Here’s my latest railfanning trip, in which I chased the Plattsburgh local D11 a little on the old air force base. At about 11 seconds in (the first shot) the local performs a drop manuver across this road. Considering this road is unprotected, is this safe? I was surprised to see this happening on a class 1 railroad (CP). Also notice the car that almost didn’t stop in time.
https://northcountrytrains.wordpress.com/2020/06/20/trackside-treks-21-more-local-action/
Can’t speak to the lack of crossing protection, but the conductor (visible on the shove platform, ie caboose) can be seen and heard cranking on the handbrake. I would opine they had everything under control.
A lot depends on the physical characteristics beyond the point where they stopped. If the stopping point is sort of in a valley, where gravity would naturally preclude any sort of runaway situation, then it would seem to be low risk. If the track is all downhill from there and the track ends at a school, not so much. I have to believe the RR has considered the risk and has written instructions for performing this maneuver in this location.
Agree with Larry about the apparent lack of crossing protection. Do you recall if a crew member was on the other side of the crossing stopping traffic? I couldn’t tell from the video.
Also, nice job adding the captions. It helps viewers better understand what is going on. That’s better than what we have seen from some “Pro” video productions that occasionally are posted here. All I would suggest is adding the location and possibly the date to the beginning. Just display a panel that says something like "Plattsburgh local D11 on the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base, .
I am a bit confused.
Why would they drop those 3 cars to roll free across a highway and then bring an engine in to get them and drag them back across the highway from whence they came?
Why would the shoving platform be behind the leading car where the employee would not be able to see what was in front of the group?
My answers to the above combined with if the employee was cranking hard on the brake wheel, it implies to me that this was a RUN-AWAY and not at all a planned “gravity drop”…
Hey, it’s young Mr. Harrison! Welcome back son, it’s been a while! Always nice to see some young blood here instead of the usual grumpy old farts! [;)]
Good video, but can I make a suggestion? I don’t know what kind of camera you’re using, but next time try putting some thin sponge foam (for lack of a better term) over the microphone to cut the wind noise a bit. The video quality’s excellent but that “rumbling rocks” wind noise was a bit hard on the ears.
Again, welcome back! I always enjoy your videos!
It’s a way to run around cars without having a runaround or 2 engines. You cut the engine off, stash it in a siding, and roll the cars by it so the engine can grab it from the other end.
Semper Vap, you’re not seeing the actual move in this video, just the aftermath.
When the crew came into the area, the engine was on the point, next to the covered hopper. Somewhere off the screen to the left is a spur with the switch points facing the engine. For whatever switching move they have to make, the engine needed to be on the other end.
The move consists of accelerating the train (step one: bleed the air off the cars!), then easing off to bunch the slack so the pin could be pulled between the engine and the cars. Then the engine speeds up and out of the way down one track. The switch is thrown in front of the cars, and they go off on the other track (and over the crossing, as you see in the video). The engine comes out of the spur to which it had been sent, and retrieves the cars. The covered hopper is spotted on a spur that has a facing-point switch (impossible with the engine on the other end), and the caboose is on the hind end.
Sorry if this sounds confusing…I really know how they work, because I participated frequently in these moves in every position except from behind the throttla. I would have been the guy flagging the grade crossing most of the time.
Ok, as I understand it, that is a “flying switch” move… and I thought that was against the rules these days. I suppose they might have stopped the train, uncoupled the engine and pulled it way, then bled the brakes and used a pinch bar to start the 3 cars moving after the switch was thrown.
And the shoving platform not on the point… such that the crossing cann
I’ve seen drops properly executed in two locations which shall remain nameless. Since the procedure has so many opportunities to goof up, it is generally viewed as a move of last resort.
Sorry about my absense, the forum would’nt let me log on. [*-)]
adkrr64- There was no crew member flagging the crossing, the car approching stopped probably because they saw my friend and I taking pictures and video. Also thanks for the suggestion, will do that in the future.
Flintlock76- thanks for the suggestion, will have to try that.
Harrison – if you haven’t already, look at the Tamiya paint bottles you were sent. One of them says ‘Pullman’ on it. Get the paint stock number of that bottle, go in the Model Railroader forum, and give them that number in the ‘Tamiya Pullman Green’ thread.
I saw it done in Milford, MI years ago - when the line was still C&O. Odds are the guilty are long gone. It was kind of a lucky catch - I’m not sure why I would have been where I was when I saw it. Just riding my bike around, I guess.
Good chance it was a local out of Plymouth, getting the car spotted rather than hauling it all the way to wherever they turned to go back.
That siding is gone, as is the station and the Owens and Mowry jelly factory (likely destination of the car being dropped), all replaced by condos.