A little of this - a little of that!

[Mookie]

First of all - spent almost 3 hours trackside yesterday (MLK so we were off)

Must say that after rereading all my notes printed out on tank cars and plates, I finally got it! Saw lots and lots of tank cars and studied them very carefully. Now I understand. Wow! That was a toughie!

Also saw what the difference was in fuel tanks on GE and EMD. Big difference!

Saw a NS engine go through here - # 8997. Very nice - I love the colors and markings on those engines!

Also noted that when Dash 9's are coming and going - I can tell the difference w/o seeing them - the Dash 9's "whoop" every so often (slow speed), while the EMD's just growl softly. Why do the Dash 9's "whoop"? (Sounds like they are stripping a gear - that is the only way to describe it)

And in a mixed consist - where would just one loaded coal car be going - any thoughts? (it was a BNSF)

More questions later!

Mookie

[tree68]

I'll have to find my notes on tank cars from HazMat - there's more....

I'm just guessing on the lone coal hopper, but a couple of things come to mind
1. It's headed for a small coal dealer (there are still a few of them left doing residential deliveries)
2. It was bad-ordered, set out and repaired, and is now playing catch-up with its cousins in a unit train somewhere.

[rrnut282]

I believe, and someone can correct me if I'm wrong, that that "whooping" sound is the clutch on the air compressor engaging as it is often followed by the sound a compressor makes. Also wait until you see one of NS's newer (numbers in 9700's) 'horseheads' go by. It looks almost identical except that in the stripes on the side flowing from the 'NS' you can see the outline of a horse's head.

[Anonymous]

That's correct -- that "whoop" is the air compressor engaging. EMDs are set up with the compressor driven off the engine (in line), and when not needed the compressor simply doesn't compress. So GEs save fuel by not spinning the compressor except when you need it, as well as wear-and-tear on the compressor, and EMDs save maintenance by not having the clutch. Another six-of-one, half-a-dozen of another choices.

Mookie, if you search in Google for "north american emergency response handbook" you will find html versions (and probably a pdf version that's easy to print) of the guide to all the hazmat placards that are used. That enables you to look up the number of the placard and in many cases know what's being hauled in the tankcar. The Transportation Security Administration has proposed that no hazmat load be placarded for security reasons. I haven't heard of any railroad, truck line, chemical shipper, fire department, or emergency response organization liking that idea.

Larry gave you the two likely choices for the coal car you saw. One way to tell is If the coal car you saw was aluminum, not bottom-dump, or had a reporting mark ending in "X" -then it's unlikely to be anything other than a bad-order setout, repaired and moving again.

If the coal looked gray and kind of porous, it was actually coke -- foundries get single-car orders of coke all the time.

[tree68]

QUOTE: The Transportation Security Administration has proposed that no hazmat load be placarded for security reasons. I haven't heard of any railroad, truck line, chemical shipper, fire department, or emergency response organization liking that idea.

Once again, the ivory tower types telling the people who really know how things work, how they think things should work. At least now I can take a pair of binoculars and tell which version of methyl ethyl awful is leaking from the tank - or if it's just corn oil.

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mark W. Hemphill

That's correct -- that "whoop" is the air compressor engaging. EMDs are set up with the compressor driven off the engine (in line), and when not needed the compressor simply doesn't compress. So GEs save fuel by not spinning the compressor except when you need it, as well as wear-and-tear on the compressor, and EMDs save maintenance by not having the clutch. Another six-of-one, half-a-dozen of another choices.

Mookie, if you search in Google for "north american emergency response handbook" you will find html versions (and probably a pdf version that's easy to print) of the guide to all the hazmat placards that are used. That enables you to look up the number of the placard and in many cases know what's being hauled in the tankcar. The Transportation Security Administration has proposed that no hazmat load be placarded for security reasons. I haven't heard of any railroad, truck line, chemical shipper, fire department, or emergency response organization liking that idea.

Larry gave you the two likely choices for the coal car you saw. One way to tell is If the coal car you saw was aluminum, not bottom-dump, or had a reporting mark ending in "X" -then it's unlikely to be anything other than a bad-order setout, repaired and moving again.

If the coal looked gray and kind of porous, it was actually coke -- foundries get single-car orders of coke all the time.

Thanx for info, Mark. On the placards for the hazmat - a nice young man that lives in Texas, but "flies" into Kansas with his dog Toto every so often, sent me an Emergency Response Guidebook listing all the chemicals, the signs for them, what clothes to wear for them and really makes me want to back up about 100 feet from a crossing! Ick!

