Railroaders' Nostalgia > Using the Feed Valve!

OK guys, come clean. I know you tried it. Were you successful?
Did you do it while the RFE was around?
I doubt that.
Hey just LAP the 24RL, takes  a little experience to get it correct; timing was everything.
Different proceedure with the 26 but it worked too.
Don't get below 8psi reduction or you could be asking for trouble.
Out west we had FV experts!
Rode those trains downgrade without a car sticking!

And don't forget, back then, the company paid you for using the "Company Notch"!

I just spent the day on a 26L unit that wouldnt pressure maintain, The feed valve was starting to look attractive. 

I've done it successfully mal Times.

Sam

Yes, I've just put the 6, the 24, and even the 14 in lap and let the leakage drag me down.  Also I wheeled the 26 feed valve trying get around non-lapping valves and quick action in the valve.  It worked enough to always make it an option.  I always believed they made the feed valves harder to turn to discourage us.  Plus in my final years NS even put in-cab cameras on old power to watch us putting our hands on the feed valve or the cut out key.  I will always feel it was better when they left us alone to master our craft and learn from each other.

Used it many times on a 26l to get around a kicker in the train. Worked like a champ!

Steve

Used the valve a few times. No problems. If the pressure maintain on a 26L isn’t working then throw the cut out to passenger. Of course with the Buck Rogers BS nowadays that ain’t happening.

It’s their sandbox and they don’t seem to care how much “Cat surprise” is in it anymore. Train don’t move? Wake me in 12.🤷‍♂️

Regards

Posted from iPhone

ln844south Wrote:
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> Used it many times on a 26l to get around a kicker
> in the train. Worked like a champ!
>
> Steve

You had to know what you were doong, but I saw this done many times by the old heads to get around a "dynamiter," as they were called on the SP.  So many of these "black arts," as they were called, have been lost to time as the old-heads passed on.

Brian Black
Castle Rock, CO

Used it regularly on Cajon Pass during Santa Fe's days. No problems.
JB

Used it? Yes, but only as a last measure. And it worked well. I'm glad I was taught how by a couple of older guys when I was a trainee.

Now, we had an old head that, on one particular hill, wanted to get a four pound reduction. So with a 26L brake stand he'd crank the air up two pounds, then immediately get first service. It worked for him, too....with a long enough train. I can't tell you how well it worked for the guy on the caboose.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/04/23 15:21 by RetiredHogger.

Seems like the responses here to the use of the Feed Valve are along two lines---to avoid "dynamiters" and
to address the problem of faulty maintaining. 

Specifically, when the automatic brake valve wont maintain account equalizing reservoir leakage, BNSF for
one, does (or did as late as 2014) authorize placing three-position cut-off valves in "PASS". Of course,
there were two caveat's---first, placing the BV handle in RELEASE before re-positioning the cut-off valve
to PASS and, second--with the 3-position Cut Off valve in PASS be very careful to not move the BV handle
to the left once the brakes are applied--which would cause an increase in Eq Res pressure, releasing the train brakes.
Has BNSF changed their rule on this?

Charlie
 

Done it on the fly many times with a 10# set. You have to be fast. Only had a brake release one time, coming around the Big Curve above Mojave. It was a short heavy train and the brake pipe leaked down too fast.

Been there, done that although only a couple of times. Fortunately SP started changing brake valves out to include the "PASS" position sometime in the 80's (I think). That made the feed / regulating valve method unnecessary. I got to the point I simply switched the brake valve to the "PASS" position on every train I had at Cascade Summit and used that down the hill to eliminate issues. 

It was interesting that some of SP's SD70's only had "IN' or "OUT" on the desktop brake valve. The nice part was that there was a pin that prevented the cut-out cock from moving past "IN" but IF that pin were to "fall out" you could rotate the cut-out valve all the way back and that gave you "PASS" position on the SD70's even though it wasn't marked. I loved the "PASS" position.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/23 09:14 by Railbaron.

I was firing and a strike occurred after we left Wellington, we could see officials running trains we met. We knew an official would take our train out of Emporia, to KC. I was running, the engr came over and had me crank the feed valve up to 100 psi. At Emporia, I stopped with the dynamic, and he comes over and cranked it back to 90 while we gathered up our stuff and got off. When we tied up and went home, that guy was still taking slack and trying to start the train. Handle in release, gauges sitting on 90, it all looked good to him.

Posted from Android

Most excellent, LocoPilot750

Yes the feed valve was a great tool as mentioned earlier when you had a piggy back train.  I know I used it a few times both east and west bound at Vincent before descending the hill.  Russell Bates an old head engineer taught me how to use it. Even though we were taught at the simulator not to use it.  Sometimes in order to get over the road you pulled out your bag of tricks .  Those were the days before tapes, camersa and tattletales. 

SanJoaquinEngr Wrote:
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> Yes the feed valve was a great tool as mentioned
> earlier when you had a piggy back train.  I know
> I used it a few times both east and west bound at
> Vincent before descending the hill.  Russell
> Bates an old head engineer taught me how to use
> it. Even though we were taught at the simulator
> not to use it.  Sometimes in order to get over
> the road you pulled out your bag of tricks . 
> Those were the days before tapes, camersa and
> tattletales. 

Yep...Event Recorders stopped all that.

Black arts.  I like that.  I always called it the forbidden toolbox. 

Eng.Shadetree

Otherwise known as "screwing the train down the hill".  Screwing the feed valve up briefly then back down for the soft set effect to get around a dynamiter.  Easy way to become a conductors hero.  We had to make do with what we had in those days.  Everyone carried a screwdriver to force the Independent Brake valve cam over to force main reservoir pressure into the locomotive brake cyclinders to hold the train in certain instances.  Fusees were used for a lot more than flagging.  Sphogger