Locomotive Insanity: Murder on the BNSF Mixed Consist doesnt have the same ring to it

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Locomotive Insanity: Murder on the BNSF Mixed Consist doesnt have the same ring to it

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ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

Amtrak locomotive 156, a P42 locomotive with an adaptation of the first Amtrak paint scheme from 1972, has been released from our Beech Grove, Ind., facility. It will lead Train 30, the Capitol Limited, leaving this evening from Chicago en route to Washington. Coincidentally, tonight�s Train 30 will also include Amtrak business car 10001, the �Beech Grove.�

# ¿ Mar 16, 2011 20:57

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 22:59

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

More blast from the past :woop:

# ¿ Apr 1, 2011 20:10

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

http://www.ctnow.com/news/hc-train-accident-bill-0602-20110601,0,7823896.story

quote:

MILFORD�
� The driver of a car that was hit by a Metro-North train on Sunday will be billed for damages to the train, a spokeswoman for the commuter railroad said.

"The train was where it was supposed to be, and the car was not," spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said. "The car caused damage to our train."

Anders said it might take weeks to determine the cost of the damage.

The car was hit by the northbound train Sunday afternoon at a crossing on Herbert Street, a small residential street where there are no flashing lights or gates, according to police.

Victoria Besse, 40, and her 7-year-old daughter were injured, but survived the crash.

No one on the commuter train was injured, according to Metro-North spokesman Sam Zambuto.

The collision happened about 3 p.m., Zambuto said. The crossing is classified as private, according to Zambuto, and does not have flashing lights or gates. However, it is federally mandated that trains sound a horn at all railroad grade-level crossings.

Family members said they were having a picnic on a nearby hill when the woman and her daughter left to get supplies. The daughter was able to get out of the car after it was struck and run back for help, the family said.

Family members said they used a crowbar to pry open the car and pull the woman out just as police and EMS crews arrived. The mother and daughter were both hurt, but their injuries were not life-threatening, Zambuto said.

Family members said they did not hear a horn before the crash. They said that they have complained about the horn's not sounding at the crossing in the past.

Metro-North said that according to the preliminary investigation, the horn was sounded.

After the crash, about 100 passengers were taken back to the Milford Metro-North station, where they boarded a different Waterbury-bound train, arriving some 40 minutes late.

That bill is going to have a lot of zeroes on it :a2m:

B4Ctom1 posted:

picture of computer screen

2351 amps

ijustam fucked around with this message at 18:07 on Jun 2, 2011

# ¿ Jun 2, 2011 18:04

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

Nerobro posted:

Being 2' from amtrak or metra doing 70mph is a hell of a rush too. It's eerie how steady the engine note is from a locomotive. You know it's hauling, and there's a sense of power. But the motor just seems loping along.

Locomotive diesels only wind out to about 900 rpm, at that :black101:

# ¿ Jun 3, 2011 21:36

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

Geoj posted:

People like that kill me. In 2005 in a city just north of where I live a 16 year old girl was killed at a railroad crossing when she attempted to cross immediately behind a southbound train and walked right into the path of a northbound train that through some freak occurrence happened to go through the crossing just as the other train was clearing it.

For about two weeks afterwards there were protests at the crossing every weekend with the protesters carrying signs saying "CSX kills kids" (etc.) and throwing rocks and eggs at trains as they passed through.

People don't like to accept that people they care about may actually be part of the lower 50th percentile.

Also, why do diesel locomotives only have 8 throttle notches? Why not 10? 16? Why even have notches and not just a back and forth lever between idle and loud?

# ¿ Jun 4, 2011 19:45

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

Bow TIE Fighter posted:

OK, I'll bite.

How does a locomotive engine run for 2 solid years without having to stop for maintenance? Oil changes? Replace broken parts? I know they're built for reliability, but honestly, not a single part needed adjustment/cleaning/replacement while driving around the world 13 times?

Please tell me that, in fact, locomotives can't go that long without maintenance, and that there's gnarly pictures of a large ruined engine over in the "Horrible Mechanical Failures" thread.

I assume it's just an hour meter. It counts how long the engine has been ticking. When the engine is off, it isn't counting. you'll see hour meters instead of odometers on a lot of heavy equipment.

# ¿ Sep 5, 2011 01:52

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

Canna Happy posted:

On the coal line this summer we had tons and tons of 135 car 3 packs (19000ish tons). Think that equals out to something like .5ish? hp per ton in notch seven. Nothing like climbing all the hills at 7 to 8mph.

I guess time isn't a factor?

Edit: I'll share this nugget I've had on my DropBox: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/13788814/DRS-24-a%20Manual.pdf A diesel locomotive operators guide for 1956

ijustam fucked around with this message at 01:55 on Jan 24, 2012

# ¿ Jan 24, 2012 00:55

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

How do trains handle reefer units? Do they? Does the train crew have to check the reefer units?

