Railroaders' Nostalgia > Old Head Hoggers

Ok guys just how much seniority did you really have?  Were you qualified on Field Loop operation? Did you get down and dirty operating in grade teritory with older power equiped with field loop circuitry?.
This could be tricky stuff if you were  faced with dynamic brake problems. Now lets don't forget those SD-9's  so equiped.  Remember your trailing switches positions when operating in multiple with newer power?
Just the sight of those extra cables made you think "Oh No"!
Of course it was nice when that stuff was removed.
We got the job done but there was at times some hair-pulling.
I'm sure you guys knew how to lap the 24 brake valve to "steal a bit more dynamic".

J.J. Bucksnort

I remember the field loops cables plugged into A receptacle near the my plug.only saw them on the SD9s. I think the SP SD 35s had the same set up. Think this system was phased out with the GRIP program.

Posted from Android

I thought Field Loop was only GP35 and SD35?
TAH

90mac Wrote:
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> I thought Field Loop was only GP35 and SD35?
> TAH

GP/SD35 and earlier. Shows up in a lot of pictures of GP/SD7/9/18/20/30's prior to about 1970.

24RL brake valve...Release-Run-Maintain-Lap-Service-Emergency.

sp3204 Wrote:
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> 24RL brake
> valve...Release-Run-Maintain-Lap-Service-Emergency
> .


So where is handle off?

TIA.

Regards

Posted from iPhone

On CP, we called the positions:
Release, Running, Holding, Lap, Service, Emergency.

Steve
CP Belleville Sub Hogger (ret).
Smiths Falls, Ont.

Drknow Wrote:
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> sp3204 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > 24RL brake
> >
> valve...Release-Run-Maintain-Lap-Service-Emergency
>
> > .
>
>
> So where is handle off?

"Handle Off" is a position on a 26-C automatic brake valve, not 24-RL. On the 26-C, "Handle Off" is between "Suppression"
and "Emergency" and is the only position where the handle may be inserted or removed. 

On D-24 automatic brake valves, (rigid handle) the handle may be inserted and removed only in "Running" position.

Charlie
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/07/23 13:49 by cewherry.

cewherry Wrote:
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> Drknow Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > sp3204 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > 24RL brake
> > >
> >
> valve...Release-Run-Maintain-Lap-Service-Emergency
>
> >
> > > .
> >
> >
> > So where is handle off?
>
> "Handle Off" is a position on a 26-C automatic
> brake valve, not 24-RL. On the 26-C, "Handle Off"
> is between "Suppression"
> and "Emergency" and is the only position where the
> handle may be inserted or removed. 
>
> On D-24 automatic brake valves, (rigid handle) the
> handle may be inserted and removed only in
> "Running" position.
>
> Charlie
>  

Ok. I've only run a non self lapping equipped engine once with some cars so I guess I have the medal for that. Everything was changed over to 26 or latter when I hired out in 97. I just didn't know how earlier schedule brake stands were set up for MU. And I heard all the horror stories about trying to MU EMD, GE, ALCO, FM etc.back in the day.

Thank you for the reply. 

Regards

Dr. Know, when I went to work on the SCL in 1973. there was a good mixture of type of power and types of brake valves. The former had a bunch of GP=7s that had 6el(I think) on them with the independent 26l. Then there were 24 rls some withpressure maintaining some without,and of course 26l's. Then there were ALO's,GE's and EMD's. When you got consists of old GP7s and 9s with GP 30's and 35's with the different manufacturers also there would be what we called. indian air,because it would slip up on you. A simple brake test on a consist could take 30-45 minutes. You would have to cut all the muhoses on the consist, put each engine in emergency, reset it, make a full seervice and then cut out the brakes in the cab, and cut in the mu hoses. and sometimes that didn'twork.

Sam

Hell, it can take 30-45 minutes today with the total lack of maintenance and the electronics that have gremlins.

Regards

Posted from iPhone

ApproachCircuit Wrote:
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> Ok guys just how much seniority did you really
> have?  Were you qualified on Field Loop
> operation?

Not a hogger, but old enough to deal with field loop as a Chief Dispatcher.

B&O had an assortment of engines with field loop, potential, and both as well as an assortment of electric, pneumatic, electric and pneumatic, and electric-pneumatic sand control. Some units had a deadman pedal, others not. A lead engine with no deadman pedal had to have a fireman. Some crews had one, others not. We had a table of how the units were equipped. Also listed was maintaining brake valve and radio.

B&O ran a fleet of trains out of Chicago on 2d trick (on which I was Chief), a variety of fast merchandise, pigs, deadfreight, and a local on 3d trick I had to keep power on hand for. There were trains for four destinations, each with different requirements. Each night was a game of assembling appropriate consists for the fleet from the units on hand or arriving in time to go out. That involved going through the jigsaw puzzle pieces looking for the pieces that fit together. It would be easy to design a board game to represent it. If you screwed it up, you might run out of power while still having a bunch of engines on hand because they were incompatible in a consist. Periodically, one of my colleagues would leave Lincoln Street (the roundhouse at Robey Street Yard in Chicago) that way for me. That's known in dispatcherese as leaving you a package.

TAW