Railroaders' Nostalgia > A close shave at Scenic

A recent photo posted on the N&H forum showing a fuel tender car reminded me of an incident I lived through
almost 25 years ago. Sorry guys, the fuel tender played no role in this almost disaster although I had one of them
in my consist that night The photo just served as a reminder.

I was working the BN's Interbay-Wenatchee freight pool. Our lead unit that night was one of the "Gray Ghost" General Electric
B39-8's that BN was leasing from LMX. Now, I will say here my opinion of these GE's after many trips over Stevens Pass on both the
point as well as in trail in my consist is that they were not well suited for mountain grade operation. I'm not going to display my ignorance here
of the finer points of traction motors and horsepower generation by trying to explain exactly why I held them in such low esteem. Suffice it
to say that I found them to be very slippery on their feet both while in power as well as dynamic braking; and that was on a good day with
the sun shining, bluebirds singing and on straight track!. Throw in curves, heavy grade and lousy rail conditions due to rain, (an everyday event here
in the Pacific Northwest), snow or ice and you....well, you just don't want one of those LMX's anywhere around you.

There was a small amount of fresh snow on the ground when we went on duty at Wenatchee that night on a drag destined for Interbay. At this time
BN was in the period of transition to caboose-less operations. Our train was one of these. We had one of the 'early' styles of E.O.T.D's.  (FRED's) , not the later
styles whereby the engineer could place the train in emergency using the toggle switch on the head end 'Mary'. That would have come in handy. Stay tuned.
The lead unit was an aforementioned LMX. We had two, or maybe three engines, (memory fails here), then a fuel tender car, followed by another engine for a
total of 3 or (4?) working units. Soon the train pulled up to yard office on the W-O main (named for the Wenatchee-Oroville branch) that would diverge for parts
north at Olds Jct., about two miles west of the office.

I walked out to the train and met the inbound grew that had brought the train from Spokane. The normal chatter between rails took place and as the
inbound engineer turned to continue to the office he added: "Oh, by the way, the train brakes seem to be a little soft". Now I've made crew changes
at a lot of places over my career, probably thousands of times, and have come to consider comments such as ..."a little soft"... to be subjective.
Nothing to throw the anchor out and refuse to proceed until the supposed condition is remedied right then and there. If, on the other hand the report
was that the brakes don't work; that's another horse of different coloration. I simply put this bit of information into the old data bank under the title
of "We'll see", knowing there was ample opportunity to test out the ..."little soft"... report in the miles ahead before things get critical.

Everybody's aboard. The head man with me in the lead unit and Dale Woitte, the conductor aboard the second unit. This was before BN got strict about
conductors riding the lead units and dutifully filling their signal awareness log. We proceed out the W-O and I get the speed up to the allowed 25MPH
planning to use the train brakes to slow down for the electric switch at Olds Jct. I set the air a little sooner than I would normally have and take no
exception to the train brakes. Seems fine to me but I will keep things in mind. Coming through Winton I normally use throttle modulation to
keep the speed legal through the big sag but tonight I'll try the brakes, again to see if there are any problems. Nothing amiss.

Up the 2.2% through Berne. Everything's OK. Just before rolling over the west switch at Berne the Seattle East DS radio crackles alive:
"No. 22, I'll take you up to Scenic for one; he's just leaving Berne". I'm that 'one'.  No. 22 is a So. Seattle-Memphis pig train and I deduce
from the DS's words still west of Skykomish, the first siding west of Scenic. I've always held that a lot of problems crews get into on the railroad
can be attributed to not listening to the radio. You can hear what's going on around you and handle your train accordingly.....if you only listen.

The DS's, (Probably Charlie Sonneman) words to the opposing train means that 22 has at least 10 miles of 2.2% grade with a
speed of 20MPH ahead of him before he crawls into the siding and out of my path. Bottom line: I'm going to have to stop at W. Scenic.
The procedure then and probably now is that west bounds hold the main and east bounds take the siding at Scenic.

