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B4Ctom1 posted:Alerters are an American corporate temper tantrum which is not that widely practiced elsewhere.
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May 25, 2011 23:48
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Alereon posted:I certainly understand that they're horribly annoying, but is there an alternative solution to address the safety issue without sticking a second engineer in the cab? There are already two guys in the cab. Also research has shown that the alerter does not make the guy any more alert because if he is tired he just continues to push it in his sleep. Things like cab signal protection which prevent the train from going by a specific point without acknowledging or the train will stop is a much more effective method. These are used on my district, and around the world with great safe effect. But the tortuous alerter remains day and night, through boredom and business. Most of them don't function properly. They are designed so that if you are moving the controls a lot, ie very busy that they are automatically acknowledged by the movement of the controls. Unfortunately many of them malfunction and still demand acknowledgement. Also they are supposed to go off about once every 60-80 seconds, counting down to a penalty. Some go off every 15 seconds. Occasionally I will see one that starts the flashing light and alarm beginning the countdown instantly after you just pressed the button! Let us not forget that they do not send the acknowledgement buttons to the repair shops, only the major repair shops get them, so as the buttons get in disrepair you must pound on them. Or they get gummed up and are difficult to press. Some of them the head of the button is missing leaving a jagged broken pencil shaped part to press every minute for 12 hours. Some of them even that part is missing and you have to push your finger into a recessed hole to acknowledge it! B4Ctom1 fucked around with this message at 00:09 on May 26, 2011 |
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May 26, 2011 00:06
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B4Ctom1 posted:Alerters are an American corporate temper tantrum which is not that widely practiced elsewhere. Can't you press them early, or do you HAVE to wait for the beep?
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May 26, 2011 00:33
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Pushing in the hole should be something we are used to as railway labor. Its like getting fingered from management. I am not bitter or cynical what so ever.  We had one of the FXE engines as a leader... every thing was in Spanish, but easy to switch back to English. But as a way to piss off the dispatcher....  FXE 1234, we have a problem north dispatcher North dispatcher, what is your problem? Every thing is in Spanish... ..... (seriously this was a good 3 minute wait) Do you need a translator? I think so, but we might figure it out. Well, I don't know them foreign languages, and I just asked the entire dispatching office and no one here knows how to speak it so your on your own. Oh ok, I guess we will figure it out.My engineer and myself didn't stop laughing about it for a good 3 hours. Oh and the alerter, if you actually hold down the button, most engines will take your air (put the brakes on). So yeah theres no winning with the alerter. The territory B4Ctom1 is talking about is actually CCS (coded cab signals), he can go flying past all "slow down" signals doing 70. My territory has ATC (automatic train control), which makes you slow down when you pass a signal that requires it. BrokenKnucklez fucked around with this message at 00:47 on May 26, 2011 |
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May 26, 2011 00:41
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Yes we are CCS, I can blow by them as long as I acknowledge them.Sponge! posted:Can't you press them early, or do you HAVE to wait for the beep? Here is a neat video I have lots of stuff here http://www.outlawperformance.com/images/trains Feel free to post a link and ask a question about any of it. You are bound to be VERY curious about some of it. Some of it I took as an engineer, some as a conductor over years and years. There won't be much new video as the new FRA rules are pretty strict about the use of electronic devices while running. Sometimes someone will break the rules with a camera and I can get a copy.
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May 26, 2011 04:08
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Also here is a sound file of all of the cab sounds at once. http://www.outlawperformance.com/images/trains/All%20cab%20sounds.qcp The first sound is the CCS cab signal alarm, I acknowledge/stop it first as you only have 8 seconds to do so. Then the dispatcher begins his monotonic blaring over the radio. The last sound which I let run for a few seconds is one of the more gentle but different crew alerter alarms locomotives are equipped with. The other not heard here is extremely "sudden". Not cool when you are trying to drive something so massive. Maybe someone could recode it in MP3 so those with limited audio players could hear.
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May 26, 2011 04:19
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So, what's basically keeping everyone from using velcro, and an erector set with either just the pole, or a nice little foot on it, and jamming it against the deadman/asleepman button? I highly doubt it's going to notice that you hit the button within 0.01 +/- tolerance, right?
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May 26, 2011 04:22
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I have a rail question actually. I take commuter trains into Boston daily and every now and then a train will roll into North Station, and a bunch a burly guys will trot up to the train right after it gets into the station and slap a flashing blue light on the end. I assume it means that's something's up with the train and that they're working on it, but is there a specific Rail Use for "flashing blue light"?
