JPS1Coal traffic is down for sure. But it is not dead. I see at least two coal trains a week moving through Temple, TX, which is my favorite train watching spot during the warmer months. Many of the cars have all or part of a panel at the end of the car painted a standout color, i.e. white, yellow, blue, red. What does this signify?
The painted panels signify which end of the car has the rotary coupler. A number of unloading locations have rotary dumpers where the cars are turned upside down to empty their contents - with unit train service it is desired that the cars remain coupled for this operation. With rotary couplers this can be done. The painted ends SHOULD ALL be on the same directional end of the car throughout the train.
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On the UP main, I see at least two very long coal unit trains eastbound and two empties westbound daily.
BaltACD The painted panels signify which end of the car has the rotary coupler. A number of unloading locations have rotary dumpers where the cars are turned upside down to empty their contents - with unit train service it is desired that the cars remain coupled for this operation. With rotary couplers this can be done. The painted ends SHOULD ALL be on the same directional end of the car throughout the train.
Yes, the painted panels are all on the same directional end of the car throughout the train. And they are unit trains.
Why would there be different colors, i.e. white, green, red, etc. on the same unit train?
I'm not sure if there's any significance to the color.
Some cars have a colored panel at each end to signify that both ends are equipped with a rotary coupler, to allow for cars that are oriented in the wrong direction to still be utilized without a lot of extra work to rearrange everything.
A double rotary is also obviously necessary if a locomotive would otherwise have been coupled to the non-rotary equipped end of a car.
The industry term for the coloured panel is "stripe". As in "when switching is performed on unit trains of rotary dumping equipment the striping must be kept intact". It's not just coal, our bulk solid sulphur trains use the same type of car though the two fleets cannot be mixed (cross contamination is very bad for both products) and I have never seen a double rotary sulphur car.
These cars have both air hoses on the same side of the car, and the double rotaries are supposed to have them on the opposite sides from those on a normal freight car (some double rotaries have extra air hoses, one on each side of the drawbar at both ends of the car). So, in theory, a properly striped train should not have any air hoses coupled under the drawbars. These cars also have longer air hoses than most normal freight cars, so that they can reach around and not pull apart each time a car is dumped.
Some older rotary dumping car designs have the air hoses mounted farther away from the drawbars, so it is difficult if not impossible to couple them together under the drawbars. Sometimes a short hose extension (Dutchman?) has to be used in this situation.
I've never seen any rhyme or reason as to the colour choice or size of the stripe. It must be a customer option, just like any other paint scheme.
As you may have guessed, I used to work in a terminal with quite a bit of coal traffic, and making sure the trains were striped properly was a big part of our job. If a train came in with mixed up stripes we were required to switch them out, and either turn some cars on a wye or switch them to the other side of the double rotary, so that there were no two solid drawbars coupled together anywhere in the train. Sometimes a train would arrive without a double rotary, and if there weren't any spares on hand it would have to go out that way.
If the dumper crew doesn't notice this can happen. I believe both these trains originated from the mines I worked to, though I was working elsewhere at the time:
http://princerupertrailimages.blogspot.com/2010/03/why-they-mark-cars-with-rotary-couplers.html?m=1
The red marker light is lit on 8022, indicating that it is the DP remote on the tail end of the train:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aGZPdcABzGY/Txxj4oj6gJI/AAAAAAAAA48/NKF38i130Uk/s1600/rb1.jpg
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-an Articulate Malcontent
The colors themselves have no significance...they're the owner's (or lessee's) choice. Of course, that will be garbled when the operations change. I've seen plenty of coal trains with a large portion of the rainbow applied to different cars therein.A lot of these panels are not painted, but have vinyl applications of the appropriate color.An added point...older dumpers couldn't handle these cars, as they were smaller, and didn't rotate along the coupler line. If you see a train with the rotary couplers not all properly oriented, it's probably going to a place like this, where the cars have to be spotted and separated in the dumper. And one time I was the lucky guy who had to help make the air hoses at each joint before we hauled them out of the plant.If two rotary couplers are coupled together, the entire coupling is likely to swivel. It doesn't cause any operational difficulties until the cars are separated, and an attempt is made to couple them to something else. Been there, didn't do that...
Carl
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Carl: As you have noted; the colors do not seem to change with the new vs, older ownership, and the attendant use changes.
If one happens to catch of of the ADM (?) Feed Supplement trains passing by; with the noted addition of the canvas tarps, the color panels, seem to flag their older roles. Those trains have been mentioned on this Forum previously.
Some trains, now have included a number of BN hopper cars, still carrying their company identifying numbers .
