[Bowtiepower00]

I live in AZ (PHX metro area), close enough to the tracks to hear the trains faintly, but not close enough to make the house shake, lol... (been there, done that...) Are the Eastbound trains from the west coast far more loaded than the Westbound trains returning to ports on the WC? (It appears that way by the number of locos I see on the EB compared to WB trains...) How do the locos handle the grades and mountain ranges out west? I assume, particularly in winter, that the mountains have to pose some serious issues?? At what percentage of full capacity are the bulk of our mainlines currently operating? Based on my (relatively uneducated) observations, I'd have to say at least 85-95%, I hear and see a large 100+ car train pass my location 3+ times an hour, usually every 15 minutes, all day, everyday...

Thanks for your post, BTW...

[Est.July.4.1776]

Originally Posted by Bowtiepower00

I live in AZ (PHX metro area), close enough to the tracks to hear the trains faintly, but not close enough to make the house shake, lol... (been there, done that...) Are the Eastbound trains from the west coast far more loaded than the Westbound trains returning to ports on the WC? (It appears that way by the number of locos I see on the EB compared to WB trains...) How do the locos handle the grades and mountain ranges out west? I assume, particularly in winter, that the mountains have to pose some serious issues?? At what percentage of full capacity are the bulk of our mainlines currently operating? Based on my (relatively uneducated) observations, I'd have to say at least 85-95%, I hear and see a large 100+ car train pass my location 3+ times an hour, usually every 15 minutes, all day, everyday...

Thanks for your post, BTW...

It's actually just an example of the sad truth in this country- we import much more than we export... it's not necessarily true that WB's are more loaded than Easts, however... it's just dependent upon the port where the freight is coming in... We have 10,000+' trains running in and out of Canada daily, but more goods come in than go out...

I would assess that you are correct in the 85-95% capacity- we don't have a lot of downtime on most of our mainlines around here, but what we do have is various avenues to divert traffic in case of derailments, or increased capacity which, while it may take slightly longer, gives us the opportunity to get the freight where it needs to go.

As for how locomotives handle the grades in mountains or elsewhere, specifically in winter, locomotives are equipped with 'sanders', which drop a small amount of sand directly in front of the wheels. This provides a gritty surface for the wheels to grip, and it ultimately works pretty well on icy or wet rail. Another option is distributed power, which places a locomotive at intermediate locations within the train, or at the tail end of the train... it provides additional horsepower, as well as reducing the in train forces on undulating track.



Keep the questions coming... we're working a ton, but I'll keep answering as long as you keep asking, and if I don't know the answer, I'll find it out.

[Mr Twisty]

What's the most dangerous stretch of rail?

Tehachapi, Ca. is the most interesting I've ever seen... by far!

[SlingShot]

WOW ... You are living every young boy's dream.

My question, how does that whole diesel / electric thing work ?

[Est.July.4.1776]

Originally Posted by Mr Twisty

What's the most dangerous stretch of rail?

Tehachapi, Ca. is the most interesting I've ever seen... by far!

Good question, I only operate on about 500 miles of rail in Michigan, so I really don't have a good answer for you. I know there are a lot of areas out west prone to flash floods and falling boulders... that would be my concern. Otherwise, it's all relatively safe... Then again, when running through Detroit we have had people try to force their way onto trains and rob crews, so I guess it's all relative. lol

[Est.July.4.1776]

Originally Posted by SlingShot

WOW ... You are living every young boy's dream.

My question, how does that whole diesel / electric thing work ?

Yeah, the buddy of mine that got me in worked for the Corvette program as a Corvette tech before he hired out here, now he's a certified Conductor, a reserve police officer, and an on call firefighter... I always refer to him as the guy who never decided what he wanted to be when he grew up. lol

As far as how they operate, I'm assuming you mean mechanically... in which case, they operate almost identically to the Volt... the locomotives operate on traction motors which are, through a generator, ultimately powered by a turbocharged sixteen-cylinder Diesel engine. They operate in eight throttle positions, Notch 8 being full throttle. Notches 7 and 8 are what trigger the turbocharger, and surprisingly they are the most efficient to operate in.

[cam62]

So, in my younger days I "rode the rails" for a year or so. Yes, I know how dangerous it is, but I was young, immortal and a bit of a rebel to say the least.

What's the take on hobos/train hoppers these days?
I know the old timers that showed me the ropes were scared to death of the yard bulls.

edit : I miss cabooses on trains.

