This may seem like a real childish question, but how hard is it to drive a train? I’m sure it is harder for some things than others. Ex., Running a 19,000 ton coal train out of the powder river coal bastin when one of youre motors fails, would be eiser than runnig a 3 car locol across Kansas. I sometimes worry that when I grow up and work my way through the ranks I will like loose cotroll at speed. I had this bad dream last week that I was running 3 SD70M’s wih a mixed freight down a steep grde and I lost controll. Then we came to this really tight bend and just as we rolled off the rail I woke up breathing hard. I really wouldn’t want that to happen. So I was just wondering if some of you engineers (which I put on a high pedastal) could give me any pointers. Thanks a lot, Justin S.
Justin, I am a locomotive engineer and I will be the first one to tell you that running a 110 car grain train weighing 14,000 tons is alot easier to run than a 3 car local. I hate running the short trains that we sometimes have. Give me 3 units and 110 mty’s or loads and I’ll have an easy day. One of the most important things to remember is KNOW YOUR TERRITORY and the all important TRAIN HANDLING. Another thing you will have to learn is learning your air. That is why you lost control in your dream. You used all your air up. If you had 3 SD70M’s, you should’ve had plently of dynamics, but that is only part of controlling your train. The rest is your air. But where I work at, we don’t have dynamics so we have no choice but to use our air brakes. Its pretty simple. Oh and another thing, we don’t drive trains, we operate. Always remember that. Any more questions, hit me up, Dru ,Engineer Cimarron Valley Railroad
Virtually any idiot can handle a throttle…an Engineer knows how to handle the brakes.
Funny … this is the dream I usually have right before I get married again …
Driving a train is easy if you:
- Spend a few years over riding over the same division
- Study the engine and braking systems
- Learn at least two sets of rules (GCOR and USOR)
- Get a Ph. D. in physics
- Get yelled at for years as you try to understand things as you get hours on the throttle
See I told you it was easy.
And yes the comments about the air are important. Each time you use the train air brakes the reservoirs in the cars are partially s discharged. Unless you can leave the brakes in full release for about 5-8 minutes, even the cars in the shortest trains will not fully recharge. So each time you cycle the train brakes on and then off you are using up the air to stop the cars.
For short trains, the entire train is on the same up or down slope so braking is the same thru the whole train. Once the train gets longer than about 500 feet you can have part of the train going up hill and part going down. If the part going up is on the front the back will catch the front (unless you have the brakes on a little). If the part going up is in the back you have to keep the throttle on to keep the train stretched. Come ride with us and I will demonstrate the physics of trains and the magic of the Westinghouse air brake system. And dynamic brakes are cool (or rather hot when you use them), but you still have to keep the train from bunching and stretching.
LMAO Randy thats HIlarious!! Its all about how you handle everything, Brakes,power, dynamics and like they say in that famous play.“Ya gotta know the territory!”
I agree a long heavy train beats the short light ones.I have them nightmares too.One of my favorites was watching my engines hit a derail and flop on their sides all while my conductor was waving me back. Till the last one gets close and he says whoa stop looks like we lost a few.It happens, wait till you have the head on dream! Those are the best.
Everything is easy once you know how to do it. Operating a train is “hard” if you’ve never done it before. Maybe the question to ask is “how much time in training does it typically take for someone to become profficient at operating a train”? Is it 30 hours?..100 hours? etc… It generally takes 25 to 40 hours to become reasonably competent at driving a tractor trailer…maybe the same for operating a train…maybe more.
Amen I am a locomotive engineer and I would much rather have a 19,000 ton coal train as oppoosed to a 2,000 ton local (I will work my back side off on the local), I have a lot of things on my mind when I am running and keeping (1) step ahead of the train. I agree anyone can be at the throttle but, after 22 weeks in the program I still had a few problems I still to date after (4) years of running I treat every trian I run as learning because no (2) trains the same tonnage operate the same.
Rodney
Hi all! Thanks for all the helpfull info on the topic. When I grow up, and get ready to sighn on as an engineer, I will know better the dynamics on it all. It sounds like the breaks are more important than the throttle. Well that makes sence as starting a train would genarly be “eaiser” in most cases. I’ve learned on MSTS that it does help to know the route. That way you know where to hit the throttle and where the big down hill grades are. Now if I can just learn how to not damage the freight. Well thank you all for he helpfull hints. I am determende to one day be an engineer and “operate” a train in regular freight scervice.
BTW Justin how old are you?Plus remember if its your dream go out and live it. I wanted to be an engineer when I was 2 years old and finally got around to becoming one at 37.
But when I was growing up it was the 70’s and it was a horrible time for railroads.People called me crazy saying the rails would be gone before I could get out of grade school. I am so glad they were not correct.
I am 13 years old and in 7th grade. I tell everyone that I WILL become a locootive engineer one day. And don’t doubght it either. My fellow classmates tell me that one day trains will dry up. I say yah right! Rail trasport was the best in 1840 and will be the best in 2040. I think thay will be here for a while.
I’m going to have to agree with everyone else. I’ve only ever run one train in my life when I was 12, but it was just a four car train at the Monticello Railway Museum with their RS-3. Not an easy chore. If I didn’t have someone watching over my shoulder telling me what to do, well one: it would have been a serious insurance liability if they hadn’t, and two: I probably would have ended up derailing the train. All the screwing around is probably best left to MSTS.lol
Justin, I’ll tell you this right now that the train simulator stuff is nothing You have to have the feel of the train. Most engineers run by the seat of their pants, I do. I feel everything that the train is doing is what is going to happen. So, all you have to do is give it time, be patient, and work hard to acheive your goals. I was the same way you are now. I’m pretty sure that at the age of 18, if you want a railroad job, my boss will set you up. The way he does it is pretty simple. You work 2 years on the ground learning everything you need to know about switching, or it could be shorter than 2 years, it all depends on how fast you learn.We do all the training here. No schools, you get paid, while you learn. We do follow the General Code of Operating Rules (GCOR). So if you ever think about it, its the Cimarron Valley Railroad. Satanta Kansas. Later, Dru
At the passenger end of things the basic rule is starting is easy, stopping is easy, stopping in the right place is hard. The right place generally means stations, but can also mean signals with limited overlaps. Most metro services have just a few feet of leeway, and even with modern braking systems a few feet when braking from 60mph is not easy.
I heard all that at your age Justin and your right. They are agreat way to move people and goods.
Hey Dru you ever work with a guy named Barry?I know a guy out of KC on the IC&E who came from the Cimmaron Valley.Said he had a lot of fun out there.
Yea, I know Barry. He is a hell of a guy and he is alot of fun to work with. I just talked to him just a couple of weeks ago. He stopped by my house here and we visited for about an hour discussing what he had been doing and how business is out here. So if you happen to see him, tell him I said HI. I do miss em out here. He was a good engineer.
Later, Dru
Good to hear! Yeah we all got cut off up in teh Quad Cities so him and Matt ( kid that hired out of KC) Got LUCKY!
We did have a lot of fun screwing with the new guys heads lol.
Well that makes me fell a lot better about things. That does make scence feeling what the train is doing insted of guessing on MSTS. Too, don’t the company train you to run there trains?
Yes, we do all the training here on the railroad and you get paid while doing it. So its a good way to get an early jump on things, instead of spending thousands on college tuition, like one of the guys here did. He’s been here over 2 years already, and he is still on working on paying it back. All that is college is, is a waste of time and money. We teach the same things in more detail than what they do. So its something for you to think about in the future.
Dru
That’s what I’ve heared. Don’t do to a choo choo school. The R.R. does payfor their own training right? So Dru, Is this a short line that you work for?