|
Elukka posted:That's curious. Here in Finland they replaced the wood ties with concrete on the mainline years ago and they seem to work fine. At least haven't noticed any regular trackwork going on. Same here in Sweden. Only place where wood is used is some switches.
|
#
?
May 25, 2013 21:30
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 18, 2024 09:22 |
|
|
Basically all European railroads routinely use concrete ties for 30+ years, which usually works fine. A major exception is East Germany, which had huge problems with Alkali–silica reactions (aka "crumble") due to the type of concrete used by one of their tie producers. They ended up replacing several hundred thousands of almost new ties in the late 1980ies.
|
|
#
?
May 25, 2013 22:43
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
MrYenko posted:Where in Australia do you work? That's California.
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2013 03:52
|
|
|
Veins McGee posted:CSX operates in Mass., just not any further north really. CSX is investing a lot of money on the east coast up to NYC in anticipation of the Panama Canal widening and is building a new terminal(or rebuilding an older one) in Massachusetts somewhere. Q CHISBD6 23L that's a train running right now Q = guaranteed priority intermodal CHISBD = Chicago to San Bernardino
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2013 03:58
|
|
Rabid Anti-Dentite! posted:Q CHISBD6 23L that's a train running right now Q = guaranteed priority intermodal CHISBD = Chicago to San Bernardino I think that train originates at my terminal. I currently see a BNIC and a SSEA train from BNSF and I know I get a GNKR. I think all 3 of those trains terminate at Corwith or Cicero on your end. How long does it typically take an intermodal train to get from Seattle or LA to Chicago?
|
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2013 06:50
|
|
|
A= auto rack B= beets train (non existent any more) C= coal E= Engine move G= grain I= Standard intermodal K= Priority intermodal L= local M= standard manifest O= ore (or other bulk commodity) Q= priority manifest R= Rock S= Company special U= unit Z= Premium intermodal Then there's 4 digits that are the origination and destination... then a few numbers or letters for other designations. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...X9ZdtXQNXb3Rikg BrokenKnucklez fucked around with this message at 07:18 on May 26, 2013 |
|
#
?
May 26, 2013 07:11
|
|
BrokenKnucklez posted:A= auto rack Thank god for foamers. I learned more about how CSX train symbols are assigned from railfan.com or whatever than I did through work.
|
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2013 07:48
|
|
|
InterceptorV8 posted:
This is one of 3 rail trains: either new heading through like NM, AZ, UT, most likely NV from Pueblo, CO or from Laramie, WY CWR plant or old rail going to scrap. CWR stand for "Continuous Welded Rail". IE: 50 to 90 foot sticks of rail welded into 1000 foot sticks and loaded onto a "rail train". Most of the CWR for the UPRR you see on that train comes from Pueblo or Laramie. I actually recognize that train as one that frequents Laramie. Some of you will note are no loaders or unloaders on that train, only the rail, cars, buffers and locos. The rail comes to the plant from ships on approximately 80-90 foot rail cradle cars in ~75 foot lengths. Then they weld the rail into approximately 1000 foot lengths. When the rail is welded into CWR the weakest points in the rail are on either side of the weld. The welding processes used and the quality control of the finished product improves the situation. Nonetheless it does break under the massive contracting forces in winters cold. The Japanese steel makers produce the rail in 100 meter (~330 foot) sections and then cut it down to load onto ships. To reduce the number of welds required to make the CWR the Japanese have built new specific ships that will haul the rail in 100 meter lengths and then weld them together at a new facility near the docks. Then load them onto the ships. B4Ctom1 fucked around with this message at 20:36 on May 26, 2013 |
|
#
?
May 26, 2013 20:17
|
|
|
So then, my question is,. what is the basic process for pulling thousand foot rails off to install? I assume this train goes to the beginning of whatever track section is being laid/replaced, and moves along the newly laid track? I'm trying to work this in my head and it seems really cumbersome.
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2013 21:49
|
|
|
Generally around here they just drag it out as the train moves, leave it alongside the track where it's going to be used. Then various methods are used to put it in place. I think my favorite is this mindblowing magic machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUOUXnuCLOU
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2013 00:50
|
|
|
kastein posted:Generally around here they just drag it out as the train moves, leave it alongside the track where it's going to be used. The most effective and safest method is using whats caledl a RUM truck. (Rail Unloading Machine) It is basically a mack type truck with hy-rail wheels attached to it. It has a knuckle and air hoses and will attach to the back of the train cars. A large hydraulic boom is on the back of the truck, with a track the will clamp the rail. This boom will feed the rail from the train cars to a set of wheels that propel the rail onto the ground. Men at the half way point of the train use an impact wrench to unbolt the rail from the cars, held simply by two large bolts and a flat piece of steel clamping the rail to the car. The old process was a chain through the end of the rail, then wrapped around a tie in the track and the train pulled forward. But this was dangerous, and replaced.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2013 01:15
|
|
|
The rail trains I have worked, when they get to the end of stick, the bolt with joint plates it the next stick so the end result is a continuous rail sometimes a mile or more long. They place it, then the welders come along later and weld the joints. You know it's going to be a long day when the foreman says "bring it back 3 inches so we can get the bolts in."
