|
Speaking of what the Russians will make, did anyone know Fairbanks-Morse locomotives still kind of live on? Well, those crazy smoke-spewing locomotives you may have seen videos of before (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_zC7QK64Ks) have opposed piston engines based off of ones they copied from an ice-breaker we lent them during world war 2. Those engines were built by Fairbanks-Morse, and the locomotives built using their design went on to become the standard freight locomotives of the Soviet Union for over 40 years. Pity FM didn't get anything out of it. As for the reason videos of them spewing fire and smoke are all over the internet, well that's just good old post-soviet decay.
|
#
?
Oct 7, 2013 23:12
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 4, 2024 20:08 |
|
|
Oh and talking of crazy locos in general the IRM also has the Union Pacific turbine locomotive which was nice to see (and it's freaking huge.)
|
|
#
?
Oct 7, 2013 23:22
|
|
|
Veins McGee posted:Japan is much smaller and more densely populated than the United States. There is or was a certain degree of speculation that electrification would be a thing again back in the first energy crisis. EMD even built a prototype electric freight engine in case anyone took the plunge, but it never went anywhere. StandardVC10 fucked around with this message at 02:03 on Oct 8, 2013 |
|
#
?
Oct 8, 2013 02:00
|
|
|
It's true that Japan is smaller and has more dense cities, but they have plenty of rural areas too, but honestly I don't know how many of those areas are electrified when you get to smaller routes. Along the main corridors though it all is. I was just answering what was closest to the hypothetical of what was asked. I thought it was cool to see electric freight trains  . Europeans may have that too but I dunno.
|
|
#
?
Oct 8, 2013 05:36
|
|
|
CharlesM posted:It's true that Japan is smaller and has more dense cities, but they have plenty of rural areas too, but honestly I don't know how many of those areas are electrified when you get to smaller routes. Along the main corridors though it all is. I was just answering what was closest to the hypothetical of what was asked. I thought it was cool to see electric freight trains Can't speak for all of Europe, but in Poland freight is a mix, depending largely on the operator. For example, PKP Cargo (state-owned, largest freight operator) uses mostly electric on the main lines and a diesel/electric mix on branch lines. Their freight fleet is around 80% electric (not counting smaller units, mostly used for shunting duties, etc.). Freightliner used to be mostly diesel (utilising Class 66s shipped over from their UK operations), but I have seen a few of their electric locos (more prevalent in their German ops IIRC) around as well. I'd cautiously make an uneducated guess that mainland European freight ops are more likely to be electric than diesel these days, at least along the main lines.
|
|
#
?
Oct 8, 2013 09:43
|
|
|
I've spent a fair amount of time in Europe, mostly in your neighbor the Czech Republic, but wasn't really paying attention to that :P
|
|
#
?
Oct 8, 2013 09:53
|
|
|
CharlesM posted:I thought it was cool to see electric freight trains Sweden's freight trains are mostly electric, especially the ore train between Kiruna and Narvik.
|
|
#
?
Oct 8, 2013 10:57
|
|
|
The closest thing I've seen to an electric freight line in the US is the Navajo Mine Railroad in New Mexico, it has a 14 mile run between the mine and the power plant and doesn't connect to anything else. http://www.trainweb.org/southwestshorts/navajo.html Other than that, before diesels were on the scene, electric helper engines were used in the 5-mile-long Hoosac Tunnel in NW Mass, so the crew wouldn't be asphyxiated during the trip through the tunnel.
|
|
#
?
Oct 8, 2013 11:58
|
|
|
The Pennsylvania Railroad was really big on electrification. I was surprised to learn that their famous GG-1 wasn't just for passenger rail. It was also used for hauling freight. And the PRR P5a locomotive was freight-only.
|
|
#
?
Oct 8, 2013 12:05
|
|
|
Note that in the interwar era in Europe things were the other way around. You had electric trains for low speed operations like freight and local passenger traffic, and steam power for high speed passenger lines. Here you got an electric coal train from 43: 
|
|
#
?
Oct 8, 2013 13:18
|
|
|
Brother Jonathan posted:The Pennsylvania Railroad was really big on electrification. I was surprised to learn that their famous GG-1 wasn't just for passenger rail. It was also used for hauling freight. And the PRR P5a locomotive was freight-only. If the GG-1 was Art Deco, the E44 was Brutalist.
|
|
#
?
Oct 8, 2013 15:06
|
|
|
The Milwaukee Road electrified a bunch of their Pacific Extension, I think because of a combo of tunnels and steam not being powerful enough to handle the mountains. I believe it's all been torn out now though.
|
|
#
?
