I spoke with a couple of railroad guys yesterday that were in a big, ol' truck full of equipment. They were checking over a car that had beem sitting empty on our spur for about a week or so. They said the crew that had placed the car had reported it as being bad ordered. They had looked the whole thing over, including hooking up air lines but found nothing wrong. How does the bad-ordered car process work? Wouldn't the crew that said the car was bad provide a pretty good description of the problem?
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
Murphy Siding How does the bad-ordered car process work? Wouldn't the crew that said the car was bad provide a pretty good description of the problem?
They'll tell somebody who tells somebody who tells somebody who tells somebody, and by the time the car inspectors get there - they are looking for a purple monkey stuck to it.
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
Murphy Siding I spoke with a couple of railroad guys yesterday that were in a big, ol' truck full of equipment. They were checking over a car that had beem sitting empty on our spur for about a week or so. They said the crew that had placed the car had reported it as being bad ordered. They had looked the whole thing over, including hooking up air lines but found nothing wrong. How does the bad-ordered car process work? Wouldn't the crew that said the car was bad provide a pretty good description of the problem?
How does the bad-ordered car process work? Wouldn't the crew that said the car was bad provide a pretty good description of the problem?
I don't know how it works on the BNSF.
On CSX the Chief Dispatcher reported all cars set out on line of road and the reason for the set out to the Headquarters Car Dept. in Jacksonville. Headquarters Car Dept. would then dispatch the appropriate Car Dept. personnel to remedy the defect.
During my final years working, the most common reason for a car to be set out was the activation of the WILD detector for flat wheels. To fix these cars required the 'heavy duty' car truck with wheels and a crane to facilitate wheel changeout.
The other common reasons were, hot box, stuck brakes (multiple times during a trip), built up wheel tread, broken drawbar (most of the time it is the carrier iron the holds the drawbar at the proper height above the rail that breaks and the drawhead drops down and is unable to couple to the car next to it) and 1001 other happenings.
In the case of brakes sticking - when the Car Dept. uses their air supply and single car test equipment - the brakes may very well work properly for them - the brakes didn't work properly for the crew that set the car out of their train. MFBM!
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
zugmann Murphy Siding How does the bad-ordered car process work? Wouldn't the crew that said the car was bad provide a pretty good description of the problem? They'll tell somebody who tells somebody who tells somebody who tells somebody, and by the time the car inspectors get there - they are looking for a purple monkey stuck to it.
BaltACD On CSX the Chief Dispatcher reported all cars set out on line of road and the reason for the set out to the Headquarters Car Dept. in Jacksonville. Headquarters Car Dept. would then dispatch the appropriate Car Dept. personnel to remedy the defect. During my final years working, the most common reason for a car to be set out was the activation of the WILD detector for flat wheels. To fix these cars required the 'heavy duty' car truck with wheels and a crane to facilitate wheel changeout.
Wheel truck with a knuckle boom crane on the back end or a mechanic's truck?
Zugs: Wow, you have PURPLE monkeys? 300 Lb. or 800 Lb. variety?
Now that's funny right there.
Murphy SidingHow does the information get to the dispatcher in the first place? Called in by the train crew? A form filled out?
When a train stops 'for its own reasons' the Train Dispatcher is to be notified by the train crew of the reason - Undesired emergency brake application, crew seeing smoke or flame from back in their train, being notified by a employee of some condition the employee observed in their train, seeing a situation ahead that requires and permits stopping, being notified by a defect detector to stop and inspect the train - any anything else that can crop up.
If the situation requires the train to be inspected the Conductor hits the ballast with his 'GO' kit and proceeds to walk the train, looking for the known or unknown defect(s). With a UDE the defect(s) are unknown; with a Defect Detector the potential defect and its location are known as the Detector will radio the crew the defect detected and the axle number(s) where the defect was detected. The crew will report the results of their inspection and what other actions are necessary to be taken for them to be able to resume their trip. One of those action is setting out the bad order car and the reason it is being set out.
To be in compliance with FRA regulations the Conductor must make suitable notations on his Train Documents concerning any cars that are picked up or set out of his train. What actions are actually taken upon office receipt of the Train Documents I am not aware of - I left the 'yard office' side of the business 40 years ago.
If cars are set out the Train Dispatcher will relay that information to the Headquaters Car Dept., as well as make suitable comments on the electronic Train Sheet for the train.
Carriers other than CSX may have different procedures.
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