Sunday I saw a BNSF 6-axle unit parked on a passing siding in rural, southwest Minnesota. It caught my eye because it was all by itself, looking like someone had simply opened the switch and pushed it into the siding. It was midway, about 10 miles away from two towns that had major grain elevators and sidings. Is it possible that the locomotive was set out due to mechanical problems? If so, could those problems be extreme enough that the locomotive couldn't be moved another 10 miles? If it was bad enough to require being set out, who has to go out there and fix it?
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
WAG (Wild a..ed guess). Locomotive developed a locked axle with a seized traction motor for any of several reasons. Suspect the carrier was not able to get the necessary personnel and equipment together to remedy the situation at the time of occurrence. Dragging the engine to the nearest set out point is what would be done so as to open the Main Line for continued use.
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A locked axle/motor combo (caused by a failed bearing that overheated and then seized), a broken drawbar, or a broken brake pipe are about the only problems that would render a locomotive immovable.
If a couple large cranes and other heavy equipment show up soon it will be a bearing issue or locked axle, which must be changed out wherever it happened, unless you want to put the whole locomotive on a flatcar and take it to a shop.
I've never seen a locomotive drawbar break in person, though I'm sure it can and has happened.
If it is air problems they will probably just put a runaround hose on and move it to a shop.
Or it could just be waiting for another train to pick it up, we sometimes set off power in seemingly strange locations.
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-an Articulate Malcontent
Saw the locked axle thing a few years ago on CSX. Or at least the "aftermath."
One of the wreck recovery companies showed up with two "sidewinders" to lift the loco so CSX could deal with the problem. Didn't have time to watch the entire operation, but watching the sidewinders assemble themselves was interesting in and of itself.
We had a Polar Express to run, but the unit was gone the next morning.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Example of how this gets fixed:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V_gqoZFZmvs
Hopefully mobile cranes and the mechanical department wheel truck can easilly get to where the engine was set out. If the sideboom cats get involved, there will be one anxious roadmaster watching the yellow equipment cowboys intently. Hopefully all concerned leave only footprints.
How's the mudmonster doing in that country?
BaltACD WAG (Wild a..ed guess). Locomotive developed a locked axle with a seized traction motor for any of several reasons. Suspect the carrier was not able to get the necessary personnel and equipment together to remedy the situation at the time of occurrence. Dragging the engine to the nearest set out point is what would be done so as to open the Main Line for continued use.
mudchicken Hopefully mobile cranes and the mechanical department wheel truck can easilly get to where the engine was set out. If the sideboom cats get involved, there will be one anxious roadmaster watching the yellow equipment cowboys intently. Hopefully all concerned leave only footprints. How's the mudmonster doing in that country?
Murphy Siding BaltACD WAG (Wild a..ed guess). Locomotive developed a locked axle with a seized traction motor for any of several reasons. Suspect the carrier was not able to get the necessary personnel and equipment together to remedy the situation at the time of occurrence. Dragging the engine to the nearest set out point is what would be done so as to open the Main Line for continued use. What does it do to the track, dragging a seized up locomotive?
What does it do to the track, dragging a seized up locomotive?
NORMALLY - there is no damage to track to have a locmotive wheel set slide over the top of the rail. The biggest potential damage is that the sliding wheel set will develop flat spots, however, since the sliding wheel set is going to be changed out since it is locked and sliding the flat spots are of limited economic consequence. When possible, lubricants will be placed on the top of the rail.
Murphy SidingIf some wheel replacing needs to be done, can the sidebooms cats do all their work from one side of the tracks?
I suspect the dispatcher will lose his mainline for a couple of hours...
Murphy Siding mudchicken Hopefully mobile cranes and the mechanical department wheel truck can easilly get to where the engine was set out. If the sideboom cats get involved, there will be one anxious roadmaster watching the yellow equipment cowboys intently. Hopefully all concerned leave only footprints. How's the mudmonster doing in that country? If some wheel replacing needs to be done, can the sidebooms cats do all their work from one side of the tracks?Mudmonster...huh?
If some wheel replacing needs to be done, can the sidebooms cats do all their work from one side of the tracks?Mudmonster...huh?
Sideboom cats usually have to line up on both sides of the locomotive to lift the end of the locomotive up. Depending on the problem, the truck may come up with the engine or be dragged out and over from underneath.
The mudmonster can lie in wait to foul the ballast, create ruts, ruin drainage and tear up access roads that the roadmaster gets stuck cleaning-up after. Hulcher and the others have a poor reputation over what happens when the work is done. Waiting for the mud to dry out and then clean up always falls on the roadmaster's budget.
Cat tracks are responsible for rail nicks (leading to broken rail), damaged or destroyed ties and OTM plus the obligatory torn up R/W. The mechanical tribe rarely waits for the mud and water to dry out before calling in the side-boom cat contractor. (and the roadmaster's budget gets hammered .... things get really strained when access to the R/W is through a farmer's crop / production field)
With the late start of monsoon/storm season on the plains, wonder what the ground conditions are like up over there...
I had a brand new SD70 ACe (3rd engineer on it, 407 miles on the computer screen odometer) when one of the axles on the lead truck locked up.
We had been stopped to let more important trains get around us and were sitting on top of a facing point switch to a short set out track. There was some track machinery on it with a MOW lock on the switch. The plan from those in the office was to have the rail greased to the next place it could be set out, about 10 miles. I suggested that since there was room on the set out track where we were, we would only need to have someone from MOW unlock the switch, shove back a car or two and then run the engine onto the stub track.
That's what we did. The engine sat there for about a week or so. I've seen evidence (the axle and tractionmotor sitting along the ROW) where locked axles were changed out right on the main track.
Jeff
mudchicken The mudmonster can lie in wait to foul the ballast, create ruts, ruin drainage and tear up access roads that the roadmaster gets stuck cleaning-up after. Hulcher and the others have a poor reputation over what happens when the work is done. Waiting for the mud to dry out and then clean up always falls on the roadmaster's budget. Cat tracks are responsible for rail nicks (leading to broken rail), damaged or destroyed ties and OTM plus the obligatory torn up R/W. The mechanical tribe rarely waits for the mud and water to dry out before calling in the side-boom cat contractor. (and the roadmaster's budget gets hammered .... things get really strained when access to the R/W is through a farmer's crop / production field) With the late start of monsoon/storm season on the plains, wonder what the ground conditions are like up over there...
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