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May 26, 2011 11:30
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Armacham posted:
I could swear that this thing was really built by a race of high-powered mutant Doozers rather than humans. I visited the Henry Ford Museum about two years ago and neither words nor pictures can really describe how loving HUGE it is. Very impressive (and imposing).
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May 26, 2011 14:29
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"Shampoo posted:Rail Use for "flashing blue light"? Yes its called "blue flag protection" Basically it is so no one moves while the specific mechanical force is working on train. During the day its actually a metal sign that says "Safety First". Also out carmen (repairs freight cars) have now implemented a tag that sticks to the throttle on the engine that says "My life is in your hands". I really like these tags because it really does reinforce that some one is depending on you.
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May 26, 2011 15:36
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We do something similar where I work, but we call it Lock-Out Tag-Out. We take a padlock, and lock the power switch for the equipment in the off position. There is a tag attached to the lock, and it says "Joe Blow locked this out. Call him at 555-1234" For the train guys: If you are driving a train in the middle of nowhere, is they anything you really have to do other than reset the alerter? Is it just full throttle all the way?
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May 26, 2011 23:19
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B4Ctom1 posted:I have lots of stuff here Holy crap, the bottom of that nuclear flask is rather close to the sleepers!
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May 26, 2011 23:27
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 I wonder how many locomotive enthusiasts have spent untold thousands of dollars duplicating this setup for MS Train Simulator...
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May 27, 2011 00:00
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Guy Axlerod posted:We do something similar where I work, but we call it Lock-Out Tag-Out. We take a padlock, and lock the power switch for the equipment in the off position. There is a tag attached to the lock, and it says "Joe Blow locked this out. Call him at 555-1234" Depends on the territory.... Out in Nebraska, yes. After a while you get to know the people you work with and pass the time pretty easily. I keep a few puzzle books with me, some cross words (shh... we are not supposed to have those out while on duty). I keep a deck of cards in my locker when I work yard jobs (You don't go any where, just stay with in a certain area). Usually a game of Pitch or Cribbage will come out during lunch break.
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May 27, 2011 00:45
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One more week here in Atlanta, then back home for OJT. I have so much stuff crammed in my skull that I really need to start using for it to make any sense. I see signal aspects in my sleep, and walk through grocery stores arguing with myself about the difference between class 1 and 1a air-brake tests. I have learned how to adjust the seats on an sd40 engine in such a manner to allow the most comfortable nap possible, and just cool it is when you kick a car just right, and it couples with almost no slam.
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May 27, 2011 18:22
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Geoj posted:
Too bad they didn't release #2. What about the other train games?
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May 27, 2011 18:54
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Railworks isn't half bad. It is very pretty.
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May 27, 2011 21:01
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Guy Axlerod posted:If you are driving a train in the middle of nowhere, is they anything you really have to do other than reset the alerter? Is it just full throttle all the way? It is on really high mountain districts that 2 to 4 hours straight during part of the trip are spent at maximum throttle creeping along at 14-21 mph. Then you do the same for 30 minutes at a time on all the smaller mountains.
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May 28, 2011 09:06
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Guy Axlerod posted:We do something similar where I work, but we call it Lock-Out Tag-Out. We take a padlock, and lock the power switch for the equipment in the off position. There is a tag attached to the lock, and it says "Joe Blow locked this out. Call him at 555-1234" Positive isolation is where the industry will head to if it knows any sense. The mining industry has used it for years - railways, as usual, have been slow to catch on. I'm currently in charge of rolling it out at one of our depots. It's got some challenges associated with it since I'm basically breaking new ground in some cases (certainly within my company). Everyone else is basically watching what I do and copying it for the other depots. It's pretty cool.
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May 28, 2011 10:07
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I found this on my daily surfing on the internet, but I was not able to find a story for it, looks like a terrible case of buffer over run! (I always wanted to see what a train would do to a road haha)
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May 30, 2011 17:20
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auzdark posted:I found this on my daily surfing on the internet, but I was not able to find a story for it, looks like a terrible case of buffer over run! (I always wanted to see what a train would do to a road haha) Another fucker on the road not using their turn signals.
