Our spur leading off the BNSF main line has a derailer a good quarter mile from the main line switch. Is that common? A car would have to travel from our dock 935 feet through a slight right hand curve, to where the derailer is mounted, then 1376 feet through a left hand curve through 90 degrees, then up a slight grade to the mai line switch. If someone did release the brakes on a car at our dock, could the wind push the car 2310 feet around a curve the curve, and up a slight incline?
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
I think it could. I vaguely recall hearing of some amazing incidents of runaway cars being propelled by wind in western regions.
If it did get propelled the 935 feet it would hit the dreailer before it even went up the slight grade to the mailine UNLESS whoever released the brakes deactivates th derailer.
Having the derailer a good distance away from the main line makes sense, as the purpose is to keep the cars in the the siding/spur from fouling the mainline. If the derailer is too close, then the derailed cars may still have a chance of fouling the mainline.
- Erik
(1) Derail at your place was probably dual locked (industry + railroad)
(2) probably placed so industry could get to it, lock it and raise the blue flag easily. (I seriously hope you have a blue flag while unloading lumber - bozo-no-no if you have not been protected by the blue flag.)
(3) what does your track M&O contract show on the Exhibit A?
(4) Fairly common to put a derail closer to the main near the clearance point, but still far enough behind the cp that a derailed car doesn't foul the adjoining track.
Derail has only a railroad lock on it. They unlock it when they run through, then relock it afterwards. We are the only industry on our spur. Any stray car trying to come in off the main line would hit the blunt end of the derail 935 feet before it got to the dock.
Murphy Siding Derail has only a railroad lock on it. They unlock it when they run through, then relock it afterwards. We are the only industry on our spur. Any stray car trying to come in off the main line would hit the blunt end of the derail 935 feet before it got to the dock.
From earlier posts, we know the track was part of a development and your outfit is the only tennant currently. As a lead track, it would not be unusual to have derails and another on each track off the lead.
maybe why so many derails are now split rail ?
Alligators will trump hop-toads every time.
Can someone explain sliding, flop-overs, split rails, alligators and hop-toads please? Our derailer is made so that any rail car trying to escape when no one is looking would take a quick left turn and be on the ties.
mudchicken Murphy Siding Derail has only a railroad lock on it. They unlock it when they run through, then relock it afterwards. We are the only industry on our spur. Any stray car trying to come in off the main line would hit the blunt end of the derail 935 feet before it got to the dock. Immediate response from PDN or I would be that it sounds like the derail (sliding or flopover)is not properly applied or should have been a dual direction derail instead of LH/RH that far down a grade. (quite a bit of distance between the clearance point and the derail that has "potential") From earlier posts, we know the track was part of a development and your outfit is the only tennant currently. As a lead track, it would not be unusual to have derails and another on each track off the lead.
Immediate response from PDN or I would be that it sounds like the derail (sliding or flopover)is not properly applied or should have been a dual direction derail instead of LH/RH that far down a grade. (quite a bit of distance between the clearance point and the derail that has "potential")
Murphy Siding Can someone explain sliding, flop-overs, split rails, alligators and hop-toads please? Our derailer is made so that any rail car trying to escape when no one is looking would take a quick left turn and be on the ties.
I had not heard of alligators or hop-toads; I do know of rabbits and frogs. Last month, I noticed that the BNSF has swing-nose frogs at switches between Seattle and Portland; I presume that these are the frogs that are moved so as to avoid the clumps when wheels pass through a switch. I did not notice the signs anywhere else as I went to Chicago and to Seattle.
Johnny
And, speaking of toads, there is the story of the rookie brakeman who was told by his conductor to go back to the caboose, from the derailed car, and get a couple of frogs. After a long wait, he appeared and said, "I couldn't find any frogs; will a couple of toads do?"
Are re-railing frogs still carried on freights?
Murphy
The GCOR requires that anytime a derail is removed, (opened) it must be replaced (re-applied) once the work is done and the crew is leaving the area.
Most railroads timetables and operating rules say the same thing.
Surprised it is not a dual direction derail, the idea is to keep cars out of the plant as much keeping cars in....most of the plants down here have dual direction derails.
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Murphy SidingCan someone explain sliding, flop-overs, split rails, alligators and hop-toads please?
To save MC and PDN considerable time going over all the options and retyping all the links to pictures when they've already done it for you, scroll down in this thread:
http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/p/123099/1398156.aspx
That's an older thread but I suspect not much has changed in derails since then...
One thing that IIRC was not fully pictured directly in that thread, although referred to, was the split-point double derail (which would protect in either or both directions. Here is one, powered, that I think is intended to protect part-hours light rail or commuter service from nighttime freight work:
Wizlish Murphy Siding Can someone explain sliding, flop-overs, split rails, alligators and hop-toads please? To save MC and PDN considerable time going over all the options and retyping all the links to pictures when they've already done it for you, scroll down in this thread: http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/p/123099/1398156.aspx That's an older thread but I suspect not much has changed in derails since then... One thing that IIRC was not fully pictured directly in that thread, although referred to, was the split-point double derail (which would protect in either or both directions. Here is one, powered, that I think is intended to protect part-hours light rail or commuter service from nighttime freight work:
Murphy Siding Can someone explain sliding, flop-overs, split rails, alligators and hop-toads please?
I had long known that it is safe to run over a frog but you did not want to run over a rabbit; now I know you want to avoid running over a hop-toad (or a Mopsy) and you do not want to run into an alligator.
Incidentally, I have watched a car go over a rabbit/hop-toad/flopover--and stay on the track. This occurred at the interchange between the AT&N and GM&O more than forty years ago. The AT&N engine gave the car a push and then moved on towards its resting place; the brakeman riding the car tried to wind the brake to stop the car short of the derail--and one truck went over it. Since it was a GM&O derail, the AT&N crew was in a fix--except that the local GM&O section foreman lived about 100 feet from the incident, and was at home and came to the rescue with his switch key. The car was moved back to where it was supposed to have stop and was somehow secured. FYI, the switches for the wye (which was a GM&O wye) were never locked, but the access for the GM&O to the wye was locked.
DeggestyLast month, I noticed that the BNSF has swing-nose frogs at switches between Seattle and Portland; I presume that these are the frogs that are moved so as to avoid the clumps when wheels pass through a switch. I did not notice the signs anywhere else as I went to Chicago and to Seattle.
Good; the Talgos hate any gap in the rail, no matter how small. I hope that improves ride quality.
Deggesty Incidentally, I have watched a car go over a rabbit/hop-toad/flopover--and stay on the track. This occurred at the interchange between the AT&N and GM&O more than forty years ago. The AT&N engine gave the car a push and then moved on towards its resting place; the brakeman riding the car tried to wind the brake to stop the car short of the derail--and one truck went over it. Since it was a GM&O derail, the AT&N crew was in a fix--except that the local GM&O section foreman lived about 100 feet from the incident, and was at home and came to the rescue with his switch key. The car was moved back to where it was supposed to have stop and was somehow secured. FYI, the switches for the wye (which was a GM&O wye) were never locked, but the access for the GM&O to the wye was locked.
Unless the flop-over is designed to derail in either direction, they often can be run over without derailing when going in the nonderailing direction. Once our wayfreight had pulled it's train out of a industry siding. The conductor restored the flop-over derail after the last car cleared. After everything was on the main they backed up about 6 or 7 cars to pick him up. When they started going forward, they moved only about 4 cars when the air went. Did I mention he forgot to line the switch back? When they backed up, they shoved 4 cars back into the siding and over the derail and they stayed on the rail. When they went forward the derail worked as intended, putting all 4 on the ground.
Jeff
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