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Derailment of multiple cars by force of couplers twisting

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Posted by BaltACD on Sunday, August 13, 2023 12:55 PM

zugmann
 
BaltACD
Or if Transportation & MofW gang up on the Car Dept. and put the cause on a car truck that refused to slew and turned the rail over. 

I left mechanical out because overmod only presented two scenarios that didn't involve them. 

When Transportation & MofW gang up they can put the squeeze on Mechanical in any scenario.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by zugmann on Sunday, August 13, 2023 12:16 PM

BaltACD
Or if Transportation & MofW gang up on the Car Dept. and put the cause on a car truck that refused to slew and turned the rail over.

I left mechanical out because overmod only presented two scenarios that didn't involve them. 

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


  

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Posted by BaltACD on Sunday, August 13, 2023 12:04 PM

zugmann
 
Overmod
But did the rail turn over solely under the weight of the consist, or was it 'helped' by the sequential torque of overturning cars? 

Depends on if Transportation or Engineering gets there first. 

Or if Transportation & MofW gang up on the Car Dept. and put the cause on a car truck that refused to slew and turned the rail over.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by Overmod on Sunday, August 13, 2023 11:36 AM

zugmann
Overmod
But did the rail turn over solely under the weight of the consist, or was it 'helped' by the sequential torque of overturning cars?

Yes
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Posted by zugmann on Sunday, August 13, 2023 10:52 AM

Overmod
But did the rail turn over solely under the weight of the consist, or was it 'helped' by the sequential torque of overturning cars?

Depends on if Transportation or Engineering gets there first. 

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


  

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Posted by Overmod on Sunday, August 13, 2023 10:43 AM

croteaudd
A very experienced railroader I know, upon seeing the linked video, came to the conclusion that a rail turned over.

But did the rail turn over solely under the weight of the consist, or was it 'helped' by the sequential torque of overturning cars? Devil

People who have been here long enough may remember Nora's thread on 'stupid railroad questions'.  I don't recall anyone responding there in a snarky or adversarial manner.  I gently suggest that attitude is important, and humility next important, when finding out or learning about things you have accepted in advance that you don't yet understand.

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Posted by croteaudd on Saturday, August 12, 2023 1:06 PM
A very experienced railroader I know, upon seeing the linked video, came to the conclusion that a rail turned over.
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Posted by timz on Friday, August 11, 2023 12:56 PM

Perry Babin
What have I done that has been generally offensive? I've tried to be polite.

And you've succeeded. Quit worrying.

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Posted by Perry Babin on Thursday, August 10, 2023 9:08 AM

Wonderful example and not a situation that I had thought of. I don't think it's a good idea for me to ask any other questions regarding fall prevention harnesses so I'll just move on to other topics. 

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Posted by BigJim on Thursday, August 10, 2023 8:49 AM

Perry Babin

As I stated before, I'll never be near a train except at a crossing. I'm just asking questions that help me to understand things from multiple angles/perspectives. I don't want arguments. I'm not trying to convince anyone to change their way of doing things and I'm certainly not telling them that their way of doing things is wrong.  


Then understand this and DO NOT question it, you DO NOT want to be clamped to the side of a rail car in the pitch dark night (that means no moon, no light other than your lantern) on a shove move and come across a fallen tree (or anything of that nature)! You will have absolutely zero seconds to undo whatever is holding you to the side of that car! You will be wiped clean!!! Savvy?

.

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Posted by Perry Babin on Thursday, August 10, 2023 12:21 AM

As I stated before, I'll never be near a train except at a crossing. I'm just asking questions that help me to understand things from multiple angles/perspectives. I don't want arguments. I'm not trying to convince anyone to change their way of doing things and I'm certainly not telling them that their way of doing things is wrong.  

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Posted by Overmod on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 8:23 PM

One place things started to run off the trolley was around the time of 'previous statement.  Still stands.'

My opinion -- and it is only an opinion -- is that drawing parallels between a theoretical knowledge of climbing gear and a proper fall-protection system useful for shoves is not the hill you want to die on in a technical argument with working railroaders.  It is also my opinion that retreating into passive aggressiveness when a discussion doesn't seem to be going one's way is not a way that friends carry on a friendly discussion... or even a friendly disagreement.

