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Another Railroad story......Part 1- Part 2- Part 3- etc :thumbup:

watched a show on TV about a train wreck in western Canada. A freight and a passenger train hit head on at a combined speed of over 90 mph. I think it was over a hundred but I can not remember for sure. It was facinating. What a mess though. It was a true story.

You ain't boring anyone buddy....:thumbup:
 
has to brake for any reason, do all the brakes on all cars engage at the same time or is it selective? Also, do the rear car's brakes engage before the others? I ask this because when pulling a stock trailer, when we apply the brakes to the tow vehicle, the trailer brakes engage first. I am really enjoying this story and will be looking forward to the next part. Please have a great day! Kelley (Texas) :)
 
Part IV The runaround

The train rolls easily through the yard, mainly because it
 
There are actually two brake systems on a train. The cars and the independent engine brakes. When a reduction or application is made, it takes time for the air pulse to move down the train line. but eventually all the brakes on the cars are activated to the same amount. This is really evident when you have a long train. With 50 cars on, it takes about a minute for the last car's brakes to come on. In an emergency, the blinky or rear-end device will dump the air from the rear as well allowing the brakes to respond that much quicker. With just 4 cars it's pretty much instant.
 
there were that many steps to go thru before being ready to go. Very interesting indeed ! I suppose it's neccessary when we're talking about moving trains, being as big as they are. I'm just wondering what speed they average on a trip. Hope to find that out in your next post. Great read Dave !
 
But I'll spill some beans. Because passenger coaches ride better than freight-cars, we are allowed a few more MPH than the freights. Under ideal track conditions, our limit is 30 +/- 10% for safe handling. The freights maximum is 25 with the same 10%. One thing about freight trains, they don't do well at certain speeds. Our requirement is 15 and under or 20 and above. At 18mph, something called harmonic rocking occurs. It's due to the shorter cars passing over the rail joints in unison and can actually cause a derailment if it becomes too violent.

Dave
 
Part V On the platform

The sun is trying to burn off the remainders of the river fog hanging over the yard like a blanket as we cross the Connecticut river and into Vermont. Moving through the yard, we pass freight cars on the right and a couple of old Budd cars and an early Rutland milk car that is now stored here. The old milk car has been in two movies that were shot here in recent years. Back in the forties, milk was shipped from the farms to the depot and then put into refrigerated cars in 30 gallon cans. Bulk milk is still measured today by the jug or 30 gallons.

Moving into the Bellows Falls yard, the freight office and then the Depot itself come into view. The yard switcher boys have left the platform lead switch lined for the main so we come to a stop just short and I swing down to throw it for the platform.

The yard has quite a varied lot of cars today, a few boxes, a few tanks and some log flats, most being in for repairs or service. There is a salt unloading pit on the farthest track but today it
 
I will be reading the next part in a few minutes...I am really enjoying your train story. Please have a great day! Kelley (Texas) :)
 
I suspect that this is going to be a long weekend waiting for the next part. I hope you get to post the next part on Monday. Please have a great weekend! Kelley (Texas) :)
 
Part VI All Aboard!

Paperwork in hand, I head out to the engine and hand up the engineers copy along with mine which Bruce will put on my clipboard in the cab. It is a requirement that both of us have copys of any train orders and that they must match each other.

The passenger reps or suits are busy helping the passengers get on the train so I head off to the rear to do yet another brake test. Each time the engine is uncoupled from a train a brake test must be done albeit not as complicated as the initial yard test.
 
thought when they shouted "all aboard", it was kinda like the last call for boarding an airplane. Like, "everybody get on board". I didn't know it was relaying a message to the engineer! Let's keep going! :)
 
Part VII Over the causeway and up the river

The causeways are a favorite spot for fishermen to occupy even if they are actually trespassing. Bruce and I keep a sharp lookout for anyone on or near the tracks. Up ahead, the East end of Riverside yard comes into view. We both check the target on the mainline switch.
 
I'll try and take my camera and see if I can get a few shots and add them to the narritive.
 
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