I enter the Cascade Tunnel and draw the train onto the steady 1.56% descending grade that remains constant throughout. Keeping the speed
below the allowed 25MPH, I try the dynamics. Everything is working fine. I make a minimum reduction of 6 lbs on the brake pipe. As the application
takes affect I am able to reduce my dynamics which is a good thing because when I exit the tunnel the snow and wet rail will play havoc with
my already slippery LMX leader. Everything is in balance. About a mile inside the west portal of the tunnel is an area the crews call
"The car wash". The roof leaks horribly onto the track below and if you are using heavy dynamics your wheels will definitely slip. Sure enough
my leader begins to sing, amperage drops out of sight, sanders automatically come on all to no avail. Fortunately, with the air set the effect of
the slipping has little consequence.

I exit the Cascade tunnel doing 20 MPH. The signal at East Scenic is Yellow, No. 22 is not in sight. Conclusion: I will definitely be stopping at W. Scenic.
The grade at Scenic for westward trains increases from 1.56% to 2.2% at a point just west of MP1709 about midway between East and West Scenic.
This grade change is visible in the daylight. Not so much a night but If you've spent any time on the line you know exactly where it drops off.
The LMX seems to have found her footing and I add 2lbs to the brake application. As I move onto the 2.2% the speed is holding steady at 16 MPH.
It's pitch black ahead. No headlight of No.22. I've got about 3,000 feet to my targeted stopping place. I need to drop some more speed. Even though I'm
aware of the adage that the slower you go the more the brakes become effective, something about coefficient of friction, things are starting to get uncomfortable.
Early on in my engine running career, taught myself and any firemen that cared to listen, that rule No. 1 in engineeringmanship is 'You run the train,
don't let the train run you". If you don't, its' going to be an awfully long trip. 

This train was not doing what I wanted it to do. I ever so gently increase my dynamics keeping in mind that I've got extended range on the LMX, not so on the trailers.
I'm down to about 13MPH. Siiiiiing went the LMX, speed jumped to 15. Enough is enough, I dump the air, grab the independents, (No DB Interlocks on these beasts), sanders on.
The speed doesn't budge. Finally, after eternity is past the speed sloooowly begins to drop. Down to 10MPH, I can see the West Scenic signal; it's RED, as expected. Slowing more now.
I stop just a little bit farther back than I would have normally. But this isn't normal. No. 22 pokes his head around the curve and marches past our
head end and it's shaking-like-a-leaf hogger. I tell them that we were in emergency and be on the lookout for anything. Then, for the first time after this thrilling turn of
events began I had the presence of mind to look at 'Mary'. 'Beep-Beep-Beep' she sang. Another 'Beep-Beep-Beep'. I look at Fred's pressure; "50,....49....48".
Fred wasn't in emergency!. What the...!!. Dale Woitte comes up into the cab and we both stare in disbelief at what were seeing.

"I'll be back" says Dale. He walks the train while Fred continues his slow drop finally reaching "00" a few minutes later. He reaches Fred and asks if I think I can
hold 'em on the grade with just the driver brakes. I calculate that I can and do release the train. Surprisingly, Fred's pressure comes up quickly and soon we have a full charge.
When Dale returns to the cab after his two-way hike in the snow, he simply asked if I was ready to go. "Yeah, I guess so if you are, what did you find?"
"Oh, just an angle cock halfway turned about 6 cars behind the power" he said mater of factly. Then he added: "Those 6 cars were picked up at Malaga",
by the crew we relieved".  "....a little soft indeed...."

Charlie

 

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/16 14:26 by cewherry.

Scary stuff. Sounds just like one I had on our hill, although a different cause - maybe do that one later.

I loved your write-up but in the end this 'outlander' has no idea what happened here...or almost happened and why.

(Not sure what T.O.Nostalgia and History post you refer to at the beginning).



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/16 15:58 by Chazcop.

Man, what a crappy place for a half-closed angle cock. But it sure could have been worse. It's a good thing you were able to get stopped or that would have been ugly.

I was on a yard job awhile back taking passenger trains from the coach yard to the depot in the morning. The morning hostlers had just attached the power, and were supposed to charge it up and do the class 1. But the conductor on that job was lost in space as usual, and running late, so they handed it off to us to do the air test with the car department (passenger class 1s must be performed by qualified mechanical personnel, not trainmen) before taking it to the depot. So we charged it up, made the set, the carmen walked the set, then the release, and everything seemed fine until the alerter test. I was at the back of the train with the carmen when I heard the head-end plug, but the train just slowly set-up. Very slowly. So after some radio chatter between me, my engineer, and ther carmen, I walked the train. When I got to the hook the hostlers had made between the power and the train, I found a half-closed angle cock. It was open enough to charge and set the train, albeit slowly, but not enough to put it in emergency from the head end. Thank heaven for that alerter test.

