http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=87975
What is the procedures on Remote control locomotive? Do you need to display a sign? How far does an enginner could be standing 100 feet? Does requiered two people?
Only one person at a time can control the locomotive. There could be two crewmembers with the beltpack, but only one of them will be controlling it. They can "pitch" control of the locomotive between them, when it's not moving of course.
You don't have to be next to the locomotive. You can be quite a distance away. In some places relay equipment has been installed to ensure communication is maintained between the operator and the locomotive. If comm is lost for a preset time period, the locomotive is supposed to stop itself.
Jeff
Jeff is corret. You get out past the relay and pow You stop. Then you need a unit to pul you back in lol.
Remotes must have someone to watch the point.Be it at the joint or on the motor puling out. I personally dont like them.They respon slow and have a bunch of quirks that just drive me nuts.
Yes we are on time but this is yesterdays train
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BigJim wrote:Will somebody explain to me how the RR's are saving any money with these things? There are still two people getting paid.
Will somebody explain to me how the RR's are saving any money with these things? There are still two people getting paid.
The RR's say they only have to pay the 2 guys on the ground, instead of the 2 guys on the ground and the hoghead running the engine.
There's some remote crews that have 3 people... two on the ground and one "head-end utility" that sits in the cab to make sure they don't crash into anything (or run switches).
They'll do anything to show they don't need an engineer...
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
Last Saturday UP had two seperate incidents in Ft Worth with RCO's.
The first happened at Ney yard (X-Katy Yard) when a remote operation was shoving into the yard. The operater did not have any air on the train and when he tried to stop the train began to roll northbound. There is a derail 10 cars from the main line and it did it's job putting 4 cars of sand on their sides. God must have been looking out for this young operater, because he was riding the first car that derailed, he jumped before it hit the ground and it didn't land on him! But he will have to go find another career.
A similiar incident happened at Ft. Worth's Centennial Yard (old T&P yard, which they now call Davidson Yard, but I can't bring myself to call it that!). A RCO operation was shoving cars with no big air and it got away from them hitting another RCO job in the bowl. There were no injuries, but several cars were damaged.
We had a MOW employee fatally crushed under his equipment on the Ft Worth Sub while working on a curve gang. He had stopped his equipment and was underneath it trying to repair it when another piece of equipment hit with such force that it made his machine air borne derailing it and crushing him underneath it. He was 26, married with a newborne.
That's why our rule book is written in blood!
BigJim wrote:And if there is only one guy on the ground to begin with?
Then what's the point of having Beltpack? None that I can see. If you happen to work a full crew yard job(like all the yard jobs up here), they claim they can save money by not having the hoghead. I don't like Beltpack, and would rather work with a hoghead anyday. You get a lot more work done with a hoghead running the engines than the Beltpack and an engineer won't dump the air if the train line dips below 60 psi when you try to put air to cars.
enr2099 wrote: BigJim wrote:And if there is only one guy on the ground to begin with?Then what's the point of having Beltpack? None that I can see. If you happen to work a full crew yard job(like all the yard jobs up here), they claim they can save money by not having the hoghead. I don't like Beltpack, and would rather work with a hoghead anyday. You get a lot more work done with a hoghead running the engines than the Beltpack and an engineer won't dump the air if the train line dips below 60 psi when you try to put air to cars.
Do you have a picture?
Picture of what? Of a beltpack engine?
and video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qh1_iDTxwQ
enr2099 wrote:Do you have a picture? Picture of what? Of a beltpack engine? and video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qh1_iDTxwQ
How far you need to step away from the locomotive? Do you have a picture of the beltpack?
I don't quite understand what you're asking. Why would you have to step away from the locomotive? There's no distance that you have to be away from the engine. Beltpack rings the bell every time it starts to move as a warning. The job requires you to be close to the locomotive. http://www.beltpackcorp.com/beltpack.html
OK, let me see if I can figure out what you're asking by trying to answer your orginal question. Speaking from my experience with CN Beltpack engines.
Do you need to display a sign?
No. However Beltpack engines have warning strobes, one on each end and one on each side.
How far does an enginner could be standing 100 feet?
No engineer, a conductor and brakeman only. There is no distance that a crew member is required to stay back from the engine. Both conductor and brakeman have a control pack, and can transfer control between the two control packs.
Does requiered two people?
It depends, on CN(and I'm only speaking from my experience on CN. Please do not give me a hard time if another RR does things differently) flat yard beltpack assignments have 2 people(conductor and brakeman) and hump yard assignments only have a conductor.
This is the only photo I'm comfortable putting on the net.
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