The railroad thread...

[eford]

Truth is stranger than fiction. I believe them. Thanks for the weight lesson Tom! Make my trips to museum even better

 

[jbaker]

I KNOW Bryan

is looking down and Loving this thread.

 

[tsteinman]

Railroad Physics 101: Railroad Rails are tilted slightly inward towards each other. Howso?? The steel plates upon which the rails rest have a still inward cant to their surfaces upon which the rails rest. Whyso? Well, the wheel's inner flange keeps the train atop the rails, BUT equally important is those tilted rails thus tend to squeeze inward against all the wheel flanges. The train and the rails are locked in a mutual 'Death Grip' as the train rolls down the track. The heavier the load...the tighter that grip. Rails rarely Flop Over, because they CAN'T. Without the 2 rails being tilted inward Railroads would not exist. It's Physics. Locomotiveman Tom

 

[tsteinman]

More Railroad Physics: Railroad cars themselves are NOT bolted or chained or welded to the their wheels. Period. No 'Kingpin' locked to the wheel chassis. Railcars have 2 inverted steel bowls front and back which sit atop 2 inverted steel bowls that are a part of each wheel chassis, akin to 2 Cereal bowls nesting upon each other upsidedown. Whyso? Traincars can rock wildly back and forth on wobbly track, but the wheels, locked in a Deathgrip with the rails just roll along, oblivious to the swaying of the much wider railcars above them. Under extreme pulling tension I have seen an empty lightweight railcar lifted OFF it's wheels; suspended in the air briefly til it settled back down thanks only to a skimpy little centering pin on the bowl. Look at pictures of Train wrecks. Wheels all over the place. All SEPARATE from their cars. Physics. Locomotive Tom

 

[tsteinman]

Railroad Extra-heavy Load Competition is trucks with steerable trailers that can also be side-shifted when rounding corners. Heavier Interstate Highway construction and Railroad headaches with such a small niche $Market$ has led to BIG trucks. Locomotiveman Tom

 

[tsteinman]

A Brown Hoisting Machinery Co. Railroad crane. Rare to find one still with the steam Boiler. Early 1900's?? Virginia City, Montana in 2009. Locomotiveman Tom

 

[tsteinman]

Mexican Locomotives in Northern Minnesota. Whyso? With GPS and Hourmeters and Bar-codes on everything and scanners at each Rail Terminal it is no longer necessary to change Locomotives if a train goes from one Railroad or country to another. Railroads reconcile their books periodically. From Hudson Bay to the Guatemalan border railcars and Locomotives are routinely interchanged. A great many are actually owned by Mega-banks or GE Credit Corp. anyway. Locomotiveman Tom

 

[tsteinman]

Are Locomotive Windshields Bulletproof? ANSWER: Yes. Federal Rule 223: 'Must withstand impact of 24/lb concrete block at 30/mph or bullet at 996/fps. Whyso?? Off-hand, Cicero Chicago, Philly, Crow Reservation come to mind. Great for stopping old refrigerators, Whiskey bottles or Microwave Ovens too. Ask me why I know. Locomotiveman Tom

 

[jbaker]

that was a interesting entry, I can imagine a lot of things hitting a train.

 

[glippert]

Tom - Thanks for the lessons. I especially like your description of how railcars sit atop the wheel assemblies, like upside down cereal bowls. I always wondered about those train wreck photos, and why the wheels are always separate. And now I know! Thanks, Tom.

 

[tsteinman]

Another Thing about Railcars. The Air Brakes do NOT apply the brakes. Air Brakes release the brakes OFF. What??? Here's the deal. The brake control valve on the Locomotive pushes about 90/lbs. of Air pressure all thru the entire train. 90/lbs PUSHES the brake shoes away from the wheels. Near the wheels is a huge steel spring in a steel Cylinder attached to the brakes shoes. If the cars come unhooked...the train loses it Air Pressure and the brakes slam on. If you have ever heard the train go KA-WOOSH!! it's the air gushing out of each cars vent valve. It ain't going nowhere, the wheels would slide til the Air pressure is built up again. Safety first. Locomotiveman Tom

 

[tsteinman]

A Belt Train is a connected set of 30 railcars that deliver crushed rock. Beneath the entire set of cars runs a rubber conveyor belt that then discharges the rock to a second swingable belt conveyor on the front railcar. This swingable conveyor can place the rock to either side or between the rails. 2 such trains can be coupled to the discharge belt car as needed for efficiencies sake. Often used where floods have washed out the track. The train moves into the water, all the while the belt discharging rock ahead of it. Later, a specialized machine lifts the entire track UP thru the newly laid crushed rock until the track it properly elevated and straight. Clever. Locomotiveman Tom

 

[tsteinman]

Hauling Wind Turbine Blades. Fiberglass Wind Turbine Blades need 2 cars for each blade. The light end is carried in a sling to allow for curves and flexion. Counterweights balance the load front-to-back to avoid Jack-knifing. Clever. Locomotiveman Tom

 

[tsteinman]

Railroads and Wind Turbine Loads: Because each Fiberglass Wind Turbine Blade needs two cars to carry it...each Car has a 'Dumb-end' that carries no weight. THAT end has Slab-iron weights (10/ton??) bolted to it's floor to prevent 'Jack-knifing' if heavy brakes are applied. It's gravity and Physics. Locomotiveman Tom

 

[digger]

Here's a video of those pics below Tom sent me.
CLICK HERE

 

[wshytle]

Charlie-

I get a warning of a corrupt video when clicked.

.

 

[tsteinman]

Ka-BANG!! Near Douglas, Wyoming 1986. Loaded Coal Train, going to the LEFT here, Rear-ended a Stopped Coal Train at only 18/MPH. Nobody killed. Crews jumped at about 30/mph. Signal light system determined to be too closely spaced to give Engr. enough warning to Apply Heavy Brakes on 17,000/ton trains on a Steep Downhill Grade. Whew!! Locomotiveman Tom

 

[tsteinman]

Yeah, that was quite a day. Amazingly, the one Red So.Pacific engine in the pile was STILL running. High stress work...running Coal Trains at high speed, but sorta fun too. Like landing a 747 in the fog...it's not for everybody. Locomotiveman Tom

 

[digger]

Wayne S.
You might want to check your machines security/and or video settings. There's nothing wrong with the video or it's streaming link.

 

[aschumacher]

Want to see a GIGANTIC working steam locomotive?? Check this out!!!
http://www.flixxy.com/union-pacific-3985-the-worlds-largest-operating-steam-locomotive.htm?utm_source=nl