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[Anonymous]

Two questions…

1.When it comes to lets say a couple Dash 9s hauling a completely loaded 40 car auto rack train, heading down a steep grade like Donner Pass in the middle of winter during heavy snow fall, how would the descent be handled by the engineer?

Would the train brakes be partially applied along with dynamic braking continuously the whole way down?

Or would the train brakes be applied, released, applied, released, or possibly another method?

2. My second question involves speed limits. If the Freight speed limit along a given section is 35 mph, and the train's cargo permits full speed. Would the train be kept at around 34-36 mph, or would the engineer stay well below the limit at lets say 25-30 mph? Or is it just the engineer’s personal pref.?

[Anonymous]

Answer to #1 usually you would want to be in B 4-5 or B8 if you need it (dynamics) about 5 mph before what the train/track speed is, it will usually hold you. You dont want to set air and kick it off continuously you will **** your air off and youll be shyt up creek. A loaded auto train isnt that heavy. Another option is to stretchbrake if you are coming up to a red. Set a minimum or more if you need it and keep the throttle in notch1-4. Soon as you go to idle the train will usually stall real quick. This is good if your gonna be blocking some crossings no one can pull the cut lever on your train if its stretched out.

#2 If there a speed restriction that is perm you definitely want to be doing it or under. If the track speed is 70mph and your train is restricted to 40-55 due to tonnage restrictions/car restrictions some people will run 5 over 10mph over is FRA hehe. If you hit a car in a perm speed restriction and your speeding your screwed. If the track speed is a 30mph perm restriction and your doing 33 the person you hit their attorney can say well if the track speed is 30mph and your crew was doing 33 if they were doing 30 they wouldnt have hit my client. at this time...same goes if you derail and are speeding in a perm.

[trainboyH16-44]

Can you get away with more in temporary speed zones? Or are penalties worse?

[Anonymous]

Pull the cut lever?! Do you mean people actually get out of their vehicles and uncouple the train, or am I misunderstanding you? I can't believe someone would do something so dangerous and illegal.

I had another question, this time about crew change. I may be way off on crew changes, but bear with me.

Isn't it true that crews must switch at least every twelve hours or less by law, but how do crew changes work? If the crew lives in lets say Klamath Falls, they'd board their train there, drive it to maybe the Portola yard and make another crew change. What does the Klamath Falls crew do then? How do they get home? Do they drive, do they man the next available train back to Klamath Falls, or do they hitch a ride on the next train.

Oh and thank you Red04 for the answers.

[Anonymous]

If you are going to be blocking crossings for awhile there are idiots that will pull the cut lever. so if you stretch the train out by stretchbraking they cant do it. Some people will close anglecocks if they cant get the cut lever. but when you kick your air off and its not releasing on the***end you know somthing is wrong.

yes by law we can only work 12 hours. Iv'e been on duty 16-17 hours some times when you die you just sit there and wait for a ride or relief crew if its real bad. Sometimes we willi be on duty 6 hours and they order a ride for us cuz theres no way we will make it in. But usually if your going to exceede 12 hours you will park the train some where that a ride can get to you. When you get off the train at your away terminal you stay in a motel till you catch another train home. When the new crew gets on they take it to their home terminal.

[Anonymous]

Dang that's really a drag you've gotta pay for a motel and your away from home so long. So do you have a schedule that you work, like weekdays 9-5 sorta thing, or do you give your availibility and then they schedule you on the days you are available?

And also do you find your job fun? It seems like it could be quite entertaining to work with huge machines like trains all the time. Then again I assume there's really boring long drawn out periods that seem like they're never going to end, and times that the physical work is exhausting. But it seems like it could, for the most part be fun. I know working at Wal-Mart is fun for about 10 minutes, but having a career working with trains seems like it could be fun almost all the time. What's your take on it Red04 or anyone else that catchs this thread that works for a railroad.

[coborn35]

I believe the railroad pays for the motel.

[kfleeman1]

Yes, the railroad pays for the motel.

[Anonymous]

Railroad pays for the motel and sometimes they pay you to sleep when you go on heldaway if your there long enough. I think its fun I just turned 21 and have been doing it 2 years. Im getting ready to go into the engineer program at the end of this month so being an engineer at 21 = bad ***. it's fun no bills, sweet job, bad**** car, women. Going to work on the road usually 12 hours to get there if you have a good trip 4-5 hours stay at the away terminal from 8-15 hours someitmes longer hell its a vacation for me. If you ahve a car at your away terminal you can go cruise around town go do things ect. But its fun for me expecially since im young.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by kreez

Dang that's really a drag you've gotta pay for a motel and your away from home so long. So do you have a schedule that you work, like weekdays 9-5 sorta thing, or do you give your availibility and then they schedule you on the days you are available?

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most jobs for us (CSX) are either regularly scheduled runs, with a return run to get you back home the next day, or a "pool" where you go out every third day or so with a day off every other week. 'Stang is of course correct about the 12 hour rule (federal law actually, which also specifies at least an 8-hour rest period after your rail service). This becomes interesting if you have, say a scheduled train on Friday, but you are currently on a train working Thursday night. If you take your mandatory rest period, you won't be available for your next train! This is "crew caller error," and you usually get paid anyway for the Friday trip, even if you didn't actually work it (depends on the job and your union contract).
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And also do you find your job fun? It seems like it could be quite entertaining to work with huge machines like trains all the time. Then again I assume there's really boring long drawn out periods that seem like they're never going to end, and times that the physical work is exhausting. But it seems like it could, for the most part be fun. I know working at Wal-Mart is fun for about 10 minutes, but having a career working with trains seems like it could be fun almost all the time. What's your take on it Red04 or anyone else that catchs this thread that works for a railroad.