Chazcop Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I loved your write-up but in the end this
> 'outlander' has no idea what happened here...or
> almost happened and why.

My apologies for not stating conclusions that all can understand.
What happened is that the Spokane based crew, (specifically the trainman/men), while doing their switching at Malaga failed to completely
open the angle cock on the rear car of the picked-up cars, which became the first 6 cars in their train arriving Wenatchee. If the trainman had failed
to even partially open the angle cock, the train would still be there; no air equals no released train brakes. By only partially opening the angle cock, brake pipe
pressure could still pass the partial obstruction to release and charge all cars behind the obstruction albeit more slowly than desired or required. Brake applications
are propagated beginning at the first car and serially passed to the next and so on until all cars apply. If there is an obstruction in the brake pipe, it's possible
that following cars might not get the message to apply their brakes. When I ..."dump the air"... I am calling for an emergency application of the train brakes.
When the trainman at Malaga failed to completely open the angle cock, he unthinkingly took a tool away from me, that is except for the locomotives and the
first 6 cars, all cars behind the partial obstruction could not reliably be depended to go into emergency if needed. And that's just what happened since
FRED showed air pressures when it should have been at "00" within seconds of my placing the brake valve in emergency position.

As to the why of your question: Often, in the process of opening angle cocks on a car or cars that are fully charged, (read 6 cars plus locomotives),
to an undercharged car or cars, (read train line of rear portion of train that came in from Spokane), an emergency application will occur on the charged portion.
An old practice that is still valid today is to slowly partially open the angle cock, wait until air pressures begin to equalize and then again slowly completely open
the angle cock to its fully open position. The key thing here is to NOT leave the scene or become distracted so that you forget that last, most important part.
 
Here is the link to the photo that 'highgreengraphics' posted on 2-1-16.  http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3950804

(Not sure what T.O.Nostalgia and History post you
> refer to at the beginning).

Charlie

Charlie,
  I totally agree with your assessment of those GE's. Even the six axle version, C40-8's were as slippery as can be. Not only would they drop out on you, over the slightest imperfection in the rail, but they would take forever to come back again. There used to be an extremely slick flange lubricator, right out of Summit, where you were stilll trying to get your train settled down for the hill and it would get you every time. If I had those GE's in my consist, I'd usually just discount them and use a little more air.

  As for the "Brakes are a little soft" comment, I can't tell you how many times I've heard that only to walk throught the power and find a brake valve, on a trailing unit, cut in and released. I had to think, "How did they ever make it here alive?!"

  Another time I caught a train with only two SD-40's on it and the inbound crew told me that, "The dynamics on the second unit are a little weak". Since were were on the fuel rack, I mentioned it to the mechanical foreman. After a few moments, he called me back to the second unit and said, "Climb up there on top and have a look". I climbed up the ladder on the rear of the unit and peered accross the top and saw what looked like the end of an exploding cigar. The dynamic fan and the grids were gone and the top of the unit peeled wide open! A little weak indeed.

Great story; thanks!

Andy

Those LMX units were the roughest riding things I have ever been on. It was impossible to write a track warrant legibly on those things. I, along with anyone else who ever had to work on those units, do not miss them.

cewherry Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Our lead unit that night was one of the
> "Gray Ghost" General Electric
> B39-8's that BN was leasing from LMX. Now, I will
> say here my opinion of these GE's after many trips
> over Stevens Pass on both the
> point as well as in trail in my consist is that
> they were not well suited for mountain grade
> operation.

..., the source of oh so many arguments between me and the power bureau. It wasn't just the LMXs-

B39-8, GP-50, SD-60 all too slippery in fall, winter, and spring. I used to de-rate them, particularly if there was snow on the hill. Whenever possible, I'd bury them in the consist if I had to use them. That instigated a Decree of Truth from a Power Bureau guru that weather doesn't affect locomotives.

