wabash1 wrote:The computors and yard masters dont build trains by tonnage they build them by blocks and that is not always the heaviest to the lightest.
The computors and yard masters dont build trains by tonnage they build them by blocks and that is not always the heaviest to the lightest.
Probably the single most significant point in the discussion...thanks for the reminder of the constraints of real world railroading...
wabash1 wrote: Also this is more train handling than anything else and what a simulator wont teach you is what a train feels like doing certain things this is learned fromm the seat of your pants, run in of train run out of train all feels differant train sitting down on you, these terms may mean nothing to the average person but all engineers and most conductors know what i am saying. i can give you the basics but the rest is learned from the chair behind the throttle
Also this is more train handling than anything else and what a simulator wont teach you is what a train feels like doing certain things this is learned fromm the seat of your pants, run in of train run out of train all feels differant train sitting down on you, these terms may mean nothing to the average person but all engineers and most conductors know what i am saying. i can give you the basics but the rest is learned from the chair behind the throttle
Absolutley. As I learned from flying lessons, its actually easier to land a real airplane, than one using the computer simulators...(unless it is a full motion sim, which is tough to put in the spare room...)
Also like flying, I suspect lots of fine engineers can "do it" without being able to explain all of the subtle clues they receive from the train and terrain...
Thanks to everyone who contributed to this discussion!
its all in how the train is built. If the tonnage is evenly distributed a good running easy to handle train if all the tonnage is toward the head end, its easy to run but can be decieving if you have some heavy stuff on the rear. now if you have a heavy rear end this can play heck with you. if you dont pull them thru certain areas the slack will run in and if it runs out before you pull it out you will get a knuckle, if you pull to fast from a standing start it can snap a knuckle. The computors and yard masters dont build trains by tonnage they build them by blocks and that is not always the heaviest to the lightest. I hope this answers your question
Steam Is King wrote: OK, how do you operateyour engine when pulling a long train over the crest of a hill? Going up would be slack-out, yes/?. Is there a time when some part of the train tops the hill it takes up the slac itself? Can you feel a bump in the cab when it doesthis?Chico
OK, how do you operateyour engine when pulling a long train over the crest of a hill? Going up would be slack-out, yes/?. Is there a time when some part of the train tops the hill it takes up the slac itself? Can you feel a bump in the cab when it doesthis?
Chico
Mike WSOR engineer | HO scale since 1988 | Visit our club www.WCGandyDancers.com
JSGreen wrote: wabash1 wrote: it depends on train makeup. if it breaks in first 1/3 of train the break was caused by train build. if it happens in rear 1/3 of train it is engineer train handling. in the middle rarely happens and could be a mixture of both. knuckle breaks are more common in winter than summer because the metal wont handle the stress as well. From following the many discussions on the forum, I think I have a pretty good appreciation for the issues and forces involved in train handling. Or thought I did....But how would building a train lead to a broken knuckle? Do some cars have less strong knuckles?
wabash1 wrote: it depends on train makeup. if it breaks in first 1/3 of train the break was caused by train build. if it happens in rear 1/3 of train it is engineer train handling. in the middle rarely happens and could be a mixture of both. knuckle breaks are more common in winter than summer because the metal wont handle the stress as well.
it depends on train makeup. if it breaks in first 1/3 of train the break was caused by train build. if it happens in rear 1/3 of train it is engineer train handling. in the middle rarely happens and could be a mixture of both. knuckle breaks are more common in winter than summer because the metal wont handle the stress as well.
From following the many discussions on the forum, I think I have a pretty good appreciation for the issues and forces involved in train handling. Or thought I did....
But how would building a train lead to a broken knuckle? Do some cars have less strong knuckles?
Train makeup can have quite a bit to do with it--if your loads are placed toward the rear and the empties between them and the locomotive, there will be problems. The current rule on the UP is that the rear one-quarter of the train (measured in number of cars or platforms) may not contain more than a third of the total weight.
As for changing the knuckles, tools are very seldom necessary. The cotter pin is, most likely, not there. If you're lucky, the knuckle pin will be able to be dropped right back in or worked down manually--or maybe you'll need a hammer or something else to pound it in (radio handsets are frowned upon for this use).
We get a few broken knuckles in the yard. Some folks suggest that this is due to humping impacts, but of course that's a fallacy. They must be old breaks, and we're just finishing the job so they don't fail on the road.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
Steam Is King wrote: No, I'm not talking about a handinjury.I see spare knuckles on some locomotives to repair broken couplers and assume tools are there, too.. Are there other spare parts on some or all rolling stock to fix broken couplers? How often does it happen and why? How long doers it take to fix one?Chico
No, I'm not talking about a handinjury.I see spare knuckles on some locomotives to repair broken couplers and assume tools are there, too.. Are there other spare parts on some or all rolling stock to fix broken couplers? How often does it happen and why? How long doers it take to fix one?
The only way a knuckle will break is due to slack in train, When the train is being pulled you must take the slack out slow, if it runs in it has to go back out if you remain pulling on it slowly it will go out with out harm if done quick enough, if it comes in and starts running out the opposite direction, the conductor gets to walk. And no it dont happen at the rear of the train, it depends on train makeup. if it breaks in first 1/3 of train the break was caused by train build. if it happens in rear 1/3 of train it is engineer train handling. in the middle rarely happens and could be a mixture of both. knuckle breaks are more common in winter than summer because the metal wont handle the stress as well.
I heard they only break at the tail end of the train, and only in the rain or when it's below zero.
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