HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Unit coal trains in Appalachia are now running with distributed power less than two weeks after CSX Transportation officials indicated the increased use of the mid-train technology. Ed Harris, CSX’s newly appointed e...
http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2018/01/29-csx-rolls-out-distributed-power-on-unit-coal-trains-in-appalachia
Brian Schmidt, Editor, Classic Trains magazine
I was reminded of the old National Lampoon slogan for the Metroliners: "Speeding America into the Fifties!"
I am glad to see CSX take up increased use of DPU technology but is there a valid technical reason for their not using it in "Appalachia" before now?
OvermodI was reminded of the old National Lampoon slogan for the Metroliners: "Speeding America into the Fifties!" I am glad to see CSX take up increased use of DPU technology but is there a valid technical reason for their not using it in "Appalachia" before now?
DPU consists are remote controlled by coded radio commands. Radio reception in many locations through Appalachia is spotty at best and totally lacking in others. To reliabily operate DPU powered trains the radio reception has to be 'dead nuts on' throughout the route. To do this locations for radio repeaters had to be determined and then have the hardware installed and made operational. Finding commercial power in many locations in Appalachia can also be challenging. Like PTC just having the equipment and making it operational are two entirely different things.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Overmod I was reminded of the old National Lampoon slogan for the Metroliners: "Speeding America into the Fifties!" I am glad to see CSX take up increased use of DPU technology but is there a valid technical reason for their not using it in "Appalachia" before now?
Balt is exactly right, and likely speaks with the voice of experience. On the other hand, the issues he mentions were recognized during the initial Southern Railway radio-control tests in the '60s (and to get technical in slightly less data-grade context, by the Lackawanna in the '20s). It does not take decades to arrange repeaters, their antenna configurations, or power arrangements, especially when so many of the components and even systems are OTS available.
Unless I suppose you are a penny-pinching outfit controlled by financial technophobes who would rather get the productivity increases out of beating the employees.
Perhaps not quite speeding into the Fifties, but certainly speeding into the Seventies. CPR must have had the same challenges when they started the unit coal trains through the western Canadian mountains and canyons (including the 5 mile long Connaught Tunnel) with Locotrol-1 back in the late 1960s, and obviously found them not too hard to solve. They found it successful enough to stick with Locotrol through the several upgrades, in due course expanding use to other bulk trains. I think CPR was the only truly enthusiatic user of the concept; south of the 49th saw a number of experiments but not much widespread or continuous adoption until the modern DPU era.
John
As of the time of my retirement, the bulk of the coal destined to CSX in Baltimore (Consol & Curtis Bay Coal Pier) as well as the Pepco Morgrantown power plant originated from mines on the former Monongahela RR in Southwestern PA via the fromer P&LE yard at Newell, PA. 130 car trains were the normal size with 100 ton capacity cars. Two AC units handled the trains from the mine through Newell to Connellsville. A manned helper was attached at Connellsville for the shove over Sand Patch. After surmounting Sand Patch the two units could handle the train to Reel's Mills on the Old Main Line, however operationally a manned helper was attached at Brunswick for the shove from Reel's Mills over Parr's Ridge which has it's summit at Mt. Airy where the helpers cut off a Twin Arch Road and return to Brunswick, this applies to trains destined Baltimore. Trains destined Morgantown got the manned helper at Brunswick which cut off about half was down the Metropolitan Sub with the trains being enroute to Benning.
The question from a power standpoint is how much power do you want to tie up on one train. The manned helpers allow 2 units to work from Mine to destination, with two relatively short helper districts. If DPU were used then 3 units would be tied up from mine to destination.
Western carriers have more and longer helper districts than Eastern carriers do and get more benefits from the longer DPU runs.