# ¿ Jan 25, 2012 04:56

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

How do the traction motors/engine not overheat like crazy when pulling such heavy loads at low speed?

# ¿ Feb 9, 2012 17:14

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

Do Locomotives have to rev up the engine when the notch up in dynamic braking? Like if you went from notch 8 forward to dynamic, would you have to notch to 0, then hit the dynamic braking lever, and then back to 8?

# ¿ Feb 12, 2012 04:53

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

BrokenKnucklez posted:

That guy takes it above and beyond.

This summer, we were detouring over another RR because of all the flooding down south. So that really drug the foamers out. And then to add fuel to the fire, I had a consist of a UP engine, a patched Southern Pacific engine, and a patched CNW engine all on the head end. We were followed for roughly 170 some miles by the same group of people....

Also the new SD70ACe's are loving rattle traps. And I want to know the genius that thought it would be a good idea to stick the breakers in completely separate compartment on the outside of the engine.

This would make me paranoid. Oh man I'm being followed by the mob :tinfoil:

# ¿ Mar 15, 2012 14:20

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

Are the seats in locomotives air-ride like in trucks?

# ¿ Mar 18, 2012 22:41

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

B4Ctom1 posted:

At any given time the railroad probably has numerous government and liability complaints about the safety of locomotive seats. Installing air ride seats would be the fix. ptting in air ride seats now would be a huge admittance of guilt on their part.

I read something a while back that a few new locomotives a while back came equipped with these seats and they quickly (and attempted secretly) to swap them out for non air ride seats.

that's terrible

# ¿ Mar 19, 2012 21:13

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

BrokenKnucklez posted:

If you work for the railroad its pretty well known that they openly hate their employees. I know most companies at least act like they care for you, but this place openly hates you. Your just a number and a liability. Do some reading on FELA (federal employees liability). Basically they just place any blame on the employee.

Honestly, most guys that work here hate the company but do love what they do for a living. I really do running engines, and there are not very many people that work for the railroad. If you want to do some reading, look up a book called Railroad Noir by Linda Neimann.

Oh and for people who are concerned about crappers, we do have them! The best ones are the air powered flushers, like a plane. They stay about the cleanest, the chemical toilets can get down right nasty... think porta potty style, but baking and sloshing around for a good couple of weeks.

Among rails, its very socially unacceptable to poop in the lead unit. Every one craps on the second unit. If you do, you end up with a nickname. And this is a place that remembers a nick name better than your real name.

Railroads are union, right? RIGHT?

# ¿ Mar 20, 2012 23:53

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

Looks like the locomotive factory in Muncie, IN is finally spitting out units :toot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq4--MSbuiI

# ¿ Mar 22, 2012 23:29

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

B4Ctom1 posted:

Had a similar situation, we did this to a conductor we know very well (known him since we were teens, camped with his family, been shooting/racing together). But he was only pissing down there and we used the switchbroom. But instead of being apologetic he was more.. apoplectic. Anyhow, later while underway as revenge he threw my fireman trainees favorite hat out the window and then threw my time book out and laughed angrily.

I hope you hosed with him more.

# ¿ Apr 19, 2012 14:22

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

bytebark posted:

I work in freight car leasing. Reason the plastic knuckle pins came about in the first place is that the metal ones were falling out of the couplers on rotary-dump coal gondola, into the coal chute (while the car was being tipped) and would gently caress up the coal pulverizing mechanism that they use to break it up into smaller chunks.

so the plastic ones just get shredded?

# ¿ Apr 20, 2012 14:23

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

When they say a train stalls out, does that mean it can't get moving or the engine actually stalls? Can you even stall a locomotive engine?

# ¿ Apr 21, 2012 03:35

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

Giblet Plus! posted:

EMD is like the Harley of locomotives. Just putting that out there.

Loud, obnoxious, and stuck in the 70s?

# ¿ Aug 14, 2012 17:44

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

How does going into emergency derail the train?

# ¿ Sep 3, 2012 15:26

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

OK Michael Bay, we know it's you.

# ¿ Sep 3, 2012 19:36

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

9axle posted:

Most yard switching is done with the brakes bled off, allowing cars to roll freely. Ina flat yard, the engine stops quickly as the pin is lifted on the car, "kicking" the car down the selected track. A good crew, with a brakeman working the switches,and a conductor who knows his job can switch a ton of cars really quickly this way. To prevent cars from rolling out the other end of the track, many yards are built with a bowl shaped contour. Part of the skill of a conductor is knowing this contour, and how hard to kick cars into a track to ensure they couple to cars already there, but not fire them out the other end.

Spring brakes would make this process incredibly slow, as all it takes to bleed brakes off is a quick tug on the rod attached to the bleed valve on the current set-up. The guys who do this out here do it without ever getting out of their truck. Of course, over time, cars will also bleed themselves off, so hand brakes are used on any cars left standing.