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Personally, the job is OK - it's challenging to a certain extent, although the dispatchers and trainmaster/yardmasters do a lot of your thinking for you. It seems like there's more than our fair share of old grouches working on the road recently, so I enjoy working with less-experienced, younger guys - maybe they aren't as efficient, but at least they have a personality. It's outdoor, all weather work, somewhat physical (mostly walking a lot).

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by kreez

Two questions…

1.When it comes to lets say a couple Dash 9s hauling a completely loaded 40 car auto rack train, heading down a steep grade like Donner Pass in the middle of winter during heavy snow fall, how would the descent be handled by the engineer?

Would the train brakes be partially applied along with dynamic braking continuously the whole way down?

Or would the train brakes be applied, released, applied, released, or possibly another method?

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'Stang is right about this. You use your dynamic brakes on the engines, and apply the air brakes on the train either at the top of the grade or part-way down it. Once the air brakes grab, and if the train is light, you may end up PULLING your train downhill. This is OK, the brakes are designed for that, although this practice (power braking) is frowned on for long distances of light trains. Unfortunately, that's the only thing that works sometimes! It's not unheard of to STALL going downhill if your train is light and the brakes are very good, so usually an engineer will start with some dynamic, see how that holds, then apply more brake as needed.

Also, you mentioned snow - this makes the rails slippery, so many engineers will apply the engine air brakes (independent brakes) LIGHTLY in addition to the dynamic brakes, because the brake shoes will clean off the wheels as they go, making for better traction. I've seen them apply light independent brakes going UPHILL - this sounds insane, but clean wheels go faster uphill!

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2. My second question involves speed limits. If the Freight speed limit along a given section is 35 mph, and the train's cargo permits full speed. Would the train be kept at around 34-36 mph, or would the engineer stay well below the limit at lets say 25-30 mph? Or is it just the engineer’s personal pref.?

Definitely against the rules to go over a speed limit of any kind, but most engineers woth their salt will hover right around the limit or just below.

[Anonymous]

I thought this forum was dead, I guess not though. Thank you exabopper for your expanded anwsers, you're input was greatly appreciated.

[Anonymous]

kreez,
To answer your questions.

Question 1.
Just yesterday I ran a 7500 ton manifest train down a long (20+ mile) 1.8% grade. The speed limit is 35 MPH and trains with this tonnage usually have 2.0 to 2.5 HP/ton on this line. I had 4 dash-9's with the dynamics cut out on one unit because the BNSF limits dynamic brakes to 28 equivalent axles (dash-9's have equivalent 8 axles). I had been climbing a 1.42% grade on this train at about 22 MPH in run 8 when I topped the summit and started down the 1.8%. As soon as the head end started down the grade, I started notching off one notch at a time to keep the speed balancedas more weight came over the top. Notching off in a manner so I would be in idle about the time half the weight was over the top. I let speed increase a little during this time because I was so far underspeed, then I went into setup and then into dynamic brakes and started easily bunching the slack in the train. At this time I set a minimum application of the train brakes. On lighter trains I might have waited a while to see if the dynamics were going to hold without the use of air, but I knew from previous experience, this train would definetly not hold on this grade or most of the grades on the sub, so I set the brakes early knowing I would need them. And that was pretty much it. This train balanced out nicely on this grade with just a minimum set and dynamics just about maxed out between 6 and 8 to hold at 35 MPH. On some of these heavier trains for this sub, I might have needed to set more air, like a 10 psi reduction. On lighter trains like a heavy Z or a V with crappy dynamics, I would see if dyanimcs were going to hold, and if not I would set a minimum. The minimum would probably bog the train down, so I would just kick it off (release the air) while keeping the dynamics and set a minimum again after a minute of so. If the 2nd set was not strong enough, I might go a little deeper, reducing the brake pipe by 2 or 3 psi to try to get a good balance between the dynamics and air brakes. You can cycle brake with just minimums all day long without pissing away your air. After two or three sets the minimum would hardly have any effect, but that is what you want, a soft set on those autorack or pigs or empties so you can have a good balance with the dynamics to control speed. Notice the key word is BALANCE. Start early and plan ahead. The only way to **** the air away is to make a deep reduction, like a full service (26 psi reduction on a 90 psi charge), then release the brakes. Try to set a full service again shortly after you release it, the brake cylinders might come out on some cars, but with no retarding force at all. All you would have left is emergency. Just as long as you don't keep going deeper on each set, so you find yourself in Full Service with a lot of downgrade in front of you, it'll be all good. The detector at the top of the hill said it was 20 degrees outside and it was a crystal clear night.

As for question 2.

My observations: No big deal if you go 1 or 2 over the limit, but make it look like you are not trying to keep the needle pegged on 2 or 3 over. Make an effort to get back to the limit. Some, like the author, can't stand a hogger who stays under or never gets after it. When you are on clears, or have TWC authority with nothing in your way, skin 'er back and go. When running on color or have any type of restrictions, take it easy and take your time.