Hello I seen these on 6/7/13 in northeast Ohio
and short video click photo I have a video of the hole train but cant get it to load right now. I was surprised to see these on flat cars. I thought they would have there wheels on and be pulled. Have a nice day Frank
and short video click photo
I have a video of the hole train but cant get it to load right now. I was surprised to see these on flat cars. I thought they would have there wheels on and be pulled. Have a nice day Frank
Those are narrow gauge locos. Note that they also have four wheel trucks with span bolsters between, rather than the six wheel trucks standard for that size loco in the US.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - also narrow gauge)
Good eye Chuck.
What RR is VLI ? This country with diesels that size on narrow gauge? Learn someting new every day.
Real good shots 0-6-0.
Wadda ya mean I'm old ? Just because I remember gasoline at 9 cents a gallon and those big coal burning steamers.
Good eye for earlier threads (in the Trains magazine forum) plus knowing that most of Brazil's rail mileage is meter gauge.
Didn't find VLI among the current Brazilian rail operators. It could be a leasing company, or (more likely) the letters starting the words are different in Portugese. FWIW, L might be Logistica - freight.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
tomikawaTTGood eye for earlier threads (in the Trains magazine forum) plus knowing that most of Brazil's rail mileage is meter gauge.
Valor da Logistica
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoList.aspx?id=VLI
Here's a pic of the group of engines on rail cars being shipped last year prior to the pics the OP posted. At least that's what it looks like according to their engine roster in above post.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3310936
Fairly good size railroad.
Pretty good summary in English of Brazil's rich and complex rail network here.
http://www.sinfin.net/railways/world/brazil.html
If your Portuguese is as questionable as mine when you follow links from it, remember Google Translate can help a lot.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Hello thanks Chuck I never thought about narrow gauge. Why are the trucks left off? To make them lighter loads? Here is a link to a 2min video its a little shaky but it shows all the locos and trucks. Have nice day Frank
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RArSEnf0xg0
Hi Frank: Those locomotives are going to be deck loaded onto a freighter for shipment to Brazil. Slings will be passed under each end and shacked to a beam which will be lifted from the center by a heavy lift crane. leaving the trucks off reduces the weight, makes it easier to pass the slings under the frame and there's no need to worry about the trucks falling off during the lift. It's a ticklish business hoisting a locomotive onto the deck of a ship and things can go terribly wrong. I believe there's a video somewhere on U-tube that shows an engine dropping onto the dock when the slings failed. Bummer!
I've seen EMD locomotives shipped from London on flatcars heading to a port (probably Montreal, or maybe Halifax) on the CN mainline.
The reasons for doing that would be obviously a gauge issue, or the units are not legal for operation on their own wheels. So they go on the flats. If they are for export, it is quite likely their brakes, etc., are not up to North American standards.
Locos shipped to Mexico on own wheels, in train.
Texas Mexican Railway Joint Yard, Corpus Christi. (1970s?)
I donated this photo to local archive at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi and linked here to about 100 of my photos on university's library web site.
http://rattler.tamucc.edu/dept/special/Anthony.html
As Chuck pointed out, the loco is much easier to lift without the trucks. For those of you who don't know, the primary thing that holds the trucks on any piece of railroad equipment is gravity. Or, should we say gravity holds the loco/car on the trucks?
Many pieces of equipment simply have a pin and a hole - they just sit there - but even when there is some sort of "latch" or "lock", it is not generally designed to support the weight of the truck with the loco suspended in mid air.
Yes, there are also all the connections - air hoses, cables, brake rigging on rolling stock, etc, - but all that will snap in a heart beat - look at a photo of any train wreck?
Back in the day, steam loco tender trucks and passenger cars had safety chains at all four corners to at least slow the process of the trucks flying around in a derailment/crash.
How to replace a freight car truck - disconnect brake rod, jack up car end, roll truck out, roll new truck under, lower car, connect brake rod.
Sheldon
Hello well now that I know what they are and where they are going and how they will get there does anyone now where they came from? who made them and where? I am guessing Erie PA not sure? They were heading west on this line and I think this line goes though Erie. Most of the time I just see double stacks, tanker, coal trains and few mixed fright so this was cool to see.
Jim I did see that video sometime ago not good for the loco at all.
Have nice day Frank
maxman tomikawaTTGood eye for earlier threads (in the Trains magazine forum) plus knowing that most of Brazil's rail mileage is meter gauge. Valor da Logistica http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoList.aspx?id=VLI
VALOR DA LOGISTICA INTEGRATA is the meaning of VLI , translated to English ('merican) who knows what it means, it translates to almost the same thing ! Remember, it's Portuguese.
Note the Brazilian flag on the engines.
Ease of picking up the locomotive has nothing to do with the trucks being on or off, they would pick up the engine the same way with or without the trucks, the lifting points are designed to pick up the engine with the trucks on.
You might not ship the engines on the trucks because the engines would be more likely to shift, the springing in the trucks makes them subject to rocking back an forth. Being already a tall shipment it could make them exceed clearances in bridges and tunnels. By putting the engine on a cradle, the engine is fixed dimensions.
You might not ship a narrow gauge engine with the trucks on because if you had to set it down on its trucks the wheels would be resting on the flanges, not on the rail on the treads, and could subject the wheels to damage.
Locomotive trucks are fixed to the underframe, if you pick up the locomotive the trucks come with it. Cars are held on by gravity.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com