On Tuesday, I saw a CP manifest led by NS units through Rondout, IL. the train had to set out a bad order coupler north of my location.
Why don't they have some one inspect the train as it leaves the yard? it would save the line from being clogged.
I don't know about that yard, but often trains are given roll-bys as they are about to depart an area to prevent issues. Maybe it was just that the coupler simply failed after pulling out of the yard. Maybe it was acceleration forces that finally did it in (with or without slack action).
Basically the answer is "stuff happens". Trains can have a passby inspection or two car knockers can wall the lenght of the train, or each car could be examined individually before being switched into the train...and any and all of those scenereos can occur. But a certain pull or hard tug or bang together, or twist or quick temperature changes or...who knows what...can happen at any given time which will cause a problem. Or an internal weakness is undetected by the human eye. Or an engineer mishandles the train. There are so many things that can be the cause or reason. Yard checks, even just a rolling check, goes a long way to being 99% assured that a given train and its cars are OK.
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henry6 [snipped] Or an internal weakness is undetected by the human eye. . . . Yard checks, even just a rolling check, goes a long way to being 99% assured that a given train and its cars are OK.
A similar event happened to a CN train a few months ago in Barrington, Illinois, and blocked a couple of busy road crossings for about 2 hours right during the evening rush hour on a friday night, if I recall correctly. We really beat essentially the same question to death here then . . .
- Paul North.
1%= "stuff happens".
Stuff happens....
Trains are inspected before they leave the yard. But if there is no visible defect, you can't tell when a coupler/knuckle is going to break.
Coupler/knuckle breaks are one of the most common line of road issues, simply because they take so much stress, and there are so many variables involved in a break.
Nick
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Anyone who's been on a long stretch of line has seen plenty of the broken parts cast off. They are to be found. Poor conductor must lug that 80-pound thing to replace the broken one.
nbrodar Coupler/knuckle breaks are one of the most common line of road issues, simply because they take so much stress, and there are so many variables involved in a break. Nick
Which pretty much explains why there is usually at least one E and one F knuckle on each engine in a convenient pocket on the frame, at least so far as I have noticed.
Until they can equip carknockers with that Ronco magnaflux/pocket-fisherman combo rig (which comes with a free set of Ginzu knives) and give them a lot more time to "inspect" I suspect that this will continue to go on.
As they say, just part of the job.
Paul_D_North_Jr . . . A similar event happened to a CN train a few months ago in Barrington, Illinois, and blocked a couple of busy road crossings for about 2 hours right during the evening rush hour on a friday night, if I recall correctly. We really beat essentially the same question to death here then . . .
http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/p/181367/1985606.aspx#1985606
Just by going by the original post, I'm more inclined to think the car they set out didn't have a broken knuckle or drawbar. Rather it's one that had a defect that would allow the knuckle to open by itself, causing a separation. Our instructions call for setting out a car that causes multiple separations like this.
A broken knuckle would usually be replaced. I could see a few circumstances where it might have to be set out instead.
A broken drawbar would usually be set out, although I've seen one time when they sent out car men to replace a wrong-end drawbar. In that instance repairing it probably took less time than arranging for another train to pull the rear end to a point that had a set out track.
Jeff
Reminds me of something a car dealer aquaintance of mine once said concerning a broken drive shaft: "It's metal. It could last for 1,000 years or break tomorrow. Who knows?"
The handling of a bad order is unique to the type of failure and it's location, both in the train and where on the railroad it occurs as well as what other resources are available to resolve the situation.
Sometimes the bad order can be repaired where it sits. Sometimes it can be easily set out. Sometimes it can be set out, but with great difficulty. Sometime it cannot be moved. Each occurrence is a unique experience and has to be handled in accordance with the realities of the situation and the resources available.
If the train's crew reports it is unsafe to move the car, necessary resources must be dispatched to handle the situation....if the situation occurrs on single track....the railroad sits until such resources arrive on the scene and formulate a strategy to handle the situation.
Under the wrong situation at the wrong location at the wrong time....extraordinary delays can be experienced by all train(s) affected....it is part of the cost of doing business.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
I forgot to add this too.
From what I heard on my scanner, the car was already broken when the train left the yard.
I have yet to hear a Engineer state that the knuckle he broke wasn't 50 or 60 percent 'Old break'. Yeah?
What breaks knuckles is rarely sustained stress on the knuckle. What breaks knuckles is a rapid, near instantaneous change in the preponderance of the slack in the train....from draft to buff; from buff to draft or from draft to buff and back to draft. The management of slack in the train is the hallmark of the engineers craft. Losing control of the slack is the primary cause of broken knuckles and pulled out draft gears.
Mr. Railman I forgot to add this too. From what I heard on my scanner, the car was already broken when the train left the yard.
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