A conductor and his trainee ride the point back through the Lafayette junction

NS 95D pushes across the Lafayette junction before ND 121 rolls through. filmed on 04-21-2022 in Lafayette, Indiana

[@nancy8521]

Love the caboose and miss them on the trains wish they would Bring them back I grew up with them

[@agecon2246]

From there. Left in 1986. Lived south of town and watch these trains from 40 years ago. Good work.👍

[@johnathanlewis2049]

Great video! Thanks for sharing this video with us!

[@gp3829]

Nice footage and thanks for posting. If ever a Conductor, let alone a Trainee were expected to Ride the Point in the UK - I can't begin to imagine the frenzied furore that would break-out.

[@cdavid8139]

Really? Interesting.

[@paulbergen9114]

That was certainly a lot of cars to back up thru the junction. Several KCSM Mexico Gondola's in that large group and when the westbound Freight went through there was a WP highcube boxcar in there with UP emblem now..

[@thomream1888]

That was a nice little clip there. And got my toe tapping too! Happy New Year!

[@bobmeginnes324]

Talk about hanging on for dear life!

[@therailroadtiespiker]

Yes and just think they had to hang on for several miles like that.

[@bobmeginnes324]

Those guys are the unsung heroes of railroading

[@BeeLineEast]

I can't believe they work that way. I live not to far from Hershey Foods Hershey Pa. They always use a caboose for their shifting. This is much safer. Maybe this is a situation where they can not use one?

[@therailroadtiespiker]

@@BeeLineEast they use a caboose in Marion Ohio to do there local work.

[@BeeLineEast]

@@therailroadtiespiker Ok I see. Nice video.

[@cdavid8139]

Nice and steady shots. Good transitions.

[@therailroadtiespiker]

Thank you David

[@georgew.5639]

So what did you do at work today? I had to ride the back of a freight train moving in reverse. And I had to hang on for dear life too! You did What?! 😂😊

[@ron5935]

In college days, 1960, at Purdue I observed trains running ground level through Lafayette. I often wondered if they still do it. All the coils are probably aluminum as there was an Alcoa plant on 52 se corner of town. Steel really should not be exposed to weather. Well done video too.

[@25mfd]

aluminum won't rust so they're okay being exposed to the elements... if they are steel coils then they are most likely cold rolled coils... they do rust but a rust preventative oil is added at the end of the process

[@danbedford5419]

Good video

[@therailroadtiespiker]

Thank you Dan

[@danbedford5419]

@@therailroadtiespiker ur w

[@Boilermaker-Rick]

Awesome catch!

[@therailroadtiespiker]

Thank you boilermaker

[@fourtyfivefudd]

Norfolk Southern employee here. It IS allowable to ride the forward movement of a train, provided the conductor is mounted properly, is only riding the side, not the very very front face of the car, not at the rear side of any car where momentum can throw him back and in between the cars “danger zone”, and cannot ride between the cars. But riding the front side as the Conductor Trainee (indicated by the Orange vest) may ride the front in this manner as he is the eyes for the engineer. What shocks me however is that the actual conductor (indicated by the yellow/green) who is watching and training the trainee, is violating one of the biggest rule when riding equipment. He cannot ride equipment with arms inside the car. Most of the rules we have unfortunately wet written in blood. And that can create bad and unsafe habits for the trainee also

[@nancyhodges444]

Looks like it would be cool to ride on point, but not me. Nice work Tie Spiker.

[@cdavid8139]

It's great when it is sunny and 72. It sucks when it is 10 below

[@SWITCHMASHER]

On the short line I worked for I think I rode more times on shoves than on the engine head. Some runs were over 2 miles. The job of watching switches, crossing, and the track can be hectic.,

[@cdavid8139]

@@SWITCHMASHER Especially in the winter when you're taking empties over country roads and wondering as you approach how frozen they might be. Or then there are the shoves through delightful inner-city communities where you feel that you just might be an amazing target for kids hurling rocks. One of my best was around midnight and I was riding a string of empty covered hoppers we were shoving into a storage siding. It was out in the middle of nowhere and suddenly I was in the middle of an impromptu migrant farmworker camp that had been placed right be the tracks. Scared them as much as me. I was invited for tacos and tequila. I abstained.

[@kevinkennedy7702]

Guess I'll never be conductor!! That would not be my choice of a ride

[@davidfoubert1493]

Don’t know why railroads got rid of cabooses ( or what we called Hacks ).Riding a distance hanging on a hand rail not fun.

[@therailroadtiespiker]

And then add a 28° temperature wouldn't be very fun

[@davidkroening9104]

Gondolas are the shi*test cars to ride the point on. Customer usually overloads them and has ripped them to shreds. Also, the ladders are usually FUBAR. Loop your arm over the top is by far the best method when your ride is over 50 cars

[@fourtyfivefudd]

Don’t get caught riding with an arm looped into the car though, you may get a visit by the boss if they see that or someone reports it. Also if you get hurt and the find out you weren’t riding correctly according to the rule book, they’ll fire you and won’t help pay for anything. Better to just get on a different car with ladders that aren’t messed up

[@michigantrucker]

They should have caboose's

[@therailroadtiespiker]

They should not sure why they don't use one.

[@michigantrucker]

@@therailroadtiespiker if they have a long backing ,they should have a caboose

[@SKYFORCESWORLD]

Lol

[@wetwingnut]

Uhm.... Not tied off and no safety helmet? If their safety officer ever sees this they're fired - and if they're not fired then the safety officer should be.

[@ChainsawNW1218]

ChainsawN&W1218, I've heard they call that riding the shove with the Conductors on the gondolas,BNSF run-through power DPU Alright!😄👍🛤🚂

[@therailroadtiespiker]

Yes I love the colors of foreign power lately....