Help - er

[PNWRMNM]

Eric,

Direct answer to the where question is I do not know.

Mac

[kenneo]

Ah, well. Perhaps I should go back and visit some friends. Been two years. Use that as an excuse to make a search and decoy.

[wabash1]

mookie

I wold haft to say it was probley a slow order in which what you was hearing from the rear unit was him just getting enough power to keep the train moving at that speed. until he gets off the slow order.

[dwil89]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar

.....Do we know if DPU operations are used in the east....such as the long grade up from Altoona to Cresson...? Or perhaps manned helpers still do the job on trains requiring the shove up the "hill"....

Its all manned helpers on the Altoona to Johnstown segment. Pairs of SD40-2's still do the helping with manned crews. Conrail experimented with DPU in the early 90's. They equipped a group of C40-8W's with the capability..they tried it on ore and slabtrains up the East Slope around Horseshoe Curve....using mid-train help. Apparently it wasn't worth it as it was never put into practice. NS will put helpers on the rear, and/or head-end as required. They will shove west out of Altoona up to Gallitzin, where they may cut off and head back to Altoona if more westbounders are approaching Altoona that will need help. Otherwise they will cut off at Cresson, a couple of miles west of Gallitzin, or they will remain on the train down to Johnstown, for dynamic braking. They will usually cut off at Conemaugh, near Johnstown and wait for an eastbound shove...In this case, they will stay on all the way to Altoona.Westbound helpers will sometimes stay on the rear of Westbounds to Pittsburgh and then shove east all the way out of Pittsburgh for the heaviest trains. The Westbound steel slab trains symboled 67Z and 69J often will get 2 sets of rear helpers in Altoona. The rear set will usually cut off at the Summit, or in Conemaugh, and the pair against the train will stay on to CPWing, which is Wilmerding, at least, to control slack action.Helper sets can also be seen running light in either direction, if approaching traffic dictates a shove from the opposite end of the line. Altoona helpers have two man crews. For awhile, toward the end of Conrail, they used one man crews and helperlink which pulled the pin and allowed the helpers to cut off on the fly. NS has returned 2 man helper crews to the mountain along with traditional coupling and uncoupling while train is stopped. Dave Williams http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nsaltoonajohnstown

[dwil89]

To add to the comment earlier abou the C40-9W's being used in helper service during the Conemaugh Line maintenance a couple of years ago, I can vouch for that. I have several trains videotaped with Dash-9 helpers from during this exact time frame. With the recent Conemaugh Line derailment this past week, I believe that more helpers were needed, though Dash-9's were not pressed into service this time. The Conemaugh Line, West of Johnstown has easier grades tham the main line, so heavy rains east ut of Pittsburgh often will take he Conemaugh Line east, to avoid helpers until they get to Conemaugh, near Johnstown, where they'll get a set, sometimes two sets if it is a heavy coaldrag. Dave Williams http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nsaltoonajohnstown

[dwil89]

Another note, is that on the Altoona district, helpers will often shove on the rear to get the train moving before the head end notches up proportionately. I often witness loaded eastbound coaldrags stop at CP MO in Cresson for either trains ahead, or because the head end crew is getting low on time. Often, if a recrew is not available, the Dispatcher will send a pair of helpers to couple ahead of the train to take it down to Altoona where a recrew will be waiting. When the train is ready to proceed, with helpers also on the rear, the head end will call the rear and tell them it's okay to 'lean on me'. So, the rear helpers will shove against the train, and the air release, and will start the train moving from the rear. Then the headend will throttle up. Dave Williams http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nsaltoonajohnstown