Bizarre Rail Operations

[sovablunt]

 Here recently while at work I saw a locomotive pulling flatcars with those super long windmill blades on them. they looked to be well over 100 feet long and were riding on 2 cars each. I also see BNSF "Plane Trains" a few times a week heading from Wichita to Seattle carrying 737 fuselages.

[ericsp]

greyhounds

 

DSchmitt wrote:

For several years the SP ran Roadrailers tail end of a "box car" train several times a week in each direction on the "east valley" line north of Sacramento. A box car with a Fred was always on the rear.

Oh God, Please Talk To Me.

How'd they hook the boxcar in back of the 'Railers?

Where'd the train go to/from?

Do you know why they had to hang a carbox on the back?  I mean 'Railers operate regularly w/o such a thingy.

 

I am not God, but here is what I know. SP ran Roadrailers between City of Industry, CA and Portland, OR. For a few months SP also ran a short train of boxcars between those two places. I never saw it, but perhaps these trains were combined a few times. Every time I saw SP's, then UP's, Roadrailer train, it was only locomotives and Roadrailers.

[ericsp]

Last week I saw a light engine move of 18 locomotives (SD70Ms and 9-44CWs).

Tonight I saw a road crew spend four hours rearranging their train and setting out cars before leaving the yard. The train must have gone back and forth a couple dozen times. While there, I saw a train composed of two 5-unit and one 1-unit well cars. It was heading south. This is the first time I can recall seeing a southbound train on UP through here composed entirely of steamship containers. It is the first time I recall seeing a southbound UP train with containers come through here since UP switched the KOAMN from the Sunset Route to the Overland Route.

[espeefoamer]

On the SP I once saw a ribbonrail train with a long string of freight cars behind the  ribbonrail cars.I only saw this done once.

[tatans]

OK I clicked on those sites, up came @ 60 or 70 photos, what ones were I supposed to look at? ? ? or was I to look at them all? ?

[greyhounds]

For several years the SP ran Roadrailers tail end of a "box car" train several times a week in each direction on the "east valley" line north of Sacramento. A box car with a Fred was always on the rear.

Oh God, Please Talk To Me.

How'd they hook the boxcar in back of the 'Railers?

Where'd the train go to/from?

Do you know why they had to hang a carbox on the back?  I mean 'Railers operate regularly w/o such a thingy.

[ericsp]

The MP15 was probably spliced in the middle of the consists account it probably doesn't have alignment control drawbars (stops in the draft gear to prevent the drawbar from excessive slewing whan in compression).

Dave H.

It seems like all of SP's SW1500s, MP15s, and MP15ACs were setup to do road switching. So I would think that SP's MP15s would have those drawbars.

[bnsfkline]

I have seen intermodal cars on regular manifests many times...pretty common around here in St. Louis.....

[fuzzybroken]

QUOTE: Originally posted by AltonFan

On at least two occasions I've seen diesel locomotive bodies being hauled by trucks down I-294, north of Chicago. In both instances the trucks were heading south, and the locomotive bodies looked like they were a tan-yellow color (a primer coat?).

Hmmm... somebody's been going through the old topics again... no matter, this is still relevant.

The locomotive bodies are assembled by Super Steel in Milwaukee, and trucked down WIS-100 (non-freeway) to the south side, where they get on I-94. Seeing them was a regular occurrence when I worked at the late, great Dreamers Hobbies on Hwy 100 in Greenfield! Wish I would have been more into photography then... [sigh]

[grampaw pettibone]

A friend who is a railroader told me that back in the days when CSX ran cabooses, a train got ready to leave Florence SC yard. After all the tests were run, somebody who knew how slipped in about halfway the train, and closed the cocks, pulled the lever and then split. After a while, the cab crew called the engine to ask why it was taking so long, and then found the engine was about 10 miles down the road....

[prospekt mira]

A GO double deck Bombadier commuter car spliced amid a long string of covered hoppers coming out of Toronto.

