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How to derail a train or stupid railroading

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Posted by cx500 on Saturday, July 13, 2019 11:51 PM

charlie hebdo
Many advantages there. If off-peak=night, then with quick cleanups they can pretend it never happened.

The only thing is at night they might have to pay employees overtime or shift differential, thus costing more.  Public relations often seems rather low on the priority.  The possibility of saving a couple of thousand dollars by scheduling the derailment at the start of the normal working hours will be attractive!

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Saturday, July 13, 2019 3:14 PM

Murphy Siding

 

 
Overmod

 

 
Murphy Siding
Due to an unscheduled derailment no doubt.

 

You mean to imply scheduled derailments and precision scheduled derailroading have become a 'thing' now?  Hmmmm... Euclid and I have to ponder this.

 

 

 

Wouldn't the next logical step in PSR be to schedule the derailments in the off-peak hours? I mean, it looks good on paper, so it's gotta work.

 

 

Many advantages there.  If off-peak=night, then with quick cleanups they can pretend it never happened. 

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Saturday, July 13, 2019 12:42 PM

Overmod

 

 
Murphy Siding
Due to an unscheduled derailment no doubt.

 

You mean to imply scheduled derailments and precision scheduled derailroading have become a 'thing' now?  Hmmmm... Euclid and I have to ponder this.

 

Wouldn't the next logical step in PSR be to schedule the derailments in the off-peak hours? I mean, it looks good on paper, so it's gotta work.

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Posted by zardoz on Saturday, July 13, 2019 10:33 AM

oltmannd
They guys who are pretty astute about budgets, rules and safety aren't always the best at physics..

That is why they work with budgets, rules, and other related chores (aka-administration).

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Posted by caldreamer on Saturday, July 13, 2019 9:53 AM

Scheduled derailmets? I will have to think about that one also.  Must be part of EHH's PSR philosp[hy.

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Posted by Overmod on Saturday, July 13, 2019 9:42 AM

Murphy Siding
Due to an unscheduled derailment no doubt.

You mean to imply scheduled derailments and precision scheduled derailroading have become a 'thing' now?  Hmmmm... Euclid and I have to ponder this.

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Saturday, July 13, 2019 9:35 AM

BaltACD
 
rdamon
 
BaltACD

 The available pictures don't show that this was a 'stringline' type derailment. 

Agree,  This is just a recent event that I did not think warrented a new thread.

 

I agree however, Amtrak's excuse of 'unscheduled trackwork' is unique.

 

Due to an unscheduled derailment no doubt. Mischief

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Posted by BaltACD on Saturday, July 13, 2019 9:13 AM

rdamon
 
BaltACD

 The available pictures don't show that this was a 'stringline' type derailment. 

Agree,  This is just a recent event that I did not think warrented a new thread.

I agree however, Amtrak's excuse of 'unscheduled trackwork' is unique.

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Posted by rdamon on Saturday, July 13, 2019 7:25 AM

BaltACD

 The available pictures don't show that this was a 'stringline' type derailment.

 

 
Agree,  This is just a recent event that I did not think warrented a new thread.
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Posted by Euclid on Friday, July 12, 2019 8:08 PM

BaltACD

Neither accordian or jacknife are causes of derailments - they are results of a derailment and are caused by the need to disapate the remining kenitic energy that is contined in the still moving portion of the train after the originally derailed car begins moving slower than all the cars that are following it.  

If train A-Z has 26 cars.  Car A derails on comes to a stop in very short order - the kinetic energy in cars B-Z has to be disapated - with car A derailed it will not remain in perfect alignment with cars B-Z - the angular difference between A & B will define how the accordian will affect the movement of cars B-Z as the disapate their retained kenitic energy from the moment of derailment.

We have all seen this before, but it indicates kinetic energy needing to be dispated in a derailment better than most

 

Yes, I understand those points very well.  Actually, though, I would say that stringlining is also the result of a derailment and not the cause, just as jacknifing is the result not the cause.  The cause of stringlining is too much transverse force produced by pulling cars too hard through a curve.  When the limit to this force is reached, a wheel climbs the rail, and only that excessive transverse force is the cause of the derailment.  Everything from that first wheel climbing the rail to the point where the action stops is the result of the derailment.  So a stringling is the result of too much transverse force by pulling too hard through a curve. Only the excess transverse force is the cause. 

