Locals serve the customers: they leave a yard with cars for the line, spot them at plants, elevators and warehouses, pull the outbound loads and empties, and bring them back to be sorted. A local job is mostly switching, with long hours spent at each industry rather than miles covered. Local crews know their customers, their spur lengths and their quirks, and a good local conductor is the railroad's face to small shippers.
The local's got eight spots at the plastics plant and a pull at the feed mill, so they won't be back on the main till after lunch.
A local that goes out and back on the same shift is a turn; one that works one way and ties up at the far end is a peddler or way freight on many roads.
Also heard as
- way freight
- peddler
- turn
Related terms
Spot
To place a car at an exact location, such as an industry's loading door, pit or rack.
Switch list
The list telling a yard or local crew which cars to move and where each one goes.
Spur
A short dead-end track branching off to serve an industry or to store cars.
Set out
To leave a car or group of cars on a track short of the train's final destination.