Don't want to brag

[Mookie]

But all by my lonesome on Sat - I saw - the usual pigeons, trains, etc. But the highlights were:

I saw 11 complete trains, coming and going (which they do)

Saw 12 engines - just out for an airing - which is nice on a warm day!

All that in 2.25 hours.

Saw my favorite 2 SW10's hooked together tugging a rather long freight consist to be put on some sidings north and east of town.

Saw some cars for the OL&B - Lincoln's own short line - "The Big Red Line" now.

In those engines out for a run around - there was # 892 BNSF C40-8W, NS #9758 and SF #695. Rather pretty.

Saw a B23-7 - #4226 (BNSF) and #2701 - a GP39. Just some unusual items.

Now: The hard part.

Two different trains - bell on one - ding-ding-ding-ding. Bell on other dingdingdingdingding. Like it was on uppers! Do they have a "bell speed"?

And - have a pretty severe curve on one set of tracks right in front of Millie's nose. Wheels squeal something terrible. Does that mean that some of the material on the flanges is being scraped off? (I would imagine so) So isn't that really hard on the wheels? Some squeal and others just hum - no words, just a lot of humming! (Sound like a loud stereo bass in a enclosed car)

That's all for now. I keep thinking you all should really come to Lincoln - it would be time well spent! Bring your own popcorn!

Mookie

[tree68]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie

And - have a pretty severe curve on one set of tracks right in front of Millie's nose. Wheels squeal something terrible. Does that mean that some of the material on the flanges is being scraped off? (I would imagine so) So isn't that really hard on the wheels? Some squeal and others just hum - no words, just a lot of humming! (Sound like a loud stereo bass in a enclosed car)
Mookie

Those sharp curves wear on both wheel and rail. That's why you'll find rail greasers around them sometimes.

I sometimes pick out a "pinging" sound amidst the squealing flanges...

[Anonymous]

I love it when the flanges squeal. Especially when the hopper cars are real heavy with coal or rocks.

m

[mudchicken]

Mooks:

If you were to look real close at the rail in the tight curve where all the squealing is, I'd betcha a hot fudge sundae that you will find shiny specks and flakes around the base of the rail from worn metal flanges. If you start to hear "groaning" or chattering with an occasional deep "thump", the wheels are starting to climb the rail or roll it over. Time to make like trees and leave!

If a flange lubricator doesn't work there at Hobson, I've a feeling the local roadmaster or track supervisor might lubricate the curve from their hi-rail truck or manually with a broom, getting grease on the side of the rail as opposed to the top. With grease on the top of rail, the locomotive achieves "negatraction" and unloads copius amounts of sand for traction at that location. (Then the signal folks get real unhappy with moist sand shorting out track circuits and fouling switch points in power switches)[:D][:D][:D]

[JoeKoh]

Bring our own Popcorn?man Mookie you should hear the autoracks when they take the wye at deshler.Also saw some gons going west to Defiance they were squealin and smokin"
stay safe
Joe

[Kozzie]

[;)] As a slight spin on Mookie's squealing wheels, (hmmm..sounds like a pop group?[:D]) ...there is a very generous curve on our Coomuter network, it's actually platform 6 at Brisbane Central, so a very generous curve indeed, yet, the wheels do squeal, in short bursts. But...not every time. hmmmmm...any thoughts? [%-)]


Dave
(Kozzie)

[Anonymous]

Oh, gheez! Was it really, "...rather pretty..."? Don't tell those rough-and-tumble railroaders their engine was "rather pretty." [UGH! DAMES!]

[Anonymous]

Lots of times squealing will come from rail car trucks that are to stiff to do the full turn.

Instead of making the nice turn and being all flexible, the trucks are stiff and don't want to turn, so instead of taking the turn smoothly they grind up against the rail, sometimes causing excessive wear on the wheels and the rail.