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2013 19:44
|
|
|
kastein posted:Generally around here they just drag it out as the train moves, leave it alongside the track where it's going to be used. Speaking of that. Plasser & Theurer has a nice video showcasing the whole prosess of track rehabilitation. The logistics behind this baffles me. Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF-3ditSCIk Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixfIOr6eycU
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2013 22:06
|
|
|
Rabid Anti-Dentite! posted:Yes Sir they are, heres how it looks from my angle unloading them. I need to bid on a steel gang. I'm getting bored of doing ties. Up here in Northern California we have places where there are 2 mains, and one will be all concrete ties, and the other is wood. Seems like they were testing to see how they held up.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2013 22:59
|
|
|
Strawberry posted:I need to bid on a steel gang. I'm getting bored of doing ties. I can't do the gang work, too much like a factory for me. But the money is there. Section work is where its at for me.
|
|
#
?
May 28, 2013 03:21
|
|
|
More time for coffee breaks and sitting in the truck? Sorry, I have to pick on ya guys.
|
|
#
?
May 28, 2013 03:30
|
|
|
Max Damage posted:Speaking of that. Plasser & Theurer has a nice video showcasing the whole prosess of track rehabilitation. The logistics behind this That is amazing. I just always assumed that the ballast had to be replaced at the same time as the rail, but I never thought it could be replaced with the track still in place.
|
|
#
?
May 28, 2013 03:41
|
|
|
9axle posted:The rail trains I have worked, when they get to the end of stick, the bolt with joint plates it the next stick so the end result is a continuous rail sometimes a mile or more long. They place it, then the welders come along later and weld the joints. You know it's going to be a long day when the foreman says "bring it back 3 inches so we can get the bolts in." What, you don't just send the greenhorn back to the hirail for a rail stretcher? 
|
|
#
?
May 28, 2013 04:15
|
|
|
Well, they do have hydraulic pullers that essentially close gaps in the rail by stretching it. A rail shrinker would be more appropriate for the greenhorn to fetch, gotta get those heat kinks out somehow.
|
|
#
?
May 28, 2013 12:58
|
|
|
So which one of you caused the scrap iron pile to get real big in Elko NV? At least they did it fairly close to the metal recyclers.
|
|
#
?
May 28, 2013 18:48
|
|
|
BrokenKnucklez posted:More time for coffee breaks and sitting in the truck? Exactly! Wouldn't have it any other way!
|
|
#
?
May 29, 2013 00:19
|
|
|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7buTCULLeY Some guys have some fun on an abandoned railway track with a "go kart".
|
|
#
?
May 29, 2013 19:28
|
|
|
Long day today, a yardjob hit a semi at one of the crossings on the terminal. I was sitting in the office and I heard the engineer lay on the horn and then a loud thud. I drove up there expecting to see a mangled truck with gore dripping out of it and a derailed train. Thankfully, the engine hit the container in the rear 1/3, punched a hole in it with the knuckle, and tipped it on its side. Dehydrated corn from the container was everywhere. It burst out of the container like the cloud of sweat that gets knocked off a boxers head when he takes a hard punch. 3 hours of paperwork, witness statements, railroad police, phonecalls, and a late train but no injuries. I'll post some pictures and a video(if I can get it) once they've had enough time to circulate around. The container was a lot more intact than I would have thought. Total writeoff but I expected that a ~600k lb train would have hosed it up more.
|
|
|
#
?
May 30, 2013 06:50
|
|
|
Figure you all might appreciate these. From Baltimore this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKyuaGbAYFY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2hkO2XD7dQ
|
|
#
?
May 31, 2013 10:14
|
|
|
Untagged posted:Figure you all might appreciate these. From Baltimore this week. I think that if you're driving a truck filled with dangerous chemicals and end up getting hit by a train, your drivers license should be revoked permanently. I mean, it's not that hard to avoid getting hit by a train...
|
|
#
?
May 31, 2013 20:59
|
|
|
McDeth posted:I think that if you're driving a truck filled with dangerous chemicals and end up getting hit by a train, your drivers license should be revoked permanently. I mean, it's not that hard to avoid getting hit by a train... I'm pretty sure being dead kinda precludes needing a license. For the ones who survive I couldn't agree more.
|
|
#
?
