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Pretty good day of railfanning - caught the aftermath of a 1 car derailment - 2 SW1500 switchers easing into the siding with 2 grain hopper cars - the GATX car derailed on there way to pick up some boxcars (lumber company). The SW1500s had no where to go since it was now blocked. After a few hours - another set of SW1500s and maint crews showed up. They eventually rerailed the car using lumber slabs. Pretty interesting - of course while watching caught a ballast train and general freight train....2 locomotives in the stealth gray scheme with yellow nose added. Unfortunately the day was overcast - so not the best (but not the worst) pictures.
great pics, that one SW1500 looks like is was freshly repainted. So maybe YN3, Dark Stealth, w/e u wanna call it, isnt the only paint sceme currently being produced.Greg HighV0lt6ge - AIM/AOL gregoryis411@hotmail.com
'No matter how far we've come, I can't wait to see tomorrow.' Linkin Park - With You
I don't see allot of the new paint scheme here in middle Tennessee yet - the 8077 is about the only one I have seen thus far....I'm sure there have been others, I just haven't been in the right spot at the right time. I'm still trying to master the camera - couldn't get any closer to take pictures of the derailment - thus branches in the pictures. The SD40-2 8089 came through going about 40 mph and the camera doesn't take those fast moving ones without some blurring. It has a setting for fast motion - but again - haven't mastered it yet. It is suppose to rain all day Friday...so probably no picture taking - but Saturday is suppose to be clear and sunny - and I hope to capture more trains - with better pictures.Michael
What does a scanner have to do with posting railfan photos?What's the chain above the one loco's truck for?Why is the nose of the switcher in front of the cab slanted down?On the back cab switcher loco windows the one on the bottom on each side of the loco on the back it looks like there's a line across in them. Is that in cab grabirons?That CSX boxcar looks pretty shiny in your photos man!How are lumber slabs used to rerail cars?On that CSX Switcher Loco picture why are the hoses hooked into a green cab like thing, what is that?Which car derailed in the photos, I kind of see no derailing car unless them two trains ran into each other?If a car derails do train crews usually tell you to go when railfanning?Why do some rail employees not like fans? They probably used to be one.On the 7th photo from the top of the photo list in the original post in this thread how are you supposed to climb that ladder up the front window on the cab (walkway window) when there's like a 2 foot step from the 2nd step to the 3rd step?On the fifth photo in the list what's the little yellow colored vent on the inside wall of the loco steps?How in the heck do you see out in front of a switcher locomotive or do they run them in reverse so the flat side (cab back) is out front?What's the cardboard box for on the walkway of the switcher?What are the stacks for coming out of the top of the switcher?Lastly, this has been bothering me for a while. On the trucks what's the little cylinder shaped thing that has a little pipe that looks like a oil tank pipe coming out of it?Thanks in advance for any answersAdam-------------------------------Operation Lifesaver Organization -- http://www.oli.org/ Striving to save lives at railroad crossings I'm wishing all of you to have a safe and Happy Halloween
Well Adam, to answer some of your questions; 1. A scanner is useful when you are railfanning or taking pictures, because it often lets you know where or when a train is going to pass. 2. The chain above the truck frame is for the hand brake. When the engineman applies the hand brake, the chain pulls tight and applies the brake shoes to the wheels. 3. About the shape of the hood in front of the cab of the switcher, they are designed to slope down in front of the windows to allow a better view to the left front from the enginemans seat. 4. Yes, there are grabirons across the back windows of the cab. They also serve a function to protect crewmen from falling up against the window, either breaking the glass or getting injured. 5. Lumber slabs can be used to rerail cars. They are placed on the ground in front of the derailed wheels in such a position that when the derailed car is dragged back by the locomotive, the wheels roll up of the ground and are guided back towards the rails. Many locomotives carry a large steel casting, called a rerail frog, for the same purpose. 6. As for which car derailed, looks to me like it was one end of the grey covered hopper. 7. As to what the crews do about railfans hanging around when a derailment occurs, usually they ask you to move back so as to avoid any hazards, and not get in the way of the repair work. They usually don't care if you take pictures from a safe distance. There are exceptions; I once got a set of pictures of a crew who forgot to clear a derail when leaving the siding, and the engineman was so embarassed he tried to get my camera and remove the film. 8. The stacks coming out the top of the switcher are the exhaust pipes for the motor inside. 9. On the trucks, the little tank thing with a pipe is the 'Brake cylinder'; Air pressure causes a piston inside to move, and applies the brake shoes to the wheels.