Oct 8, 2013 16:18
|
|
|
FISHMANPET posted:The Milwaukee Road electrified a bunch of their Pacific Extension, I think because of a combo of tunnels and steam not being powerful enough to handle the mountains. I believe it's all been torn out now though. Here's one of the locomotives they used: 
|
|
#
?
Oct 8, 2013 19:13
|
|
|
The Virginian Railway, which I know I always bring up, and which I'm sure most of you have never heard of, also electrified a large portion of their main line. 134 miles (more than 1/4 of their entire mainline) was electrified, and they used 3 different classes of electric locomotives: First they had these semi-permanently coupled 3-unit jackshaft boxcabs:  Then they bought a few of these gorgeous 2-unit pairs:  Towards the end they purchased a bunch of these, which later went on to be the New Haven's E33s: 
|
|
#
?
Oct 9, 2013 02:04
|
|
|
Disgruntled Bovine posted:Towards the end they purchased a bunch of these, which later went on to be the New Haven's E33s: And Penn Central's, and Conrail's (briefly.) Most American electric freight locomotives were purpose-built for a single railroad, as electrified freight was pretty situational/rare, as has been discussed. The E33 fleet moving between railroads represents something fairly unusual.
|
|
#
?
Oct 9, 2013 05:07
|
|
|
So somehow I stumbled across something called Project 130, and it sounds pretty awesome. A group is researching steam using biofuel for future high speed locomotives. That that end, they've acquired a 1937 steam engine, an ATSF 3460, that they're going to convert to renewable biofuel and try and break the current steam speed record, with a goal of 130 mph (hence project 130). Best part (for me) is that they're local, so maybe I'll get to see such a thing in operation. Anyway, here's their website: http://www.csrail.org/ I guess right now they're working on how to get the locomotive from Kansas to somewhere in Minnesota.
|
|
#
?
Oct 10, 2013 18:36
|
|
|
FISHMANPET posted:So somehow I stumbled across something called Project 130, and it sounds pretty awesome. A group is researching steam using biofuel for future high speed locomotives. That that end, they've acquired a 1937 steam engine, an ATSF 3460, that they're going to convert to renewable biofuel and try and break the current steam speed record, with a goal of 130 mph (hence project 130). Best part (for me) is that they're local, so maybe I'll get to see such a thing in operation. I was going to ask why they don't just use biodiesel in a regular diesel, but then I thought maybe they wanted to use biofuels with less processing waste and lower processing energy requirements. I'm pretty sure that's been done before though...  v... I imagine that if they're serious about it they would get something that grows much faster then timber, maybe corn stalks or sugar cane husks. They still would have the issue of pounding the rails into oblivion though, wouldn't they? Unless they use a steam turbine-electric system of some sort. Captain Postal fucked around with this message at 00:01 on Oct 11, 2013 |
|
#
?
Oct 10, 2013 22:02
|
|
|
Timber may be a renewable resource, but there's not enough of it to go around if every locomotive in the US needed to be powered by it. Edit: that said, if it meant a steam locomotive resurgence I would be totally behind it regardless of the logistical impracticalities. Ah, I see they're targeting passenger rail specifically. That's actually not a bad idea since some of the later steam locomotive designs generated enormous drawbar horsepower at higher speeds (7500 from the Alleghenys and 8000 from the Q2s). The main issue for steam was always starting a train, but once you got things moving how fast you could go was mainly restricted by how fast your drivers could spin before reciprocating forces started pounding things to bits. Hence why the N&W had compound 2-8-8-2's which could do 50 mph on 57" drivers and 4-8-4's with 70 inch drivers that could (supposedly) do 125 mph. Superior balancing of the rods and roller bearings allowed them to do what other railroads couldn't in that regard. I imagine modern technology could do a lot more. Disgruntled Bovine fucked around with this message at 22:28 on Oct 10, 2013 |
|
#
?
Oct 10, 2013 22:07
|
|
|
Crossing accident with pipe truck. Video from two angles. http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2013/oct/10/train-wreck-caught-tape/
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 01:50
|
|
|
And another collision, a cow versus a train.  for sound of impact.
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 02:00
|
|
|
B4Ctom1 posted:Crossing accident with pipe truck. Video from two angles. This one was linked on Jalopnik as apparently being the previous day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRSUxUGyt38
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 05:49
|
|
|
Here's a picture of a choo choo I took this morning: Highland, NY, across from Poughkeepsie, heading North at 9:08am
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 15:25
|
|
|
bisticles posted:Here's a picture of a choo choo I took this morning: Ahh, the River line. Here are a few less than stellar shots from across the river, I took these on some of the last inspection runs before the line was sold to Amtrak.  Some of the only Class 6 rail on the CSX system, good for 110mph.  Magical Mystery Tunnel to!!... 45 feet down the line.  Southbound! 90-100mph pass. This is why you repeat your authority to the dispatcher then check a compass to make sure you're setting on the correct track. Pucker factor: Maximum.  Another run, this time with the track geometry car. This is the viewing platform in TGC-2 (Track Geometry Car #2) looking out upon the majesty of Selkirk Yard  5' x 12' window with amazing views of the track... and this was my view for the day. We had two tracks to test, and since the TGC only tests in one direction we had to double back to the start... but since there was no wye available for the train, and a shove movement can only do 10-15 while a pull can do 45, we decided to leave some extra power hanging off the back end all day.. which messed up our geometry readings for sure. 
