Locomotive Connections

[wayne]

I see six(6) - three(3) on each side of the coupler (not the air hose) - hoses dangling down on the front of road locomotives. What are they for? Also, how are connections made to match when some of the units in a multiple consist are in reverse?

[Anonymous]

I'm only a conductor with a limited experience, but the hoses you speak on connect locomotices together so that one locomtive can be switched to a leader and control the other locomotives it hooks up to. The hoses are used to allow the leader to control the braking on the trailing consist. There are three hoses on each side and as long as three of the six are hooked together it's all that is needed. There are numbers right above the hoses 1 through 3 on each side. As long as 1 hooks to 1 on another locomotive and so on, everything's ok. So, you may see two hoses hooked together on one side and one on the other, or in most cases the three hoses are all hooked together on the same side, it's just easier that way when you M.U. loco's. That's about all I know, as I have done this only about once, so hopefully someone else can jump in and finish what i started...... like CSXengineer!!

[rvos1979]

wayne:

The three hoses you speak of are for locomotive air brakes. On a 26L air system (pretty much standard these days) starting at the center are main reservoir equalization, actuating, and independent apply-release. The main res hoses tie all the main reservoirs in a loco consist together, so you have all locos air capacity to charge the trainline. Actuating is used when an engineer wants to use the train brakes while keeping the slack stretched, an engineer will set the train brakes and then actuate, or "bail off", the engine brakes. Independent apply-release works the engine brakes on a consist.

All hoses are set up the same way, the main res hose gladhand is actually 'backwards' from the other two, so you don't get main res air straight to the engine brakes and destroy anything. Only three of the hoses are needed to make everything function, however, some railroads during certain times of the year require all hoses to be connected, the best reason I can think of is for quicker recharge on the main res hoses, and to keep snow and ice out of the gladhands (I have had to try to melt ice out of these hoses before, not fun).

Not mentioned here yet is the 27-pin jumper cable that controls electrical functions of the loco consist (throttle, power/dynamic brake, sanders, headlights, and so forth). These are the same on all units now, usually there is one live outlet, and one or more dummy outlets.

[csxengineer98]

well what rvos1979 said just about sums it all up... but i can add that the cutout cocks are also backwards form the angle cocks for the brake pipe... when a angle **** is open..it is inline with the brake pipe iteself... as for the MU cutout cocks on the locomotives...when they are open..they are out from the piping..... this little fact confuses the hell out of me at 5am after working 8 hours alread and im dead tired... then being told to pick up a unit in line of road someplace... alot of times the conductors will help an engineer MU unites together...but i also like to go out and help..just to make sure that eveything is hooked up proper...and no cocks where missed... and if the conductor beats me to the cutout cocks... i sometimes have to crawl over to the other side of the engins and see what way the valves are to make sure the ones where the hoses are laced up are cut in..lol........
csx engineer

[csxengineer98]

oh yea...its also easy to mess up the jumper cable when your tired too...lol... one time i put the jumper cable in the dummy plug oneday... and the conductor and i didnt do a reave up to make sure the unit we hooked up to was reveing up with the rest of the consiste... so we headed out and we had a hill to clime..i had more then enought power to make tracks speed... but with the jumper pluged into the wrong socket...we where dragging...i said to the condutor something is wrong..we should be flying up this hill... so we stoped..and walked back to the unit we picked up...and sure as hell... the jumper cable was in the wrong socket...i switched them around..and we made speed then..lol....
keep in mind..this was shortly after i was a promoted engineer too...so i was alittle green yet..lol
csx engineer

[Anonymous]

Dummy plugs? I don't understand. Are they old style connectors not used anymore? Why are they there?

Thanks
Jim

[edblysard]

Substitute "blank recepticle" for dummy plug.

Its nothing more that a blank or empty holder, (no pins or connections) to keep the end of the cable from dragging or banging around.

Because all locomotives have a cable at both ends, when you MU two of them up, you have one extra cable.(you only need to use one cable to connect two locomotives)

You have to put the extra somewhere, so you plug the ends of the un-used cable into dummy plugs to keep them out of the way.

By the way, the cable ends are male, the plugs are female, but the pins are in the female part.

On most locomotives, there is a live plug, and a dummy plug on each end.

Next time you see a UP engine, check at the end handrail, and look for the piece of pipe, about 6" dia.
Instead of dummy plugs, UP uses these to hold the cable end.

The live plug often has a red cap or door on it, this door is spring loaded, and helps hold the cable in place.

Ed

[Randy Stahl]

We call that particular recepticle tha Hunter Harrison recepticle
Randy

[Randy Stahl]

When I started railroading there was 1 more set of hoses. Anyone remember what they were for?
Randy

[Randy Stahl]

Right on Mark... BTW I got to work on an old SD40 tonite that still has the field loop equipment on it .
Randy

[wayne]

Thanksfor all the good info and explanations. Another question: I see another hose(?) above the coupler that looks like a double "U" or "W" coming out of two cylinders or cannisters. What is it for?

[csxengineer98]

QUOTE: Originally posted by wayne

Thanksfor all the good info and explanations. Another question: I see another hose(?) above the coupler that looks like a double "U" or "W" coming out of two cylinders or cannisters. What is it for?

what you see thier im guessing is the jumper cable...its not an air hose..its a big electrical wire that goes between the units to make all the units act as 1 unit electrical... meaning the throttle dynmaic brake...head lights ...sanders...
csx engineer

[edblysard]

Wayne,
Like CSX said, sounds like your looking at the MU cable.
When not in use, it hangs from one of the dummy plugs and one on the live ones, across the front or rear of the locomotive.
These things plug in across the end platform, from right to left, or vice versa.
There is a hanger holding up the middle of the cable, right above the coupler, to keep the cable from getting pinched or working its way lose.

Viewed from staright on, it would look like a W....

Ed