As mentioned above, that's why they get rail greasers, it's cheaper than fixing all the trucks [;)]

Mookie, these Monday posts of yours seem to be a part of my routine, I find myself sitting back on Sunday nights thinking "I wonder what Mookie saw this weekend?" [:)]

[M636C]

Freight Car trucks have a flat, bowl-shaped pivot about 18" in diameter in which sits a matching projection on the car bolster, called a "centre plate" (or probably a "center plate" where you're reading). We used to drop four flat black 4" circles of hard grease (like clean miniature cow pats) in to lubricate the truck for rotation. these should be renewed when the car is "lifted" for maintenance. If a car has been running a long time, it might need lifting and lubrication.

There are also "side bearers", items on the truck bolster to stop the car rocking, and these can be steel rollers in a curved track, or urethane plastic pads of different types.

High speed cars, like those in intermodal trains can suffer from "hunting" (oscillating from side to side) when running at speed when empty if there isn't some resistance in the centre plate (or sidebearers). So there is a conflict between smooth curve running and high speed running on tangent track.

So, in the end, there is a compromise required, and since yard leads are short and the rail is easily replaced railroads accept some extra wear in such sharp curves if the trucks run well at speed.

Dave, is there a difference between the early trains in Brisbane and the later ones on the curves? The early trains had a Swedi***ruck design that should be easy in curves, while the later 200 series had a longer wheelbase truck of German design.

I mention this in an article on the 200 series cars in next month's "Railway Digest".

In Sydney, there were curves on the North Shore Line which had special English Manganese Steel rail to resist wear, but these were such a poor conductor of electricity that a third rail was laid down the centre (but cabled to the running rails). Since it was rusty, it looked like the prototype for Gargraves track. Now they just have a lot of rail lubricators.

Peter

[Anonymous]

The best squeal ive heard in a long time is last friday on our wye track in the yard the trackstars replaced the rails on the north leg of the wye. We were the first to go over it with a pair of AC4400's. And you can just imagine what it sounded like with those heavy engines and no lubekator hooked up yet. My cat would have run off crying. Not to mention i heard a couple of dogs in the neighborhood yellping.

[UPTRAIN]

Bell...don't know I've noticed that though...squealing...flange on rail.

[Anonymous]

MOOKIE: I here it all the time right out my bed room window every time a westbound goes by. U.P. took out the flange oiler at mile post 343.0 because of the new rail U.P. will install sometime this summer."besides anyone know when UNION PACIFIC will start work on the blair line"? as for all the track noise I know what MOOKIE is talking about I here It all day.

[Kozzie]

Peter - re your comment:

Dave, is there a difference between the early trains in Brisbane and the later ones on the curves? The early trains had a Swedi***ruck design that should be easy in curves, while the later 200 series had a longer wheelbase truck of German design.
I mention this in an article on the 200 series cars in next month's "Railway Digest".

I will have to take a closer look to see if it is the ealier EMU sets doing the squealing, or if it is the recent SMUs. I noticed that the SMUs actually came out in two separate releases (and designs), which I call Mark 1 and Mark 2.

I'll also check out the Digest article - thanks for the "heads up" on that [;)]

Cheers

Kozzie Dave

[M636C]

Dave,

The two types of SMU have different electrical equipment, so the older trains are made up Motor/Motor/Trailer, while the newer ones are Motor/Trailer/Motor. Anyway, that's a bit off topic, even if we find out they are not as good in curves.

Peter

[traingeek087]

Hey Mookie as for the OL&B, theres usually some cars sitting by the grain elevators next to the state fair park, if you go across the tracks there. (I believe it's where the old Rock Island connected.) but there's a overpass there also. hint hint. I might be mistaken with this, but doesn't the OL&B not run to Beatrice, and it doesn't really make it all the way to Omaha, if I am correct, and don't quote me on this, but I believe it doesn't really leave Lincoln.

[kenneo]

Mookie

When you hear the flange noise on that curve, did you know that you can tell from the sound whether the car is an empty or a load? You can. The deaper the sound, the heavier the car.

Why do some cars flanges make noise and others don't? Mention made above about dry center plates by M636C. If they are not properly lubed as he described, the truck will not want to turn. Again, the heaveier the car, the mor effort needed to turn the truck.

