Remote Switchers

Remote Control Locomotives work classifying freight cars in South Yard as a BNSF Transcon Double Stack comes in for a crew change on the mainline.

Amarillo is a division point on the BNSF Railway and consequently most trains coming through stop for a crew change. We have set our camera at a location that allows us to bring you the action as trains round the last curve by the old Santa Fe Depot in downtown Amarillo. As the trains round the curve, which has a speed limit of 30 mph, they immediately start braking for the crew change point ahead at Junior. Junior is a railroad observation tower (now obsolete) located just north of the I-40 overpass. Also located next to the tower is a yard office where the Trainmaster works. It is a great place to change crews, pick up new orders etc. Junior tower and office is seen in some of our other videos so keep that in mind if you want to take a look at it. This video highlights a unit coal train arriving in Amarillo, while several other trains come and go. Meanwhile, the Remote-Control switchers work hard in South Yard pulling out long strings of cars to build new trains.

While trying to catch a special train on video I found the mainlines in Amarillo completely clogged with double stacks. I found out that the special train's second motor caught fire north of Amarillo and would be delayed. After the mainline congestion eased, I found lots of switching activity in both of Amarillo's railyards. In the North Yard I found three pairs of switching locomotives, two of them remote, working the yard.

Remote Control Switchers BNSF GP39-3 # 2680 and GP28-2 #1501, come out of North Yard with a string of tank cars. They cross Tyler Street and start sorting out the tank cars.