She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie Ok - so this isn't going to tax anyone's brain - but having read all about conductors, etc. and their duties, it brings up the question: Isn't there an awful lot of walking involved in that job? And long distances? Anyone want to give me/us some examples? Mz Moo
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
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Originally posted by Mookie Living nearby to MP 186 of the UPRR Austin TX Sub Reply Mookie Member sinceJune 2001 From: US 13,488 posts Posted by Mookie on Friday, April 29, 2005 7:51 AM That brings up an interesting thought - you have the knuckle on the engine - it breaks about 10 cars from the rear on a coal train. You could probably back the train up, but not pull it forward. So you are going to walk the entire train lugging a knuckle? Am I missing something here? She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw Reply Modelcar Member sinceFebruary 2002 From: Muncie, Indiana...Orig. from Pennsylvania 13,456 posts Posted by Modelcar on Friday, April 29, 2005 8:36 AM ...Ed, when it is necessary to set out a defective car and you pull it ahead to the nearest siding and place it there....Then you go on to your destination with the rest of the train...what message alerts other operators following later {maybe at night}, and possibly they must use that siding to allow another train past...What alerts the crew of the train pulling into that siding that it is blocked with the defective car...{It may not be visible at night before it's too late.....} Quentin Reply Randy Stahl Member sinceJune 2004 From: roundhouse 2,747 posts Posted by Randy Stahl on Friday, April 29, 2005 8:51 AM Lets say Mook that you are the conductor on a east bound train. You are working with an engineer known for rough train handling. Your train is slowing for a slow order, head end restriction only. At 10 mph your engineer kicks off the air and dynamics and starts pulling on them . On the rear of your train there are 40 empty cushioned boxcars with another 15 loaded tankcars behind them. You are nearly thrown from you seat as the locomotives suddenly stop and then seem to back up for a moment and then lurch forward like a rocket. You hear the engines go into emergency and brace yourself for the inevetable slack run in. After every thing stops the engineer says "hit the ballast kid" You start walking through the darkness with a couple of fusee's in your pocket and your lantern. You are looking at all of the wheels, making sure every thing is on the track, looking for a parted air hose (hoping!!) and trying to keep your footing on slanted loose ballast. After a walk of about a mile you spot a gap in your train, about 100 feet from a busy crossing in a bad neighborhood. You radio to the engineer that you found a seperation and you require an E knuckle and pin. The engineer tells you that he will toss one off on the ground next to the locomotives, he will leave a lighted fusee burning near it . You also light a fusee and place it at the east end of the stranded cut of cars. The hogger tells you that the knuckle is ready and you mount the stirrups on the last car of the shortened train and proceed east bound, watching for the burning fusee. As soon as you spot it you start you car counts to stop the train next to the knuckle and fusee. As soon as all movement stop at you direction, you dismount the boxcar, pickup the knuckle and place it on the car, if it is the next car that has the BO knuckle you set the new one on the boxcar crosswalk. You climb back on the boxcar and instruct the hogger the start backing up west. You are watching for the fusee that you left back at the stranded cars. You stop the shove a car length or so from the BO car, take the knuckle you brought with you and install it in the BO car. After the train is in one piece again you connect the airhoses and start the air back in the train. If the train airs up you are finished and can start walking back to the head end, if you weren't around a grade crossing you could ask for a reverse move .If the train does not air up you must inspect the rest of the train. Randy Reply Mookie Member sinceJune 2001 From: US 13,488 posts Posted by Mookie on Friday, April 29, 2005 9:54 AM Randy - I gotta print this off and take it train watching to really read it. Thanx to all in advance! She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw Reply Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Friday, April 29, 2005 10:53 AM Even though some conductors do a lot of walking in the course of doing their switching duties, at least they can be thankful that they are not doing the job of flagman in the days prior to block signals and CTC.... [:)] Reply Edit edblysard Member sinceMarch 2002 9,265 posts Posted by edblysard on Friday, April 29, 2005 11:29 AM Quentin, It depends on where you are working. In CTC, and TWC, you have to get the dispatchers permission for authority to do any of the movements, in fact, he/she is the first person you call on the radio to tell them about the problem. You also broadcast on that road channel to "All trains be advised that train **** is in emergency between mp 176.9 and mp 210." In dark territory, you go back and provide flag protection a mile behind the last car. As for the blocked siding, the CTC and TWC control operator already know you have pluged the siding, they gave you premission to do so...and they wont run anything in there... And, if the situtation exsist, say the rear knuckle on the car is the bad one, after you put your train back together, you might be instructed to drag past, then shove back to the car, and couple it up on the good end, and slow roll it with your train to the first place you can leave it for repair. If you dont do this, the next local train heading in the correct direction to pick it up will. In ABS, as long as you occupy that block, you pretty much own it, the opposing signals will keep anyone out..and by leaving the car in the siding, you complete the circut there, and it will show as a occupied siding on the dispatchers board, and the lineside signal for that siding will show red. And last but not least, in dark territory, if you leave it there in the siding, the next engineer entering the siding better be moving under GCOR 6.28, restricted speed, so he is going slow enough to stop short, "within 1/2 the visual distance" of the car. Keep in mind that in dark territory, most crews know who and what is out there ahead of them, and behind. We comunicate via radio a lot,. I work under RTC, radio traffic control, dark territory. But I know what jobs will be where, we do the same basic things every day, so when we get close to where a job works, we call on the radio. We then hash out who is going to do what, and keep a eye out for each other. The one time I had to leave a B/O car in a siding, I called our control opperator, and the crews I knew were working in the area, and warned them about it. Ed QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar ...Ed, when it is necessary to set out a defective car and you pull it ahead to the nearest siding and place it there....Then you go on to your destination with the rest of the train...what message alerts other operators following later {maybe at night}, and possibly they must use that siding to allow another train past...What alerts the crew of the train pulling into that siding that it is blocked with the defective car...{It may not be visible at night before it's too late.....} 23 17 46 11 Reply Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, April 30, 2005 10:04 PM Johnny Mercer must have been thinking about this topic when he wrote the lyrics for "On The Atchison, Topeka and The Santa Fe." A couple of lines go: "It's a treat to be on your feet all day on The Atchison, Topeka and The Santa Fe" Reply Edit Modelcar Member sinceFebruary 2002 From: Muncie, Indiana...Orig. from Pennsylvania 13,456 posts Posted by Modelcar on Saturday, April 30, 2005 10:52 PM ...Ok, got all of that Ed....Thanks. Quentin Reply Join our Community! Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account. Login » Register » Search the Community Newsletter Sign-Up By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy More great sites from Kalmbach Media Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy
Living nearby to MP 186 of the UPRR Austin TX Sub
Quentin
QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar ...Ed, when it is necessary to set out a defective car and you pull it ahead to the nearest siding and place it there....Then you go on to your destination with the rest of the train...what message alerts other operators following later {maybe at night}, and possibly they must use that siding to allow another train past...What alerts the crew of the train pulling into that siding that it is blocked with the defective car...{It may not be visible at night before it's too late.....}
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