May 31, 2013 21:07
|
|
|
McDeth posted:I think that if you're driving a truck filled with dangerous chemicals and end up getting hit by a train, your drivers license should be revoked permanently. I mean, it's not that hard to avoid getting hit by a train... From the video, it just seems like a case of everyone getting a little too comfortable with an uncontrolled rail crossing. 99.9% of the time, there will either be a train there already, or no train coming. Just that 0.1% of the time where there's no train just yet is where the accidents come from.
|
|
#
?
May 31, 2013 21:28
|
|
|
It's pretty incredible how few train accidents we have given the scale of automobile and train use. The way you put that gives great perspective to the situation  .
|
|
#
?
May 31, 2013 23:59
|
|
|
As if this isn't bad enough, we get a Westbound UP train running an Interlocking, T-boning a Southbound BNSF train, and taking out a busy crowded overpass in the process? This is like what, the first since 1987? http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...8de67bfaca.html
|
|
#
?
Jun 1, 2013 05:06
|
|
|
Glad it was 2:30am. I imagine it would be more than 7 injured otherwise.
|
|
#
?
Jun 1, 2013 06:59
|
|
|
Hm, weve got a derailed engine in a ditch... pulling it out with some other engines and some rope sounds like a good idea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_p0MsIDhGc
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2013 21:49
|
|
|
OK so I'm no foamer but I did notice something odd today. I was out having lunch today when I saw a BNSF train (both power and rolling stock) on one of Canadian Pacific's main lines. My question is how common is it to see railroads sharing rights of way like this? I assume they just lease time or whatever on the track. Also, how do they handle crewing in a situation like that...in this case, would BNSF just hand off to a CP crew or would they use their own guys? Sorry if these are really stupid questions.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2013 00:42
|
|
|
MrChips posted:OK so I'm no foamer but I did notice something odd today. Often it's a trackage-rights agreement. Sometimes these were put in place by the Feds to preserve competition after big mergers, IIRC. Don't know about that specific situation though.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2013 00:47
|
|
|
Some places also have power sharing too. Its like car rental for railroads. But they are paid back in HP hours. Plus if there is a detour its easy to just leave the power on the train instead of scrounging up another set. The only places where you find the home road engines on the point is usually on territories with coded cab signals.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2013 03:10
|
|
MrChips posted:OK so I'm no foamer but I did notice something odd today.  BN and UP power on a CSX terminal
|
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2013 04:41
|
|
|
Talking of accidents, drill baby drill! Oh well at least there weren't any, oh.  Rail Accident Investigation Branch posted:The RAIB is investigating an incident that occurred on the morning of 8 March 2013 in one of the two single bore tunnels between Old Street and Essex Road stations.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2013 16:04
|
|
|
MrChips posted:OK so I'm no foamer but I did notice something odd today. Often times it's just a hand off to the other crew. We had CP guys running on NS power on some of our east coast tracks. Some of the managers would get upset because our crews would just take the NS paperwork for their trip and go instead of waiting for a list of the same cars with the CP logo on the top to be faxed to them. Sometimes it is company A's crew on company B's track. I'd have to send hazardous material paperwork to some little shortline because we'd run on their track for a little less than a mile but still make sure they had all of our details in case we happened to derail there.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2013 17:27
|
|
|
seal it with a kiss posted:Often times it's just a hand off to the other crew. We had CP guys running on NS power on some of our east coast tracks. Some of the managers would get upset because our crews would just take the NS paperwork for their trip and go instead of waiting for a list of the same cars with the CP logo on the top to be faxed to them. Our local managers get all sorts of butt hurt when we grab a track with hazmat and use the other companies paper work. We just shrug our shoulders and tell them to have a van there with correct paper work. Then all of a sudden the issue gets dropped and we continue about until next week when some one decides they really have nothing better to do than hassle us about it.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2013 18:21
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 18, 2024 09:22 |
|
|
When I was a kid I used to read issues of Trains magazine and I distinctly remember one all about how China was one of the few countries that still used steam locomotives regularly and going to see trains there was called "the greatest show on earth." Apparently it's still a thing there, but while I was looking at videos of Chinese steam locos I came across the Shibanxi Railway, which operates this small 0-8-0: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJVNZRKiiH0 This thing is the most  steam locomotive I've ever seen, it dumps what seems to be molten fuel between the rails and at 4:28 in the video it blows off a ton of steam to clear mud from the boiler. If you listen closely too the wheels seem to slip a lot and the chuffing becomes really small "ch-ch-ch-ch" noises like it's popping popcorn or something.
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2013 03:05
|
|
