Quincy Railroad at Quincy Junction, July 2021

My friend Mark and I paid a visit to Quincy Junction in Quincy California in July of 2021. Finally, after maybe 15 visits to the junction I finally caught the Quincy Railroad working the junction. In this video Quincy RR #5, an EMD SW1200 built in November of 1950, is bringing four cars loaded with lumber from the Sierra Pacific mill up to the junction to be picked up at a later time by the Union Pacific. This is an excellent example of a short line working an interchange.

[@genehardy774]

Excellent video...I got interested in this little railroad thanks to a guy sharing his modeling work online. For anyone who might know...how do they handle the empties at the interchange? From that track arrangement-- do they have to shove them the entire 4 miles or so back to the mill or do they tuck the locomotive into their 'main' down the hill --and use gravity to roll them past the locomotive onto the short tail track? Or something else. Looks like there's BARELY room for the 4 centerbeams and the locomotive to clear on that tail track?
Thanks for sharing the video!

[@steampoweredradio2981]

Hi Gene. Thank you. Took me a while to finally catch them switching the junction. This is the first time that my friend and I set up in different locations and then shared our video with each other. I think that is the way we'll do it from now on. I suppose they bring the empties back down to the mill in the same configuration that they bring them up. There are two passing sidings outside the mill, one with a crossover and I guess they use them to store empties. The track for loading the cars only appears to hold four cars at a time and so does the tail track at the junction so I guess they only run four car trains at a time and make multiple trips. I want to go back up and try and catch the UP either setting out or picking up cars but my trip for this past week was postponed due to the area going up in flames from the Dixie fire. Sad. It's really beautiful country up there. Dave

[@genehardy774]

@@steampoweredradio2981 Sorry to hear that area was impacted by the fires. It does appear beautiful in the video Off topic but I found your am transmitter video earlier this evening. I spent over 40 years in radio and television (on air & sales} until becoming “retired” in one of those lovely corporate “staff adjustments” this past January. I did the overnight show on the am and babysat the FM automation from the transmitter building around 1983-and remember taking FCC mandated readings on our 5 tower directional array. Brought back some long forgotten knowledge. Ours was not nearly so fancy however. Congrats on the great footage of the short line!

[@steampoweredradio2981]

@@genehardy774 Gene, just saw your reply. I still do not understand how RUclips comments work and I think I miss a lot of notes from viewers. Where abouts and who did you work for? My career was only in California. 42 years in the San Francisco market and three in the L.A. market from 1978 to 1981. My first job was as the 'brains' of a human automation system at KDFC AM and FM. Sat on a hilltop for 10 hours a day playing classical music from 6 Revox A-77 tape machines. Great fun though. Did a little on air, wasn't that good, and a lot of board shifts. Mainly when one of my techs would call in sick and I couldn't find anyone else. I am planning on going back to Quincy soon, as soon as I get over whatever it is I contracted last week chasing trains in Arizona with a friend of mine. Two tests, no positive for covid so probably a bit of flu or cold from standing in freezing winds in Kingman Arizona for hours. Got good video which I'll edit soon and post. Take care, Dave.