Putting the engine(s) into reverse would actually be counter-productive. Spinning wheels have virtually no traction. Locked up wheels are only marginally better, but still an improvement. I’m not sure that “anti-lock brakes” would even be possible, never mind the cost.
Different roads have different rules regarding requirements after a emergency application. NS requires that all trains except bulk commodity trains be inspected, as long as the bulk commodity train wasn’t through any crossovers or turnouts.
CSX requires all trains on other than single track be inspected, on single track, if the air is restoring and what a crew member can see from the head end looks intact, they may proceed.
As for dumping the steam engine bearing down on the tanker truck, what a judgment call. A lot of guys seem to think if you could somehow bash your way beyond the tanker truck by not dumping the air, you might have a chance of survival. I have no idea and who among us would wi***o find out.
I remember a story about a runnaway in San Bernadino. It was a UP doublestack that came down off the pass. Somehow it lost it’s brakes near the bottom, so it wasn’t going that fast, but was going too fast to make the curve at the end of the yard. The engineer, as a last ditch effort to slow down, put the train in reverse. Traction motors soon started explodeing till they were all gone. But sacrificeing the TMs slowed the train down enough to make the curve and avoid a big pile-up.
Hmph. I bet that engineer who blew the TMs must have been hauled into the super’s office and yelled at. I would love to learn his fate.
If that happened on my railroad I would promote the guy for saving the train.
Highiron,
If I remember right the engineer was seen as a sort of hero for preventing his train from ending up in a pile. There were witnesses that saw the train going through the curve and they were astonished that the stacks made the turn.
Hmmm…don’t apply the air to punch through the tanker. It might get you out of the explosion (I doubt it), but the accident investigation ain’t gonna like it, si to sabes lo que yo quiero decir, verdad?
I’m kinda suspect of the reversing the locos story. An A/C unit will drop its load if the wheels turn opposite the direction intended. As for a D/C, I don’t think that they are as sensitive, but, I think that the dynos would generate more braking effort than wheels slipping backwards…just my .02
I’m kinda suspect of the reversing the locos story. An A/C unit will drop its load if the wheels turn opposite the direction intended. As for a D/C, I don’t think that they are as sensitive, but, I think that the dynos would generate more braking effort than wheels slipping backwards…just my .02
Let’s see, I see a tanker truck and I have the clarity of mind to decide that I might be able to punch through and make it THROUGH that truck and survive the ensuing fire and explosion. I take this action and I survive and I’m going to worry about what the accident investigation people think?? Yeah, I sure would. (Not that I know this would actually work, just a theory I’ve heard expressed by older rails I knew)
If that thing is a propane tanker… you will not out run the fireball.
I don’t know what you’d do, but I’m slamming the throttle shut, turning on the sander, big holing, and joining the birds.
I suppose that if you hit the tanker, you could duck–the cab might withstand it. Thoughts please.
Sincerely,
Daniel Parks
What a bunch of BS the RR’s are putting out! Unless you have a really long train, you’ll never trip the eot before the air goes down from the head end. And that is if the eot works the first time!
At a speed of 900 ft/sec., do the math!
Put handle in emg., reach up or down to find switch cover, flip up switch cover, flip switch. The rear was already at zero.
Now if you are unlucky enough to have a frozen trainline…
It ain’t gonna happen my friend! All that will happen is that there is going to be a hell of a lot of sparks flying, breakers tripping and a heck of a long time getting everything to MAYBE reset.
That is not exactaly true I had to put my train in emergency 1time after being set up as an engineer, the cars all ran in causeing a air hose to kink up if I had not dumped the etd the rear of the train would not have dumped, my train was 120 cars long after hitting a car in the grade crossing the train ran in on me the hose that kinked was only 30 cars deep. So dumping the etd is a back up to the dumping of the head end.
Rodney
Yes, Rodney, and that’s actually why we have this feature, I personally know of two runaways that would have been prevented had this feature been available on EOT’s at that time, luckily, nothing catastrophic happened and the crews were absolved of any responsiblity, one crew was given several attaboys from higher-ups.
BigJim, I didn’t make myself clear. I’m sure as hell that shoving it in reverse would just be silly. What I was driving at is on A/C units they immediately drop their load where a D/C can take a little roll back and not drop its load. I agree that this scenario…MYTH BUSTED.
Excellent point “tree”, locked/spinning wheels are LESS effective than just brakes applied. That’s the reason for ABS. Lawrence.
Well.
If Im faced with the tanker situation I guess my life is over at that point so with that said… I choose to throw the anchor and if possible either nest deeply inside the locomotive against the pending fireball or join the birds.
Situations like these are pretty fluid. In trucking we call these ***ed if you do and ***ed if you dont. The best thing you can do is maintain control of that train. If you are about to be injured or dead… the last action you take should “Protect” the train and property. In my case I would stop the train… we’re going to have a big fire anyhow but hope that the train will at least stop so it wont run away with a dead crew at the controls threatening to destroy additional property or take life.
Regarding someone’s comment in supersonic speeds of air travel in the system… consider the time:
Human Perception
Human decision
Physical reaction and execution of command decision
Effects of air system (If braking is chosen) travelling thru the vehicle (Or train)
Application of braking force versus availible traction (Very important)
Amount of braking horsepower versus mechanical integrity (Are you hot and fading out on a mountain grade while over driving your abused dynamics??)
Finally stopping distance versus any object and it’s mass against you.