<div dir="ltr">OK, I sit corrected on cabeese on mine runs. Putting it behind the loco prevents those extra maneuvers I was worried about. BUT, and there's always a but, how many men made up a mine run crew? Engineer, fireman and probably a brakeman at the nucleus, anybody else? Did the mining operations supply workers to assist in the process?<div>Jim Cochran</div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Fri, Dec 5, 2025 at 6:46 AM NW Mailing List <<a href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org">nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div class="msg-7372071753362676774">
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I've seen many pics of the caboose riding behind the engine on switching moves to keep crews together.</div>
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Carl Barna</div>
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Emmaus, PA</div>
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<div id="m_-7372071753362676774divRplyFwdMsg" dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size:11pt" color="#000000"><b>From:</b> NW-Mailing-List <<a href="mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces@nwhs.org" target="_blank">nw-mailing-list-bounces@nwhs.org</a>> on behalf of NW Mailing List <<a href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org" target="_blank">nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org</a>><br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, December 4, 2025 4:22 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> NW Mailing List <<a href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org" target="_blank">nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org</a>><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: North Fork Hollow Mine Run</font>
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<div dir="ltr">Thanks Jimmy, this helps some of us modelers or others who are just curious about history, who have never worked for the railroad.
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<div>Your question about "where would the crew ride" without a caboose is helpful because I would not have thought of that.</div>
<div>Some of Jim C's questions are interesting to me as generalities to understand the hows and whys of how things worked.
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<div>Mike Rector</div>
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<div dir="ltr">On Thu, Dec 4, 2025 at 2:47 PM NW Mailing List <<a href="mailto:nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org" target="_blank">nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org</a>> wrote:<br>
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On 12/4/2025 8:19 AM, NW Mailing List wrote:<br>
> However, Grant's information suggests that the run pulled past the <br>
> trailing points turnout and then backed the empties into the holding <br>
> track. What was the motivation for this? Hauling a caboose around <br>
> through all these gyrations would have seemingly meant additional <br>
> moves to drop it off and pick it back up, so I am assuming (and yes, I <br>
> know what assuming can do) that these runs were cabooseless.<br>
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Jim,<br>
First, the trains were not cabooseless! Where would the crew ride? <br>
Second, these crews have been switching out these plants for years and <br>
they know how best to do it! Trust me, they are not going to do it the <br>
hard way! What we don't know is everything that is on their list that <br>
needs to be done AND what the physical situation of cars left over in <br>
the tracks may be. Not knowing any of this, it is inconceivable to guess <br>
just how a plant needs to be switched on any given day. Sure, there is a <br>
basic system of working each place, but, that can easily change <br>
depending on what other work needs to be done.<br>
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Jimmy Lisle<br>
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