Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
Paul North posted a quote from the link I posted above in which the TSB of Canada outlines their concern over the procedure of securing trains on grades.  In addition to the point that Paul posted about the TSB believing that the push-pull test is deficient, there are two more associated comments by the TSB of Canada that I have excerpted below. Apparently they believe that the present method of securing trains is inadequate because the number of handbrakes needed is left to the discretion of the operating employees.  Other information, I have seen indicates that the TSB wants to change the system so that the brakes are set according to a prescribed formula; a procedure that does away with the need for a push-pull test.  The problem I see with that is that, even with a formula that finds the exact number of brakes needed, there is no way to know if those brakes are all performing to their full intended potential, and they often are not.  The comments by the TSB also mention that problem: Here is the excerpt, and the red highlight is from the linked document: Transportation Safety Board of Canada Safety Advisories *                        CROR Rule 112 ensures that hand brakes are applied to prevent unwanted movement of the train while providing flexibility for a railway’s operating needs. However, CROR Rule 112 is not specific enough in that it does not indicate the number of hand brakes necessary to hold a given train tonnage on various grades and it continues to be left up to the operating employee to determine the number of handbrakes to apply. *                        It has been demonstrated that the push-pull test is not always a good indicator of whether an adequate number of hand brakes have been applied and not all handbrakes are effective even when properly applied.  *                       Considering all these risks, Transport Canada may wish to review CROR Rule 112 and all related railway special instructions to ensure that equipment and trains left unattended are properly secured to prevent unintended movements.
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag