Out walking tonight, I was passed by a Dakota & Iowa train that runs parallel to a popular bike trail. The train was going usual track speed of maybe 15-20 mph. After it passed, a BNSF hi-rail pickup came zooming up behind it. When it caught up, it slowed to match the speed, keeping back about 100 yards.
Why run a high-rail pickup behind a train?
Does that cause issues with the signaling to have two machines that close together on the tracks?
Wouldn’t it be pretty tough for the high-rail pickup to get accross the crossings? Around here, they yield to the traffic. One the train passes it would be a while before the traffic thins.
Under normal circumstance the rules prohibit running hi-rails ahead of trains in the same track segments. The rules permit operating hi-rails BEHIND trains, where the trains have authority to operate in a SINGLE DIRECTION only.
Hi-rail equipment puts much less stress on the track structure and is normally limited to 40 MPH by rule. (Your Rule Book may vary).
Most hi-rail vehicles are insulated electrically from the track and do not operate signals or crossing protection. Hi-railers must flag themselves across road crossing.
MofW personnel have track inspections they are REQUIRED to make on a periodic basis.
To get Authority from the Train Dispatcher to occupy the track the MofW person will communicate with the Train Dispatcher and tell him the track segment he wants to occupy and inspect. If the MofW person is a Z and tells the Train Dispatcher he wants to inspect between Z & A, the Train Dispatcher will respond - “I can’t put you on the track at Z, I have a train running from A to Z; If you want to go to A and you can follow the train.”
I would guess that is probably safer to be behind instead of in front in case you need to stop and take a closer look. Also watching the movement in front of you may alert for other issues.
10 minutes is a lot more than 300 feet at any reasonable speed.
My experience, from memory, is that there is a lag between the end of the trains crossing the grade-crossing and the upward movemenet of the crossing gates. If this is true, then the highrailer should be able to squeek by without having to stop and flag. Is this the case?
And then increase speed to restore a 300-feet distance? What about crossings with heavy and continuous traffice? Do they ever close the gap to say 80 feet just to get across the crossing without stopping?
A high-railer can come to a full stop much faster than a train, so this should be able to be done safely.
We used to have a Foreman who liked to drive the hi-rail that way. A few time when operating light engine I looked back in the mirror to see him right on the drawbar. Crossing or no crossing.
He is retired now, and I suspect he learned to operate track units back when speeders were in use and paper train lineups conveyed operating authority.
I can’t find it right now, but I recall reading a story about the ‘intricacies’ of speeder operation behind trains from that era. Apparently if you got very close to the tail end of the train the speeder would get into its slipsteam, and have little to no air resistance. This meant that you could go as fast as the train. But you had to stay very close, to get over power switches before the Dispatcher lined them behind the train.
[quote user=“SD70Dude”]
We used to have a Foreman who liked to drive the hi-rail that way. A few time when operating light engine I looked back in the mirror to see him right on the drawbar. Crossing or no crossing. He is retired now, and I suspect he learned to operate track units back when speeders were in u
I remember the AAR issued safety poster than hung in one depot. It was two guys in their speeder, trying to keep ahead of a speeding train. The caption was what the rider said to the operator, “Have you checked your line-up lately?”
Our MOW or signal people get authority behind trains all the time. Before they can occupy the track, they have to notify the train they are going to be behind that they will be setting on and to have the train acknowledge that they can’t back up without first contacting the employee. Contact can be direct, or through the dispatcher if the train is towards the far end of the employee’s track authority.
Are hi-rail vehicles (when on the track) governed by a Restricted Speed method of operation? In this case, being able to stop within half the distance to the train in case of a sudden stop. Most likely that would be an emergency brake application - how fast would they notice that occurring? - but a derailment could stop the train even quicker. (Wouldn’t that be a story: “We were following close but could have stopped in time, except the train derailed and stopped quickly, so then we couldn’t stop before we hit the rear car.”)
712.17 When operating on-track equipment, operate at a speed that permits stopping within one-half the range of vision. Do not exceed the speed authorized for trains on the same track or listed in the table below, whichever is less. Type of Equipment or Operation Must Not Exceed
Rail Detector Car 40 MPH
Rail-Highway vehicle less than 10,001 GVW Forward – 40 MPH
Reverse – 20 MPH
Rail-Highway vehicle more than 10,000 GVW Forward – 30 MPH
Reverse – 10 MPH Type of Equipment or Operation Must Not Exceed
Rail Grinders 50 MPH
Ballast shoulder cleaner and Loram Ditcher 40 MPH
(1) rules are cute, but your hi-rail wheel bearings don’t last long at those higher speeds.
(2) your side flange walls are not that tall for any kind of speed, if the rail is wet -you’re NOT stopping and if its really wet You’re NOT going. And then there is the issue of frogs and switch points.
(3) As diningcar probably remembers, even being careful and having a line-up can still result in a crumpled M-5 out in the weeds with all of your worldly belongings scattered to the wind and the Fairmont M-5 operator beat to a pulp.
(4) BNSF had an incident in the last 5 years where a track supervisor rear ended a stationary train (partly due to a medical problem) in Western AZ
You could probably answer this by thinking of it as a steep-sided, reasonably deep shoulder/sidewall-busting pothole … in reverse.
I think it would be likely that there would be a sizable sideways tire ‘bounce’ too, which might enhance flange contact on the opposite side but not enough to cause climb … this keeping any tendency for tire or suspension bounce to lift the flanged guide wheel(s) on the affected side from causing derailment.