Good evening,
Missaberoad, thank you for the compliment.
All, I've seen this small chemical plant switched out maybe 5 times over the last couple years. It has a trailing point switch as the train heads south, like in the pictures. This is my first time seeing the caboose. This is a north south branch line from off the NS main in downtown Gastonia. Again the pictures show the engines on the south end of the train. There is a scrap yard a little farther south down the line.
In the past there have been two engines leading south followed by 5 tankers then 3 gondolas. The chemical plant would get switched first. Then the train would head south. The train in the past disconnected the power on the downhill right before the scrap yard with its facing point switch. The engines pull in the scrap yard then roll the tankers and gondolas past the scrap yard very slowly with gravity. With the engines now on the north end of the train it becomes a trailing point switch. Normally they would switch out the scrapyard and then reattach the engines at the north end of the string of cars.
This train was unique in the fact that it did not have any gondolas for the scrap yard and a larger than usual number of tankers, and of course the caboose.
If the above maneuver was not done then the caboose would be kept on the north end of the train and it would be in the lead for about 5 or 6 miles as the train was pushed back thru town to the Norfolk Southern main.
Just my thoughts,
Bobster