[ericsp]

How is this for a yard swither, a GP15-1, GP38-2, SW1500, and AC4400CW? It will be interesting to see if they were just moving the AC4400CW around or if it is still with the rest tomorrow. When I saw it, they were kicking cars.

[Anonymous]

Are you sure that the train wasn't exactly 24 hours late?

That happened once with the eastbound GEORGE WASHINGTON (predecessor to the CARDINAL) going into Charlottesville, VA.

But, in all fairness, it was in 1975. [#oops]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by edblysard

You bet it would!

Not that we ever bottle the air on the Port[:0]

Ed

QUOTE: Originally posted by virlon

QUOTE: Originally posted by edblysard

If they didnt have the engineer draw off some air, but just closed the angle cocks, and bottled the air, then tied handbrakes to the cut left standing, and then cut the crossing, the EOT would still show a fully charged line...the new crew mounts up, looks at the EOT indicater, sees it ready and charged...away they go.
Ed[:D]

away they go....
That would pertain to the crew that bottled the air and tied it down in that condition also...

Virlon
save your ticket.... the P.E. will rise again.

UH HUH........

Virlon
Save your ticket.....the P.E. will rise again.

[edblysard]

You bet it would!

Not that we ever bottle the air on the Port[:0]

Ed

QUOTE: Originally posted by virlon

QUOTE: Originally posted by edblysard

If they didnt have the engineer draw off some air, but just closed the angle cocks, and bottled the air, then tied handbrakes to the cut left standing, and then cut the crossing, the EOT would still show a fully charged line...the new crew mounts up, looks at the EOT indicater, sees it ready and charged...away they go.
Ed[:D]

away they go....
That would pertain to the crew that bottled the air and tied it down in that condition also...

Virlon
save your ticket.... the P.E. will rise again.

[AltonFan]

On at least two occasions I've seen diesel locomotive bodies being hauled by trucks down I-294, north of Chicago. In both instances the trucks were heading south, and the locomotive bodies looked like they were a tan-yellow color (a primer coat?).

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by edblysard

If they didnt have the engineer draw off some air, but just closed the angle cocks, and bottled the air, then tied handbrakes to the cut left standing, and then cut the crossing, the EOT would still show a fully charged line...the new crew mounts up, looks at the EOT indicater, sees it ready and charged...away they go.
Ed[:D]

away they go....
That would pertain to the crew that bottled the air and tied it down in that condition also...

Virlon
save your ticket.... the P.E. will rise again.

[Anonymous]

i got this from a friend that was train watching today .

CP sent two SD45 on a train up beldon hill the old D&h line well about 1/4 the way up the grade one of the locos brakes down. and stop the train on the grade because one loco cant pull it over the hill. well about half hour later a CN trains (long CN train 3 locos) pull up to the back of the frist train and give it a push over the hill so it looked the railroad cut helpers in the middle of one long train. for those of you that dont know the line its owned by CP with track rights given to CN and NS and was in rail pace magazine with a 2 part artical. with in the last 4 months

[coborn35]

QUOTE: Originally posted by edblysard

If they didnt have the engineer draw off some air, but just closed the angle cocks, and bottled the air, then tied handbrakes to the cut left standing, and then cut the crossing, the EOT would still show a fully charged line...the new crew mounts up, looks at the EOT indicater, sees it ready and charged...away they go.
Ed[:D]

"This the #9169 to Houston Dispatch, we kinda have a problem, its just a minor one, well i guess its a little serious................ OK big problem!!! "over"

[Anonymous]

if you want to see some beat up locos, drive past CEECO in Tacoma, WA.

there are several locos with their prime movers removed, all kinds of locomotives from amtrak, bnsf, up. i have even seen an f unit there and a mrl loco on occasion.

not really bizarre, but really neat.

[ericsp]

Last Saturday, I saw the locomotives (both of which had the cabs towards the front) cut off of the front of a train (QNPFR?) run them down to a wye, wye them, and reconnect them with both running long hood first.

Yesterday, or Wednesday, I saw a train heading north with five flatcars carrying what appeared to be fence sections with something lilke chicken wire, only with the wires spaced further apart. Later that day I saw a southbound train with these flatcars in it. It had also absorbed a local train the left the yard earlier in the day.

