Heard the local switcher pass the defect detector last night. Axle count = 8, assumption is that it was the engine (usually a GP-38) and one car. Didn’t see it (missed it by minutes at a crossing), but safe to assume it was a boxcar. They were southbound on the main, in EC-1 territory.
The question: Is it necessary to install/arm the EOT if there is only one car in the train? Will a flag do?
It was dusk at the time, which adds to the question the need for a night-visible marker. If it’s not FRED, the time honored fusee would of course replace the flag.
It’s easy to understand the need for FRED on a longer train, but the question about a one car train crossed my mind.
You have brought up a two part question: 1. Does the train need to be able to initiate an emergency brake application from the rear? 2. What type of rear end marker does the train need?
Question 1. The follwoing types of trains DO NOT require a Two Way Telemetry Device.
In Canada, an SBU (EOT) is required unless crew members can see the rear of the train at all times - as is the case with an engine and one freight car, or with a passenger train.
They do, however, have to carry a reflective or illuminated red marker at the rear of the train. CN crews use an SBU for that purpose.
O.K. I screwed up in my post. Man I hate “Fat Fingers.” Here we go again.
Tree 68, you have a two part question. Does the train in question need to have a functioning two way telemetry and what type of marker does this train need.
First question: All trains are to be equipped with a Two Way Telemetry except those listed below:
Local and work trains with LESS than 4,000 trailing tons. (Caps mine)
Passanger trains.
Trains that do not exceed 30 MPH.
Trains with equipment at the rear of train such as, locomotives occupied caboose, occupied passanger cars, etc. (etc. example would be Distributed Power trains as this locomotive is not occupied)
Light engines.
Another condition is related to the average grade over a specific lenght of track and the trailing tonnage. This is not an issue on my road and not listed as one of the trains not needing a two way telemetry.
The answer to question one based on your question is: No the train would not need a working two way telemetry. Why? You say it is a local train. It is an engine and one car. (trailing tons less than 4,000 I hope.) You make no reference to grades of 2% or greater over 2 continuous miles.
Reality. The crew probably armed the thing. When I was working as a Road Foreman of Engines, crews would ask me this very question. We would review the rule and in the end we would decide since the conductor was at the rear to hang the marker verify pressure for a brake test, how much more time and effort did it take to test the rear end dump. There are also FRA requlations that now require the engineer when making an emergency brake application to initiate it from the rear first. To do that it must be armed. Basically I would tell crews if its available, arm it. Was one of those let’s trap the boss questions.
Question two. Yes needed a high visbility marker. Needed 1 hour before sunset until 1 hour after sunrise. Assume that since you men
An SBU is a Sensory Brake Unit. Works in conjunction with an RDU. The RDU and the SBU form a system called TIBS. Now the translation from Canadian to U.S. RDU= Receiver Display Unit. A RDU is the same as a Head Of Train Device or HOT. A SBU is the same as an EOT or End Of Train Device. TIBS is a Train Information Brake System which is what the U.S. calls Two Way Telemetry.
Just to clear a little bit of air - I just noticed I used the term “switcher,” which may have thrown some folks off. The locals here (there are usually two - B778 & B779) range up and down the Montreal Secondary out of Watertown. Depending on that day’s needs, they may have a train of zero to a couple dozen at any one point in their travels. If I have my facts straight, this particular job had worked a branch line, and was headed home with one car. It was on the main (Montreal Secondary).
Based on the contributions so far, I’m figuring they might as well have put the EOT on the coupler of the lone car, largely because it was at dusk, therefore calling for a light. During the day they could have gotten by with a flag in the coupler.