You have no other reason for being here other than stir the pot. you have nothing constructive to say , you say that you like trains but then the only thing out of you is degrading and total waste of time, you say you been in transportation for years( dont remeber how long its not a big issue ) yet you have no idea what you are talking about , under your reasoning then I should know how the postal service runs cause ive mailed several thousand letters over the years makes me a professional. send out a tech to restart a engine ? what kind of tech? The computor programer who screwed it up in the first place, run a train by a computor terminal . that is real smart, you can do that to truck drivers now. the gps will do everything yep close up the trucks doors and have 1 man operate 3 trucks. it is easier to drive a truck than it is to run a train. Send a tech out to solve problems on a train, roflmao i can see that happening after 2 hours trying to find some one to come out they haft to drive 5 hrs to get there then disable engines so they wont move blue flag the tracks work on the engine get it going if its a knuckel replace it then remove blue flags put engines on line give the train back to a guy on a computor terminal 700 miles away. that took 9 hrs and the tech still has to drive home on the clock, now a crew on board done in 1 hr. and train is moving. Oh yea give me that cost saving measure take the crews off the train. buy that railroad stock with service like that we be rolling in the money … get a life.
You guys mind if this thread stays on topic? Please take your personal beefs elsewhere.
Ulrich-you seem to be starting a pattern of steering some of these threads off topic, to start arguements about side issues. That really is distracting. I mean this sincerely: when you get these urges why don’t you go and start a new thread? You seem to feel passionate about some of these issues, why not take it seriously enough to not detract from other threads? Thanks
On topic- I saw a TV news story a couple of years ago, about operating a Jordan spreader plow on the DM&E through central Minnesota. Three men were inside the plow, operating the equipment. Someone in the locomotive cab, who seemd vvery familiar with the territory was radioing instructions to them.
Are we sure they weren’t terrorist trying to shut down the Mayo Clinic?
[}:)][(-D]
Here is one that lost the battle with a big drift:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF2ZPRmocs4&mode=related&search=
There is a relatively high probability of derailing when bucking snow.
Speed and momentum are assets to beat the drift and avoid getting stuck, but they are liabilities if you happen to derail.
I’ve seen that vid. Where was it shot? I love the comment seconds after the plow hangs up:“Uh oh. That’s a lotta snow…”
In a situation like that why wouldn’t the ‘spotter’ (for lack of a better term) tell the hogger to give it more throttle a little sooner?
As I mentioned, the faster they hit the drift, the worse it will be if they derail. I do not know if there are any rules in place to govern how fast to hit drifts, or if just a general speed limit applies. Others here may know about that.
So it’s a double-edged sword.
What happens when ice is thick enough to cover the rails? I’m talking about several inches. Would that be more likely to cause a derailment if the wheel/flange doesn’t cut through?
A Jordan is probabily better at removing ice than a wedge plow and rotaries are about useless for ice.
dd
Are there guidelines for how much ice/snow is too much for safety? How about when to send out the plows/spreaders?
On the CNW there was no set guidelines. There are many factors to consider: how frequent do the trains run on the line (if the train frequency is sufficent to keep the line relatively clear, then the plows on the locomoties are usually sufficient). Of course, it depends on how fast the snow is falling, how windy it is during and after the snow falls, the moisture content of the snow, the ambient temperature at the time of snow fall, and how cold is it expected to get after the snow stops.
Ice build up is a serious problem on lesser-used lines, especially on road crossings, more so on heavily-travelled roads and/or with lots of trucks. The snow gets packed in the flangeways on the crossings, and each compression slightly melts the snow, such that repeated compressions cause the snow to turn to ice. It is for those reasons that Metra sets up the suburban train that will be the first in during the next morning as leading out with the cabcar, so it can lead locomotive-first in the morning. They do this on the Kenosha trains and the Richmond trains.
I’ve hit drifts with a suburban train at 70mph that were so big/long that by the time the train exited the drift I was down to 20 mph!
I’ve also ran the Jordan spreader to clear main lines; it is quite ‘exciting’ to be on a locomotive in the 8th notch in a tunnel of white snow and zero visibility!
Back in the day, it was not uncommon to bury the plow (sometimes in a cut), then have workers dig it out so they could back up and try it again…
Good grief Wabash…I wasn’t stirring the pot…only expressing my own views on the subject…namely that technology will replace or enhance your skill set. Sorry if that hurts your feelings but we all have to change with the times (myself included). I don’t know if driving a train is easier than driving a truck…in both cases technology has made the job alot easier over the last ten to fifteen years…now relax and BE HAPPY.
I just thought of a rotary question:
How near to WI is the nearest one or are those mainly in the more mountainous regions? How are they powered: diesel prime mover? Slug power from lead unit? Would that even work?
Rotaries - I recall reading an account of one being used on the Long Island RR…
IIRC, most of the rotaries today use traction motors and get their power from a locomotive set up to feed them.
That’s not to say that they couldn’t be run by a Diesel (highway snowblowers are), but I suspect that an electric motor may be more tolerant of the varying stresses than any internal combustion engine.
On the topic of rotaries - the guy who invented the Leslie rotary, which we are most used to seeing, sold the patent for mere pennies. He went on to invent a cone shaped rotary which was actually rather successful, but suffered from bearing failures at the apex of the cone.
IIRC, his name was Orange Jull.
Sir Tree you’re correct. A little digging turned this picture up which comes from this article. Interesting concept.
What if a rotary would be powered much in the same way that a diesel electric loco is? Prime mover turns an alternator/generator providing power to an electric motor turning the snowblowing parts?
Here is a nice video of a U.P. rotary in operation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frBh5vO_2g0&NR=1
As it goes under the bridge, you can hear the engine in the rotaty working at full power, followed by the locomotive just loafing along at changing throttle settings. I would guess that this rotary has no traction motors or any kind of self-propulsion. I thought that was typical, but I may be wrong. Is that tank car behind the rotary for fuel?
Classic case of passive/aggressive behavior.
To keep on the subject of this thread - the UP rotaries are setup just like a locomotive - with an EMD diesel driving a generator (or alternator - I can’t remember which) and then the generator drives a traction motor which turns the blade. IIRC it also has a steam generator because a steam line is very handy for melting off ice and snow covered parts.
No power from the rotary is used for motion - the rotaries have no traction motors in the trucks. Movement is provided by the pushing locomotive(s). However, the rotaries are set up for MU capability because the locomotive engineer and the rotary operator are both in the rotary cab for best communication.
dd