Video railfanning on Youtube, I've only seen this a couple times, but in this day and age of terrorism, no respect for property and infinite liability, I'm surprised I see it at all.
Are there any rules on locking empty boxcar doors?
Rochelle, IL today.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
With all that artist garbage on the side of the car, it is hard to make out, but all the ones I have ever seen, had stenciled instructions near the doors that stated that the doors must be closed and locked before moving car........whose to blame?
Take Care!
Frank
While all doors on empty box cars are supposed to be closed and locked, only plug type doors absolutely need to be closed and locked when empty. We are supposed (and i always do) to report those when found to be open, but some don't understand the need. Regular doors slide on the door rail. Plug doors swing out a bit from the opening and the hinge devices can be damaged by the weight of the doors moving about while going down the road or during switching moves. The top hinges have been known to break off and allow the door to fall off. Possibly on an unsuspecting railroad or industry employe.
Jeff
In my Rio Grande Odyssey video, the narrator makes a comment as a box car goes by the camera with some long hair guys standing in the open door way: and the camera man gets a hair bush salute!
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I remember seeing a few instances of the temporary grain-door strapping flapping in the breeze on trains going by. If you're on a passing train or too close to the right-of-way, that strapping will slice you up like a Sunday ham.
Sure, cars are supposed to be cleaned and checked before pickup but there's always those that slip through the cracks.
Regards, Ed
I have see strapping dragging alongside the train on center beam cars. Probably left behind on the car after unloading. Really looks dangerous to anyone nearby.
Paul D
N scale Washita and Santa Fe RailroadSouthern Oklahoma circa late 70's
I check into most of RailStreams sites, daily, and I see quite a few open doors. I always pay close attention to see if I can see anyone there.
Mike.
My You Tube
Guys,More likely a industry employee will leave a door open because-well,we have more work to do and yes,I'm guilty of leaving standard boxcar doors open simply because there's little room between the dock and boxcar.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Another reason for closing boxcar doors is open doors waste fuel. Just remember the drag chutes behind race cars. Open doors were no big deal until the 1970s oil crisis then all of a sudden they became an issue. No profit in hauling wind.
I've never heard anything about having to close empty boxcar doors other than the plug door type. Not one time in 40 years was a train that I was on ever called to stop because of a door open on an empty boxcar and no car inspector ever held us up in the terminal because he needed to close an empty boxcar door.
Boxcars loaded with brick had their doors left semi-open in transit and boxcars for lime loading had their doors completely removed.
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PED I have see strapping dragging alongside the train on center beam cars. Probably left behind on the car after unloading. Really looks dangerous to anyone nearby.
Paul,That should be a good incentive for railfans to stay back 50' from the track..As we know trains are large and cameras has zoom so there's no real need to get up close and personal.
My nickle's worth jumps into the murky realm of memory accuracy. I did most of my heavy railfanning as a lad back in the 50s - and am willing to bet the term didn't exist then. As mentioned in a couple of previous posts, it was along the Michigan Central (NYC) dual main running west out of Jackson, Michigan. All these years down the road, I'd estimate that maybe 5% of the box cars had open doors. And maybe 5% of those had non-revenue passengers railfaning the railfan near the Wisner Street crossing.
Regarding these non-revenue "passengers", I'd imagine that those with experience had a well-tested portfolio of artful techniques both for boarding and for remaining undetected until out of the yard. Even seem to recall a few of them beneath the sloped ends of hoppers. More noise, perhaps, but better "air conditioning"!
John
So how far back does this open door rule go?. The reason I ask is because I've seen video of open box car doors during the transitional era as the norm...
jeffhergert The top hinges have been known to break off and allow the door to fall off. Possibly on an unsuspecting railroad or industry employe.
Also have a penchant for nailing high level platforms.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
marksrailroad So how far back does this open door rule go?. The reason I ask is because I've seen video of open box car doors during the transitional era as the norm...
None of this matters on the STRATTON & GILLETTE.
All of my boxcar doors are glued shut. No exceptions. I even glud the doors of my Micro-Trains N scale boxcars shut back when.
The reason is... If a boxcar is supposed to be empty, and the doors are shut, OK, but if a boxcar is supposed to be loaded, and the doors are open, NOT OK.
So, if no doors are open, it can be eaither loaded or empty. The illusion holds.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Well, I think this blends in with the OP's topic, but, while watching the WC at my favorite spots, I spotted a box car door open about 3 or 4 feet, and a box of office furniture was leaning out the door. You could read the printing on the box, and know it was office furniture.
I called their station in Burlington, WI. and told whoever answered the phone. I drove to the Burlington crossing where the siding was, and saw the train, come a stop, and I got to help the conductor, and a signal maintaince guy, push the load back, and close the door. The signal guy pulled his truck up close to the car, was able to push the box in close enough, that the conductor and I could push the door closed. They asked if I was the guy that called it in, and shook my hand.
It was a cool experience. I was a stock holder, and things were great.
In Cuba, some boxcars have folding seats in them for paying passengers. Do not know if these are bolted down or if the door is shut while moving. Cuba does not have enough passenger cars. The steamers are in a museum while the old diesels have to be repaired by hand; parts not readily available.
A Russian girl in Russia would get on top of the passenger car and lay down. She was caught a few times and had to pay a fine ever time.
PukkaA Russian girl in Russia would get on top of the passenger car and lay down. She was caught a few times and had to pay a fine ever time.
India
https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/event/overloaded-passenger-trains-in-india-453767351#people-hanging-and-travelling-on-roof-of-a-overloaded-passenger-train-picture-id453288203
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
I should have mentioned that when I was a kid back in the mid 1970s that we would climb around on side tracked cars of the Southern Pacific and most of the time the doors were open on the box cars and the hatches on the covered hoppers were shut but not locked down...
The is no rule covering empty boxcars doors being open other then plug doors..
I have lost count of seeing "Please close and lock door before moving car" on empty boxcars with the doors open.