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May 30, 2011 17:38
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9axle posted:One more week here in Atlanta, then back home for OJT. I have so much stuff crammed in my skull that I really need to start using for it to make any sense. I see signal aspects in my sleep, and walk through grocery stores arguing with myself about the difference between class 1 and 1a air-brake tests. I take it your an NS guy now. Welcome to the club. You will find that Dash-9's are the best for comfort followed by SD40s. Kicking cars is about the only thing fun we get to do here any more though with all the rule changes. In our yard we are limited to kicking 6 cars at a time. For a flat yard though we can usually bust out about 400 cars a night if the remotes work like they are supposed to and the conventional job guys are not complete retards. FYI - I have done the slow roll through a red light when I was really really tired at 4 AM. Cop pulled me over and said do you know why I just pulled you over? I told him I don't understand I just rolled through at restricted speed. He was like wow are you ok? I explained I worked for the railroad, and we can slow roll through red signals with number plates. I double started 3 days in a row (yes I went to work 6 times in 3 days) and needed to get home for some rest. He let me off with a warning and told me to remember which road I am on. Thank god he was cool. Please be careful out here. There are days where you do not know if you just saw yourself walk out the door. Mark off when you need to, there has been to many deaths and serious injuries this past few months, and the money isn't worth it.
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May 30, 2011 17:55
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Interceptor, that looks like it should stop at the next scales to be inspected.
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May 30, 2011 20:55
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Reminds me of some euro high speed train disaster I remember seeing pictures of. Thing was going so fast when it derailed some of the cars or engine came to rest nowhere near the tracks in a neighborhood.
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May 31, 2011 02:26
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I always thought the original Japanese shinkansen was a classic design. Minimalist and clean, also very jet-age style. Too lazy to upload a photo, so wikipedia link it is. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Shinkansen_Series0_R67_JNRcolor.jpg
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May 31, 2011 16:01
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B4Ctom1 posted:I included this helpful picture to show what the analog cab locomotive controls look like. Pretty much every locomotive contains the controls and information found on this desk, it is just controls laid out slightly different or information delivered slightly different (ie digital/analog). Was anyone else surprised at how little information there was on the health of the diesel? Does a second engineer watch a separate panel with information on the generator/diesel while the other drives?
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May 31, 2011 21:19
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FatCow posted:Was anyone else surprised at how little information there was on the health of the diesel? Does a second engineer watch a separate panel with information on the generator/diesel while the other drives? On this locomotive there is a panel behind you. If all is running well no problem, if anything goes wrong the panel indicates some codes basic description. little basic multiline display panel in center of picture here:  You do not control RPM directly, you only have 8 throttle positions. If there are any problems the until alarm bell will sound. Oil pressure gets low it does an auto shutdown. Engine coolant temp gets too high the locomotive will stop or reduce loading, high idle cool down, or just shut down protectively if it runs out of water. This also goes for lube oil temps on some locomotives. If crankcase pressure goes above a certain threshold then the locomotive shuts down immediately. When one of the 6 traction motors fail, the ground relay will trip and a code might show which axle it is, if not you reset the ground relay and cut out axles one at a time. You can narrow it down faster on some locomotives by cutting the whole truck of 3 down then the other. Some newer locomotives will do it on their own. If the generator field gets a feedback or grounded it trips the same ground relay or generator field breaker. Some locomotives have all the gauges on an couple of integrated flat panel displays. You can use these displays to get even more information. Unless you are familiar with the kinds of failures and the solutions, you usually call the mechanical desk via the radio. main screen  one of the screens you can toggle through 
B4Ctom1 fucked around with this message at 01:03 on Jun 1, 2011 |
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Jun 1, 2011 00:52
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The last generation of Diesels (pre SD70, AC4400CW) are relatively simple beasts. No seriously, the engine bay is laughable at how few moving parts there are. The most complicated parts are usually the computer control systems and even then, are relatively simple. Pretty sweet for something to have 3000+ horsepower. The GP38-2's and the same era are retarded simple. When I spent some time in Chicago, I poked around the diesel shop while waiting for a train. Just simple moving parts and mostly every thing can be bludgeoned into place. All of AI needs to see one of these shops, it is really great place for gear heads.
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Jun 1, 2011 01:20
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B4Ctom1 posted:If there are any problems the until alarm bell will sound. Oh it's good to know that they pull your gauges and give you a "OH gently caress" alarm as well. Trucks also have a auto-shut down. I'm pretty sure you can think why a 30 second alarm before engine shut-down is a Bad Idea®
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Jun 1, 2011 05:15
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Last trip it was raining really hard and the water was getting somewhere it shouldn't. The result? Both lead locomotives were shutting down and saying the multiple locomotive shutdown button was being pressed on the other locomotive. They tried replacing the cable that went between the locomotives but this did not fix it. There are quite a few places on every district, and several situations on any trip where this could result in a broken in two (or three) train. I lucked out but the guys that had it before me were not so lucky.
