recently saw a train stopped outside of cumberland with 6-7 sd60s which seemed excessive
was told locomotives needing inspection are put on trains to cumberland which has an engine terminal.
might be one reason to consist an additional loco on a train
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
Technically they aren't "freight" they are deadheading or repositioning. Railroads do that all the time. They try to work them to destination but will deadhead or excess them to a terminal for any number or reasons (maintenance, inspections, storage, originating a train on line, train imbalance, etc.)
We would put up to 8 engines on a train when we moved excessess (2 or 3 working and 5 to 6 excess), we could put more with authorization from the locomotive director and could move up to 25 engines on a straight power move.
Engines are moved as "freight". Shortline engines moving between their maintenance base and the shortline or being repositioned/reassigned between shortlines commonly move as waybilled moves. New engines can move as waybilled units. Export engines can also be moved waybilled.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
dehusman We would put up to 8 engines on a train when we moved excessess (2 or 3 working and 5 to 6 excess), we could put more with authorization from the locomotive director and could move up to 25 engines on a straight power move.
Rich
Alton Junction
When I have seen them they were dead freight, not powered up. I have seen trains made up entirely of locomptives, a most unusual sight. All too often I had no camera!
I do believe that some railroads have rules for moving locomotives dead in tow and that for some railroads they are to be placed away from the locomotive by a certain number of cars. I also seem to recall seeing railroad employee timetables that established certain lower speed limits for a train hauling locomotives dead in tow.
Dave Nelson
This 1922 photo of a PRR L1s class 2-8-2 pulling 50 Baldwin locomotives westward. They were either for the Santa Fe or the UP.
http://www.northeast.railfan.net/prr_steam8.html
Pete.
I just remembered. It was called the Baldwin Prosperity Special. Eddystone to LA.
The US was experiencing the inevitable post-war depression as the over stimulated war time economy returned to normal. The Prosperity Special was dreamed up as a way to improve the country's morale - "See, big companies are buying for the great days that are coming". They were right, too. One of the ways the Twenties roared was in the economy and stock market. At BLW (it was common practice to place a sign on new locomotives being delivered) All fifty engines assemled outside BaldwinEnroute Crossing the Pecos - I bet there were some nervous bridge enginners!Another shot of the caravan Did it work? Crowds lined the tracks the entire route It was common practice to have engine messengers ride locomotives being delivered to make sure they arrived with no damage and to inspect and lubricate the running gear
If the train didn't need all that power, some of the engines might be isolated (diesel engine running but "off the line"). Brakes would usually be "trainlined through".
Different railroads have (had) different instructions regarding the number of engines on the head end. Above a certain number, additional engines would have to be placed "back in the train" a certain distance.
Then again, there were "light engine" moves -- just engines alone, no train. These could be nice jobs from the crew's standpoint. Back in the mid-1980's, working for Amtrak, I'd get sent out on a lite move from New Haven to Boston in the late evening, following train 178 (last passenger). It would generally be a pair of (ex Santa Fe) CF7's. No crew other than the engineer. When you got to Boston, there were a couple more engines waiting to go back to New Haven. Just before Attleboro there was an all-night Dunkin Donuts, I'd just leave the engines on the Shore Line main and walk over for some coffee to go...
dknelsonWhen I have seen them they were dead freight, not powered up. I have seen trains made up entirely of locomptives, a most unusual sight. All too often I had no camera!
Somebody did
LTEX is Larry's Truck & Electric in Boardman, Ohio. There must have been a deal on GP-30s. Quite a few of those in there.
Regards, Ed
I once saw a number of GMD locomotives on flat cars, on the move to a port for export. For whatever reason, they couldn't move on their own wheels, quite possible they were built for a broad or narrow gauge railroad.
GMD London also shipped standard gauge foreign units on their own wheels, even if they had different couplers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02qJ6pC7DwM
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
dehusmanTechnically they aren't "freight" they are deadheading or repositioning. Railroads do that all the time. They try to work them to destination but will deadhead or excess them to a terminal for any number or reasons (maintenance, inspections, storage, originating a train on line, train imbalance, etc.)
i'm familiar with the term, "deadhead", but what i had in mind more is that the engine needs to be dropped off at an industry (engine terminal) like any other freight car.
so for example, a train may be passing thru a yard and if not completely disassembled and sorted (terminology?) before continueing, some of the engines would be moved to the terminal just like any other cars that might also be destined for the terminal (e.g. sand, coal, oil, box for machinery next to roundhouse).
the next question is would a switcher move the loco or would it be moved under it's own power?
gmpullmanSomebody did
This is just amazing.... thanks for sharing, Ed.
Jerry
I used to work a run on the B&O/Chessie out of Glenwood, Pa. that picked up an Alco Switcher at Washington, Pa. on Friday night and took it to Glenwood for servicing. It would be returned to Washington on Sunday night on a westbound train. The switcher was hauled behind the road power on idle. When we set it off or picked it up we either used the road power or ran it by itself depending on where it was sitting or had to be left.
Working westbound trains out of Cumberland I would sometimes get 12 units, usually on Trailer Trains, since these would not be delayed at intermediate yards. Eastbound trains were heavier than westbounds and the extra power required would accumulate at eastern locations and had to be sent back west on an over powered train or as light engine moves. Only a portion of them would be used to pull the train and the rest either isolated or shut down.
Mark
Love learning something new!
Out of interest, is there anything special to do with our consists to have a loco dead head? In other words, can the loco get placed anywhere in the consist? Any special markings placed, etc?
Sorry for the noob Qs. This is new to me. I bet to others also.
As long as the brakes and the MU connections work there's no mechanical reason that it can't be anywhere in a consist. A railroad may have its own placement rules. If it's the lead unit the lights, horn, and bell would have to work.
On CSX a tag was placed on the isolation switch in the cab detailing any problems or requirements for the locomotive.
When I had extra power I liked to let the lead unit idle to get a quieter ride.
In modern times CP would not place a unit that lacked alignment control couplers behind the road power of a through freight. If it had conventional MU it could be placed between the lead engine and the rest of the power. If it was a switcher without MU it would have to be placed further back in the train.
John
cx500In modern times CP would not place a unit that lacked alignment control couplers behind the road power of a through freight
What is an "alignment control coupler"?
Depending on the arrangement of the yard and engine facilities, engines being picked up or set out might be placed on a handy yard track. Later a yard job (or hostlers, if they have any) will move the engine to where it's wanted.
If the train is also setting out cars, the engine(s) if coupled next to the cars might just be left coupled with the cars. Again letting someone else move them. Ideally, an engine to be picked up would be attached to the cars being picked up. Usually though it seems the engine is on one track while the cars are on another.
If the engines don't have a defect that allows them to run, they can be moved on their own. Even an engine past due on Federal inspections can be moved on it's own. It just can't be used to power a train.
Jeff
"What is an "alignment control coupler"?
Alignment control couplers have a mechanism in the coupler housing that prevents the coupler from being pushed too far to the side when the locomotives are in dynamic braking or shoving cars. If the coupler are misaligned too much a lot of side force is put on the wheel bearings and flanges which can lead to overheating or derailment.
Early units had removable "limiting blocks" that were inserted on either side ot the coupler shank but starting in the 60's a permanent built in arrangement has been used.
Thanks!
Here's one of those "A picture is worth 930 words[1]" situations:
Draft-gear alignment by Edmund, on Flickr
[1] adjusted for inflation