Today I caught a BNSF trackage rights grain train with a DPU on the UP here in Pine Bluff,AR.It’s heading douth on the old Cotton Belt line.The lead locomotive number is 7737.I have a video of it uploading now.
Was out playing with the trains today and remembered reading this.
Saw a BNSF grain train headed south with 7523 on the head-end and two DPUs, 4815 and 710 - all three were working. Not sure what this means, but shows that I do retain a little of what I read on the forums. Now if I could just remember where I laid my glasses…
Moo…
Kitty:
I did the same thing the other day and found them on my nose.
Really, no joke
PL
The forum will be 1/2 and 1/2 on this - those that laugh and those that know!
DPU?
Is that Distributed Power Unit? Remote controlled by the engineer or conductor in the lead unit?
Sorry, I’m still trying to keep up with all these technological advances. I’m still stuck in the 80s![:P]
in a word - yes.
How exactly does DPU work? Can any unit of a train operate the other units as long as the units all have DPU capability?
Jeff
Well, while waiting for the experts to chime in here - my understanding is the head engine controls all the other units only. One boss, several workers.
I will say no more until it is verified by someone a whole lot more qualified.
Mook
Thanks for the response Mook. Just to clarify the question, say the DPU equiped train needed to make a reverse movement for whatever reason (maybe to access a wye-less connection for example); could a new crew be able to board the rear DPU unit and be able to power the other units for reverse movement to avoid redistribution of power?
Jeff
I can feel the fur on the back of my neck - all the railroad people watching me head over a cliff, but I will go until I hit bottom. My answer would be no - the control is all in the lead engine. The DPU would have to be disconnected from the train for a crew to handle it separately.
I think this is done with boxes that talk to each other - command post on first engine and rest all answer to it.
You must remember, I only watch 'em. I don’t run 'em…
Moo…
I’m drowning here and everyone went to break!
Oops, it helps if I put my text outside of the previous quote box.
Good enough answer for me. I don’t mean to turn this thread into a DPU education session. I just have a fascination of trains equiped with DPUs. To stay more on topic, I too witnesed a grain train with two DPUs on the rear heading west on the BNSF Transcon in Olathe, Kansas two weeks ago. I did not catch the front units though.
Jeff
I’m just another train watcher; but I believe the answer is ‘yes; with some re-setting of controls on the locomotives at each end of the train.’ That might leave some train handling issues related to having two locomotives on the rear vs one on the front however.
In each power set you need one unit that is DPU equipped. So if you had head end and rear end DPU, then you would need a minimum of 2 DP units and however many other units you want. The UP used to run a UP C44AC on point and rear with a SP C44AC as the trailing unit on the head end consist. If a units is DPU equipped then it can be either a controling or controlled unit. So if they wanted to reverse the train and control it from the other end (assuming the other units was facing properly, etc. etc.), the crew could set up the “trailing” unit as the new leader and former leader as a trailing unit and control from the other end. The engineer controls all the DP sets, and can control each set individually.
Dave H.
Can someone make a clickable link to my BNSF grain train with DPU video?Firefox won’t allow me to copy and paste.Plus I can’t make clickable links on here like I can on other forums for some reason.
I saw several DPU equipped coal drags going through Kansas City when I was there a couple of weeks ago. I guess that’s pretty common there. However here in Houston I almost never see them. At least not coming in from the north. I saw one yesterday and another one today though which got my attention. On top of that I also saw a tunnel motor SD-40 working as a yard switcher yesterday and another one was the DPU on the back of the train yesterday. I don’t know the last time I saw those around here either yet alone one being used for yard switching.
The 7523 is an ES44DC and the 4813 and 710 are both 9-44CW’s.
The coal drags that come thru here that are UP when loaded have 2 units leading and one dpu on the rear. When they leave empty. the lead with the DPU (since it was facing “backwards” anyway)its now the controling engine. This way they don’t have to turn the train.
Fred,
Most of the coal headed into Houston is for HL&P on the south side…BNSF /UP share the contract, so if you want to see big coal trains, head to Rosenberg, around where tower 17 was, or anywhere along Highway 90 west of town.
BNSF brings theirs in from Temple.
DPUs work off a transceiver/radio link up, each unit is assigned a particular frequency, you simply tell it to lead or follow, which way you want “forward” to be, long hood or short hood, dial in the DPU unit’s frequency into the leading unit’s transceiver, and you are set.
As for the question about back up moves, simply provide shoving protection with a man on the rear, and you back up the train around a wye or what ever, just as if the rear or trailing unit was a big comfortable caboose, you don’t have to treat it any differently, it will follow what ever the lead unit tells it to do, so if the lead unit is in reverse, so is the DPU.