What does set and centered mean? I remember a while back I was told but I forgot. Does it have something to do with the air? I hear it every night when the Neenah to Manitowoc L-52481 come’s into Manitowoc and does switching.
Mookie is going to go way out on a limb and take a stab at this -
Air is set and centered would be the lever you use to run the engine - or possibly the reverser - is centered. This way you can do some ground work w/o a fear of having the engine move. Am I close?
That would be my answer…standard disclaimer though…
…I thought we were talking about football though…after set and center we start the audibles…
Score one for the Mookie and Dan…
Train or independent (locomotive)brake is set, and the reverser is centered, along with the generator field switch turned off, all to prevent the locomotive/train from moving while a switchman,/conductor is in-between the cars, laceing up air hoses or applying/removing hand brakes, hanging a rear end device or replacing a knuckle.
“Set and centered” is the verbal reply the engineer gives when the ground person informs him that they will be in the “RED ZONE”
Some railroads refer to it as Three Point Protection.
The engineer may not respond to anything but the same type of comunication when you clear yourself from the red zone as that used to place yourself in the zone.
If you used hand signals to inform him you are going to be the red zone, you must use hand signals to clear yourself, he has to see you.
If you use a radio transmission, “mobil one entering the red zone of job 152”
he must hear you clear yourself via radio.“Mobil one on job 152 is clear of the red zone, drag em on out”
No one may clear someone else from the zone, nor may you piggyback on someone elses red zone call.
In other words, I cant clear my helper, and he cant enter the zone with protection when I call and enter the zone, unless he also calls the engineer and places himself in the zone, in which case the engineer will not move the train until he hears from both of us, independently of each other, that each person is clear.
The engineer is not allowed to move their train, under any circumstances, on anyones elses orders, or for any reason, unless he hears or can see every person who was in the red zone, and they clear themselves.
Period.
Until the Red Zone or Three point protection became a FRA rule, the majority of switching and yard injuries and deaths came from being hit by your own train, or free rolling equipment, both of these often caused by mis-comunicat
Very good Mook !!!
For your reward , you get a great big chocolate cake and a 1/2 gallon milk to wash it down with. [bow] [dinner]
I hear CSX refer to it as “three step”. The rest of the story is the same.
That does raise another question, though. Considering that there are still some steam ops around, how do they handle it? There is no generator field to turn off… Do they just have to settle for “two step?” - brake and reverse lever?
When I first saw the topic, the first thing that came into my mind was couplers - set (open) and centered, ready for a hitch…
Bring it on, Marty! [:D]
before 3 step protection all we said was going in or working at was rule 13 or something like that. and again i never moved til the conductor said he was in the clear. now the key was i knew what we was doing and so when he told me we was going to some other place i wouldnt move til i understood the change. this prevented accidents. i knew the mans voice and he was who i listen to. never had a problem and nobody been injured. no we wear out generator field switched very fast. then when they dont work and your down waiting for shops to fix it. how much work is getting done. it is the goverment wanting to slow down progress again
Sounds like a Bunch of U.P. guys answered the question. On the BNSF,We say,“Inbetween” or “going in between”…after the hogger responds “Set & centered”,we then can go in between cars to couple air hoses or “tie or loosen” a handbrake.The hogger sets the independent brakes(locomotives only) & centers the reverser lever,much like forward or reverse in a car ,he puts it in neutral. WE do not turn off the Generator Field Switch…WHY would you if the brakes are on & the engine in in neutral…hope the helps…
the reason for dropping the gen feild is so you dont take off . even with independant on the engine will move. ( or should say some engine willl move) the key is you need to trust each other if the engineer isnt trust worthy then he needs to be either recertified or decertified. real simple not more rules.
Thanks to all that replied. This does clear up everything that I wanted to know about “Set and Centered”.
For Tree68, asking about 3 step in steam ops:
The third step is throttle fully closed - air applied and reverser centered. You’ll never catch me between the drivers without a chain or chocks, as well. Steam leaks.