Operations Question - Switching

Many Trains Aug 26, 2020

  1. Many Trains

    Many Trains TrainBoard Member

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    I have a question regarding switching operations - I'd like some feedback on what is prototypically accurate. When making switching moves in a yard, or on an industry track, is it prototypical to couple to a freight car and keep moving, or would it be more accurate to couple to a car, stop, then resume moving?

    As an example - I have a box car on a yard track that needs to be moved farther down that same track. The box car is sitting on the track with nothing around it, there is empty track between the box car and the point farther down that track where it needs to be moved. In the "real world" would I couple on to that car with the locomotive and move the box car down the track without stopping? Or should I stop upon coupling, then start moving again?

    If it makes any difference at all, I am imagining the layout set in the 1950's.

    What is the proper practice?
     
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  2. Dave1905

    Dave1905 TrainBoard Member

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    Generally stop, couple, test couple, then shove.

    Having said that, the most common way to switch in the 1950's was kicking cars (not possible with modeling). The switcher would speed up, the switchmen would uncouple a car, the switcher would slow briefly then speed up again, the switchmen would uncouple a car, the switcher would slow briefly then speed up again, uncouple a car, etc.etc.etc.
    The rest of the switchmen were on the lead, lining the switches to direct the free rolling cars into the appropriate tracks. There might be two or three cars moving by themselves on the lead at one time. In that case, since the cars are rolling free, they will couple into the cars already in the track and may cuse both of them to roll further into the track.
     
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  3. Mr. Trainiac

    Mr. Trainiac TrainBoard Member

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    If you have remote uncoupling (some MTH locomotives have this feature), you can control the coupler with a DCC function key, allowing you to perform dynamic movements such as kicking or flying switches.
     
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  4. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    You'd slow to a stop, couple and start moving again. A crew can do this pretty quickly and would want to be sure that the coupling was made. Coupling at speed on the prototype would risk lading damage and even damage the car itself depending on impact speed. Hump yards try to keep impacts at under 4 MPH.
     
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  5. Shortround

    Shortround TrainBoard Member

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    What Dave 1905 described was done in the yard near one of my last apartments with an old switcher engine that seemed to have bad brakes. Six years ago they brought in a much newer and larger switcher engine and now it's done much more smoothly. I was fun watching that old one slamming cars around the yard. :sneaky:
     
  6. Dave1905

    Dave1905 TrainBoard Member

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    The problem with most model systems is that the only place you can remotely uncouple is the engine and to switch this way you need to be able to uncouple on the fly between pretty much every car. The second thing is that the cars need to be able to roll the entire length of the lead and into the track to a joint. To do that in the model world requires speeds waaaaaaaaaaay higher than look good or are good for the equipment.

    Abut the closest I've seen is putting a magnet at the clearance point of the class tracks and then set the switcher to a slow speed and switch with the reversing switch. Its still more or less "shove to rest" but much faster.
     
  7. rch

    rch TrainBoard Member

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    Yes, what you describe is what we call a bump and shove. You can do it with the car off air and tied down or on air and in emergency. You don't want the wheels to slide, so if it's an empty a handbrake tied and bled off is better than it being in emergency. There's a limit to how many cars you can pick up, depending on grade, number of brakes tied, track geometry and so on, but one or two cars? Definitely. We do it all the time.
     
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  8. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

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    Yep you ain't switching till your bumpin and shoving to clear or to hold one or two or a bunch. Not a bad idea to have a few hand brakes on the H/E of your shove in a open track.
    Was leaving a yard a long time ago, and just went into emergency, air didn't recover so back I went and found that a tank car was kicked right into the side or our train, one of those old BN 89' home made bulkhead flats was twisted about 90 degrees lol.
     
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