locomotives idle for days, why is it OK?

[Kernel]

Is CSX for sale? Are they having hard times?



I wish they'd change the name back to B&O.



Blake

Interesting, does anybody know anything more?



CSX bought what used to be called Chessie System which included the C&O and B&O. They did bring back the C&O and B&O as divisions but don't know really what came of it in the last 5 yrs.



Scott

 

[EMD Diesel Power]

depends on the power you have... most loco's have a slow speed control system... it is like cruise control for low speeds [below 15mph i believe]



when i am moving power around the shop tracks, you just jockey the throttle between the notches to maintain a speed. with no train in tow [single locomotive] N1 will give you about 7mph N2 will give you 13-15mph or so. if i am spotting a unit or coupling to something, i will drag the brakes... on most 6 axle power around 20psi brake cylinder pressure [independent brakes] and N1 power you will just creep along. N3 power will give enough power down to start to overcome 80psi brake cylinder pressure. hit N4 and you will start moving with 80psi brakes [unless you are trying to drag something with brakes on... i got 1500amps on a dash9 that was not loading in a consist, but on it's own it would hit 1500A before you got wheelslip and power drop... ]

Trying to keep yourself in work Nick? :-laf :-laf :-laf



Sometimes if the yard is small, you dont even need to jockey the throttle... . Most times I was able to just kick it to Run 3 for about 2-4 seconds and go back to Idle and just drift. Use about 10-20 lbs on the independents and feather to a stop---- unless some idiot torpedoed me. Then I responded in kind with an emergency apply on the automatic brake and full apply (80psi) on the independent... . 3rd shift ya know---full of cuckoos



hey... Im just following the rules boss... . I never did flat-spot them too bad.



Running in morning dew or fresh rain was always fun too... like running on a greased pig.



Extreme cold/snow/ice was a riot..... Sometimes took up to Run 6 to even get moving... . then I'd leave the brakes set at 20psi and just drag the heck out of em... . otherwise they didnt work too darn well. (too cold----brakeshoes need to be warm for max braking action). Oh yeah, ice buildup over the rails will derail you.



As for the slow speed control, it is cruise control, but not for running on the mainline. It ranges from 0-15mph in tenths increments... . so yeah. . you can run 0. 3 mph or 7. 9 mph or whatever is needed. Its designed for mine loadouts (coal and such). Mine loadouts need to maintain a specific speed (1-3mph) throughout the entire unit train (110-125 cars) otherwise the car is either underfilled or way overfilled. Im not sure how the unloading process works exactly... . so it may/may not be used then as well.

 

[SHobbs]

The last rumor I heard was that Union Pacific was going to aquire CSX and Burlington Northern was looking at Norfolk Southern. After the disaster that was caused when UP took over SP I doubt any more mergers will be approved. I can say that CSX had dispatchers that traveled to Omaha to see how the dispatchers at UP did their job. They also received some training from UP.

From what I understand CSX is doing fine financially, UP just wants the coast to coast connection. The intermodal business is booming and UP has some real strict delivery contracts with UPS. We have certain UPS trains that are very hot and if they don't make their connection with CSX UP has to pay to have all the containers trucked to their final destinations.

As far as speed most people don't know that for the last three years UP has been using remote control technology. No more engineers in the cab, those of us that work on the ground have a box strapped to our waist and we control the locomotive with it. The speed selector is kind of like cruise control, just set the speed to 1mph, 4mph, 7mph, 10mph or 15 mph. The engine does what it has to do to stay at each speed whether it performs throttle modulation or uses the brakes.

If you are an engineer you use the throttle and the brakes. Too fast let off the throttle not enough apply some brakes or use dynamics ( kind of like an engine brake).

These engines generate power in the form of Amps and in the dynamic (braking mode) mode they generate voltage. The dynamics work really well if used properly.

I have to get on a soap box for a minute if I may. I hope we don't have members that try and beat trains at crossings or drive through the gates. I have seen first hand the carnage that this creates and the effects on the train crews not to mention the families affected. I would like to ask to just take the time to look, listen and live. As a conductor of a freight train it is my job to try to assist victims involved in crossing accidents if I can. I have done this twice and I hope I never have to do it again, thank you. I am off my box now, lol.

 

[Kernel]

Don't mean to highjack a thread, but with the 7 derailments in 6 months that UP had around San Antonio and others a year or two ago have this remote engineer?

 

[C. Harlan]

Scott... . Whats the deal with your phone?? I have been trying to get a hold of you for some time now... everytime it tells me that it is not in service... call me man!



As far as trains- I have yet to run a locomotive... I have ran every other kind of equipment, flown a plane, driven a boat. . I have yet to drive a train... Something I must do before I die some day. I have put in numerous applications to UP, but never get any bites back. Several of my friends work for UP, and seem to like it, and one offered to let me ride from town here down to a town on the way to Del Rio... I have seen those remote control locos around some of the switch yards here... kind of interesting. . Do y'all operate them while on the train, or are y'all on the ground running them?



-Chris-

 

[nickleinonen]

Trying to keep yourself in work Nick?

maybe? :-laf





i have heard all kinds of rumors around mergers and buy outs... a while back, cn was planning on merging with bnsf, but that didn't happen. now i am hearing rumors at my shop that cn is wanting to buy NS... that could be plausable.



[but as it goes at my shop, if you haven't heard a rumor by 10am, you start one ]

which ones have cummins in them? cummins has some engines working in the rail business but maybe not as prime engines

none really have them as prime movers [some of the old budd cars [powered passenger car] via rail had had cummins power in them [before my time... ]



there is an article in 2-3 months back in diesel progress magazine about some company [i can't find the mag issue ] that is rebuilding & repowering some old EMD GR12 [i think?] switchers with a pair of cummins qsk [? 19 liter ones]... it delievers pretty much the same HP as the gr12 was, and runs on 1 engine until load determines the other fire up... and when not moving, both engines will shut down [until water temp/air pressure/movement dictate start up]



i wish i could find that issue... it was a UP switcher they had images of [one engine at each end of the loco, it had the cab dead center in the loco, with a medium length low hood at both ends]

 

[SHobbs]

As far as San Antonio goes several things were at work there. These stuid remotes, crew fatigue and poor comunication. The fatigue issue is all UP's doing, understand that working for the railroad in the transportation dept. ie conductor, switchman or engineer is unlike anything you will ever do in your life if you work there. Until this year crews were forced to work with only 3-4hrs of sleep a day. It still happens to some extent today. I worked for 2yrs getting only 3hrs of sleep everyday. We cannot legally work more than 12hrs per shift and at the time anything less than 12hrs you got 8hrs off more than 12 you got 10hrs. I am on call and get a three hour notice as to what time to report for duty, well take that three hours off of your 8 or 10 hours off and you get an actual number. There were some nasty train wrecks in San Antonio due to this kind of scheduling. Now we get 10hrs off that can't be disturbed until that time expires.

As far as remote accidents well take a man or woman off the streets and give them 4 weeks classroom training and 30 days of actual field training then turn them loose. They have no idea what they are pulling or any idea of how to stop. Yes they get this training in the field but alot of older guys hate training new guys. They run around with that deer in the headlight look. There are always accidents where different jobs are running into each other.

Operating the remotes is pretty straight forward, we do it from the ground, in the cab or up to 2 miles away. We have some tracks that are designated as pull back zones. There are pucks in between the rails and the lead engine has a reader under the nose. As the engine moves down the track it goes over the pucks and will stop itself at a given distance, we are nowhere near it just watch it go.

 

[Kernel]

That whole number of hours allowed to work is a joke I know. My Dad worked for Chessie/CSX for 30 yrs, most of it as a line gang foreman. I know in the winter time he would sometimes come home late, get a couple of hours of sleep, get called out to sweep switches and light heaters, finish up and by the time he got back to the office it was time for him to be there anyways so he stayed and finished the day. The Old Man worked hard.



Chris, Nextel ****** me off so I got rid of the phone, I'm done with cellphones... you have a PM.



Scott