Semper,
Under compression the distance between the cross over platform on most tank cars is around 12 to 18 inches, the actual frames maybe 24 inches.
On a pair of flatcars with compressible or cushioned drawbars, the distance between the actual frames or end is twice the thickness of the coupler head, again, roughly 24 inches.
Coupling up injuries are not the largest category of injuries, getting struck by your own equipment and close clearances issues seem to be the major ones.
Remember, a lot of the older industries and yards were built way back when 40" boxcars were the norm.
Today’s larger and longer cars do fit in the industries, but if it is an older place, or has a curve to the track, the side clearance is almost zero with a longer car.
On “in-between” issues, where an employee is lacing hoses or opening the valve, slack action isn’t the danger, it is usually small, you can hear and feel it happening, and the time spent between the cars is short, 15 to 30 seconds at most.
Its when the cars move a few feet, say from a mis-understood command to the engineer, or if a car is kicked down on the track and couples into your train, or having another cut of cars coupled into the track you are working…that’s where the injuries happen, because we are kneeling in-between the car, and even with one foot outside the rail, the time needed to evacuate is nowhere near enough to prevent injury if the track suddenly move a few feet, you will get at a minimum, hit by the car frame, but most likely the wheel set will strike you first.
Getting struck by your own equipment seems to have become a bigger issue too…
We don’t wear the safety vest on the PTRA, and out GM summed it up quite well during a discussion about the vest…its simple he said, “If you don’t foul the track or stand in the gauge, you can’t get hit by your own train”.
Quite true, if you’re not in there, you can’t get hit.
One of the hardest habits we ha