Helpers

[Anonymous]

Hey

I know in the steam days that communication between the train crews and helper crews was by the locomotive whistle and i assume this carried on into the early diesel era also. However nowdays do helper locomotives still have their own crews? Or are the helpers remotely connected to the lead units MU system? If so when did this start to become the norm?

I assume that if it is done this way then either another crew needs to ride along so they can bring the light engines back down the mountain, or else they are attached to the next train heading down and detached again at the bottom of the hill. Is this the way it works??

Thanks!

[nfmisso]

Hi Tyson;

By definition, helpers have thier own crew, and now communicate via radio.

There are some railroads that use un-manned locomotives in the middle or end of the trains, these are remotely controlled by radio. One term for these is DPU (Distributed Power Unit).

[Anonymous]

U.P. uses DPU's up here all the time, and every time there always AC44CTE's

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your help!

I guess its only the major roads that use DPu's, so how common are they? Also do the locomotives need any special modifications or anything like that?? When was it that they started to become widely used?

[mvlandsw]

They need to have the control equipment on both the lead controlling unit and on the the receiving helper unit. Other units MUed with these units need no special equipment.

[Anonymous]

Here in Topeka, the UP uses DPU's on relatively flat land and the BNSF uses ,manned pushers on all loaded coal trains on the Topeka Sub between Topeka,KS and NR Junction/Emporia,KS
Ch

[Anonymous]

Hey psngrtrn have you ever been down to Matfield Green beside the emporia sub. I love it there

[SPGP38-24825]

In San Luis Obispo, the UP uses manned (two or three people) helpers to help trains over the Cuesta Grade. The locomotive helper norm is 1 set of three diesels, usually SD40Ms, or SD40-2s. Right now we have a couple of former Trona Ry. SD45-2s on the line.

[mvlandsw]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Tyson

Hey

I know in the steam days that communication between the train crews and helper crews was by the locomotive whistle and i assume this carried on into the early diesel era also.
Thanks!

When I started on the B&O in 1974 we did not have radios and the head end was too far away to hear the horns in most areas. We would tie the helpers on the rear end and then pull the train back. When the head end moved the engineer on the head end would apply the brakes for the air test. When he released the brakes the helper would start shoving. Other than the brake pipe there was no communication between the front and rear .