As many of you know, I am a DMIR guy. I am making sure all my motive power looks the same, i.e firecracker antanea, bell, ditch lights, straight air etc.
Since the DMIR operates with straight air along with regualr trainline, I am wondering, how would I find straight air anglecocks? I want to equip my BNSF GP60M and DMIR SD45T-2 with straight air to start off.
If you’re talking about the train line (next to the coupler), both Kadee (plastic) and Details West (white metal) offer them. I believe either Cal-Scale (Bowser) or Precision Scale (Walthers) offers them in brass. Details West (Walthers) also offers a wide assortment of M.U. hoses.
Nope. Straight air is another braking system used with the ore cars. It is located on either side of the walkway extension on both ends.
You could probably use or modify the same parts. Excuse my ignorance, I have virtually no knowledge concerning ore cars.
Coburn,
The DM&IR has a unigue air system. There are ‘dual’ normal trainline/angle cocks on the engines and cabooses. There is the normal angle **** located to the right of the knucke, and another set above it up above the platform deck. This matches up with the ‘high mount’ angle cocks on the ore cars. The DM&IR did this on all of their ore cars(guess they thought it was easier for a crewman when connecting the air hoses). When these ore cars are used wth normal engines/cars, a special air line ‘extender’ hose is used to make up the height difference.
Later, as the DM&IR got into year around movement of taconite, they had issues with air line pressure loss in the sub-zero winter of Northern Minnesota. One solution was to reduce the number of cars in a train. The DM&IR took a different tack: They combines the existing ore cars into drawbared sets of 4 cars(Mini Quads). This reduced the number of air connections where an air leak cound be. They also added ‘pellet extensions’ since the taconite pellets are not as dense as raw ore, and the ‘straight’ air retainer system. This is the 3rd set of air hose/angle connections. This allows the engineer to adjust/release the retainers while the train is in motion. IIRC, this was developed for some steep grades in a Sount American mining operation and is named the ‘Oronoco’(SP?) air retainer system. When using these ‘Mini Quad’ ore cars, DM&IR was able to keep the train sets at normal sizes through the winter and maintain safe operation when decending "Proctor Hill’ to the Duluth docks. Of interest, these cars still had ‘friction’ bearing trucks. When used in ‘all rail’ ore movements, an ‘exemption’ cetificate must be issued so these cars can be used in interchange service.
Jim Bernier
Yep, Im basically an expert on the DMIR. I suppose I could modify an anglecock or something…