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 00:46
|
|
|
NoWake posted:Southbound! 90-100mph pass. This is why you repeat your authority to the dispatcher then check a compass to make sure you're setting on the correct track. Pucker factor: Maximum. This is why, as a dispatcher, ask you have you seen UP XXXX past your location, have a job briefing about what tracks to be fouled, then make you repeat all that, then issue track and time, then repeat all that poo poo back (maybe work and time for you CSX guys). Though with our new remote authority program, the repeats never get messed up, but just making sure that XXXX train gets by.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 17:00
|
|
|
BrokenKnucklez posted:This is why, as a dispatcher, ask you have you seen UP XXXX past your location, have a job briefing about what tracks to be fouled, then make you repeat all that, then issue track and time, then repeat all that poo poo back (maybe work and time for you CSX guys). I sometimes wonder how well the Japanese safety method of making drivers physically point at the schedules and signals works. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl0S-6wtTcM There's no way they could get Americans to do that, though!
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 17:10
|
|
BrokenKnucklez posted:This is why, as a dispatcher, ask you have you seen UP XXXX past your location, have a job briefing about what tracks to be fouled, then make you repeat all that, then issue track and time, then repeat all that poo poo back (maybe work and time for you CSX guys). Doesn't help if the crew is asleep at the controls though.
|
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 17:42
|
|
|
Veins McGee posted:Doesn't help if the crew is asleep at the controls though. This is for MOW guys. Train crews... total different ball of wax.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 18:13
|
|
|
Brother Jonathan posted:I sometimes wonder how well the Japanese safety method of making drivers physically point at the schedules and signals works. I'm confused, why is he pointing? Nobody can see him point but him.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 20:35
|
|
|
How much do engineers on commuter rail, light rail or metro/subway trains make? In general, what are the salaries/payscale like on the short lines compared to the class 1s?
|
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 20:43
|
|
|
About the same from what I have heard. But the quality of life is way better. No magic coal train showing up at 3 am, or that extra yard job that needed to be called.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 20:47
|
|
|
FISHMANPET posted:I'm confused, why is he pointing? Nobody can see him point but him. I would imagine that it's to make sure he registers each signal/checkpoint in his head. If he points at it it will stand out more in his mind and there will be less of a chance of missing something.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 21:03
|
|
|
Yep, thats point read operate method of operations, which forces one to see, acknowledge, and understand.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 22:06
|
|
|
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 23:21
|
|
|
Ryand-Smith posted:Yep, thats point read operate method of operations, which forces one to see, acknowledge, and understand. So it's more for the operator than anyone else? If he points one way and the train goes another he knows bad things could happen and stops the train etc etc?
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 23:35
|
|
|
More so he doesn't do things like push the stop button when he wants to start, or lower the throttle when he needs to lower it, as well as acknowledge power/speed limits (which I can imagine are key for higher speed operation)
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 23:41
|
|
|
EDIT - oh, it's a bird, I didn't see it fly in there at first. Still, that's some incredibly bad luck. Megillah Gorilla fucked around with this message at 10:09 on Oct 13, 2013 |
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2013 10:05
|
|
|
In reference to electric freight operations, I have blueprints for a proposed 3 part steeple cab locomotive designed for the Reading railroad for the purpose of pushing coal loads up the steep Mahanoy Grade.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2013 16:15
|
|
|
jadebullet posted:In reference to electric freight operations, I have blueprints for a proposed 3 part steeple cab locomotive designed for the Reading railroad for the purpose of pushing coal loads up the steep Mahanoy Grade. Scan them and post them please, that sounds bizarrely awesome.
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2013 04:07
|
|
|
jadebullet posted:In reference to electric freight operations, I have blueprints for a proposed 3 part steeple cab locomotive designed for the Reading railroad for the purpose of pushing coal loads up the steep Mahanoy Grade. Doesn't it look just like the original Krokodil, just with some extra wheel under the cab?
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2013 09:30
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 4, 2024 20:08 |
|
|
Don't hit a train, or its buddy might get mad and hit back. http://www.liveleak.com/view?f=b641fe46b65e Apparently she escaped with only a broken arm.
|
|
#
?
Oct 15, 2013 22:19
|
|