Nostalgia & History > Emergency Capability from Caboose?

Could a train be placed in the emergency from the caboose back then?

Oh yeah. And many had brake valves that allowed various types of sets as well.

Big hole...hang on! ;)

They had a conductors valve and also a means to graduate off the air to gradually apply the brakes.

On the SP, 3 ways. There was a valve on each platform and the
graduated type valve inside. The ones on the platforms would plug the train.

The one inside could also plug the train but also make a "Set" and slow the train, thus telling the hoghead, "I don't think we will try for San Ardo, lets back it up in the clear at San Lucas" without having to say a thing over the radio. I am just stating what I "heard" happen once to a young runner that thought he had enough time to go but the "Big O" by the name of Brooks thought differently. I believe it was on May 8, 1973 on No: 920 with engines 8738 & 9273, but that's just what I heard:):)


Nudge

Even today, the engineer "communicates" with his train by making pressure changes in a 1 1/4" diameter pipe running the length of the train. Pressure changes in that pipe are sensed by regulating valves in each car and brakes are applied or released according to those instructions.

With that thought in mind, realize that any other device (or a person reading that device), could also receive communication from the engineer by interpreting changes in the brake pipe. A lot of communication could be made before radios, simply by reading the brake pipe.

Thus, the engineer of a mid-train or rear-of-train helper could know when to back off on the throttle, just by watching the white needle of the right-hand air gauge, even though his own brakes were cut out.

Likewise, a flagman in the coupola of a caboose could, by watching the air gauge in the coupola, become aware early on that he would likely be called out to protect the rear of his train - perhaps opening the coupola window to better hear the long-short-short-short whistle signal of the engines whistle confirming of need 99 to back of the train.

The communication could be two way: that is, changes in the brake pipe could be interpreted anywhere - thus, if a change in pressure was made anywhere else in the train, the engineer could read and interpret that change just by watching the white needle on his righthand gauge.

So, suppose the train is pulling out of a siding (pre-radio, with caboose). The engineer could slowly pull out of the siding at a speed less than a person could jog - say 4 mph - until he is absolutely certain that he has proceeded at least the length of his train so that the flagman could drop off the caboose, re-align the switch for the main, lock it, and run to catch up to his caboose and jump on. A lot of time wasted at 4 mph, isn't it?

So, if the engineer is a half a wit at all, he could figure that he could pull out of the siding at 10 mph for the first 90 cars of his 100 car train, then slow down for perhaps the next 20 carlengths, and have a pretty good chance of successfully picking up his flagman, but have saved probably 10 minutes. This could work. Maybe. If the engineer guessed wron on the length of the train, the conductor would have to dynamite the train to retrieve his flagman. Not good.

But, there's a third way, which depends heavily upon crews knowing each other and trusting each other. "Teamwork", in todays businesspeak. The engineer pulls out of the siding at 10 mph. As the caboose approaches the switch, the conductor and the flagman are both out on the rear platform of the caboose. Six cars from the switch, the conductor feathers open the air valve on the platform (forget this talk about it being an all or nothing proposition - a skilled conductor can "feather" that valve). Done PROPERLY, this WILL NOT cause an emergency application of the brakes, but will show a reduction in brake pipe pressure of 5 to 8 lbs on the engineers white gauge. The engineer shuts off power and the train quickly will slow to about 4 mph. The flagman drops off, throws the switch, locks it, and runs to catch the caboose. The conductor closes the valve, and the engineer observes that brake pipe pressure has been restored - he drops his quadrant into the front quarter, opens his throttle, and this meet is history. Another 10 minutes has been saved.

This was day-by-day "proceedure", hundreds or even thousands of times a day across the nation, for nearly a century.

spnudge Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
I am just
> stating what I "heard" happen once to a young
> runner that thought he had enough time to go but
> the "Big O" by the name of Brooks thought
> differently. I believe it was on May 8, 1973 on
> No: 920 with engines 8738 & 9273, but that's just
> what I heard:):)
>
>
> Nudge


Yeah, and Id bet that Brooks probably layed into you a while later, ......


V

SLOCONDR

What was funny was I had Dink on the headend with me and he thought we could make it too.

Nudge

The flagman drops off,
> throws the switch, locks it, and runs to catch the
> caboose. Another 10 minutes has been saved.
> This was day-by-day "proceedure", hundreds or even
> thousands of times a day across the nation, for
> nearly a century.

Yep, all this before the railroads caught the "safety" buzzword, my gosh there
must have been an awful lot of railroaders who were blind from not wearing safety goggles,
run over from not wearing hi-vis etc. Imagine a company official seeing you running for a
switch these days, "here son, sign for 20 demerits account failure to ensure adequate footing"
oh, and remember, "no job is so important we can't take the time to do it safely". Must have been fun working in the old days when you could use common sense instead of relying on 30lbs of reference material that spells out the proper stretching exercises necessary to operate a switch.

Finderskeepers Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The flagman drops off,
> > throws the switch, locks it, and runs to catch
> the
> > caboose. Another 10 minutes has been saved.
> > This was day-by-day "proceedure", hundreds or
> even
> > thousands of times a day across the nation, for
> > nearly a century.
>
> Yep, all this before the railroads caught the
> "safety" buzzword, my gosh there
> must have been an awful lot of railroaders who
> were blind from not wearing safety goggles,
> run over from not wearing hi-vis etc. Imagine a
> company official seeing you running for a
> switch these days, "here son, sign for 20 demerits
> account failure to ensure adequate footing"
> oh, and remember, "no job is so important we can't
> take the time to do it safely". Must have been fun
> working in the old days when you could use common
> sense instead of relying on 30lbs of reference
> material that spells out the proper stretching
> exercises necessary to operate a switch.


That was very well put. That was the way it was......

V

SLOCONDR

Finderskeepers Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yep, all this before the railroads caught the
> "safety" buzzword, my gosh there
> must have been an awful lot of railroaders who
> were blind from not wearing safety goggles,
> run over from not wearing hi-vis etc. Imagine a
> company official seeing you running for a
> switch these days, "here son, sign for 20 demerits
> account failure to ensure adequate footing"
> oh, and remember, "no job is so important we can't
> take the time to do it safely". Must have been fun
> working in the old days when you could use common
> sense instead of relying on 30lbs of reference
> material that spells out the proper stretching
> exercises necessary to operate a switch.



It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who thinks this "new" style of railroading is so unnecessary and over the top. Talk about overkill! Gee, how did we manage to railroad back then without the safety glasses and vests? Oh, that's right, we used our God given common sense. How 'bout that?

JDE