Railroaders can be brusque at times.  Since so much of railroading is promptly written in blood, they may not have much time or enthusiasm for unproven ideas presented as objectively 'better' unless the ideas are demonstrated to be objectively safer in the areas of concern -- which long-fall protection systems for mountain climbing, or ever typical shock-absorbing fall protection systems as used in historic preservation, most certainly will NOT be.

Two potential examples:  Within the three-odd months you've been here, we had a thread about a dump truck colliding obliquely with a shove move with the person riding the point unable to move away from being horribly crushed at the point of contact.  Being tethered by even an elastic contact would have made it even more impossible to swing away from the 'zone of collision'.  Meanwhile, a tether system would have to be short enough that feet and ankles of a rider would not be pulled under the car to where injury might result, and restricted in breakaway not to pull a rider around to a dangerous position or trajectory and then release him without warning.

If you're going to argue for a tether, or even a temporary hook with a handle that a shove rider could use to relieve full reliance on hand grip -- you need to understand the various dangers and 'design' accordingly.  Be civil about what you don't know even if railroaders are short with you.  Let the truth of an argument develop -- even if some people associate it with certain tiresome behaviors (or behaviours) that characterize certain threads here in the past.

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Posted by Perry Babin on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 1:11 PM

I don't know what makes it interesting. What have I done that has been generally offensive? I've tried to be polite. 

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Posted by Backshop on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 1:06 PM

"behaviour"?  Interesting...

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Posted by Perry Babin on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 12:56 PM

I see very few posters who ask questions who are not long-term RRs.  I do, however, see a lot of people reading posts. Far more than the 10 or so that commonly post. 

A victim, not even close. 

Apology accepted in advance if you make a mistake. 

If any members of this forum see something that I've done wrong, please tell me what it was so I can change my behaviour to better conform to the norm. 

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Posted by zugmann on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 12:45 PM

An outsider?  Most on here are not RRers.  Most are fans.  So the victim card is not a good one to play.  

 

 

But don't worry, I'll try to avoid answering any questions you have, and I apologize in advance if I accidently do. 

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


  

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Posted by Perry Babin on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 12:28 PM

But then you say you'd "wear a harness" even though you can't/shouldn't.  I'm happy to answer questions that I can, but if you're going to argue the answers, then I'll just skip it next time.   Maybe I read your intent wrong? 

 

You can't take everything to be adversarial (or maybe you can). I know that I will never fit in here because I'm an outsider. I appreciate the help I've received in the past and will hopefully get in the future but until I get banned, I will continue to ask questions that may seem (be?) idiotic to those who have been in the world of railroading most of their adult lives. The fact that I may question certain practices doesn't mean I believe they're wrong. I may simply want to know why I don't fully understand why things are done that way. 

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Posted by zugmann on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 12:18 PM

CSSHEGEWISCH
I remember reading in TRAINS about a block of tank cars equipped with shelf couplers.  A truck on one of the cars came apart and the shelf couplers held that end of the car upright.  I believe that the train ran for several miles before the situation was discovered.

I've seen more than a few photos of trucks coming off under trains without uncoupling.  So yeah, that does happen. 

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


  

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 12:07 PM

I remember reading in TRAINS about a block of tank cars equipped with shelf couplers.  A truck on one of the cars came apart and the shelf couplers held that end of the car upright.  I believe that the train ran for several miles before the situation was discovered.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by zugmann on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 12:05 PM

deleted. 

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


  

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Posted by NP Red on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 11:11 AM

Going back to the original post, It is true that in a derailment one car will pull over the next but I also know that those same tight couplers will keep a derailed car upright for a long time. The gain in one scenario might offset the loss in the other.

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Posted by Perry Babin on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 10:26 AM

'Advice' would indicate that you believe that I'm going to do anything regarding railroads or trains. I simply ask questions and may ask follow-up questions to better understand why things are done (or not done). Unless at a level crossing, I'll never be within a mile of a train or railroad track. 

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Posted by SD70Dude on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 10:19 AM

We dislike obnoxious foamers who trespass or otherwise make fools of themselves.  That last part includes refusing to listen to advice about why the professionals do things in certain ways.

