I worked as the project

I worked as the project manager while rebuilding a 20 mile section of US 50, which included a grade separation over the Hawthorn branch at Hazen, NV.  At that time about one or two "bomb, trains" as the UP Flagger called ,them would head down to Hawthorn per week and usually come back come back the next day.  Train speeds seemed to be around 20mph.  

There is also Bango oil about 3 miles south of the junction with the mainline at Hazzen which received a fair number of tank cars.   Also at Hazzen there is a branch line the runs over to Fallon, NV about 25 miles away.  Again these are very slow moving trains.    

Never saw a train moving on the branch

I worked in the Tonopah area off and on for 2 years and never saw a train on the line when I was driving through.  It would have been easily seen as there weren't a lot of trees to get in the way other than in the towns.  There were a few retired US Army boxcars in a few spots in the area but I never took a photo, kind of wish I did.  

The guy who wrote that blog

The guy who wrote that blog entry didn't understand how ordnance is stored in a place like that. Still, it's interesting.

It'd make a great layout if tracks go out to the 'igloos' to go get stuff (though in real life they wouldn't). Op sessions scenarios could hinge on some big conflict, like a continuation of a land war in Korea, which would really get the place busy.

Car orders & switching

All I know is when the US Dept of Defense calls in an order for 1000 clean, class A boxcars to Navy, OK (another munitions depot), somebody's fixin to have a bad day.

Another thing is as part of some of the nuclear arms agreements, in the depots where ICBM's or nukes are stored, if the Russians notify the US of an inspection, every piece of equipment in the base has to remain in place in the inspection area for 24 hours to give the Russians the opportunity to fly over a satellite.  The inspection area is marked by signs in English and Russian, with the warning on the inside.  If there is an engine switching the facility, it and all the railcars have to remain in the facility for the inspection period.