Picking up paperwork, St Joe Bridge

[TSS]

For about a week, P371 has been stopping at St Joe Bridge for paperwork. On day one, they specifically mentioned needing NS bulletins. On day two or three, they commented the problem was a broken fax machine at the Amtrak crew base in GR.

Which got me to thinking, how do they get CSX bulletins to get to the bridge in the first place?

And then I realized I’ve never questioned the same thing with coal empties. They stop at the bridge all the time for NS bulletins. How can they can get CSX paperwork at origin to get to the bridge, but there remains no good way to get NS paperwork until they reach the bridge?

[Saturnalia]

Bridgetender has a printer/fax machine, so they print them off and hand them to the crew. No "Train Order" hoop, so the trains have to stop for the literal hand-off

NS is just slow issuing paperwork sometimes, so it isn't ready before they leave. Normally that would hold a train, but with the bridge there, they can cheat on it. It give NS a couple more hours to issue them before it causes problems.

[GP30M4216]

I never really realized they did this, either. Does anyone have any photos of a train crew picking up orders from the bridge? I assume this can’t happen during the winter months when the bridge is closed and unstaffed.

The operator at BO Tower in Kalamazoo used to give printed CN bulletins to the crew of train 38J (and 48J before that) as they rounded the wye turning from Elkhart East toward Jackson. This was normally a nocturnal run, but occasionally they’d run during the daylight and you’d get to watch the conductor hang out the window and grab them. What was one done thousands of times a day is all but gone nowadays.

[TSS]

That makes sense on the coal trains. Thanks for the info.

Still wondering how Amtrak is doing it right now if their fax is down. Maybe CSXs come via computer and that is working, while NSs come via fax and that is broken? Who knows. That’s a mystery I can live with, now that I understand the coal trains.

[TSS]

I assume this can’t happen during the winter months when the bridge is closed and unstaffed.

Last winter, the river never froze so it was staffed all year. But in previous years, if memory serves, I think I remember trains stopping to "see if there is anything on the printer." So maybe the train crews have a key and the printer is left on?

[Saturnalia]

I assume this can’t happen during the winter months when the bridge is closed and unstaffed.

Last winter, the river never froze so it was staffed all year. But in previous years, if memory serves, I think I remember trains stopping to "see if there is anything on the printer." So maybe the train crews have a key and the printer is left on?

I would imagine that the lock on the bridgetender cabin is one train crews have. I know Amtrak has also picked up paperwork at East Tower in Grand Rapids before, too, but that's harder to do now since there is no longer a Yardmaster physically present.

[justalurker66]

Which got me to thinking, how do they get CSX bulletins to get to the bridge in the first place?

CSX has a presence in Grand Rapids. If Amtrak's fax machine can't receive any CSX bulletins they can go pick them up (or have them delivered to the station, if CSX is willing). It is nice of CSX to pass on the NS bulletins in St Joe. Probably the last manned location before Porter where they would be needed to proceed.