Parking

[Anonymous]

Hi. I'm hoping someone on this forum with how to operate my model of a yard.

I have a yard with the configuration that sidings leading from the yard throat each come to a dead end. My questions have to do with parking freight cars on the sidings. 1970's era, if that makes a difference.

Would a prototype road have all the parked cars coupled together, at the end of the siding, using a house air supply to keep up the air brakes?

Or would the extra step of coupling up a car to the parked lineup when the switcher drops it off be too time-consuming?

How are the air brakes usually kept up when a car is parked in a yard?

How long does it take for an isolated car to lose the pressure in its air brake system?

[Anonymous]

In a yard like you mentioned, cars are usually coupled up after they are sorted out. After the yard crew is done switching, the crew will then tie up (couple) the track that will then be put on the air plant and inspected by the carmen for defects. Cars with defects will then be put in the Rip track to be repaired. Most flat switching yard crews will "kick" the cars down the lead when they are switching them out and tie them up when they are finished. Cars can hold air in them for days depending on the condition of the brake valves, some leak and some dont. When cars are set off by a road train, they must be bled off before they are switched onto adjacent tracks, this is sometimes done by a utility brakeman, or the crew that is doing the work. Tying up the tracks is usually the last job of the day and it means time to go home!!

[Anonymous]

Thanks.

It's better to understand what you're doing, and I understand better now.

[Anonymous]

Often cars are just left where they stop after being "kicked" into a track. As long as a hand brake is tied to at least one car in every cut of cars. Air is often only hooked up if you are building a train, after it is assembled or parking an assembled train. Many yards are slightly bowl shaped and then sometimes cars aren't tied down at all. If a yard is on a grade then cars are kept togther often with the air brakes hooked up and applied. So cars don't nessesarily always have to be coupled up to each other in each yard track.