Anyone who thinks banging on a fuel tank is effective has never worked on a locomotive. Steel is too thick to hear anything. Trick I use for when the sightglass is dirty (read: all the time) is to put a flashlight behind it. Helps see the level pretty easily.
Mechanical Department "No no that's fine shove that 20 pound set all around the yard... those shoes aren't hell and a half to change..."
The Missabe Road: Safety First
I've never had any luck banging on the tank. They're double walled, you know! I found out first hand as a newly promoted engineer on the Southern. I was working the Keysville, VA-Durham local one pleasant afternoon. As I inspected my engine, I couldn't see any fuel in the sight glass. I took a piece of ballast and beat that tank from top to bottom. It didn't sound different anywhere. Naturally it was empty, I concluded, drawing on my vast experience. A fuel truck was called. He was able to squeeze next to nothing into that "empty" tank. An hour and a half into our tour of duty, with a very red face, we went about our work!
Were they always double-walled? I wonder if I was drawing on my experience with GP-7's B&M 1567 and 1568, 1952-1953? I apologize to BigJim and everyone. I did not know they are double-walled. Does make a big difference.
Did CSX have fuel trucks at the time the Capitol Limited ran out of fuel? Do they now? Did they then but couldl not use them because it was Thanksgiving Evening and their crews were not available?
This is the sight gauge on a recent model EMD. It is designed to assist in filling the tank, but only registers from 7/8 to full. Do older models have a more complete scale?
CSX has fuel contractors headquartered in major operational areas that supply locomotives in their contracted areas on scheduled deliverys.
CSX is not responsible for Amtrak. Amtrak must make their own arrangements. From CSX experience, when the need for fuel arises at other than a fuel contractors location, getting a local vendor to come to the rescue is both problematical and expensive, as the vendor does not march to the railroads drum. And even when the need arises for extra trains at the fuel contractors operating location, the fuel trucks can be unstaffed at the time or out making deliveries to the outlying locations of their service area.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
I realize CSX "is not responsible for Amrak." But in the case in the December 2013 issue, CSX did take on that responsibility, delaying one of freight trains to lend power to the stalled Capitol Limited in view of the danger to passengers without heat or light. I wonder if instead they would use a fuel truck today.
Apparently, NS is different in that it has its own fuel trucks.
daveklepperApparently, NS is different in that it has its own fuel trucks.
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daveklepper I realize CSX "is not responsible for Amrak." But in the case in the December 2013 issue, CSX did take on that responsibility, delaying one of freight trains to lend power to the stalled Capitol Limited in view of the danger to passengers without heat or light. I wonder if instead they would use a fuel truck today. Apparently, NS is different in that it has its own fuel trucks.
CSX is responsible for opening up it's tracks with a dead train occupying them, that is why Amtrak got moved.
In the past 24 hours I have had 3 trains delayed 24 hours or more waiting on fuel trucks. When fueling does not take place at the designated locations, for whatever the reasons (real or imaginary), making arrangements to get those locomotives fueled at non-standard points is a challenge. A bigger challenge when the Mid-Atlantic region's weather has not seen the temperature above freezing in the past 3 weeks. Reasons proffered for the delay in getting fuel to the trains I mentioned ran the gammut from the truck being broke down, the pumping appratus on the truck being broke down, the pumping appratus at the fuel terminal being broke down. That does not count road safety with the snow the area has received off and on during that span of time. Remember, Mid-Atlantic truck drivers don't have the winter driving experience of those in the upper Mid-West.
ACD: Did you read the article thoroughly? Once they got the train back to Cumberland, they had opened up the tracks. But the Amtrak crew used tthe CSX power to move their dead units to the CSX fuel rack and back. CXS also showed responsibility for the condition of the passengers as well as opening up their line. Which is normal in the railroad industry. Such as freight trains stopping and picking up stranded drivers on an adjacent highway in a blizzard with dispatcher aqpproval.
Apologies. I also had to re-read the article. No freight train was delayed, since it was work-train power tied up on a sidinig that was used. This was Thanksgiving Evening 1986. The CXS's concern was totally tthe welfare of the passengers, since no freight was moving on the Divisions involved that evening. CSX could have taken the position: Amtrak, it is your problem, get the train off our line in not more than eight hours. But they did not. They thought it through and did the best for the Amtrak passengers that they could.
But the thought remains, since weather was not the problem, except for cold, would they use a fuel truck today?
daveklepper ACD: Did you read the article thoroughly? Once they got the train back to Cumberland, they had opened up the tracks. But the Amtrak crew used tthe CSX power to move their dead units to the CSX fuel rack and back. CXS also showed responsibility for the condition of the passengers as well as opening up their line. Which is normal in the railroad industry. Such as freight trains stopping and picking up stranded drivers on an adjacent highway in a blizzard with dispatcher aqpproval.
You are interchanging hospitality (for cost) with responsiblity. Amtrak crews are not qualified in Cumberland Yard to be able to get to the fuel rack at the Locomotive Shop so CSX power and crews must be used to drag the Amtrak power there.
The Responsibility is Amtrak's. The Hospitality is CSX.
In the early 90's it was normal practice for CSX crews to relieve HOS Amtrak crews. In the mid 90's that practice was stopped. Amtrak will still (rarely) emergency lease a CSX engine when all Amtrak power on a train has failed in the middle of nowhere - does no good in providing HEP for the Amtrak passengers as the only HEP equipped engines are the former Amtrak engines that consitute the power for the business car fleet.
AD: There really isn't any disagreement between us on the hospitaliity vs responsibility question. It is a semantic difference, not a real one.
Responsibility to you means legal responsibility. I accept that this definition is a correct one.
What I meant by responsibility was responsiblity as decent human beings to avoid human suffering. I accept that hospitality can be an equally accurate word.
But today, if the same idiodic event were to happen, would not CSX try to use a fuel truck? From what others have posted, apparently that is normal at NS. ("Normal" for a very abnormal situation!)
And for whatever it is worth, the Amtrak engine crew did use the CSX GP40 (as authorized by the CSX Dispatcher) and did run to the Cumberland fuel rack using the GP40 to take the Amtrak units there. I am sure that the lawyers and/or acountants, not mentioned in the article, retroactively put this down as an Amtrak lease of the CSX power, and I also am sure that the specific Amtrak engine crew were ex-CSX (or ex-B&O?) and were qualified to run the fuel rack. Otherwise, the article would have mentioned calling a pilot CSX man to take over operation of the GP40 in Cumberland.
Your comment on headend power is accurate, which is why the passengers were without heat or light for five hours. But without CSX's cooperation it could have been eight or twelve hours.
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