[Grinandbearit]

Dragonslayer87 The double deck commuter cars are built in Thunder Bay, Ontario by Bombardier. THey might have been GO transit cars on their way to or from overhaul at one of the various firms that do that work.

[ericsp]

I saw a MRVWC today that was normal length. However, the Oil Can trains was only about a third of its normal length.

[ericsp]

With the Coast Line closed and many of its trains detouring via the Fresno/Bakersfield Lines, I would think that it would be getting crowded between Bakersfield and Mojave, therefore, I would think that would want to run as few trains a possible. On my way to work Wednesday morning, I saw a train cosisting of exactly 19 cars and two AC44CTEs (judging from the cars, I wonder if it could have been a MRVLV). Just ahead of it was a train consisting of about 40 cars and two AC44CTEs. I wonder why they were running these two short trains.

[Anonymous]

Once I saw a burnt and very badly damaged (entire "body" crushed and dented) GP40 being towed at the end of a CN freight train. I've also seen [empty] double-decker passenger cars tacked onto the end of freight trains. I can't remember exactly what they are called, but they are made somewhere near Sudbury, ON, and are used by commuter railroads around North America. I've seen flat cars with the wings for commercial jets on them.

[ericsp]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ericsp

On Sunday (12/26/04) I went out to the site where they will be building an ethanol plant. The company bought an existing grain elevator with a balloon track and it appears some spurs and/or sidings. There was a loaded steel coil train (no locomotives) on the balloon track and a couple of open top hoppers on one of the other tracks. I doubt that it has anything to do with the construction, as it has not started yet and that was a lot of steel. I wonder if they parked it there for Christmas and ran the locomotives light to the nearest yard.

All of the aforementioned cars are still there.

[bluepuma]

I live in Illinois and drive I-80, it seemed odd to see a truckload of wheels going west, wondered where it was headed.

Also drive I-39 to work, have seen a lot of railroad equipment being trucked North, see the rail wheels, yellow paint, think they may have been headed toward Rochelle or points further North in Minn/St. Paul or Madison.

Not sure what is South, perhaps something headed north from St. Louis or Indiana or Kentucky where the machines are made, they looked new. Just seemed odd that they would not be travelin by train.

Don't get to see many odd train loads, just the usual stuff, what was odd was Iowa Interstate near Bureau, IL, with about 7 locos on it, grain hoppers, a year ago last fall, never see that many locos on it, some were blue, leasing company perhaps.

Granville is now on the NS line to Hennepin, formerly Conrail, Penn Central, NYC, stopping at the Steelmill. Have caught some strange power on those trains, BNSF with a small NS on point.

- Tom - Angeleno in a cornfield

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jabrown1971

Cheaper and quicker by truck? Used to take cars a week just to reach the INRD from CR at Avon (Indy) yard. If the car arrived from the east, Cleveland, it would get dropped at Avon, sorted and blocked to go to Hawthorne, ex PRR, Yard. At Hawthorne, it would get switched and switched and switched until it found the right cut. Then it would head for the INRD. Once the car got out of Hawthorne, it took 20 mins to get to us. Conversly, if a car arrived Monday on the IC at Newton, by Wednesday it was at it's customer in Indy. Unless the customer was on CR.

I've seen lots of rail car wheelsets traveling by truck. I suppose it is quicker, but you would think even if it took a week longer by rail, it would still be cheaper.

[jabrown1971]

Cheaper and quicker by truck? Used to take cars a week just to reach the INRD from CR at Avon (Indy) yard. If the car arrived from the east, Cleveland, it would get dropped at Avon, sorted and blocked to go to Hawthorne, ex PRR, Yard. At Hawthorne, it would get switched and switched and switched until it found the right cut. Then it would head for the INRD. Once the car got out of Hawthorne, it took 20 mins to get to us. Conversly, if a car arrived Monday on the IC at Newton, by Wednesday it was at it's customer in Indy. Unless the customer was on CR.