Keeping the Inland Empire on the move: The Barstow diesel shop
By PAIGE ROMANOWSKI
Staff Writer
In the heart of the Mojave Desert, there’s more afoot than stray tumbleweeds. For more than 140 years, Barstow, California has thrived as a key rail hub next to the Inland Empire, supported by the Barstow diesel shop that keeps assigned locomotives in motion.
Built by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (or Santa Fe) in 1947, the shop is the second busiest on the BNSF network and can service 20 locomotives at a time. Trains ending their route in Barstow will shut down the engines to undergo diesel servicing, including adding sand and refueling. After locomotives are inspected, they’re sent for repairs if a defect is found or moved to the outbound track to join other waiting units cleared for service.
When a locomotive requires service outside of its annual maintenance schedule, the mechanical team runs more detailed diagnostic tests to determine the exact type of failure. The goal is to precisely identify the fault, conduct the necessary repairs and then retest the locomotive.
“We perform more stringent internal checks above the federal requirements,” explained Daniel Rodriguez, shop superintendent. “We strive hard to ensure we put out a safe and reliable product. In addition, Barstow has a great safety record. We are very proud of our team for their consistent safety performance.”
With more than 500,000 hours worked in the first six months of the year, and 400-plus employees, the Barstow diesel shop has repaired and inspected more than 12,000 locomotives with no injuries!
“Maintaining safety and quality is our priority,” said Rodriguez. “Our mantra is 360-degree employee engagement. Regardless of craft or title, everyone plays an influential and important role on our team. Locomotives don’t move unless we all do our part and do it right. For us, it’s about clear transparent communication and planning to ensure that expectations are met, and everyone goes home the same way they came to work.”
Safety is at the core of the work Barstow performs. Keeping employees safe and locomotives in tip-top shape also enables our train crews and freight to move safely.
“Not only is the safety of our team on our shoulders, but also the safety of our train crews and the communities we serve,” added Rodriguez.
After the locomotives at Barstow have been inspected, repaired and tested for compliance, another layer of safety is added: employees again re-evaluate the entire consist before sending the locomotive into train service.
The Barstow team works just like a well-oiled locomotive. Every month, the team has a scorecard review with key performance indicators and comparison to the other diesel shops on the network. Some shops have more capacity or capabilities based on footprint, but this scorecard grades where the team lands when performing the tasks, both scheduled and unscheduled. This allows us to identify opportunities and celebrate successes as continuous improvement is always a priority.
“The most critical part of our operation is planning and execution,” said Rodriguez. “You can have a locomotive that comes in for a traction motor repair, but what caused the traction motor defect could be caused by something else – like another electrical component inside the car body. Working together to diagnose the cause versus just tackling the symptoms is what allows us to get to the main issue and put out a quality product.”
Barstow’s diesel shop not only boasts a large footprint across various railroad crafts and an impressive safety record, but it also handles the second-highest traffic volume on our network while achieving the lowest locomotive downtime.
“We’re proud of this team for the hard work they put in and keeping safety as our core value,” said Rodriguez. “This team is critical to the world’s fifth largest economy [California], and the entire rail network, in supplying critical locomotive assets to our transportation team, ultimately servicing the customers that entrust us to deliver their freight. Thank you, team, for all you do!”
