poling

[rrandb]

GE built an engine for the Toledo Ore Company they called a "side arm pusher" which "poled" ore cars through a continous unloader from a parallel 2 foot guage track. I assume this was so more cars could be added to the track without traping the engine on the dump track. The engine had no couplers.[2c] As always ENJOY

[edbenton]

Poling for me is like having to drag a trailer out of a hole since teh yard jockey with the hydraulic fifth wheel dropped them to close together that you can not get back to crank up the dolly legs. There were times I had to pull a trailer out fully loaded witht eh legs down and pray I did not break a leg off.

[tatans]

VSM: Does anyone know where you can get any information on the model of the pole car, no one seems to have ever seen one .

[nobullchitbids]

The previous posters pretty much have it right, except that poling needs to be separated into the two different operations -- using a pole, and using a poling car. The latter was relatively safe; the former quite dangerous, since the poles easily broke under pressure.

Poling with a poling car was used in yards to allow switchers on one track to spot cars on adjacent tracks; the poling car was pretty much as described.

Poling with a pole commonly would be done to spot a car on a siding with a facing-point turnout. This maneuver often would be tried in addition to such other unfavored stunts as flying switches, and of course when the car would hang up, poling would have to be used to clear the turnout.

The practice, with photos of a poling car, is described in Freight Terminals and Trains, for anyone who can locate a copy of that book.

[ValleyX]

QUOTE: Originally posted by nobullchitbids



Poling with a pole commonly would be done to spot a car on a siding with a facing-point turnout. This maneuver often would be tried in addition to such other unfavored stunts as flying switches, and of course when the car would hang up, poling would have to be used to clear the turnout.

I would question UNFAVORED. Unfavored leads one to believe that it wasn't an approved-of practice, nothing could be farther from the truth, it was a common practice, nothing prohibited, and made for good railroading at that time. The fact that cars occcasionally didn't go quite far enough and clear up brought the other practice in, poling, which also wasn't looked on unfavorably, or there wouldn't have been a holder on the locomotive for a pole.

[nobullchitbids]

I saw brass models of poling cars for sale some time ago at The Caboose in Wolcott, CT. I believe the e-mail is [e-mail] (tell them Robert Crim sent you); owner is Armand Mazzetti. They might be able to track down a model (Overland?) for those interested.

P.S. Freight Terminals and Trains I believe was written by Droege.

[nobullchitbids]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ValleyX

QUOTE: Originally posted by nobullchitbids



Poling with a pole commonly would be done to spot a car on a siding with a facing-point turnout. This maneuver often would be tried in addition to such other unfavored stunts as flying switches, and of course when the car would hang up, poling would have to be used to clear the turnout.

I would question UNFAVORED. Unfavored leads one to believe that it wasn't an approved-of practice, nothing could be farther from the truth, it was a common practice, nothing prohibited, and made for good railroading at that time. The fact that cars occcasionally didn't go quite far enough and clear up brought the other practice in, poling, which also wasn't looked on unfavorably, or there wouldn't have been a holder on the locomotive for a pole.

How unfavored the practice was I gather differed from railroad to railroad. Since I was not alive back then, I only can report what I have read, upon the authority of who wrote it. Droege, then operating superintendent of the New Haven, called both practices [poling and flying switches] dangerous and to be avoided. But Valley X is right: Some locomotives had hooks or other attachments to facilitate carrying a pole (PFM's model of the NKP Berkshire is so equipped).

[Anonymous]

In steam locomotive pictures you will frequently see the push pole slung alongside the tender just under the tank. They are usually round poles, slightly tapered at both ends and bound by metal bands every few feet (if the poles were built by the railroad for that purpose)

Also, many pictures of diesels will show the push pockets into the 70's, 80's or even later. After that period they started eliminating them during rebuilds.

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tatans

VSM: Does anyone know where you can get any information on the model of the pole car, no one seems to have ever seen one .

I found it after googling "pole car" here:

http://www.victorianweb.org/cv/models/apg/nonrevenue/9.html

hope it helps