Wind may aid speed also, especially when wind hits from the side at about a 30 degree angle. On the Santa Fe 202 mile 'racetrack' from La Junta to Dodge City passenger trains were allowed 90 MPH. Any appendages protruding from the car body will catch the prevailing wind from the SW. Some were clocked to exceed 100 MPH when the train was running late.
Murphy Siding In addition to seeing the effects of wind on the speed of a train, can you feel the effects of the wind, or is the weight of the traintoo heavy to make a difference?
Wind at sufficient velocities can be felt no matter the size of the train - the surface area and car characteristics act as a sail when the wind picks up - the normal 'couple of miles per hour' winds won't be felt, however, when the velocity starts to get above 10 MPH sustained, with higher gusts, it can be felt.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
In addition to seeing the effects of wind on the speed of a train, can you feel the effects of the wind, or is the weight of the traintoo heavy to make a difference?
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
blue streak 1 I remember reading about a UP train going west downhill along the Columbia river. The engineer had the locos in run 8 and could not maintain speed due to a head wind..
I remember reading about a UP train going west downhill along the Columbia river. The engineer had the locos in run 8 and could not maintain speed due to a head wind..
I've had that before. Before fuel conservation rules, having to pull a train of autoracks downhill in notch 8 and not making maximum speed.
During windy days on an empty coal hopper train speed will vary about 5 mph depending where you are. Out in the open between towns the wind will slow you down a bit. You go through a town or a more wooded area and speed picks up by about 5 mph. Back into the open and it drops down again.
One very cold night this winter they ended up cutting off about 30 cars of the rear of my train. It originated at my home terminal. It was DPed, but because of the cold we couldn't get brake pipe leakage legal. Either 60 cfm or 5 psi per minute. They at the end, closing anglecocks on so many cars and redoing the leakage test. It took about 5 tries and ultimately cutting off those 30 cars to just get legal.
Jeff
Carl (cshaverr) spoke of having cars blown back up the hump.
I suspect the worst are the bulkhead cars, especially empty, as they have two very nice sails. Boxcars, with their square ends, would also catch the wind very well.
A man can start a free rolling car in motion on level track. Add any sort of a downgrade and watch out.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
BaltACD:
I never thought about the wind blowing a car down the tracks, but since it can blow a car on its side, It could blow one down the tracks. At what wind speed would you say that a car could get blown down the tracks?
caldreamerThank you SD70Dude, that is what I needed to know. I am writing a computer system far more realistic then anything currently available. It will include a weather module which will be using the actual daily weather for the area that I model.
Don't overlook the wind. Needless to say most yards are constructed with the understanding of what direction the prevailing wind comes from. When the wind comes from other than the normal direction and if the wind speed is elevated - it can blow free rolling cars to positions on tracks that wasn't intended.
Switch cars over the hump and watch the wind blow them from the bowl tracks back to the leads.
Thank you SD70Dude, that is what I needed to know. I am writing a computer system far more realistic then anything currently available. It will include a weather module which will be using the actual daily weather for the area that I model.
Yes. Cold means the air brakes take longer to charge up, and they don't work as well. Blowing snow or rain means poor visibility, so a lot of moves will go slower. All of this means poorer braking performance, which also means moving more slowly. And snow means you have to sweep out switches, sometimes between every move in a heavy storm.
Snow on the rails also means cars don't roll as well when they are kicked.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
Would the weather affect how long it would take to build a train? I am thinking about how heavy rain, snow, sleet, ice, etc would affect the time to build a train to get it ready to leave its originating yard.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.