorry for the passengers riding Amtrak 790 heading south who were delayed 40 minutes.

(Fullerton, California – June 4, 2024)

Taken in: United States / California / Fullerton (show map)

Taken on: June 4, 2024

Tags:

Burlington Northern Santa Fe

BNSF Railway

BNSF 5546

ES44C4

GEVO

General Electric

GE Rail

Fullerton California

Fullerton CA

Fullerton

California

Fullerton Transportation Center

BNSF San Bernardino Subdivision

BNSF San Bernardino Sub

San Bernardino Subdivision

San Bernardino Sub

BNSF U-WATAXT7-04A

train U-WATAXT7-04A

BNSF U-WATAXT

train U-WATAXT

BNSF S-LPCLHG1-30L

train S-LPCLHG1-30L

BNSF S-LPCLHG

train S-LPCLHG

BNSF 5546-BNSF 5281-BNSF 7620-BNSF 8201//BNSF 4125-BNSF 6907-BNS

Unit Train

Watson CA to Axtell NE

BNSF 3929

ET44C4

BNSF 3929-BNSF 4674-BNSF 7054-BNSF 7264//BNSF 6685-BNSF 5947-BNS

Intermodal Stacks

Logistics Park Chicago IL to Los Angeles Harbor CA (GGS)

freight train

train

railroad

railway

diesel

locomotive

Class I

intermodal train

double stack train

COFC

container train

stack train

stacks

intermodal

double stack

container

railroad station

railroad depot

railway station

railway depot

station

depot

passenger station

commuter station

commuter depot

sunset

evening

dusk

twilight

nightfall

half-light

sundown

eventide

gloaming

vesper

last light

crepuscular

night

BNSF 5546-BNSF 5281-BNSF 7620-BNSF 8201//BNSF 4125-BNSF 6907-BNSF 7778

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Camera: Nikon Z 7, f/5.0, 1/125 sec, 42mm (=46mm), ISO 720 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon Z 7
Lens:	NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR
Aperture:	f/5.0
Exposure Time:	0.008 sec (1/125)
Focal Length:	42mm (35mm equivalent: 46mm)
ISO:	720
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Not Defined
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop 22.1 (Macintosh)
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