I was wondering how the railroads remove the EOT devices once the train or car reaches its destination.
In the model railroad world, we have two options in HO scale. One is a company called Ring Engineering which makes a lighted EOT with wires to a truck that you mount on a freight car.
https://www.ringengineering.com/EotDevice.htm
I recently found a company called MacRail Products and they make one which is inserted in the coupler head and stays in place. This one does not light up, but for modeling and switching cars on a train layout, it serves a purpose and looks pretty cool.
https://macrailproducts.com/shop/ols/products/xn-eot-regular-coupler-yellow-3-pack-mac-902rt-ys05a
So how and what do the real railroads do to accomplish this?
Thanks in advance to all who reply.
Neal
nealknowsI was wondering how the railroads remove the EOT devices once the train or car reaches its destination.
A guy walks up to it and takes it off.
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
cv_acrA guy walks up to it and takes it off.
I believe some of the early ones have pins to go into the hole in the knuckle; the pin is long enough that the device won't bounce off or fall out on the road. In my opinion you don't want a real one held only by the closed knuckle as anything that snags the cut lever would dump it. Researching the 'real thing' will give you ample evidence of the methods currently used. I am sure that a device of that weight, intended to run upright, has ample bracketing to hold it up. Whether this will work on a Kadee coupler head or shank, I don't know: it might be interesting to see pictures of the prototype 'attachment points' to see if something like them could be modeled on a fleet of model cars, or added to the car(s) intended to have FREDs when operating. (It's time to shine the Ed-light!)
For modeling, where of course the 'knuckle' will have no suitable hole, I'd just make a stem that fits cleanly in the closed coupler, as noted, and perhaps rig up a connection via the 'air hose' to make the little red light work.
As an amusing aside: I thought these were surely locked on the bottom against theft, tampering or inadvertent 'ejection'. But I have been advised of multiple instances where rides through rotary dumpers have, ahem, caused certain issues both with train handling and contamination of the bulk product...
They attach to the slots on the side of the coupler.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
Overmod I believe some of the early ones have pins to go into the hole in the knuckle; the pin is long enough that the device won't bounce off or fall out on the road. In my opinion you don't want a real one held only by the closed knuckle as anything that snags the cut lever would dump it. Researching the 'real thing' will give you ample evidence of the methods currently used. I am sure that a device of that weight, intended to run upright, has ample bracketing to hold it up. Whether this will work on a Kadee coupler head or shank, I don't know: it might be interesting to see pictures of the prototype 'attachment points' to see if something like them could be modeled on a fleet of model cars, or added to the car(s) intended to have FREDs when operating. (It's time to shine the Ed-light!) For modeling, where of course the 'knuckle' will have no suitable hole, I'd just make a stem that fits cleanly in the closed coupler, as noted, and perhaps rig up a connection via the 'air hose' to make the little red light work. As an amusing aside: I thought these were surely locked on the bottom against theft, tampering or inadvertent 'ejection'. But I have been advised of multiple instances where rides through rotary dumpers have, ahem, caused certain issues both with train handling and contamination of the bulk product...
Thank you overmod for your reply.
I bought the one from MacRail Products and they twist into the Kadee #5 coupler head. They look fine and for the price of one Ring I can get 6 of these. Not worried about something flashing on the railroad. I have enough lights and sounds from my DCC engines and lights from signals on the layout to keep me amused.
nealknowsThank you overmod for your reply.
As noted these have a brake-hose attachment, and most in addition to accelerating a set from the rear are powered or internally kept charged by a small air-bleed turbine (which was instrumental in the Lac Megantic wreck) so you're justified in drilling out a FRED model to take a machined-down red LED, and using a 'fake' air hose connection to a flasher circuit installed in a car. I suspect using a little Plasti-dip to hold the 'two' wires together would make a reasonable hose, and a little two-pin connector (or even two pins on wires) could connect to a socket cemented under the frame, or even a 'through' connection that could support DC power through a consist.
Overmod, Ed and Zug,
Here's what I bought to add to my models
Overmod nealknows Thank you overmod for your reply. Thank Zug, too. And Ed, when he gets around to posting detail pictures... As noted these have a brake-hose attachment, and most in addition to accelerating a set from the rear are powered or internally kept charged by a small air-bleed turbine (which was instrumental in the Lac Megantic wreck) so you're justified in drilling out a FRED model to take a machined-down red LED, and using a 'fake' air hose connection to a flasher circuit installed in a car. I suspect using a little Plasti-dip to hold the 'two' wires together would make a reasonable hose, and a little two-pin connector (or even two pins on wires) could connect to a socket cemented under the frame, or even a 'through' connection that could support DC power through a consist.
nealknows Thank you overmod for your reply.
Thank Zug, too. And Ed, when he gets around to posting detail pictures...
The air turbine EOT had nothing to do with the Lac Megantic incident.
Jeff
jeffhergertThe air turbine EOT had nothing to do with the Lac Megantic incident.
Overmod jeffhergert The air turbine EOT had nothing to do with the Lac Megantic incident. How do you figure the line pressure decreased without setting the emergency, then? I thought it had been clearly established that it was the air turbine that did so.
jeffhergert The air turbine EOT had nothing to do with the Lac Megantic incident.
How do you figure the line pressure decreased without setting the emergency, then? I thought it had been clearly established that it was the air turbine that did so.
The air turbine did allow pressure to drop, but the primary reason is that the only engine supplying air to the brake pipe was shut off.
It also doesn't matter since the automatic brake was left in release. (A holdover from old IIRC CPR securement instructions.) The air leaked off at a rate less than what would cause the car's control valve to go to a service braking application. As the brake pipe dropped, the individual car's brake equipment also stayed in release. There's a small port in the control valve that is open between the brake pipe and the brake reservoir when the valve is in the release position. It allows charging air to the reservoir, but also will allow air to flow back into the brake pipe if the change is at a very low rate. That allows the equalization of pressure to be maintained even though the brake pipe (and reservoir) are being drawn down. So even though the brake pipe is leaking away the control valves on the cars don't sense it as a brake application, they stay in release as pressure drops.
Had the automatic brake been set, even with a minimum application, the control valve once it reaches equalization of pressure between the reservoir and brake pipe after the initial brake application goes to lap and shuts off this port. If the brake pipe would drop further, whether from a actual increase in the brake application or from leakage, the control valve would then increase the braking force until it again reached equalization. In this case the air turbine EOT leaking away air would've caused the braking force on the cars to be increased.
While a freight train could have it's brake pipe leak away to 0 without any brakes applying under those conditions, a passenger train would be different. Passenger control valves will go to emergency when the brake pipe drops to about 20 psi. I believe that's what's considered the least amount of pressure needed to transmit an emergency application to other cars.
The model EOT that is not illuminated is realistic for daytime operation. The real ones have a photo cell that turns them off in daylight to save battery power.
The EOT turbines do slightly increase the drop in pressure caused by trainline leakage.
Mark Vinski