I am not sure how to put this. Is yard switching (not hump yards) done with car air brakes “working”? I grew up in the 50’s along side the Katy tracks, yard had 12-15 tracks, father was a switchman on the yard job (5 man crew) and my memories of moving cars was that he would sometimes bleed a standing car before coupling up. Also they would shove cars and they they would coast into the proper track; sometimes a switchman would ride the car to work the hand brake. Other times it would just coast into a row of sitting cars unattended. Then the whole row might move a little. I watch switching now and they move a lot slower a sometimes wait before moving after a couple up, are they waiting on air build up in the car. If my questions seem elementery, I am not a detail “foamer”, just grew up in an extended railroad family and its in my blood.
In most places it will be done without air. But there will be exceptions where the local situation makes it advisable to keep air on the cars at least some of the time. That really slows down the whole process. But if the locomotive brakes alone will have trouble stopping a heavy cut before a fouling point that is what you need to do.
The pause after they couple up may be the yardman releasing hand brakes on the additional cars, or going further back to pull the pin if only some of the cars are being pulled from that track. Also, new safety rules may prohibit some of the old practices and shortcuts, slowing things down. Safety generally trumps efficiency these days, and less lives are lost as a result.
Inbound trains on receiving tracks are inspected by car department for bad orders, (damaged cars in need of repairs) and the air brakes are bled off.
Road locomotive is removed, switcher locomotive put in place.
Switch crew will couple into cars, and depending on the yard geography, either make a cut on a switchable number of cars based on the locomotives used, or on the availability of certain tracks, or bring the entire train around into the yard proper, shove cuts of cars into holding tracks designated for just such purpose, and begin switching on a suitable cut of cars.
If the cut has excessive loads, you are allowed to air up or charge the air brakes on a few of the head cars close to the locomotive to provide braking force.
The pause you see may be the switchman stretching the cut to make sure all the couplings have made before they shove the cars farther down the track…this is a rule in both GCOR and Norac rule books.
It may also be as CX500 states, someone may be releasing hand brakes preparing to shove or move the track…per GCOR and most railroads operating rules, hand brakes are allowed to be left on and in place when moving cars in switching operations if they are deemed needed to control the movement, as long as the brakes are not so tight as to lock the wheels and slide the wheels, again, depending on the yard, the crews work habits and local rules.
Bumper cars or “bumpers” are cars that are shoved into clear track and have hand brakes set to give the crew something to kick (allow to free roll) cars again
Correct. As a crew is kicking cars into tracks a brakeman, or switchman as the case may be, will ride a car to rest and tie it down to be used as a bumper for cars being kicked against it.
Much thanks, edblysard, I have really been brought up to date on yard switching. Interesting that you move cars with the hand brake on. A very well written treatise on the subject. I “lived” in the Katy yard till I was practically grown and saw switching with steam give way to diesel. I look back and wonder how hard work it must have been to switch with steam, as I recall the power was usually a 2-6-0. Being in a petroleum producing state (OK) they were oil fired. Thanks to all for your info.
They yard where I work was built in 1924 and the power back then was 0 4 0 and 2 6 0…the old heads said the little tank engines and camel backs could pull amazing number of cars…of course we are talking about the standard car being a 40 footer then, but still….
If you have any more questions or need additional detail just e-mail me……