BNSF DPUs

[Wyonate]

I had an interview with a local company that runs the trains through the mine load-outs...

Be careful if you hire out with those third party outfits. They dont work too safe.

Yea, I heard about those outfits.  These guys are fairly closely watched, beings that it is all on Rio Tinto (Kennecott) and Wolf Mountain Coal Co. property.  Nothing moves over 10 mph and just bascily getting the train to the load-out and setting the Pase Setter is all the job consists of.  Not the greatest pay in the world, but, it gets me out of scrapers and dozers.  Maybe I can save my back so I I still have one in 30 years.  Oh, and to update the post, ........ I've noticed within the past few days or some the DPUs have been knocked back down to 1 on about 50% of the trains coming through and helpers services seemed to go up.  Don't know if RR was expierimenting or if the employees stepped in and said something.

[UPRR engineer]

I had an interview with a local company that runs the trains through the mine load-outs...

Be careful if you hire out with those third party outfits. They dont work too safe.

[Wyonate]

But where the helpers uncouple, now there is 2 units ahead of them that stay with the train, DPUs, right?  I hope I worded all that right. lol   Probally explains the lack of responce to this post lol.

I had no problem understanding what you meant in your first post. I got the picture no problem ;-).

To go back to your question: maybe the length of the train changed, which caused the RR to put on an extra DPU? Maybe not so much for the hill near you but some grade elsewhere on the route? Just my

Very possible.  There is a 1.6% heading down into the town near my house.  And the trains are about 5-10 cars longer.  When the grade crossing near my home was blocked you could always go down the road about 3/4 of a mile and use it, but, not anymore.  The trains on the siding are almost up on the main line.  And for the grade heading up and out of the Little Goose Valley, its a 1.3% for 7 miles (Parkman Pass).

[Wyonate]

I had an interview with a local company that runs the trains through the mine load-outs and I guess some of the gossip is that a bunch of the guys that work for BNSF arn't very happy with the idea of 2 DPUs around of here.  Helper Service is a good job because they don't have to leave town.  Seams that (latley) the most common time I see helpers anymore is when its raining or snowing.  I'll have to make a vid, its kinda funny too see 4 locos on the rear and only 2 on the point.  About a year a go the only train that had a DPU that came through here was the BSPX headed for Minnisota.  Now every train, except the Montana Power train (only 80 cars) has DPUs.  I guess times are changing.

[YoHo1975]

They should go back to Calling them Locotrol, that's what they are.

[sgtbean1]

But where the helpers uncouple, now there is 2 units ahead of them that stay with the train, DPUs, right?  I hope I worded all that right. lol   Probally explains the lack of responce to this post lol.

I had no problem understanding what you meant in your first post. I got the picture no problem ;-).

To go back to your question: maybe the length of the train changed, which caused the RR to put on an extra DPU? Maybe not so much for the hill near you but some grade elsewhere on the route? Just my

[Wyonate]

O, ok.  I'm learning this stuff as I go.   I probally should have explained it in more words.  But, I guess, what I was saying was that up here they have been running 2 on the point and 2 DP units + 2 helpers (manned locos ) and the helpers usually uncouple at the top of the pass but latly its been short of the top.  Thanks for the input though, :) I take in as much as I can handle.  Heres an older clip I shot about 2 months ago:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0F6Q4CHnSdQ

( kind  of a rough clip it was pretty windy out and my 2 year old gets as excited as I do about trains :) )

But where the helpers uncouple, now there is 2 units ahead of them that stay with the train, DPUs, right?  I hope I worded all that right. lol   Probally explains the lack of responce to this post lol.

[UPRR engineer]

Well, I've noticed here in the past two weeks or so BNSF has been using 2 DPUs instead of the usual 1.  2 DPUs and 2 helpers, seems to alot of fuel consumption when the "old way" of 1 DPU and 2 helpers were just as effective on the grade near my home, and sometimes no helpers at all with the 2 DPUs.  Very few stalled trains, and broken knuckles were far and few between.  Any comments?

Hey buddy, 

Let me help ya out with the lingo there buddy, confuses me reading your posts about it. The motor or motors on the headend dont carry a special DP name. The headend, the point, or controlling locomotive. 2X1 (two by one) or 2X2 (two by two) thats the best way to describe a DP train. Only the motors in remote, cut back in the train, are called DP Units, or Slave Units. The term helper is best left for the ones that are manned by a crew.

2X2 coal trains are the best ones to run, even HP on both ends seems to smooth eveything out. 3X2 aint bad eather, still better then having just the one on the rear. Ran a big ol' 3x3 manifest train that had the DP units in about the middle, that was the best train i ever ran.

Building a DP trains kinda fun, linking it up and all. It aint nothing to conventionalize one, sometimes it takes a little work, for the most part ya just start turning everything off.

[Wyonate]

I have been a little bit curious about the whole thing, so I chased a loaded train up to the top of Parkman Pass just to get a better look at them and they dropped the helpers about 1 mile before the usual spot.  The 3 DPU that TRNBUF was talking about would be cool to see.

[TRNBUF]

I saw a loaded coal train heading through Centralia, IL lastnight(04/26/08) with 3 DPU's on it, with 2 locomotives up front. It surprised me!!!

[YoHo1975]

I feel like I just read something about this. Maybe in Trains or Railroads illustrated. Though that would make it older news then just the past few weeks. I think they've changed where they're dropping off and picking up power on some routes.

[Wyonate]

Well, I've noticed here in the past two weeks or so BNSF has been using 2 DPUs instead of the usual 1.  2 DPUs and 2 helpers, seems to alot of fuel consumption when the "old way" of 1 DPU and 2 helpers were just as effective on the grade near my home, and sometimes no helpers at all with the 2 DPUs.  Very few stalled trains, and broken knuckles were far and few between.  Any comments?