'Parked' train waiting

Richard wondered about the "parked" freight trains he sees as he drives south along U.S. 85. He was curious why the trains stop and where the engineer and others go when the train is stopped.

Myke responded on the Ask! blog that a train must stop when its crew reaches the end of its shift. A van from the railroad picks up the previous crew and another van drops off the new team, Myke said.

That's true part of the time, but it's not the most likely answer for that stretch of track, said Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis. Burlington Northern and Union Pacific trains use that track, and when they stop it's most likely because the line ahead is blocked by other train traffic, Davis said. If, while the train is waiting for the traffic to clear, the crew reaches its maximum of 12 hours, then a new crew must be sent to replace it.

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