http://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=30567
I was wondering how many RR are still using the standard line of transportation… Muscle! [banghead]
None that I know of The class 1s are using hy rails and so dose the Boone and scenic Valley
I would say their hasn’t been a handcar in use by a Class 1 road since the 50s, or whenever gas speeders came along.
Who knows maybe the Shortlines are still using it. [%-)] A reason to cut fuel cost…[:-^]
Handcars may have vanished from service years ago, but Hy-Rail vehicles have just about replaced the gas speeder, too. I haven’t seen a speeder in service in years.
IF RR wants to cut fuel cost this will solve the problems or to implement the Green Program…[:-^][swg][swg]
I’d like to see you pump a handcar for a couple of miles with all the tools that a highrailer carries around and see if you still think they’re a good idea. Besides, the amount of fuel a highrailer uses compared to that of a locomotive is insignificant.
I rode in a Rail motor car on the W,P & Y.
I would also like to see you put on the hand car…get to your point of work (a mile or two or more from your put on location) do your work and get to you set off location…all the while the Dispatcer is after you to get his track back so he can run some train. Track time in todays railroad is in short supply for all those that have to use it and speed in preforming track repairs is critical.
In the days of handcars, maintenance sections were 10 to 15 miles long so at the extreme you had to pump 5 to 8 miles each way - which would take an hour or so. Today’s maintenance sections are more like 50 miles long - and even more in sparsely populated country. So a hi-rail can get the crew to most locations in about an hour or so. But the difference is a hi-rail will spend most of its time on the asphalt - not chewing up track capacity.
dd
ps - 1% grade is a killer for a handcar. Been there - done that.
I think if the maintance crew use this cart they would take a bite out of obesity in USA. [banghead]
Then reality sets in and says these won’t be used.
Google NARCOA, the North American Rail Car Operators Association. If you want to start riding the rails, they can help. Really cool hobby!
Golden Spike will have one dusted off, lubed up, and operatable on 10 May 2008.
dd