B30-7A slugs (no not the traction motor only meaning - the counterfeit coin meaning) avoid anywhere. On jointed rail (of which we still had a lot) they would regularly shut down low oil because the sensors were so sensitive that oil sloshing would tell the crankcase protector that they were out of oil. After the train dispatchers lost the battle over locomotive assignment and the power bureau and their software became the ultimate masters, there was a west man assigned two of them out of Pasco. That's it, two slugs. The roundhouse foreman lost the argument with the power bureau guru - do as you're told or we'll get someone who will. The fact that the consist had only units with no cab fell on deaf ears...or ears with vacuum between them. There was some reference made to the hostler control and You can't tell me that they can't be used that way. The roundhouse foreman complained to me. I told him I'm done. They can do whatever they want; the war is over and we lost. The engineer came to work and you can guess the reaction to what was set up for him. The argument started anew, with the threat from the Power Bureau of throwing the engineer out of service for refusing to work. It was finally settled by shift change at the power bureau.

Fuel tenders were a real pain for us in the chief chair. Adding or removing units was a necessity back then. Sometimes, it would be necessary to get one from each end of the consist. One guy was drenched in fuel at Sky because the quick disconnects did...but didn't stop the fuel from flowing out of the hose. The power bureau used to regularly send us a South Seattle train with the tender on the rear, necessitating baldfacing it back from South Seattle to Interbay 13 miles over 11 crossings and through 6 interlockings.

TAW



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/16 11:35 by TAW.

KF1957 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Those LMX units were the roughest riding things I
> have ever been on. It was impossible to write a
> track warrant legibly on those things. I, along
> with anyone else who ever had to work on those
> units, do not miss them.

Count me in as one who doesn't miss them.  The LMX's and the U28C's were the worst riding locomotives BN ever had.  BSB

I appreciate the line 'you run the train, don't let the train run you.'  I said much the same to many condcutors with ink-still-wet student cards. 

Once upon a time, we encoutered a pig or other high-priority train in UP's Eugene yard being given a thorough going over because the brakes weren't working right.  They finally found a half-turned angle cock somewhere in the middle of it, after about two hours of searching.

Charley,

I have one for you. Going east to K Falls one night and came out of the tunnel at Dorris around 40 mph. Wound down the hill to the next tunnel and could see a flashing yellow outside the other end. It told me the next was either a double yellow or a hard yellow. In any case we would be going into Worden or would be stopped by a double red.

Going down into the sump I took first squirt to start getting my speed down. Nothing.. I went to 10 lbs, nothing. Then full service, same story. I went ahead and plugged them with no results. I turned on the overhead light and yelled the conductor to wake up and pull the cork on his side. He started to sit up and asked what is the matter, I took my automatic brake handle and swung it from side to side. I asked if he had any other ideas, and he jumped up and pulled the air on his side. It worked. We had already gone by the yellow and could see the double red at Worden. We came to a stop about 25 cars from it.  I had called the dispatcher and told him we had an air problem so he held the hot pig down at the east switch. He gave us the switch and we moved the units around to get a good one on the point. Made an air test and it was fine. I had used the air at Grass Lake and at Kegg to check my speed and it worked fine.

Took the train on into Klamath and called the Eugene RH on the the side phone. I told him of the engine number and about the valve.and he said he would B/O it and send it to the shop and see what was wrong. Then off to bed at the Mods. Well, the next afternoon was called to go back to Dunsmuir on a drag. As we pulled down to the yard crossovers guess what engine was on the point of the train on one rail. The one with the bad valve.. Turned out the stove made it to Eugene, was turned and sent back on the point.  The Train Master was reading the delay report on the pig and why. He looked up out the window and here is that same engine on the point going by his office. Eugene had done nothing to it.   I was told it hit the fan all the way to the Glass House but never heard the outcome.. And we were told at the simulator "That could never happen"

Nudge

Kinda reminds me of  submitting 'gripes' in the Navy -
The response was so often "Ground checks OK"
Arrrrgh!
...Lorenzo

An outstanding tale!

Had a little 'oops' at Lost Nuts one nighty, with the Perishable Hauler - seems they had hi-balled the air test after the last pickup, and the angle cock was closed behind the power. Oops.

"You can hear what's going on around you and handle your train accordingly.....if you only listen. " Your brother drilled that into me at the Crest, when he trained me!