Parking trains

[Dakguy201]

I live near the BNSF (ex-Milwaukee) line from Mitchell SD to Sioux City IA. The primary traffic on this line is unit trains of grain, ethanol or rock going railroad east or the empties returning. Most of these trains have two engines leading with a third pushing. There is a long siding near me that is used to park trains until a new crew becomes available from Sioux City.

A train parked here will be cut to allow access to a small BNSF yard. A really long train may need a second cut at a public road. Lately BNSF has started attaching a hose to the brake line at each end of the cut(s). Without doing some serious trespassing I can not verify that the hoses serve to connect the various portions of the train, but there is nothing else nearby to which they might be connected.

I am puzzled regarding what purpose this new practice serves.

[edblysard]

Any cut of cars or a train left without air charging its brake lines and reservoirs for over four continuous hours must have a full initial terminal brake test performed before it can be moved.

If, on the other hand, the train is left with an air supply, ground air from a compressor located nearby, or a locomotives compressor continuously attached, then all that is required is a set and release on the rear car before the train can depart.

Most rail yards that have specific tracks used to store trains ready to depart have a ground supply of air provided from a onsite compressor, this way the train can be built up, coupled, its air brake system charged and tested, and left hooked up to the air supply until a crew with their locomotive arrives, couples into the train and hooks up the air supply from the locomotive in place of the ground air.

This system speeds up the process of departing trains, as the carmen have already inspected the charged brake system and performed the initial terminal air test before the locomotive and crew arrived, again, all that is now needed is a set and release on the rear car, and the train can depart.

An initial terminal brake test involves charging the brake system performing a brake application, then visually inspecting each car to insure the brake piston has extended to correct distance, the brake shoes all are in contact with the wheels, all the brake rigging functions, so forth and so on…this inspection is required to be performed on both sides of the cars, the brakes are released, and the train is inspected again to make sure every cars brake system has released.

The test will also include a static leak down test for air leaks.

The initial terminal air test is used to insure that there is 100% working air brakes throughout the train before it departs, and must be performed when a train is made up, off air for over 4 hours, has traveled over 1000 miles, or the consist is radically altered by adding loose cars into the consist, alt

[blue_streak_1]

ACheck the rule 30,2 in the air brake section of this link for even more details.

The set up you describe is used all over, we have it here at the PTRA in our receiving track where we stage the unit or bulk trains, like you describe, we have a emergency access road that has to be cut, so we use the same set up, a long pipe under the road and air hoses at either end to keep the train on air while it waits to depart.

This mehod must really save on crew costs, loco availability, fuel savings as a loco consist uses much more fuel to charge the brake line than a dedicated compressor & traiin velocity. per diem if applicable…

[BaltACD]

ACheck the rule 30,2 in the air brake section of this link for even more details.

The set up you describe is used all over, we have it here at the PTRA in our receiving track where we stage the unit or bulk trains, like you describe, we have a emergency access road that has to be cut, so we use the same set up, a long pipe under the road and air hoses at either end to keep the train on air while it waits to depart.

This mehod must really save on crew costs, loco availability, fuel savings as a loco consist uses much more fuel to charge the brake line than a dedicated compressor & traiin velocity. per diem if applicable…

How long does it take you to walk 6.8 miles - inspecting pertinant parts of equiment, that may require stopping and looking underneath cars? (note - nominal train length is 9000 feet, the set must be inspected on both sides of the train and the release must be inspected on both sides of the train in a Class 1 Terminal Brake Test [36000 feet] )

[jeffhergert]

Having to do a new inspection on the section that was off air over 4 hours is bad. Finding out you have cars who’s air brakes have become defective and won’t set up so now they have to be switched out is worse.

Jeff