# ¿ Sep 8, 2012 23:09

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

So, say you were driving a train that was going over some mountainous terrain. You have 2 locomotives that are enough to make it up the mountain. What do you do on the way down? Keep both locomotives running but only use 1/2 as much power (assuming the gradient is exactly opposite on the other side) or shut one off and use the full power of one engine (minus the several hundred tons you're now also towing I suppose)

Does the diesel engine have to be running for dynamic braking to work?

# ¿ Sep 22, 2012 05:38

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

Das Volk posted:

The US finally has some form of high-speed rail now? And it's with Amtrak?

Acela has been in service for over 10 years.

# ¿ Sep 30, 2012 19:00

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

What a mess. How do they clean that up? Just... pick them up with a crane, put em back on the rails and hope they move again?

# ¿ Oct 1, 2012 23:59

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

So wait, do F40s just stay at max rpm all the time?

# ¿ Oct 10, 2012 04:07

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

Is that why Amtrak seems to always have 2 locomotives on long-distance routes? One for moving power and another for HEP?

# ¿ Oct 10, 2012 15:29

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

I start railway museum volunteer orientation on Saturday :toot:

# ¿ Oct 15, 2012 16:59

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

http://itm.org/

# ¿ Oct 15, 2012 19:42

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

BlackShadow posted:

The only thing I can possibly even fathom is that they somehow wired the dynamic brake to feed back into the batteries so they could charge enough to start but even that's extremely .

Some (more modern?) diesel locos have 'jog' mode, where the traction motors can come online for a short period under battery power, avoiding the need to start the engine. It's meant to be used for short yard movements. I'd say they were using that and did the video for a laugh.

How far could it go on batteries? I used to drive electric buses (with a diesel turbine generator) and those things could only go about 500 feet on battery power before dying. I can't imagine a full-blown locomotive going very far on batteries alone.

# ¿ Oct 18, 2012 14:25

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/north_central/mayor-balks-at-plan-for-faster-trains

quote:

MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) - A railroad's plans to double the speed of freight trains going through a central Indiana city to 60 mph is facing opposition from the city's mayor.

CSX announced Monday it would start the faster trains through Muncie on Jan. 1, saying the speedier trains will address longtime complaints about rail crossings delays and improve the efficiency of rail operations, The Star Press reported .

Mayor Dennis Tyler said railroad officials didn't tell him about their decision and that the proposed speed would violate a city ordinance.

"We've got a 40-mile-an-hour ordinance in the city of Muncie," Tyler said. "I intend to have that honored and enforced. That's an unsafe standard speed the railroad wants to implement."

CSX and Norfolk Southern run dozens of trains a day through the 70,000-person city, including a busy east-west line that bisects the city just south of its downtown.

A CSX spokeswoman didn't immediately reply to a request for comment Tuesday.

Tyler said he would have city attorneys contact railroad officials about the local ordinance.

Does the mayor here have a leg to stand on?

# ¿ Dec 5, 2012 04:02

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

CSX operates some of those, apparently. I swear I've seen them before in this thread: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsukefEovg0

# ¿ Mar 5, 2013 00:35

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

So in North American locomotives, if you want to maintain speed do you just have to jockey between throttle positions continuously, or is there like a cruise control? Or you just settle on the slower of the two positions?

# ¿ Mar 25, 2013 00:12

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

Every time I see a narrow gauge train I feel like it should just topple off the tracks.

# ¿ Apr 1, 2013 21:11

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

According to this news article in the comments, she lived, albeit barely (and who knows if she'll still make it):

Via Google Translate, http://www.4vsar.ru/news/35546.html --

quote:

Yesterday at around 19.25 in the Saratov region Rtishchevsky 16-year-old girl was hit by a passenger train "Vorkuta-Adler." Currently, she is in serious condition.

# ¿ Apr 28, 2013 00:40

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

B4Ctom1 posted:

That first video, I understand EXACTLY why the engineer bailed. He doesn't know for sure there was not going to be a last second impact. Even an impact above 5 MPH can be fatal.

The second video when he whistled off I was looking at the "derails" (aka catchpoints) and was like, "no no no no no noo nooo! awww gently caress."

5 mph? Does the locomotive just crumple like a can or what?

# ¿ May 3, 2013 21:38

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

Don't trains run into each other all the time at 5mph for coupling?

# ¿ May 3, 2013 22:05

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

Oh, yeah that's much different

# ¿ May 4, 2013 00:42

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

Kind of a neat thread on Reddit right now: I'm the chief mechanical officer for RBBX Red circus train, AMA

# ¿ May 25, 2013 22:45

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 22:59

ijustam: Jun 20, 2005

It's like Unstoppable's alternative ending

# ¿ Jul 7, 2013 18:19

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Locomotive Insanity: Murder on the BNSF Mixed Consist doesnt have the same ring to it

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