I was wondering how the engineers in the separate engines communicated what they were doing as relates to throttle settings and braking. Working / playing on the sim the other day and got to thinking about remote lashups today and the old days. H.D.
H.D., As I've always understood it with whistle signals. Back in the mid 1990s, there was an interesting series of articles in Great Model Railroads (I think?) written by a former Espee fireman / engineer, who wrote of helper operations on the Tehachapi line. His stories were complimented by model recreations by the San Diego club that's modeled the pass. Maybe Don W. or others can chime in with more specifics. Best Regards,
If the helper was on the head end, it was no big deal. The road engine would start the train and work till it had as much as it could handle then the helper cut in. Usually got up to track speed in good shape then. The lead engine handled the air. After it cut off, the air was returned to the second engineer. If the helper was on the hind end, whistles prevailed. When the lead engine whistled off, the helper engineer watched the air gauge until the brakes started releasing and then gently started shoving, trying to balance the train correctly. He kept a close watch on the air gauge to see when the lead engine was making any reductions to avoid scattering cars. On stopping, I would imagine he would carefully bunch the slack before stopping and cutting off. Sometimes, the helper on the hind end would cut off on the fly, management was skeptical of this, by the hind brakeman or conductor closing the angle cock on the caboose and lifting the pin when it was slacked. Missouri Pacific (MP) used to do this most of the time on Kirkwood Hill. Now, it's either DPU or radio. Frisco 1522 is set up to MU with a diesel, but nobody is needed in the diesel cab unless you wanted dynamic brakes.
H.D., In today's railroading, radios are used to communicate between helper and consist engines. There are very specific rules that apply when attaching or detaching helper engines, and while those requirements are being complied with, the engineers will communicate via radio. When all of the preparations are complete, the engineers will communicate via the radio again and begin to move the train. There are different rules for head end or rear end helper engines which must be complied with. This is much easier than in the steam days when they had no radios, and the whistle would be used to communicate back and forth. I must say that I have wondered if a train's length might interfer in the engineer's ability to hear one another. Terry Jankowski
I often wondered that myself, but trains were shorter back then. The air gauge was your friend I guess. Even radios aren't trouble free. Back in 1989 when the UP delivered our ex-IC water car to the Museum, it was at the end of the WB local and the engines were downhill about 40 car lengths around the curve behind a hill. They were backing it in and the conductor kept yelling into the radio "That'll do!!!" and he kept backing until he ran into the Frisco baggage car, another tender and something else and shoved them off the end of the spur and into a mountain of stacked lumber sending it scattering like toothpicks. He got stopped just short of running into the building. Wife and I were there and she said I always knew how to show a gal a good time. If only I had my video camera.
Most of the times here manned helpers are added on a grade of 1% or more. The head end (H/E) stops the train, hopefully with a minimum set of the automatic brakes. If your lucky enough to be able to add to the rear, the helper will attach, cut out the automatic brake giving the brake pipe to the HE, and cut in the train line air. Then the H/E will make a deeper reduction to confirm H/E control of the air. Like many have said before, the helper engineer will watch the brake pipe and when the air gets to the rear and brakes start to release, the rear helper will go to work. If you have to cut the helper in mid train, or swing, it gets a bit more complicated. We have to cut in ahead of at least 1/2 the rated tonnage of the locomotives, Depending on the helper make up, you have to find somewhere in the train so that your not shoving next to hazmat or empties or a host of other restrictions. The helper will make the cut on the train pull the H/E clear of the crossover. Then the helper will make a joint on the rear, pull up and couple on to the H/E, make an automatic reduction a few pounds more than the H/E so the added rear doesn't initiate a release of the brakes, and you are off to the Rodeo and cut the automatic out, make the air. Then like before the H/E will make a deeper set and the helper will go to work on the release. Experienced helper crews are a pleasure to work with, and can make for a good trip. You can sure make yourself a bunch of work too if things don't go right. Many times we would leave Grand Junction with 4 SD's and a 105 loads, go to Glenwood Springs and get 2 more SD's cut in ahead of 17 cars and barely wiggle into Minturn to change crews. Then those Minturn helpers would cut in as many as 6 more SD's behind 55 cars. Man talk about a show when they left town. Minturn was a really small town and every building rattled when they left and leaned into that 3 to 3 1/2% grade. It was quite a show seeing manned swing and rear helper, using brute horsepower over tonnage. But I don't miss it a bit. Sorry about wandering off topic a bit. Tom Holley
Don, I agree with you that radios are not trouble free. In fact, when I was shoving under radio rules, I was very nervous. Sometimes the communication is disrupted to the point that there is no squelch sound received, a hint that someone was trying to talk to me. That is the reason the radio rules require an engineer to stop the movement if no subsequent transmission is received in one half the distance of the previous transmission. I don't know if I stated that clearly enough for everyone to understand, but all that means is that if the crew member gave a twenty car distance the last time he communicated with the engineer, then the engineer must stop at ten cars if no other communication about distance is given. The problem with that rule is that, at night especially, it is difficult to measure car lengths (typically 50 feet). Another issue is that not all crewmen would have the same 50 foot length when giving a signal. My last job before I retired was a road switcher where we shoved two miles into and out of the Tulsa Port of Catoosa. When working with my regular crew, I felt fairly confident in their signals and awareness of where they were. Extra board crew members was another thing. This post is becoming a little wordy so I will stop, but I can tell you that I have many scary stories concerning shoving with radio signals.
It does seem like everyone has a different definition of a car length doesn't it? I've been putting the train together and was backing and the ground man one time said "Five cars 1522, four cars, three cars, STOP! WHAM! All of this at just barely walking speed.
Don, I have experienced exactly what you describe. I learned the hard way back before radios to expect a rough joint because, even if I could see the crew man, there was no guarantee that he/she was watching the point properly. I left the seat and hit the window on three different occasions, and it is something that is not easily forgotten. In fact, the first time it happened back in 1974, I had my eye right on the foreman, but he wasn't watching the shove. It was night so I couldn't tell that he was not watching. I remember it as if it were yesterday. He looked up in time to give me a wash out, but it was too late. Wham! is a very good description. He never apologized to me which I thought was very strange. Terry Jankowski
I doubt there's not an engineer that hasn't taken a hard hit or more than one. I've had the wind knocked out of me along with some other assorted "lesser" hits. Love those blind move (i.e. radio dependent) counts that go something like: 4......... 3........ 2,1, That'll Do!! WHAM. Like the last couple of cars shrunk or something. Speaking of helpers: At my terminal, it's not uncommon to be called upon to help a heavy freight up and out of our yard at Fort Smith. Had to do so today. If any railfans / toots / enthusiasts would have been there to see it, they would have gotten a show. Both sets of power, one on the head end, mine on the rear, were in the big notch and grinding upgrade at about 7-8 MPH. Alco smoke shooting skyward.
