Just a Couple of RR questions

[coborn35]

First off, i was recently watching BNSF coal trains en-route from Powder River to Allouez,WI. I noticed that alot of the trains ran 3 SD70MACS. I also noticed that some of the BNSF trains ran 3 EMDX SD60's. If the BNSF has to run 3 SD70MACS on one train, wouldnt thy have to run 4 EMDX SD60's?

Also, are there toilets in all the locomtives? Because I have been in the cab of DMIR SD18 #193, Great Northern NW5 #192, and SOO LINE GP30 #700, and i can tell you they definatly DONT have toilets. What i dont get is that these locomotives, (with the exception of the switcher, #192) were big haulers in their day, so wouldnt they have toilets for the crew?

Thanks

[adrianspeeder]

There are no hard and fast rules, more like whatever is available. If it meets the horsepower per ton ratio required to move the train, it goes out.

Adrianspeeder

[AlcoRS11Nut]

all of the new power has toliets in them, the SD18, NW5 and the GP30 were all before the toliets became mainstream I believe, I know that when I did my job saddow I road in 2 GP38-2's and they all had toliets in them.......if you want to call them toliets they were kinda nasty. :)

[dehusman]

Not all coal trains have the same number of cars. Not all coal cars have the same tonnage capacity. Coal trains can vary in weight, depending on the type and number of cars, by thousands of tons. They can range for about 13,000 tons to over 20,000 tons. One train might need 3 SD70's while for another 3 SD60's might be fine.

Dave H.

[arbfbe]

Toilets are commonly found in the short hoods of locomotives or in a compartment behind the cab. They can be really smelly and nasty and the nose of the unit is unheated when it is -20 and not air conditioned when it is 105.

[jockellis]

G'day, Y'all.
I thought I saw a toilet in the GP-30 owned by the Southeastern Railway Museum. The question is, what did steam engine crews do?
Jock Ellis
Cumming, US of A

[coborn35]

Good question.....................
That makes me think, noone would notice if the fire was dampened a little bit.........
I know that there were no toilets in steam engines becasue i have been in enough of them.
Makes one wonder though...

[mhurley87f]

Yes, when a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do ................ etc.

Severn Tunnel Junction in Monmouthshire, South East Wales, supplied the engines and crew to assist freight and (occasionally) passenger trains negotiating the eponymous Tunnel. Being an underwater tunnel, the line descended to its lowest point, which was almost midway, and the assisting engines were needed both to help control speed on the descent and also later help with the pull up to the surface.

The Geat Western Railway's operating rules for the operation of trains through the Severn Tunnel dictated that the assisting engine would be coupled ahead of the train engine, and as the train engine would be staying with the train rather longer than the assisting engine was involved, its crew would often try to "swing the lead" and run as easily as possible without giving the game away, and leave the work to the assiting engine and its crew !

Should the crew of the assisting engine get wise, however, the normal response was for the Fireman to p*** on the deflector plate, thus giving off a smell that once experienced, was never forgotten !!

[arbfbe]

coborn

Steam engines had to stop for water and coal at frequent intervals. Add to that meets with other trains and switching online and you find there were several opportunities to get off the locomotive and find relief. If no depot, yard office, switch shanty or outhouse was available there were still trees, shrubs or ballast between the cars to use.