Running low on hours of service, the crew aboard the NS 4263 hustles an eastbound grain train through Truckee, California. In just a couple miles, the crew will have to stop the train. Federal law limits the number of hours a train crew can work before they are required to be relieved.
Unfortunately, the brief delay caused by the crew change would lead to a traffic jam on the mountain. The NS 4263 ultimately became “stuck” on the #2 track at East Truckee. Dispatcher 9 had to run 10 trains around the NS 4263 before it could proceed east towards Sparks nearly eight hours later.