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Posted by BaltACD on Friday, July 12, 2019 7:25 PM

Neither accordian or jacknife are causes of derailments - they are results of a derailment and are caused by the need to disapate the remining kenitic energy that is contined in the still moving portion of the train after the originally derailed car begins moving slower than all the cars that are following it.  

If train A-Z has 26 cars.  Car A derails on comes to a stop in very short order - the kinetic energy in cars B-Z has to be disapated - with car A derailed it will not remain in perfect alignment with cars B-Z - the angular difference between A & B will define how the accordian will affect the movement of cars B-Z as the disapate their retained kenitic energy from the moment of derailment.

We have all seen this before, but it indicates kinetic energy needing to be dispated in a derailment better than most - 

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Posted by Euclid on Friday, July 12, 2019 7:05 PM

Yeah I knew you were going to say that.  But is that accordion result not a type?

Is an accordion the same as a jacknife?  It seems to me that a jacknife is the opposite of a stringline. 

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Posted by BaltACD on Friday, July 12, 2019 6:59 PM

Euclid
 
BaltACD 

The available pictures don't show that this was a 'stringline' type derailment. 

That is an accordion type derailment.

Accordian is not a type of derailment - it is a result of a derailment.

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Posted by timz on Friday, July 12, 2019 6:56 PM

New vehicles -- so the UP train must have been westward? Which means downgrade.

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Posted by Euclid on Friday, July 12, 2019 6:45 PM

BaltACD
 

 

The available pictures don't show that this was a 'stringline' type derailment.

 

 

That is an accordion type derailment.

 

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Posted by BaltACD on Friday, July 12, 2019 6:05 PM

rdamon
Thirty-three train cars derailed yesterday morning roughly 30 miles from the Nevada-Utah border near the small town of Caliente

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/brand-new-jeep-gladiators-and-chevy-silverados-destroyed-after-train-derails-in-nevada/ar-AAEbqlI?ocid=spartanntp

 

 

The available pictures don't show that this was a 'stringline' type derailment.

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Posted by rdamon on Friday, July 12, 2019 3:52 PM

Thirty-three train cars derailed yesterday morning roughly 30 miles from the Nevada-Utah border near the small town of Caliente

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/brand-new-jeep-gladiators-and-chevy-silverados-destroyed-after-train-derails-in-nevada/ar-AAEbqlI?ocid=spartanntp

 

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Posted by oltmannd on Friday, July 12, 2019 3:26 PM

So, short story about testing SD60MACs on Conrail.

Our department was coordinating the test - me in particular.  So, they wanted to run an ore train of solid ore jennies west over HSC.  "We want to put all three SD60MACs on line and see if we can't pull the hill without helpers." said the division.  "No.  It won't work. You'll get a knuckle. You need to push the train." we said.  "We just want to try it."  Said the division.  "Don't." we said.  

They tried it.  Didn't even get to the brickyard.  Bang!  Pulled the entire draftgear out of one of those old 100 ton ore jennies.  

"We told you so."  we thought to ourselves.

They guys who are pretty astute about budgets, rules and safety aren't always the best at physics....

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Posted by oltmannd on Friday, July 12, 2019 3:16 PM

Euclid

 

 

 
zugmann
 
Euclid
I am referring to a program that would prevent stringlining by knowing the train makeup and tonnage distrubution, and knowing the train's location on the railroad line, while monitoring tractive effort. By knowing the train makeup and tonnage distribution, it would know where the stringline threshold is at every point on the line. It would have a built-in safety margin, and would reduce tractive effort if the stringline threshold was getting too close. With this magic system, you would not have the problem of a difference of opinion as to whether or not a train would stringline.

 

They've had that stuff since LEADER.

 

 

 

Then why are they stringlining trains?

 

see title of post!

 

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Posted by BaltACD on Friday, July 12, 2019 2:28 PM

Euclid
 
zugmann 
Euclid
I am referring to a program that would prevent stringlining by knowing the train makeup and tonnage distrubution, and knowing the train's location on the railroad line, while monitoring tractive effort. By knowing the train makeup and tonnage distribution, it would know where the stringline threshold is at every point on the line. It would have a built-in safety margin, and would reduce tractive effort if the stringline threshold was getting too close. With this magic system, you would not have the problem of a difference of opinion as to whether or not a train would stringline. 

They've had that stuff since LEADER. 

Then why are they stringlining trains?

Sometimes reality intrudes into fairyland.

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Posted by zugmann on Friday, July 12, 2019 2:19 PM

Euclid
Then why are they stringlining trains?

I don't know.  Why are they?

