Roll-By Advice for Railfans

[Anonymous]

I would have to say the most important things to watch for is smoke coming from the brakes or a load that has shifted to the point of falling off the car.

[Anonymous]

The Hoses Between Cars Can Break But On A Main Line The Engineer Of The
Train Would Know If It Came Undone. When In The Yd The Air Brake Release
Valve Is Pushed Or Pulled This Lever Is On Every Car On Hopper ,Tank Or
Container Cars Its On One End Cars Like Box,Autorack,Gondolas Or Flats Its
In The Middle Under Neath The Car But Before The Cars Are Kicked Or Humped
The Release valve Will Get Pushed And Then The Hand Brakes Are Released
But If A Train Going 45 M.P.H. Was To Lose Air Pressure (ex Hose Tears due to Stretching) The Train Will Go Into Emergency Braking And Will Stop And The Brakeman
Will Start Cussing Kicking Rocks And Look For The Promblem And If Its Cold Or Wet
Someones Gonna Get It But The Train Wont Go Without Air .

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CShaveRR

In the yard, this is no problem...the only brake being used to stop these cars is that on the locomotive. They couldn't kick (or hump) the cars with the air brakes connected. So in this situation it's not important whether the hoses are connected.

(If I remember correctly, CSX's runaway train in Ohio a couple of years ago was a yard move, with no air in all of those cars.)

Judging from some of the nicknames given the hoses, the giggle/nudge is understandable!

[:I] I am blushing...

Hey Brother Carl, did you have to work on my holiday? I wondered if you were out there helping the economy while I was just sitting on my bucket seat....(watch what you say, guys!)

Mook

[CShaveRR]

In the yard, this is no problem...the only brake being used to stop these cars is that on the locomotive. They couldn't kick (or hump) the cars with the air brakes connected. So in this situation it's not important whether the hoses are connected.

(If I remember correctly, CSX's runaway train in Ohio a couple of years ago was a yard move, with no air in all of those cars.)

Judging from some of the nicknames given the hoses, the giggle/nudge is understandable!

[Mookie]

Which brings up another question - (thank goodness!)

Saw some switching being done - one track to another - making up a freight train. Had a brake hose hanging between two cars - driver saw it first and nudged me (giggle). So - if you have a cut of about 15-20 cars and one car right in the center has a brake hose not hooked up - how does this affect your stopping power? I realize this will all be checked before they leave town, but what about back and forth in the yards?

Mookie

[CShaveRR]

I wouldn't worry about separated brake hoses...the train would already have been stopped by that. Of course, if you see where the separation has happened, you could be helpful by pointing that out to the crew which would probably be looking for it.

The thing you should be looking (and sniffing!) for is smoke, which would likely be generated by a sticking brake (or an un-released handbrake). Hotboxes (overheated journals) aren't as common now that everything rides on roller bearings, and although bearing failures do occur, it would take a really trained ear or eye to catch one before it happens.

Something dragging is another good thing to look for...it might be a component of the car, such as a pin-lifter, or it might be a chain or other lading tie-down. This could be especially dangerous if it's in the vicinity of the wheels. A load that's shifted to the point of being ready to unload would also be something to warn the railroad about. Don't worry about the little bands that are wrapped around bundles of lumber. (Note: things like this are the best possible reason for watching all trains from a safe distance!)

Noises: you'll hear plenty, which may sound unusual. Just let them direct you to an obvious problem, which you then report...don't report the noises themselves. Failing roller bearings supposedly emit a loud squeal...I've heard plenty of squeals but have not heard of a bearing failure resulting from them, so don't alarm them for that.

Keep in mind that along most main lines, a defect detector will catch a lot of this stuff anyway, and those can be about 20 miles or so apart. Still, the extra eyes can't hurt... if you see something serious, like smoke from the wheels (or from the car itself!), or dragging equipment or seriously shifted lading, call the emergency number. When calling, know where you are, and try to have the number of the car with the defect. If you have a scanner, listen for the results of your call...actions taken (or not taken) could be your guide for future observation.

[Anonymous]

Other than having volunteered as a brakeman on a tourist RR 5 years ago, I
have never worked for a railroad but I am a big railfan and I'd like to help the
railroads whenever possible.

Are there any suggestions from "real" railroad employees out there on what a
conscientious railfan could look for when watching a train pass by as regards
severe defects that should be reported? Obviously, if I see a brake hose that
has seperated or the F.R.E.D. is clearly damaged, that's something that should
be reported immediately to the telephone number displayed on the signal box
(if a number is shown at all - depends on the RR in question). And of course,
it'd have to be something that is unquestionably a defect so the railroad is not
bothered with erroneous reports.

When I watch a train pass I try to look for anything wrong but other than looking
at the brake hoses and the F.R.E.D. I'm not sure what else to observe. Ideas?