Cool, thanks Wouldn't putting the handbrake wheel at the bottom of all cars be much safer?Is it OK to sit on a crossing in a yard like when my friend showed me how a frog works and we were sitting on a crossing, do trains come flying through a yard?Why's the engineer's seat on the above switcher loco faced toward the side window or is that just how it's adjusted?When rerailing does the conductor stand far enough away from the car being rerailed so it can't topple on him or her?Is there any grab irons inside Dash 9 or modern diesel train cabs?Wouldn't 3 layer glass in a train help keep the crew warmer and more sound proof?On a UP loco like the one in Transcon's sig in a real photo on the front right above the last step on the front loco steps there's a grabiron on the nose. Is that to help a person stand on the front of the steps easier?Also on a loco on the side with the big AC storing wall on the catwalk side, that's the conductor's side, no rear door, right?Adam-------------------------------Operation Lifesaver Organization -- http://www.oli.org/ Striving to save lives at railroad crossings I'm wishing all of you to have a safe and Happy Halloween
Hi again, Adam. to answer some more questions, 1. Yes, it probably would be safer to put the handbrake wheels down lower close to the ground. However, there is also a safety rule that trainmen are warned against standing on the track between cars. For reasons of close clearance in bridges or tunnels, it's not really practical to put the brake wheels on the sides of the car. So, about the only place left is higher up on the ends of the car. There are some exceptions; piggyback flat cars are not as wide as other cars, so it is possible to mount brake wheels on the side of piggyback cars. Watch the next train that goes by, and you might see some. 2. I'm not sure what you mean by asking about sitting at a crossing in a yard. If you mean at a public street grade crossing, then yes, you may stand there to watch trains. Trains are usually limited to 20 mph in yard limits, but there are sometimes tracks near or beside the yard that are still designated as main tracks with higher spead limits. 3. Many locomotives do in fact have triple-layer, or other types of very heavy, glass in the windows. It is designated as 'FRA section 226 glazing', and many locomotive cabs have a sign inside that says exactly that. The 'section 226' glass is required by the FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) as a safety measure to protect the crew; it has been tested to be bulletproof and resist damage from large rocks dropped off overpass bridges. 4. The engineers seat in the cab of the switcher is on a swivel, like an office chair. The engineman can swivel it around to face backwards, if that is the direction the engine is moving. 5. The cabs in most modern locomotives do not have doors either on the left rear (behind the conductors seat) or on the right front (in front of the engineer). 6. Yes, the conductor does stand well back when trying to rerail a car in the event it falls over. It happens maybe one time in a hundred. When derailed cars fall over, sink in the mud, or the trucks get turned sideways or off the centerpin, the rerail frogs are ineffective and heavy equipment has to be called out to rerail the car. Dan
Why does a walkway extend out from the car?Adam-------------------------------Operation Lifesaver Organization -- http://www.oli.org/ Striving to save lives at railroad crossings I'm wishing all of you to have a safe and Happy Halloween
The reporting mark 'HLCX' belongs to 'Helm Leasing Corporation', and the 'X' letter at the end designates that the owner is a private corporation that is not a railroad. Helm Leasing is in the business of purchasing old locomotives, repairing them and leasing to railroads that need locomotives for a short time.
I meant sitting on a crossing with a car. What's GATX mean?Adam-------------------------------Operation Lifesaver Organization -- http://www.oli.org/ Striving to save lives at railroad crossings I'm wishing all of you to have a safe and Happy Halloween
I_totally_love_trainsNow that's a Stupid question, if your Referring to Walkways on top of Cars... it extends out to make it easier to pass between car and carnow in Regards to you "I_totally_love_trains" with a name like that you Should not be asking such questions as the ones in this Threadif you "totally love trains" you should know.... all the answers Bob Philadelphia, Pa
Ok, I didn't think they walked on top trains anymore.My name is me, ask my Dad, I ask so many questions about them because I want to learn something, and I'm learning more with every answer, just because my name says I_totally_love_trains doesn't mean I know everything about them so I don't know where you got your little thought at.Adam-------------------------------Operation Lifesaver Organization -- http://www.oli.org/ Striving to save lives at railroad crossings I'm wishing all of you to have a safe and Happy Halloween
Operation Lifesaver Organization -- 
