I seek books that would describe the operation of steam pushers in the era before radio communications. Pushers were used wherever mountain passes had to be overcome - Cajon, Donner, Horseshoe Curve, Canada’s Rogers Pass, on the Clinchfield, etc.Can anyone point me to books that would cover steam pusher operations. I don’t seek pictorials or photo galleries. Text is what I seek. OK to have accompanying pictures, but complete descriptive text is a must.
RJ Emery near Santa Fe, NM
There are several books that you can access if you can locate a RR book store that deals in steam era books. Different railroads had different operating practices depending on their circumstances. On Horseshoe Curve the PRR liked to group pushers a the rear of a freight behind the caboose so the helpers could be cut off "on the fly" without stopping the train. On Donner Pass the SP used to space cab forwards about every twenty five cars throughout a 100 car train to spread the stresses and weight around. The caboose rode behind the rear helper for safety reasons. Much depended on how heavy and sustained the grade was. A short grade like Cajon Pass required less elaborate practices while a long helper district requiring several water stops like Donner Pass was much more complicated. If you can locate them old employee operating timetables offer lots of detailed information.
Jim,
Your response was most informative. Thank you.
The only time a caboose could not be shoved at the rear of a consist was if it was an older one with a wooden frame. Steel frames could be shoved with no difference in buffing forces sensed by the crew. The wooden ones were cut off, the helper took its place, and the wooden caboose was coupled to the tender of the last helper.
Certain state had laws concerning how much power could be shoving against a caboose. I recall Pennsylvania had a law the no more than 3500 HP could shove against an occupied caboose.
While I haven't seen any incidents from the diesel era. I read about one from the steam era on B&O's Sand Patch grade where when trying to cut the helper off 'on the fly'; the first attempt wasn't successful account of no slack in the coupling. The flagman on the helper went forward to the locomotive's pilot to assist the brakeman on the caboose in getting the coupling broken - the helper engineer opened the throttle too far and shoved the engine through the caboose, killing the helper's flagman in the process, as well as creating a mess of a derailment.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
rjemery I seek books that would describe the operation of steam pushers in the era before radio communications. Pushers were used wherever mountain passes had to be overcome - Cajon, Donner, Horseshoe Curve, Canada’s Rogers Pass, on the Clinchfield, etc.Can anyone point me to books that would cover steam pusher operations. I don’t seek pictorials or photo galleries. Text is what I seek. OK to have accompanying pictures, but complete descriptive text is a must.
Pusher service before radio use was signaled by the whistle from the head end. The pusher would listen for the head end to give a whistle signal and then start pushing. This type of communications must have many pitfalls.
One such story is in a book about steam that David P. Morgan wrote. In that story of a train that had stalled, the helpers had cut off and drifted back for water when the lead loco's signaled with the whistle and tried to start a very heavy coal train on a grade. Needless to say, that was not sucessful.
Radio communications must have been a big improvement.
CZ
A Nice 'Push' sequence here starting @ time 1946.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRIawOr8G_Y'Jawn Henry' looks on.Thank You.
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Can anyone point me to books that would cover steam pusher operations. I don’t seek pictorials or photo galleries. Text is what I seek. OK to have accompanying pictures, but complete descriptive text is a must.
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A source of detailed information can be found in employee timetables from that era. I have some from the PRR dated in the 1920's and 30's, in those are sections devoted to instructions about signaling. These particular ones include the Pittsburgh Division with instructions specific to the mountain and pushers. Possibly timetables from other area's and railroads you seek would provide such as well.
Interesting info, explains how to signal both whistle and flag, employee positioning and monitoring the air pressure guage for brakes in the cabin car.
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