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Jun 2, 2011 07:07
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http://www.ctnow.com/news/hc-train-accident-bill-0602-20110601,0,7823896.storyquote:MILFORD— That bill is going to have a lot of zeroes on it  B4Ctom1 posted:picture of computer screen 2351 amps 
ijustam fucked around with this message at 18:07 on Jun 2, 2011 |
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Jun 2, 2011 18:04
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ijustam posted:http://www.ctnow.com/news/hc-train-accident-bill-0602-20110601,0,7823896.story From what I've read on a rail forum (railroad.net), those trains have recording devices that are similar to the "black boxes" on aircraft. In some of the comments left for articles about this incident on the web, people are bitching about this potential bill. They're saying that they should complete their investigation first before declaring the woman liable for the damages to the locomotive. It must not have been too hard for the investigators to look at this equipment and know for sure that yep, this woman ignored the train horn. They should make this public so people will know that it was her fault and not big bad Metro North. It is terrible for someone to get into a collision like this, but some people can be kind of dumb sometimes. Look both ways before crossing.
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Jun 2, 2011 19:14
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ijustam posted:http://www.ctnow.com/news/hc-train-accident-bill-0602-20110601,0,7823896.story Uncontrolled crossings pose a serious liability hazard for a railroad.
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Jun 2, 2011 19:22
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porkfriedrice posted:From what I've read on a rail forum (railroad.net), those trains have recording devices that are similar to the "black boxes" on aircraft I'm going to guess that much like police dashboard camera footage that is only available when it vindicates the police, the data from the recording device will be "lost." I can already hear their excuses; "our IT personnel misread a directive saying to not delete the data" or "we ran out of space on our server and the information pertinent to this case was lost along with 20,000 hours of other recorder data as part of a routine data wipe."
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Jun 2, 2011 19:26
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porkfriedrice posted:From what I've read on a rail forum (railroad.net), those trains have recording devices that are similar to the "black boxes" on aircraft. In some of the comments left for articles about this incident on the web, people are bitching about this potential bill. They're saying that they should complete their investigation first before declaring the woman liable for the damages to the locomotive. It must not have been too hard for the investigators to look at this equipment and know for sure that yep, this woman ignored the train horn. They should make this public so people will know that it was her fault and not big bad Metro North. It is terrible for someone to get into a collision like this, but some people can be kind of dumb sometimes. Look both ways before crossing. here is darwin at work. Note how long this light commuter amtrak takes to get stopped with full emergency air and full dynamic engine braking (the siren like sound you hear). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOPtw5ZLX_c fire truck http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ji0bTmrspo cows http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0fVNI4-30I deer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnbT5YCQZ-o people http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7m1KYcbA9c then there is poo poo like this that happens almost as often http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTvLos68M6E B4Ctom1 fucked around with this message at 19:52 on Jun 2, 2011 |
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Jun 2, 2011 19:35
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B4Ctom1 posted:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOPtw5ZLX_c Holy crap, didn't even hesitate to look for the train on the first one. I loved the Fire Truck one, you just see the cop burning rubber backing off the track
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Jun 2, 2011 19:53
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The worst kind of collision http://youtu.be/pTeDAst3KA0 Quick narration.. 0:00 Train has signal to pull into siding (double yellow - approach diverging - means pulling into the next switch) 0:10 Setting air to bring train to a slow to be at the correct speed for the turn out. 0:37 Signal is Red over Green - Means siding is clear, maximum speed through siding. (green arrow in car terms) 0:38 Signal goes Red over Red - OH poo poo 0:42 Look to the left of the head on engine you can see a guy jump
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Jun 2, 2011 21:04
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BrokenKnucklez posted:The worst kind of collision Here comes failtrain! So what happened, did the guy on the oncoming train ignore a signal? (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Jun 2, 2011 21:27
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Here is a scary cam view http://www.outlawperformance.com/movies/cactus-texas-dark_territory-wreck.htm
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Jun 2, 2011 21:42
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B4Ctom1 posted:Here is a scary cam view So when something like that happens, how do they clean up the mess? Do they repair the trains or just trash them? Or maybe it's like a car where it depends on the damage? I would vote repair seeing how heavily they are built, but I don't know much about the subject
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Jun 2, 2011 22:00
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