Roper Terminal Info

Site Specific Instructions for Roper Yard

• Under no circumstances should long drawbar cars be kicked on curved rail. Pinning zones (straight areas for kicking) in East Roper have been marked with yellow paint.

• When switching on the East end of Roper (30th South), releasing more than four (4) consecutive loads or seven (7) mixed load/empty cars during kicking operations at Roper is prohibited. Cuts of more than four (4) consecutive loads or more than seven (7) mixed load/empty cars can be kicked in smaller, legal chunks. There are no similar restrictions on the west end of Roper.

• Cars are NOT to be kicked or rolled free down any clear tracks. All cars should be kicked against two (2) or more cars secured with a minimum of two (2) handbrakes (heel).

• A minimum of two (2) handbrakes are required on each track. While working from the west end of Roper, two (2) handbrakes will be tied on the west end of every track that cars are placed in, before the end of the tour of duty.

• When cutting away from cars in tracks 1-4 and 7-10, you must perform a primary securement check. When a primary securement check is impractical, perform a secondary securement check using Roper’s grade of 0.30 and the tonnage chart in the SSI Item 10-L Section D.

• Any track containing a single car will have that car secured as soon as it is placed in the track. When placing a second car against a single car, the second car will be secured as soon as it is placed in the track.

When working without PSP, if tonnage exceeds that listed in the table, cut in a minimum of one car of air for every 500 tons in the cut with a minimum of 5 cars of air coupled.

While the above restrictions apply to switching in the yard, there are a separate set of restrictions for Remote Control Train Movements. These movements are defined as main track movements, yard transfers, local freight movements, etc.; it does not include doubling a train together, using the main track for headroom or adding cars to a train on the main track (i.e., switching movements). Leaving the yard to spot industries on the YSC51R, YSC52R, and YRO55R are considered Remote Control Train Movements. The restrictions are as follows:

• Locomotive consist must not exceed 3 locomotives and not exceed 24 EPA.

• Train consist must not exceed 120 cars/platforms/units/wells and 8500 total trailing tons. In addition, tons per locomotive must not exceed: 3000 tons per 6 axle locomotive and 2000 tons per 4 axle locomotive.

Important Contact Info for Roper Yard