Western Railroad Discussion > Z Train Incident-Oregon Brooklyn Sub on the UP

Just turned on my railroad radio this morning in time to catch a conversation mid-talk, about a Z train that is stopped just south of Millersburg MP 694.5. Has a truck in one of the mid lashups of table cars that was described by conductor as molten! Now car department is being dispatched from Eugene, OR with equipment to resolve situation. You have to wonder how far back along the line this all started and just how good the trackside detectors are. Amtrak Cascades 503 was stopped at Salem at the time and passengers were detrained and bused around to Albany and Eugene.

Roller Bearings don't give you much notice. When they go, there isn't any smoke or much of anything. With the old friction bearings, if you didn't see it yet, you would smell it. Then you would see the smoke, see the fire in enough time to stop and fix it or set it out. They had a special powder you would pour in the journal to put the fire out.

I almost forgot, the SP diesels had a stink bomb that would go off if an engine journal was hot. Never did smell one.


Nudge



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/14 19:02 by spnudge.

Thanks very much, appreciate the good information. Have a great day.

Railroads are constantly experimenting with new and different technologies to try to find a way to catch failed (or failing) bearings earlier. Lately, the BNSF has train crews investigate if there are readings from detectors that might be just elevated or suspicious in some way.

When standing trackside, is a car with failing bearings one that you hear approaching that doesn't sound like all the others? I usually hear at least one in every train, a sort of constant metallic creaking that is not a rail joint.

Should I (or anyone that observes it) make a note of the car number and phone it in? Thanks for any info.

P.s., Glad nobody got hurt from this incident.

Jim Montague
IRVINE, CA
Train and Nature photo Art

No its not a car that sounds different. Don't start calling the railroad please. Like a person before posted I have heard before it can go from good to locked up in less then a mile.

Posted from Android

Thanks, sound is not necessarily an indicator.

Jim Montague
IRVINE, CA
Train and Nature photo Art

Yes & No...

Its common knowledge that Rollers, in any application, have a statistically generated, predictable, failure rate based on load , rotative speed, etc.
Rolling-element bearings have a readily predictable life; whereas, hydrodynamic-lubricated, and pressure lubricated conventional bearings, have no such metric associated with them.
Their failures, after a break-in period, are most often the result of a lubrication failure; easily overcome and prevented.

Also, its known that the endangered roller bearing starts to squeal, at (human) ultrasonic frequencies. There are trackside, RB defect detectors and attendant software that can alert the dispatcher's staff of alarm conditions. By the time the squealing becomes audible (to our 'low-frequency' ears), it can be seconds away from self-destruction.

Just as heat 'detecting technology' became obsolete (with the ban on so-called "friction bearings" for interchange service)---- account of too-distant spacing---- which often resulted in a cool RB passing a heat detector without alarms, and then could rapidly burn-off a couple of miles down the road.
Today's technological challenge is to try to design a system of capturing predictable RB failures, for 100% protection.

Many RRs replaced the old infra-red detectors with sound monitors; but, there may be a 'spacing optimization' program that might require additional HF-audio sensors....
Such an on-board system may involve developing 'alertors' fitted to each car [next to the RFI tags?].

This technology could be developed relative cheaply and could include self-reporting s/ware failures, etc.
Considering the probability of a 'failure' under a tank car of highly flammable Bakken oil, the cost of ONE massive derailment, and explosions, could easily purchase enough high audio-frequency 'transmitting sensors' to equip half of the North American railcar fleet!

Next, we need to come-up with a way to keep stupid operators of tractor-trailers off the railroads' crossings at mainline tracks with their trucks and low-boy trailers. OMG!

Wes. C.

cpn456 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Railroads are constantly experimenting with new
> and different technologies to try to find a way to
> catch failed (or failing) bearings earlier.
> Lately, the BNSF has train crews investigate if
> there are readings from detectors that might be
> just elevated or suspicious in some way.

we have been doing this for a while. the Dispather will tell you to check out axle #whatever because the warm baring desk says its getting steadily warmer.

Amsted Rail/ionx systems have a bearing temperature sensor that is mounted next to the bearing. It sets off an alarm via GPS with the wagons number and axle number to a display in the locomotive cab and also the railroads monitoring station. SCT here in Australia has them on about 30-40 wagons as a trial. It does work and has prevented a couple of screwed journals as we call them here down under.

http://www.amstedrail.com/ionx-overview/Intermodal.php