I am very familiar with SP now UP Donner pass route between Colfax and Truckee. When I lived in northern California my best friend and I would chase trains beteen Colfax to Truckee. The SP used mid train and rear end DPU units with up to ten SD45's on a train. How could they DPU around for example Cape Horn with 100+ car trains going completly around the mountain and not loose control of the DPU units? This was a 180 degree turn around the mountain. One side was the mountain the other was 2000 feet straight down to eternity.
BaltACDAs of the time of my retirement, the bulk of the coal destined to CSX in Baltimore (Consol & Curtis Bay Coal Pier) as well as the Pepco Morgrantown power plant originated from mines on the former Monongahela RR in Southwestern PA via the fromer P&LE yard at Newell, PA. 130 car trains were the normal size with 100 ton capacity cars. Two AC units handled the trains from the mine through Newell to Connellsville. A manned helper was attached at Connellsville for the shove over Sand Patch. After surmounting Sand Patch the two units could handle the train to Reel's Mills on the Old Main Line, however operationally a manned helper was attached at Brunswick for the shove from Reel's Mills over Parr's Ridge which has it's summit at Mt. Airy where the helpers cut off a Twin Arch Road and return to Brunswick, this applies to trains destined Baltimore. Trains destined Morgantown got the manned helper at Brunswick which cut off about half was down the Metropolitan Sub with the trains being enroute to Benning.
I don't know about Curtis Bay, but I believe Consol usually uses the road power that came in on the train to unload (as long as they fit through the dumper). Having a DPU for there would most likely be a pain in the butt. Either they'd have to deal with it, or you'd have to have the crew swing around and remove it.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
zugmann BaltACD As of the time of my retirement, the bulk of the coal destined to CSX in Baltimore (Consol & Curtis Bay Coal Pier) as well as the Pepco Morgrantown power plant originated from mines on the former Monongahela RR in Southwestern PA via the fromer P&LE yard at Newell, PA. 130 car trains were the normal size with 100 ton capacity cars. Two AC units handled the trains from the mine through Newell to Connellsville. A manned helper was attached at Connellsville for the shove over Sand Patch. After surmounting Sand Patch the two units could handle the train to Reel's Mills on the Old Main Line, however operationally a manned helper was attached at Brunswick for the shove from Reel's Mills over Parr's Ridge which has it's summit at Mt. Airy where the helpers cut off a Twin Arch Road and return to Brunswick, this applies to trains destined Baltimore. Trains destined Morgantown got the manned helper at Brunswick which cut off about half was down the Metropolitan Sub with the trains being enroute to Benning. I don't know about Curtis Bay, but I believe Consol usually uses the road power that came in on the train to unload (as long as they fit through the dumper). Having a DPU for there would most likely be a pain in the butt. Either they'd have to deal with it, or you'd have to have the crew swing around and remove it.
BaltACD As of the time of my retirement, the bulk of the coal destined to CSX in Baltimore (Consol & Curtis Bay Coal Pier) as well as the Pepco Morgrantown power plant originated from mines on the former Monongahela RR in Southwestern PA via the fromer P&LE yard at Newell, PA. 130 car trains were the normal size with 100 ton capacity cars. Two AC units handled the trains from the mine through Newell to Connellsville. A manned helper was attached at Connellsville for the shove over Sand Patch. After surmounting Sand Patch the two units could handle the train to Reel's Mills on the Old Main Line, however operationally a manned helper was attached at Brunswick for the shove from Reel's Mills over Parr's Ridge which has it's summit at Mt. Airy where the helpers cut off a Twin Arch Road and return to Brunswick, this applies to trains destined Baltimore. Trains destined Morgantown got the manned helper at Brunswick which cut off about half was down the Metropolitan Sub with the trains being enroute to Benning.
I overlooked that Consol Coal trains require a manned helper to get them over the Baltimore Belt Line grade through the Howard Street Tunnel so they can reach the Consol facility.
caldreamerSP used mid train and rear end DPU units with up to ten SD45's on a train.
SP never used DPU SD45s, did they? Did they ever use any kind of radio-control helpers in the Sierra?
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