Sort of a dumb question but why don’t modern locomotives have sleeper cabs? Over the road trucks do and international flying airliners have crew rest space but freight locomotives don’t. It seems to me a lot of time could be made up by having two crews onboard, one sleeping and one on duty. I’m thinking the cost of two crews might not be worth it?
…I sure doubt if the railroad would consider having two crews aboard…and having to pay the 2nd one something even when their off duty.
Question to Dan: I note the location of Boulder City, Nv. As one leaves B C and start down the grade towards the Dam…can you still see the old railroad R O W that was used in the Dam construction off to the left where it made a sharp turn to wind it’s way down the grade towards the Dam…?
QM
If you had 2 separate crews on say, a L.A. to Chicago train, and they were to rotate “driving” duties, as trucker teams do, that would mean 4 men (or ladies) away from their home terminal for more than a whole week, given the average speed of freight trains. The real problem doesn’t lay with not having a crew on board, but rather getting that train over the road without delays. If the freight railroads would adopt “scheduled”: operations (like Illinois Central did), and actually MAINTAINED the “schedule”, then all crews would be putting in no more than a 12 hour day, and sleep in their own bed every night. But, Management either does not care, or they don’t understand the fundamentals. As far as “sleeper cabs” goes, the cab floor of a trailing unit makes a pretty good bed for the overworked, tired crewmember, providing you can scrounge up enough paper towels for a makeshift pillow.
The problem here is not crews and not scheduals its the teritory you are qualified to run on. unoin contracts provide you work on yu territory not across the nation. And second thing is during rest time the contract provides that the carrier will put you up for lodging at a place where you can get something to eat 24hrs a day. I dont see any places to get anything to eat on a engine.
Interesting question in a way, it seems that all other modes do have sleeping quarters for operators. Boats are slow and they have sleeping quarters. But its not just north American trains but as far as I know, trains in all other countries don’t have sleeping quarters for operating crews. Wich makes me ask: Are there any trains in the world where engineers have sleeping quarters in the locomotive?
Aaaaarrrrghhhhh! Please, Danny me lad, don’t make me stay on the property any longer than I do now! I don’t want to take rest there too!
Hi Dan,
On a ship,(boats are the little things you fish off of) the quarters are somewhat better than what you can get in a locomotive. In a truck, the tag team drivers split the pay, and are usually owner/operaters. And believe me, after 12 hours in a locomotive cab, your pretty numb, after the second shift, I wouldnt want them running anywhere me.
Ed
In Australia, ARG (Australian Railroad Group, owned by G & W) regularly attach crew cars behind locomotives for extra crew when travelling across the continent to Perth, Western Australia. This allows swapping of crews as East Coast to West Coast which is a 4 day trip.
Another railway here, Freight Australia (also majority USA-owned) runs East-West with an attached tanker car for in-line, on-the-move refuelling…no stopping for re-fills.
Hope this helps!
Gerard
I’ll answer that question with a question. Does anyone here remember the “Flying Scotsman” British steam train that toured the USA in 1969-1970? That engine had what was called a “corridor tender”, that allowed engine crews to move back into the train, and replacements to come forward. All this was done while underway. That is how the train acheived the fastest time between cities. I believe that only 2 crews were involved, but it wasn’t a “transcontinental” run either.
Todd C.
Yes you can. However by air you can see the whole picture of where the tracks went
sorry about that chief, it was just my inquiring mind that wanted to know.
Back in the late 70’s the Rock Island proposed running two crews on grain trains from the midwest to the gulf. I believe they proposed using a converted psgr car for a dormitory car. The two crews would work 12hrs on and 12off and stay with the train for a set number of days (I think it was like 3weeks, but not sure of that) just like a barge crew. Needless to say, it wasn’t well recieved among the crews who would’ve been affected.