When an engine couples on to a car or a cut of cars, does the engine stop each time or proceed without a full stop?
John in Carolina
It should stop prior to the coupling and then shove to a joint, test the coupling, then move.
On NS we have a rule that when the conductor or brakeman is riding a railcar to a coupling the train must make a safety stop prior to the coupling. If the conductor or brakeman is on the ground or riding a locomotive no stop is necessary although many conductors will go ahead and stop the movement if they are riding and get down first.
Once the coupling is made many conductors will have the engineer stretch the slack out to test the coupling or joint. In the old days before radios train crew members used hand signals to perform switching moves. Now conductors rely on their radios and giving instructions to an engineer in car lengths. A typical scenario might start out by the trainman lining a switch and climbing up on the bottom step of the locomotive. Let’s say your listening to local P50 switching in the yard with lead engine 5530 over your scanner. This is what you might hear.
Trainman: “P50 Switch lined, shove 10 cars to a safety stop.”
Engineer: “Has the switch been double-checked for P50?”
Trainman: “Switch lined, Double-checked, shove 10 cars P50.”
Engineer: “Double-checked, 10 cars on P50.”
Train proceeds toward safety stop. Trainman continues to give instructions over radio.
Trainman: “Seven cars to a safety stop P50.”
Engineer: “Seven cars P50.”
Trainman: “Five cars P50.”
Engineer: “Five cars P50.”
At lengths less than five cars engineer no longer repeats.
Trainman: "Four cars. three cars, two cars, one car, half a car…that’ll do P50.
Trainman gets down walks to the coupling and talks again.
Trainman: “Alright P50, that’s a good safety stop. Shove on back one car length to couple up.”
Engineer: “Your down, One car P50.”
Train eases to a coupling.
Trainman: “half a car, 20 feet, 10 feet, 5 and that’ll do.”
Trainman: “Stretch em’ out P50.”
Engineer: “Stretch P50.”
Tra
Tim, thank you for the insight.[Y]
They also attach the airlines when making up.
Richard
Thanks, guys, for the good insight. Very informative and helpful.
John in Carolina
I suspect what the OP is asking about is a situation like I have on my switching layout, where I have several industries all on one spur track, so there’s one or two cars at industry 1, then several carlengths away one or two more cars spotted at industry 2, etc. When picking cars up in a situation like that, I suspect the real railroad would approach the first cars slowly and stop when coupled, make sure the coupling was OK, then proceed to the next industry.
I know that pre-Amtrak at least some railroads had a rule that when switching passenger cars - like adding an occupied sleeping car to a train - that the switcher had to stop a certain distance from the car, then proceed very slowly to the car so that the coupling would be as gentle as possible for people in the car. There might have been similar rules for certain types of cars carrying fragile freight, but generally switchers didn’t have to stop before coupling up to cars, just be sure they were going I think 4 mph or less. (I forget the exact number, but I remember seeing an old railroad-made film on switching that had a certain speed that they said switch crews shouldn’t go beyond in order to ensure safe switching without damage to freight. I think it was 3-4-5 MPH.)
Years ago, before can motors were common, model engines were harder to control and make run well at slow speeds. Because of that, many model railroaders adopted a “stop before coupling” rule as a way to stop engines from slamming into cars at unprototypical speeds. I’m sure some folks still have rules like that on their railroads, but engines made in the last 15-20 years or so run so smoothly at slow speeds it’s really not necessary anymore.
Tim’s scenario of how things are done now days just shows how much they have changed. We used to accomplish the same results with a few simple hand signals and no radios. Only problem was when you had an engineer who for whatever reason wouldn’t lean out the cab window far enough to see the signals. Even then, all you had to do was run him into a cut of cars pretty hard a couple of times and he would start paying attention.
grizlump
Even back in the day we would swing off the car we was riding to signal the engineer to stop before making the joint.We did this for two reasons…
1.Our safety.
2.To insure the couplers was open and lined.
I guess today’s all important sounding term is “safety stop”.[(-D]
As far as switching a industry we would stop before coupling to a car at a dock or unloading area to insure all workmen was clear of the car,dock plates,unloading hoses been removed then we would make the joint,connect the air hose,release the handbrake and then check for any wheel chocks or other debris…
The thing to remember railroading is not a game nor is it done in a haphazard way.
Remember this slogan.
Safety First,Last & Always!
The life you saved may be your own!
Death or serious injury awaits the careless switchman so,you may want to emulate safety and operating rules in your switching operation.
Larry, I hope you don’t mind my emphasizing two points you made:
A hearty AMEN.
To paraphrase a cliche from another profession:
There are old brakemen. There are bold brakemen. There are no old, bold brakemen.
Model railroaders who deliberately operate in a prototypical manner will automatically be more safety conscious around full-size railroad equipment and right-of-way.
Japanese brakemen riding loose cars, either kicked or pushed over a hump, had several big advantages over their American cousins. The Japanese `handbrake’ is a foot brake, on the side of the car, with a stirrup step next to it and grabirons appropriately positioned. Hence:
- Brakes could be appled like those of an automobile - much easier to control than a brake wheel.
- The rider was out where he could see - and where he could make an easy descent to the ground if things started to go sour.
- The rider could apply the brakes while maintaining a solid two-hand hold and carrying his weight on both feet - graduating the brake action by shifting his weight.
I have seen experienced brakemen bring two cars together as softly as a baby’s touch - not once, but time and again in a flat-switched classification yard. Now all I have to do is figure out how to model that!
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)