CShaveRRAn added point...older dumpers couldn't handle these cars, as they were smaller, and didn't rotate along the coupler line. If you see a train with the rotary couplers not all properly oriented, it's probably going to a place like this, where the cars have to be spotted and separated in the dumper. And one time I was the lucky guy who had to help make the air hoses at each joint before we hauled them out of the plant.
Aluminium cars are 53' long, length varies among the older steel cars. CN and CP's steel fleets are 58' long, and the two types cannot use the same dumpers. These cars were built starting in the late 1960s and some are still in service, though even the last ones will be running into the 50 year age limitation in about 10 years and most are already pretty beat up.
CShaveRRIf two rotary couplers are coupled together, the entire coupling is likely to swivel. It doesn't cause any operational difficulties until the cars are separated, and an attempt is made to couple them to something else. Been there, didn't do that...
https://www.railpictures.net/photo/438302/
This is rare, but it can happen. And it can be a big problem. If the couplers swivel around far enough the locking block will fall out of position and a knuckle will open, causing a train separation.
I've never had to deal with this, but I know a couple people who have. Apparently it's not fun.
If I recall correctly, there was one mine that would get rotary dump trains on occasion, however the plant itself wasn't set up for unit train flood loading of the contiguous train - in their handling of the train in their plant some of the cars would get turned - when the train came out of the plant it would be coupled together in ANY order - proper for some cars, painted ends together for other cars, plain ends together for still other cars. What a mess of switching and extra handling to get things in proper order again.
As it turns out, on my daily trip up to Temple to watch trains, a BNSF coal train was stopped on the station track. I was close enough to see that several the color panels on the coal cars were labelled rotary end. Also, some of the panels had two stripes of varying colors as opposed to having the whole panel painted.
I also was able to get very close to the locomotives. I noticed that the conductor's window was open. He was smoking but did not pull the cigarette inside the cab. Is smoking in the cab prohibited on the BNSF or was he probably just being courteous to the engineer?
I smoked a pipe for more than 40 years. I don’t have a problem with smokers as long as they don’t throw their butts in the park. I just wonder. I don’t have a hidden agenda re: smoking.
BaltACD If I recall correctly, there was one mine that would get rotary dump trains on occasion, however the plant itself wasn't set up for unit train flood loading of the contiguous train - in their handling of the train in their plant some of the cars would get turned - when the train came out of the plant it would be coupled together in ANY order - proper for some cars, painted ends together for other cars, plain ends together for still other cars. What a mess of switching and extra handling to get things in proper order again.
Been there, done that. No fun, especially in the rain and/or at night.
CSX and probably most other roads have prohibited smoking in any enclosed space for quite some time.
I once saw an EOT device mounted on a rotary coupler on the end on a train. It had rotated to the upside down position.
Mark Vinski
Something I've been wondering about for some time: On a rotary coupler, how is the cut lever (I think that's what it's called) connected to the pin to uncouple it?
_____________
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One of my favorite pastimes of my youth was spotting the "double stripe" car.
I was told once that the rotary coupler could be locked and that was commonly done in mountain areas. Is this correct?
mvlandswCSX and probably most other roads have prohibited smoking in any enclosed space for quite some time.
I'm pretty sure that's universal across the railroads.
OTOH, barring inward-facing cameras or management in close proximity, I would opine that if both members of the crew are in agreement, smoking will take place, on the sly. I'm sure they're smart enough to eliminate the evidence if they do.
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...
mvlandswI once saw an EOT device mounted on a rotary coupler on the end on a train. It had rotated to the upside down position.
R>F NOCOM
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
zugmannRF NOCOM
Why would the radio not work fine upside down?
And if the box fell out of the knuckle it would still work while dragged along the ties with its little turbine spinning... until the gladhand parts at which point you'd get a more insistent signal from the brakes?
I wonder if the box knows to send RF QRM in those circumstances?
Paul of Covington Something I've been wondering about for some time: On a rotary coupler, how is the cut lever (I think that's what it's called) connected to the pin to uncouple it?
Here's a side view drawing of a rotary drawbar by itself. The operating lever is mounted to the car's end frame and is not directly connected to any part of the drawbar or coupler head. Instead it is shaped so that when the lever is pulled it will swing up and hit the downward extension of the hinged piece, which will then swing up about the hinge and lift the locking block, allowing the knuckle to open.
Severe slack action occasionally causes the lever to swing up by itself with enough force to 'pull the pin', resulting in a train separation.
Overmod zugmann RF NOCOM Why would the radio not work fine upside down? And if the box fell out of the knuckle it would still work while dragged along the ties with its little turbine spinning... until the gladhand parts at which point you'd get a more insistent signal from the brakes? I wonder if the box knows to send RF QRM in those circumstances?
zugmann RF NOCOM
The computers in those things don't always work properly if they are not upright. No idea why or how, but that's reality.