[Est.July.4.1776]

Originally Posted by cam62

So, in my younger days I "rode the rails" for a year or so. Yes, I know how dangerous it is, but I was young, immortal and a bit of a rebel to say the least.

What's the take on hobos/train hoppers these days?
I know that the old timers that showed me the ropes were scared to death of the yard bulls.

To be honest, it's almost non-existent these days... trains can often make their entire trip without stopping, so it's not too easy to catch one moving at 60MPH... also considering that railroad trackage is federally regulated property, governed by the Federal Railroad Administration, trespassing can yield a wide variety of charges, from trespassing on federal property, to terrorism. That said, when I was a younger man I used to walk along the tracks in my home-town. I never considered train hopping, but I would watch them go by. When I was twelve or thirteen I was picked up by the railroad police- to this day I still have the letter that the railroad I currently work for sent to my parents about the dangers of me walking on the tracks.

[Est.July.4.1776]

Originally Posted by cam62

edit : I miss cabooses on trains.

Yeah, with the reductions of crews and automation of signals and switches, it outlived it's purpose. Our guys bunked in them when they would layover... get the train to where you were going, and sleep in the caboose, waiting for your return trip.

[Est.July.4.1776]

Also, back then there was a much more lax attitude in the industry, so many conductors had custom bars built into their cabooses.

[cam62]

Originally Posted by Est.July.4.1776

That said, when I was a younger man I used to walk along the tracks in my home-town. I never considered train hopping, but I would watch them go by. When I was twelve or thirteen I was picked up by the railroad police- to this day I still have the letter that the railroad I currently work for sent to my parents about the dangers of me walking on the tracks.

I won't go into all the "bad" things my friends and I did regarding railroad tracks and trains in my hometown.
We had three main lines that go directly through my town and they must slow down to get through town.
Illinois Central, Union Pacific and CSX

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

I'm guessing you see idiots at railroad crossings all the time?

We would have been these folks.. and not just at crossings... teenage boys in a podunk town with nothing to do but play on the tracks.

[Mr Twisty]

Satellite view of a portion of Tehachapi... the loop is the track.

We lived near a RR crossing, they came thru at 5am every morning. Dad always told mom, "Well, it's too early to get up and too late to go back to sleep, what you wanna do?"

I'm from a LARGE family

.

[Skrail]

I also work for the railroad. Live in Kalamazoo,MI. and work out of Elkhart, Indiana. 16 years on the rail...Engineer since 99...My dream job, and helps afford all the Camaros!

[f5journal]

I thought you might appreciate this. Here is the original article and picture. These were not druggies (or at least there were no charges related to such)....they kept them for a month, put their dogs in shelters...and then finally let them go on their own after nobody bailed them out.

In subsequent articles, they quit calling them hobos due to public outrage over arresting them in the first place








Six hoboes have been arrested in Grovetown after they were caught hitching a ride on a freight train to Savannah, Ga., police said.

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William Robert Jackson, 26; (top left clockwise) Jayson Arthur Willard, 23; Dennis James Kist, 24; Megan Rose Tuck, 23; Jo Ann Heilberg, 23, and Heather Bermudez, 23.

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Jackson

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Tuck

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Heilberg

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Kist

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Willard

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Charged with hiding on a train for the purpose of stealing a ride were William Robert Jackson, 26, of Graham, Wash.; Jayson Arthur Willard, 23, of Williamston, Mich.; Dennis James Kist, 24, of Okeana, Ohio; Megan Rose Tuck, 23, of Fort Worth, Texas; Jo Ann Heil­berg, 23, of Florida; and Heather Bermudez, 23, of New Hampshire.
They were being held in the Columbia County Detention Center on Monday on $1,100 bond, according to jail records.
All six are listed as homeless in a report from the Grovetown Police Depart­ment.
They had hopped a CSX train in Atlanta with the intention of traveling to Savannah on St. Patrick’s Day weekend, according to the report, and were discovered aboard by a CSX police officer shortly before 5 p.m. Satur­day when the train stopped in Grovetown near the 300 block of Railroad Avenue.
They were turned over to Grovetown police, and four dogs traveling with them were turned over to Columbia County Animal Services.
All four large-breed dogs appeared to be well-taken care of and had up-to-date rabies vaccinations, said Linda Glasscock, the animal ser­vices manager.
The travelers were carrying ample amounts of dog food in their backpacks, she said.
A relative of Willard plans to travel to the shelter to pick up his dog, Glasscock said, and the others will be caged until their owners are released from jail.