UP Autorack Dumps The Air after hitting Shopping Cart - Simi Valley, Ca

[AMTK510]

It was a uneventful weekend for me, found out some autos were heading down the coast, so I stayed up, then once they hit Oxnard, I walked out to the tracks, and this happened ......... I had no idea what happened until the conductor told the man what he did. Oh well, s&%t happens, I suppose.
Note: If you look VERY carefully around the 11-13sec mark, you can see the shopping cart being dragged over the crossing in front of the plow.

The train went into Emergency at exactly 3:00am, and got going again at 3:51am.

Taken at Tapo St. MP 437 in Simi Valley, Ca Jan 28 2012 at 3:00am

[MrMRL]

Well, that royally sucks for the crew... I bet the the conductor was already putting his gloves on before the air popped too, especially when he saw the grade crossing coming.

Shopping carts are a train's worst enemy when it comes to UDEs (well, that and 'kickers'). Carts don't typically bounce off the plow and out of harms (the RR crews) way like a mattress, sofa, or vehicle. Shopping carts act like ship anchors, they often become hooked, crumple up, then roll under the locomotives. If your lucky they kick and bounce their way under the train and eventually break apart before a piece of the wire frame snags an air hose. Even worse, when an air hose is snagged it typically isn't just a simple pull apart at the gladhands. The heavy gauge metal rods of the mangled cart frame tend to slash through the rubber effectively destroying the hose. So when the conductor gets to walk back and find the hole, it is wise to carry a large wrench and a replacement hose just in case. I type from experience, and from the countless stories from other RRers and their experiences. A contributing factor to this train's UDE was the grade crossing acting as a launch ramp for the destroyed shopping cart, probably kicking it up into the underside of the train within closer proximity of the air hoses.

Now, on top of determining the cause of the air pressure loss, and locating/repairing the break. The crew has to additionally factor in their railroad's severe slack action procedures for cushion coupler equipment as outlined in their System Special Instructions and Air Brake & Train Handling Rules. Going over a certain speed, with certain equipment, in certain districts (varies from RR to RR), the crew can't simply patch 'er up and highball. They may have to inspect their entire train to ensure they regain air pressure throughout, that there aren't any derailed cars, and that there aren't any damaged couplers due to excessive forces experienced during the emergency stop. This all compounds... At least it wasn't raining in Simi Valley on the night of January 28th.

On a semi related note. This train was booking right along, probably fairly close to the timetable freight speed limit for the area, 40 mph. After the air dump, I noticed it took 14 and a half 90' autoracks (plus gaps in between cars) to grind to a halt, with empty racks at that! Were talking approximately 1350' of train length, or just over a 1/4 mile to stop with the entire train setting to a full 90 lb. emergency. It doesn't get any more obvious for anyone that considers stopping on the tracks or going around the gates trying to beat that train. It ain't gonna stop on a dime, not even if that dime was 1000 feet across!

As I initially stated, this sucks for the crew. It takes a perfectly, normal, dull, uneventful evening on the job and flips it into a long, drawn-out, stressful night for the crew. I hope that when they finally got on the move again it was smooth sailing on greens and a quick and painless crew change at the next terminal.

Mr. MRL

[SERRANO-HIGHBALL]

FYI: Guys, its called a pilot

S-H

[MrMRL]

pilot? -

Mr. MRL

[SERRANO-HIGHBALL]

Tractors have plows... Locomotives have Pilots

S-H

(02-22-2012 03:36 PM)MrMRL Wrote:  pilot? -

Mr. MRL

[bastatim4294]

(02-22-2012 04:06 PM)SERRANO-HIGHBALL Wrote:  Tractors have plows... Locomotives have Pilots

S-H

(02-22-2012 03:36 PM)MrMRL Wrote:  pilot? -

Mr. MRL

I thought they were called cow catchers myself.

[SERRANO-HIGHBALL]

From what I've seen they don't catch them very well at all... cows seem to bounce right off..

S-H

(02-22-2012 04:31 PM)bastatim4294 Wrote:  

(02-22-2012 04:06 PM)SERRANO-HIGHBALL Wrote:  Tractors have plows... Locomotives have Pilots

S-H

I thought they were called cow catchers myself.

[MrMRL]

MMm-Kay...

The "pilot" would be the 1.5" reinforced vertical steel plate welded to the front and rear of a diesel locomotive. All sorts of additional essential parts are attatched to the pilots, like air lines, cut levers, mu recepticals, and believe it or not on rare occasions even snow plows. That little curved thing mounted down low on the front pilot of many mainline designated locomotives? You know the piece of steel that pushes snow and other small debris ahead and away from a locomotive... That would be a plow, more commonly known as a snow plow since that is what they spend most of their time actively clearing during the winter months in colder climates. The shopping cart would have impacted the plow of the lead UP locomotive, not the pilot.

Am I the only one that received this education in Railroading 101?

Mr. MRL

[Jaanfo]

I knew it MRL, I just elected not to get into the argument.

[SERRANO-HIGHBALL]

No, but you have to take RR 101 before you can take Advanced Locomotive Design 502.

The part you just described is the pilot plate

The pilot attaches to the pilot plate and extends down to just above the rails to deflect obstacles on the track, although it may also be designed to function as a snowplow aswell.

S-H

(02-22-2012 05:09 PM)MrMRL Wrote:  MMm-Kay...

The "pilot" would be the 1.5" reinforced vertical steel plate welded to the front and rear of a diesel locomotive. All sorts of additional essential parts are attatched to the pilots, like air lines, cut levers, mu recepticals, and believe it or not on rare occasions even snow plows. That little curved thing mounted down low on the front pilot of many mainline designated locomotives? You know the piece of steel that pushes snow and other small debris ahead and away from a locomotive... That would be a plow, more commonly known as a snow plow since that is what they spend most of their time actively clearing during the winter months in colder climates. The shopping cart would have impacted the plow of the lead UP locomotive, not the pilot.

Am I the only one that received this education in Railroading 101?

Mr. MRL