Other than schnabel cars, cars with very heavy loads on a single car (e.g.: A large transformer in a depressed center or well car), cars marked DO NOT HUMP, and cars that have their load extend over the ends of the car, are there any other cars that that cannot be humped?
Not sure what the current ‘rules’ are for it; but it used to be a ‘common’ practice(?) among shipper’s with cargos that could be damaged in ‘humping’ situations to mark cars with placcards on each end, and side that said " DO NOT HUMP". Some commodities that fit in that catagory were: Food stuffs (Fresh or canned), Palletized coils of steel, rolls of tinplate ( palletized and on their ‘side’ ) Glass Containers, or other ‘fragile’ , any loads that might be damaged in rough handling.
Also, some boxcars that might, or might not be, of the ‘Damage Free’ kind, ( generally internal locking bars, or ‘door’ systems) They could be used to ship product that was palletized, but could also be double stacked in the car.
I vaguely remember reading some time ago that auto carriers were not allowed to be humped. The autos were chocked but not otherwise restrained, and they could jump the chocks. With the unit trains today, I don’t imagine this is likely to be an issue.
How about hazmat cars loaded with things such as crude, ethanol, LPG, CNG,etc? One could get a bang out of humping them. [:O]
Intermodal cars and auto racks are the most common cars that can’t be humped
And in addition: BaltACD mentioned tank cars with liquids like grades of crude, compressed gases, and other volital liquids…
Watching passing trains around here, I can say I’ve not seen “Do Not Hump” warning placcards, eiher on single cars or on cars in unit [train] moves.
The indication seems to be that certain ‘classes’[products/cars] may have specific rules for handling; that everyone who is responsible for their movement understands, and complies with(?)
My question is: Is there still a requirement for the “Do Not Hump” warning placcard to be affixed to those cars? Has that requirement for warning placcards, other than the diamond shaped HazMat warning [ They have specific points to be placed on the cars containing HazMat items been revoked?
I’ve never seen a auto rack car placcarded. [X-)]
Thanks,
Scale test cars and geometry cars come to mind as well.
stay safe
joe
I believe it’s loaded autoracks that are prohibited from humping, but empties are fair game. I’ve certainly seen a few humped at UP’s Enlgewood Yard in Houston (And I think I saw a video of some being humped at West Colton).
As far as haz mat being humped, Englewood wouldn’t need to have a hump if haz mat couldn’t go over it. Englewood’s primary purpose is to serve Houston’s petrochemcial complex and they hump all sorts of goodies. Goodies that can make for a big boom if something goes wrong (And I believe SP had a run-in with a boom at Englewood in the 70’s).
Also, Strang Yard in La Porte, TX (along the Houston Ship Channel), one of UP’s smallest hump yards, serves pretty much only haz mat and plastics. They shove some pretty hazardous stuff over that hump.
Before stretch wrapping and banding were as common as they are now boxcars loaded with bricks or ceramics were usually marked “Do Not Hump”. Large steel sheets loaded on flats or gons are also often so marked.
Only the worst of the worst can’t be humped and those (the ones I’ve seen) are marked, “Do not hump.” There are some classes of HM that can be humped, but not “kicked” or otherwise be cut off in motion. They also can have some special handling instructions, like only allowed over the hump in cuts of no more than two or not being allowed to roll free until preceding cars have cleared the hump lead, etc.
You need to see a HazMat instruction booklet, specifically the switching chart (not placement in train)
My carrier just put out bulletins prohibiting cutting off cars in motion except at specificaly identified locations and then only for specific tracks. The original way they worded the bulletin prohibited humping cars at a hump yard, that did get changed in short order.
And those guys in the suits get paid for thinking this up? Travesty I say, travesty. [^o)]
Ah, yes. The law of unintended consequences…
I see here and on the blog section of this site all sorts of people kicking around ideas to increase the number of cars handled or ways to attract more customers. But with the way management acts, the rules written/modified, and the extreme cost cutting measures (single man crews, fewer locomotives, no OT), even if the business materialized - could the railroads handle it anymore?
I recall sometime in the 60’s or 70’s on the Alton and Southern a tank car carrying a volitile gas was humped and “bashed” into the string of cars at the bottom going to fast, the result of faulty retarders. The gas was released, and found a spark soon enough. It destroyed about half of the hump yard
Of course, even if the car is marked “Do Not Hump”, it is questionable how often the sign was and is obeyed by the hump crews.
I worked for 2 heavy hauling and rigging co’s moving, loading and unloading heavy loads handled by railroads, a DO NOT HUMP sign doesn’t mean jack to the railroads. We moved 1 transformer 4 times, it had an event recorder on it that registerd over 15,000 “hits”. I don’t know what constituted a “hit” but the power co. took delivery of it and put it in sevice and it immediately blew and split the case.
Don’t know what a ‘hit’ is. Normal rules state that 4 MPH is the maximum safe coupling speed. Hump yards and their retarders are engineered to provide safe couplings for the cars that are humped. While in transit cars are subject to slack action in the trains they are in.
Cars carrying weapons such as rocket motors or missiles cannot be humped.
D. Carleton would know more, but I think unoccupied passenger cars being carried in freight trains are prohibited from being humped.
Historic equipment also often is.
Previous comments about kicking notwithstanding, I don’t think passenger cars are to be kicked, either.