They mount securely enough to the drawbar that one could easily hang on upside down without falling off.
At least they haven't programmed them to believe such a situation could only be the result of a derailment, so as to automatically initiate an emergency brake application if the thing believes it is at too much of an angle.... .....bad track and canted curves would give such a system a whole lot of false positives.....
tree68 mvlandsw CSX and probably most other roads have prohibited smoking in any enclosed space for quite some time. I'm pretty sure that's universal across the railroads. OTOH, barring inward-facing cameras or management in close proximity, I would opine that if both members of the crew are in agreement, smoking will take place, on the sly. I'm sure they're smart enough to eliminate the evidence if they do.
mvlandsw CSX and probably most other roads have prohibited smoking in any enclosed space for quite some time.
That's our situation too. But it is rarely enforced, and in reality no one cares. Lots of guys will step out on the nose for a smoke if you are moving slowly.
Plenty of managers smoke too, and they treat their company vehicles the same way we treat the locomotive cabs.
SD70Dude tree68 mvlandsw CSX and probably most other roads have prohibited smoking in any enclosed space for quite some time. I'm pretty sure that's universal across the railroads. OTOH, barring inward-facing cameras or management in close proximity, I would opine that if both members of the crew are in agreement, smoking will take place, on the sly. I'm sure they're smart enough to eliminate the evidence if they do. That's our situation too. But it is rarely enforced, and in reality no one cares. Lots of guys will step out on the nose for a smoke if you are moving slowly. Plenty of managers smoke too, and they treat their company vehicles the same way we treat the locomotive cabs.
Had a crew get into a fist fight over it - both got discipline after the normal formal RR Investigation.
Thanks, SD70Dude. Seems simple enough. I had all kinds of ideas swirling around in my head.
zugmann mvlandsw I once saw an EOT device mounted on a rotary coupler on the end on a train. It had rotated to the upside down position. R>F NOCOM
mvlandsw I once saw an EOT device mounted on a rotary coupler on the end on a train. It had rotated to the upside down position.
There's a device that can be inserted to keep the coupler on the rear car from rotating. Back when we were heavy with loaded/empty coal trains, we would always ask a passing train to see if our EOT was leaning when we had comm problems.
Jeff
Not to confuse the issue, but I saw a BNSF coal train today that did not fit the pattern.
The train was southbound, with NRG cars, which tells me it was headed to the Houston area. For the first half of the train, the color panels were faced in the direction of travel. But for the second half of the train the panels were uniformly faced to the rear of the train. What gives?
JPS1Not to confuse the issue, but I saw a BNSF coal train today that did not fit the pattern. The train was southbound, with NRG cars, which tells me it was headed to the Houston area. For the first half of the train, the color panels were faced in the direction of travel. But for the second half of the train the panels were uniformly faced to the rear of the train. What gives?
So long as the train has only 2 cuts of the colored ends - it can be easily handled as long as the dumping operators make a cut if the train has the non-colored ends coupled together - if the colored rotary ends are coupled together the train can be dumped without incident.
JPS1 Not to confuse the issue, but I saw a BNSF coal train today that did not fit the pattern. The train was southbound, with NRG cars, which tells me it was headed to the Houston area. For the first half of the train, the color panels were faced in the direction of travel. But for the second half of the train the panels were uniformly faced to the rear of the train. What gives?
So the first half of this train was striped south (forward), and the rear half was striped north (rearward).
Was there a double rotary car in between the two halves?
As coal sets cycle from mine to destination and back individual cars may be set out for maintenance and new spare cars will be added in their place. Sometimes the new cars are not facing the right way and are not turned before being added to the train, either due to lack of a wye or loop at that yard or the railroad's own incompetence and lazyness (the mixed up stripes are usually not a problem until the loaded train arrives at its destination, so the supervisors and yard crews who make up the trains will not be affected by this decision, their main goal is to get the train out of their yard as fast as possible).
This was a common and frustrating problem for all the years that I regularly worked on coal trains. But if there is a double rotary car in between the two directions your train is just as dumpable as a perfectly striped one (all the cars facing the same way with the double rotary on the correct end)
Just as a note: unit trains have to be periodically reversed (or their trucks do) to equalize wheel wear. The easiest way to do this would be just to swap ends on the consist periodically, but this might put the 'wrong end' type out... and over goes your DPU in the dumper, film at 11.
I did not see a double rotary car between the two halfs. But, to be candid, I am not sure that I would have recognized one.
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