Again, as mentioned above, new rail, even on a tangent (but not too often), will howel and squeel until the surface has been work hardend. New wheels will also do the same, but stop really quick - within just a few miles.

And, as always, Traveling Rusted Feathers has a very important word of safety. If you ever hear the wheels attempting to climb the rail, (squeel, ting ting, groan THUD; repeat as oft as it wants to), make like a forest and leaf out of there. Or roll it over, for that matter. Same sounds.

[M636C]

To back up Eric's comment, yes there is a difference between flange noises on empty and loaded cars, and sometimes the empty cars are more noticeable.

When working next to the line, we would normally move one car length away from the track to avoid the results of any unexpected derailment. Apparently in some 90% of derailments, cars don't move more than their own length away from the track. I guess if it is an intermodal, you have to be 90 feet away! But you shouldn't be any closer than you need to be, because things fall off trains. Once an empty 40 foot container rotated and took out a signal bridge (not a light weight one, it had been a full pedestrian bridge originally)! It was weeks before they'd replaced the signals.

Peter

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by skeets

Oh, gheez! Was it really, "...rather pretty..."? Don't tell those rough-and-tumble railroaders their engine was "rather pretty." [UGH! DAMES!]

Ah Skeets! I love it when you "grumble" thru here!

Madame La Mook

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by macguy

Lots of times squealing will come from rail car trucks that are to stiff to do the full turn.

Instead of making the nice turn and being all flexible, the trucks are stiff and don't want to turn, so instead of taking the turn smoothly they grind up against the rail, sometimes causing excessive wear on the wheels and the rail.

As mentioned above, that's why they get rail greasers, it's cheaper than fixing all the trucks [;)]

Mookie, these Monday posts of yours seem to be a part of my routine, I find myself sitting back on Sunday nights thinking "I wonder what Mookie saw this weekend?" [:)]

Mac - a preview of next Monday or Tuesday, maybe.

Having an out of town visitor. A forum poster! Bringing their own popcorn! Won't reveal the identity, but if you have been paying close attention they have revealed themself without my help. We are going to watch trains and hopefully the BNSF will perform, even tho this person is a UP person. Will be off here Friday to greet our guests to our fine city and back maybe Mon or Tue - depending on how much writing/sighting I do over the weekend!

Maybe - just maybe- this poster will tell you that just like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny - Mookie is real.....[}:)]

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by traingeek087

Hey Mookie as for the OL&B, theres usually some cars sitting by the grain elevators next to the state fair park, if you go across the tracks there. (I believe it's where the old Rock Island connected.) but there's a overpass there also. hint hint. I might be mistaken with this, but doesn't the OL&B not run to Beatrice, and it doesn't really make it all the way to Omaha, if I am correct, and don't quote me on this, but I believe it doesn't really leave Lincoln.

OL&B was sold to Abel Construction many years ago. They run the siding that goes thru the plant (they make concrete) from the mainline - south. Then, if you go down Y street from 17th to 20th - you will see the other side of the line coming out and heading east. That's where the city is fighting with the lumber company over the new Antelope Valley mess. Yeah, they are all local now and that is why they renamed it the Big Red Line some years back. But they still carry the OL&B logo.

Mook

[Mookie]

Re: Squeal on this set of tracks - they are the one that actually go around the edge of the yard and are used for what mostly looks like run-throughs. They come from the south and unlike the north tracks, really have to curve to get into the yards. I listen very carefully to them for anything unusual.

But what is most interesting about these tracks - the trains are sometimes the faster ones of all of them coming into the yards (since they are run-throughs). They don't seem to slow down any more - after their initial slowdown coming in - like the north trains do, or like some of the freights that are going to switch tracks and go into the yard.
The humming and squealing are pretty normal sounding, just makes me think we are losing a little metal there each time (and it's hard on Mook's ears - she is sensitive you know).

Traveling Feathers: Not gettin' that close to the rails - that's trespassing, you know! Besides, Ms Moo has a healthy respect/fear of anything that big that will leave big tracks like that -.....unlike a chicken...............

[C=:-)]