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

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Posted by Euclid on Friday, July 12, 2019 2:17 PM

 

zugmann
 
Euclid
I am referring to a program that would prevent stringlining by knowing the train makeup and tonnage distrubution, and knowing the train's location on the railroad line, while monitoring tractive effort. By knowing the train makeup and tonnage distribution, it would know where the stringline threshold is at every point on the line. It would have a built-in safety margin, and would reduce tractive effort if the stringline threshold was getting too close. With this magic system, you would not have the problem of a difference of opinion as to whether or not a train would stringline.

 

They've had that stuff since LEADER.

 

Then why are they stringlining trains?

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Posted by zugmann on Friday, July 12, 2019 1:43 PM

Euclid
I am referring to a program that would prevent stringlining by knowing the train makeup and tonnage distrubution, and knowing the train's location on the railroad line, while monitoring tractive effort. By knowing the train makeup and tonnage distribution, it would know where the stringline threshold is at every point on the line. It would have a built-in safety margin, and would reduce tractive effort if the stringline threshold was getting too close. With this magic system, you would not have the problem of a difference of opinion as to whether or not a train would stringline.

They've had that stuff since LEADER.

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

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Posted by Euclid on Friday, July 12, 2019 12:58 PM

Euclid
 
BaltACD
 
JPS1
 
oltmannd
 Which even my "back of the envelope" calculation showed is what likely happened.

Getting to L/V is tougher to do and you can't reasonably determine it for every car in every location under every possible circumstance.  There are trains built and run that will just plain derail if the go into emergency at the right spot.  But, they don't, so no news is good news...  

How long did it take from the beginning of the railroad era for engineers to work out the mathematics to explain all the forces impacting operations?  Or is it still a work in progress?

 

Still a work in progress as they try to maximize tonnage and minimize costs.

 

 

 

I would think they would have a program that would predict the stringline potential of any given train, based on makeup, gradient, power, and curvature.  Maybe it could also take over and prevent the stringline event from happening. 

 

I am referring to a program that would prevent stringlining by knowing the train makeup and tonnage distrubution, and knowing the train's location on the railroad line, while monitoring tractive effort.  By knowing the train makeup and tonnage distribution, it would know where the stringline threshold is at every point on the line.  It would have a built-in safety margin, and would reduce tractive effort if the stringline threshold was getting too close.

With this magic system, you would not have the problem of a difference of opinion as to whether or not a train would stringline.

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Posted by BaltACD on Friday, July 12, 2019 12:49 PM

The derailment several months ago on the CSX's Baltimore Belt Line that overturned cars into and damaging parts of the Baltimore Streetcar Museum was a stingline event caused with the DPU lost communications with the head end locomotives and shut down thus creating excessive trailing tonnage for the curvature the head end was operating through.

Excessive trailing tonnage can happen, even when you aren't expecting it.

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Posted by oltmannd on Friday, July 12, 2019 12:37 PM

JPS1

 

 
oltmannd
 Which even my "back of the envelope" calculation showed is what likely happened.

Getting to L/V is tougher to do and you can't reasonably determine it for every car in every location under every possible circumstance.  There are trains built and run that will just plain derail if the go into emergency at the right spot.  But, they don't, so no news is good news... 

 

How long did it take from the beginning of the railroad era for engineers to work out the mathematics to explain all the forces impacting trains operations?  Or is it still a work in progress?

 

There are, and have been for quite a while, simulations that will calculate L/V for a train dynamically.  They have typically been used to help find derailment causes and figure out what general rules, if any, could be used to reasonably avoid the situation in the future.  

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Posted by oltmannd on Friday, July 12, 2019 12:34 PM

caldreamer

Writing such a program is not that difficult.  If the train is approching the stringline point information could be bass to the PTC system which could then slow the train down.

   Caldreamer

 

It's not the speed, really.  It's the force the locomotives are generating.  The train just "pulls back" with train resistence plus acceleration.

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Posted by zugmann on Friday, July 12, 2019 12:03 PM

caldreamer
Writing such a program is not that difficult. If the train is approching the stringline point information could be bass to the PTC system which could then slow the train down.

Stringlining can come from approaching a curve too slow, necessitating  you to go deeper into the throttle quicker to keep from stalling.  More about yanking it too hard, than going too fast.

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

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Posted by caldreamer on Friday, July 12, 2019 11:57 AM

Writing such a program is not that difficult.  If the train is approching the stringline point information could be bass to the PTC system which could then slow the train down.

   Caldreamer

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