Mookie

[mudchicken]

Toto the Cairn Terrier must be a million years old in dog years by now......Title of Emergency Response Guide as related to us by an instructor at the "Rattlesnake Junction" hazmat school at the Pueblo AAR Test Facility is "Nikes, Don't Fail Me Now!!!"[(-D]

Dirty Snowy Bird[banghead]

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mudchicken

Toto the Cairn Terrier must be a million years old in dog years by now......Title of Emergency Response Guide as related to us by an instructor at the "Rattlesnake Junction" hazmat school at the Pueblo AAR Test Facility is "Nikes, Don't Fail Me Now!!!"[(-D]

Dirty Snowy Bird[banghead]

Hey Birdie - I will post a goodie for you! It was fun to watch and maybe you or someone can tell me what was going on! See new postings!

Mook

Was he Cairn or Rat or maybe Toy?

[tree68]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie
Thanx for info, Mark. On the placards for the hazmat - a nice young man that lives in Texas, but "flies" into Kansas with his dog Toto every so often, sent me an Emergency Response Guidebook listing all the chemicals, the signs for them, what clothes to wear for them and really makes me want to back up about 100 feet from a crossing! Ick!

Mookie

We in the firefighting business often use the "rule of thumb" for hazmat distances. If our thumb hides the scene, we're far enough away. Police agencies use a slightly different measuring tool. You can tell they've been using it if there is a ring of powdered sugar around their eye - looking through the donut hole. If you can see the whole scene, you're back enough....[:D]

[UPTRAIN]

I always told poeple around here that the "whoop" was the air compressor going on....now I have proof...........[:D]

[edblysard]

Mudchicken had it right again, its real simple.
If its a placarded tanks car, and something goes wrong,

Run first, read the placard number and book later, from a distance that requires binoculors.

Most of the hazardous stuff in tankcars eithers goes boom, or will croak you if you breath it.

Stay frosty,
Ed

[Mookie]

Reading the forums has made me even more cautious! We were parked at a crossing waiting for a mixed freight to add more cars before it finally left town. Driver parked where most people would at gate - (we were the only car around) - I made him back up about 4 car lengths - they were moving tank cars back and forth.....brrrr.....He said he parked there so I could "see" - told him I didn't want to taste them, just see them!

Mook

[wabash1]

Mookie

Did you look close at the 8997 ? look at the windshield engineer side top toward center . there is a white hunk of metal hanging there. and on many ns dash 9s and the new 2600 series sd 70s. you will see a red flash of light also. just smile you had your picture taken. that is the railcam that ns put in for the crossing accidents and anything else they want to use it for.

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by wabash1

Mookie

Did you look close at the 8997 ? look at the windshield engineer side top toward center . there is a white hunk of metal hanging there. and on many ns dash 9s and the new 2600 series sd 70s. you will see a red flash of light also. just smile you had your picture taken. that is the railcam that ns put in for the crossing accidents and anything else they want to use it for.

Really! Ooo - now I have a reason to go back and watch even sooner - Driver sees a lot of the NS engines north of town where he works. I will have him take a look for me until I can check them myself.

Do they work even if the engine is 2nd or 3rd in line, or only when they are the "point"?

AND - aren't you glad you replied to this - what activates this railcam - the whistle, the engineer or just Mookie waving like mad?

[dekemd]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tree68

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie
Thanx for info, Mark. On the placards for the hazmat - a nice young man that lives in Texas, but "flies" into Kansas with his dog Toto every so often, sent me an Emergency Response Guidebook listing all the chemicals, the signs for them, what clothes to wear for them and really makes me want to back up about 100 feet from a crossing! Ick!

Mookie

We in the firefighting business often use the "rule of thumb" for hazmat distances. If our thumb hides the scene, we're far enough away. Police agencies use a slightly different measuring tool. You can tell they've been using it if there is a ring of powdered sugar around their eye - looking through the donut hole. If you can see the whole scene, you're back enough....[:D]

Nothing like a good doughnut, while you're sitting safely in your patrol car watching the firemen go handle the real nasty stuff.[:D] When I went through LE training, our hazmat instructor told us to use the Highway Patrol test to see if hazmat was involved. Park about a mile from the accident and use your binoculars. If you see a HP car with the door open, and a Trooper hat on the ground with a puddle under it, don't go any closer, hazmat is involved.[:D]

Several months ago CSXs Bostic Yard had a large tanker leaking methanol. The firemen were so nervous that if you popped a paper bag they'd jump three feet.