Greetings from Alberta

-an Articulate Malcontent

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Posted by Perry Babin on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 10:09 AM

Were you going to use it to tell railfanners to get a life? It seems that train crews really dislike railfanners (railfoamers).  

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Posted by CMStPnP on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 9:17 AM

Perry Babin

People who know railroads were so against it, I wasn't going to argue the pros/cons. << Previous statement. Still stands. 

Don't feel too bad, nobody liked my idea of talking train horns with voice dubbing for colorful metaphors.

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Posted by SD70Dude on Tuesday, August 8, 2023 7:13 PM

mvlandsw

The siding at GalvTech is on a down grade so we cut the engine off and ran into the GalvTech spur. Then we would bleed off the air in the cars and let them roll past the switch in order to get the engine on the other end.

We used to do that at one of our customers.  Worked like a charm.  Letting the cars roll by with the air left bottled and released works too, then you have the option of opening the angle cock on the trailing car to stop them in case the handbrake you chose to ride didn't work so well.  We also had one of those special car moving pry bars hidden near the switch in case the cars stalled and trapped the engine in the spur. 

Riding the point for several miles is common, and while it can be uncomfortable it is often the quickest and easiest way to get the job done.  I, too would not want to be strapped to a car for the reasons mentioned.  In situations where a B/O car has to be set out enroute you may have to leave the trailing portion of the train behind and limp the defective car to the nearest siding or back track, which might be 10 or 15 miles away, maybe more.  Then you may have to ride all the way back to the train. 

Back to the original topic of this thread, even coal gons only have a rotary drawbar at one end of the car, the opposite end has a regular solid drawbar.  In unit coal trains all the cars are supposed to face the same way, and there are a few special 'double rotary' cars so both ends of the trainset will have a rotary coupler facing outward.  If you have two rotary drawbars coupled together there will be nothing fixing them in place, and it is possible for the two to start turning around together as the train moves along the track.  Once they get far enough around the locking block inside the coupler will fall 'up', allowing the knuckle to open and the train will come apart.  Then the conductor gets to walk back there with a big pry bar and try to turn them back again. 

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/438302/

Greetings from Alberta

-an Articulate Malcontent

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Posted by Euclid on Tuesday, August 8, 2023 6:59 PM

Perry Babin

People who know railroads were so against it, I wasn't going to argue the pros/cons. I would use a harness if I had to be in a situation where I could fall. The harness wouldn't need to be intrusive or heavy since it's not a full fall arrest harness that's meant to absorb energy from a long fall like those for tower climbers. Look at climbers' harness that can arrest falls of 10+ feet. They are inexpensive (about $25) and lightweight (about 2lbs). 

Yes. About 3 months. 

 

Most fall protection is needed for doing work that involves a lot of position changing and paying attention to lots of variables.  In such circumstances, falls can be caused by distraction, loss of situational awareness, tripping, slipping, etc.  Typically, there also the conditions such that an accidental fall would be from a height sufficient to cause death or serious injury. 
 
A fall from a train is somewhat different because the fall often occurs from a moving train, and/or, the fall can cause a person to fall under a moving train.  If you were wearing some type of fall protection harness while riding on the side or end of a car being shoved, what would you expect the harness to do to protect you if you suddenly fell off the train?
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Posted by mvlandsw on Tuesday, August 8, 2023 5:53 PM

Backshop

DJ of djstrains on Youtube is a CSX engineer and just posted a video of a talk that he just gave at a steel mill railroad modelers convention.  He said that there's a regular 3 mile backup move that is done in the Pittsburgh area at night, over a bridge over the Monongehela River with the conductor hanging on to the lead car.

Found it!  (9) Railroad Operations, Incredible Footage, Industrial Modeling Tips & MORE! - YouTube

 

I used to be the engineer on that shoving move to GalvTech. We had a caboose for the conductor to ride. Shoving that far was still a pain since you had to protect the many road crossing at night. I got the yardmaster to have the train built with the locomotive leading and left the caboose in the yard. That way we could run at main track speed.

The siding at GalvTech is on a down grade so we cut the engine off and ran into the GalvTech spur. Then we would bleed off the air in the cars and let them roll past the switch in order to get the engine on the other end.

Mark Vinski

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Posted by zugmann on Tuesday, August 8, 2023 4:47 PM

deleted.

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


  

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any

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