As I was searching for air hoses for my HO 1950's GE 44 tonner project, I noticed that Cal-Scale had some hoses with shut-off valves attached (#s 190-730 and 190-621). When would I use these? I'm guessing that these go on locomotives and not cars?
If a worker or driver needed an extra air supply, cleaning nozzle, etc. Makes sense.I am a retired machine mechanic. I always needed an air supply.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
Locomotives and freight cars both need a shut-off valve(angle cock) on the train line.
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
BeatlesFan As I was searching for air hoses for my HO 1950's GE 44 tonner project, I noticed that Cal-Scale had some hoses with shut-off valves attached (#s 190-730 and 190-621). When would I use these? I'm guessing that these go on locomotives and not cars?
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Thanks to all for your helpful responses.
All air hose connections between engines (connections for pneumatically controlled systems like sanders) and cars (air brake train line) have shut off valves (angle cocks) for when the engine or car is NOT connected to another engine/car at that end. Having the air pressure vent to the atmosphere means nothing will work properly...
When connecting equipment up, the person doing it will first attach the air hoses then slowly open the valves on both sides so the air pressure flows from one to the other. When disconnecting, the valve must first be closed before disconnecting the hoses. If the main train line is severed and vented, the control valves in the brake system react to the sharp drop in pressure by applying a full emergency brake application from the pressure built up in the brake reservoirs.
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
It is a nice bit of added detail and should be highlighted slightly- I think the entire casting is pure black and both the angle cock and the gladhand connector would be metallic and not painted. Not bright silver but dullish gray.
It might be added that another area where the airhose is connected would be in freight yards that have "yard air" - air supplies via long hoses (usually dark red hoses it seems) so that a string of cars can be charged up with air before a locomotive is coupled. They are charged up, the angle cocks closed, then locomotive coupled and air hoses attached, and the angle cock slowly opened. Saves time because for a long string of cars to get fully charged with air can take a while particularly in cold weather.
It is easy to model the physical aspects of "yard air" but advanced operators also try to "model" the time things take on a railroad.
Dave Nelson
dknelsonIt is easy to model the physical aspects of "yard air" but advanced operators also try to "model" the time things take on a railroad. Dave Nelson
Glad you mentioned that, Dave. I think I've referred to a Paul Larson Editorial in MR, way back when, called "Those 'Pretend" Operations before on the forum. Using yard air saves time in real life, but those who want operate realistically, particularly if they're using "fast clocks" and such, could add realism by pausing for such things as recharging the train line when running a way freight. In real life, the angle cock behind a car to be dropped has to closed, as well as on the car they're dropping, then the loco sets out the car (maybe "dynamiting" the car's brakes), the hand brakes set, and the loco returns to couple onto the train again. If they're picking up a car, once it's added to the train the car's brake line and reservoir must be recharged before they can proceed. (I'm not sure if the rest of the train brakes are set with the air brakes before the engine disconnects to pick up or drop a car. Maybe the whole train line must be recharged before they proceed? Help, guys!) At any rate these things take time.
Back in my HO days, operating my Colorado Western (ca. 1895), the kids not only paused to fill up the tender tank and bunker, they usually made sound affects to go with it. It was only a 5x9' table, but it was a division point, where engines and cabeese were changed with the crews, and we had a ball! Stay safe, everybody--and have fun railroadin'!
Deano
Yard air can also be used by car men to do the intial terminal air test.
At our terminals with yard air, the yard air is disconnected and the train line bled off before disconnecting the air hose. When the engines are coupled on, and tracks doubled up, cars on each track need to be recharged by the road power. However, since the reservoirs aren't completely empty it may not take as long to pump everything up.
When setting out cars (or just cutting off the engines to pick up cars) the standing train the brake pipe is allowed to 'dynamite.' That's after setting a sufficient amount of hand brakes. (During extreme cold weather instead of dynamiting the train, the brake pipe is drawn down by the engineer to 20 psi so the cars don't go into emergency. It's because during extreme cold the control valves on the cars might freeze in the emergency position which won't allow the brake pipe to be recharged.)
Once the engines are recoupled to the standing train, the entire brake system needs to be recharged. Depending on what was done there are air tests that need to be done once the brake pipe reaches a certain pressure at the rear of the train.
Jeff
Thanks, Jeff. I thought the train line would have to be recharged, but my memory is a little hazy and I haven't run across Larson's article--or any other info on brakes--in my rereading of my bound volumes of MR. I found a craftsman here in town that has restored these old friends (I have 1945 through 1961) using the original cover boards and spine covers, tightened up the binding, and restamped the information on the spines with gold leaf. I'm slowly going through 1958 now and sort of reliving my youth. I was 18 that year, when I still hung around with my eldest brother and worked on old-time HO equipment, including steam locos, in what I call my Cozy Nook in our basement. Golden years, for sure. Stay safe, everybody.