Two chargers crap out and Illinois Central SD70 pinch hits

[Tadman]

I'm sure many of us have seen this already, but it's the pic of the month in my book. Two newish Siemens Chargers died on the northbound City, leaving it seven hours late. CN found an IC SD70 conventional cab still in "death star" black and it led the City back to Chicago. Lots of good pics like this one by Jay Brown.

https://railpictures.net/showimage.php? ... ey=8743854

https://railpictures.net/photo/855618/

https://railpictures.net/photo/855609/

[Gilbert B Norman]

Homage being paid to TRAINS Kalmbach Publishing Co's former address - 1027 N. 7th St Milwaukee.

From time to time, they had Photo Sections of engines numbered 1027.

[STrRedWolf]

I'm sure many of us have seen this already, but it's the pic of the month in my book. Two newish Siemens Chargers died on the northbound City, leaving it seven hours late. CN found an IC SD70 conventional cab still in "death star" black and it led the City back to Chicago. Lots of good pics like this one by Jay Brown.

The last two are good, and gave me a chuckle.

[BandA]

Is that a well preserved 26 or more years old paint job or a heritage locomotive?

[west point]

At least one charger must have had operative HEP?

[eolesen]

And now someone in MEM is pissed their engine got loose....

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[STrRedWolf]

Death Star go zoom

But yeah, it's always worth keeping around some older units that are in good working condition. MARC still has engine 68 on rescue duty around Odenton if I remember correctly, and occasionally it gets started up and run about for weekend service.

[Gilbert B Norman]

Pretty good; one 40yo "Kalpub" engine making track speed with that train, #58(14), including two "dead in tows" (DIT):

[scratchyX1]

Death Star go zoom

But yeah, it's always worth keeping around some older units that are in good working condition. MARC still has engine 68 on rescue duty around Odenton if I remember correctly, and occasionally it gets started up and run about for weekend service.

Correct, I saw pics of it in use maybe a month ago.

[eolesen]

Those SD70s are workhorses... any word on why the Chargers were sidelined? A bad PTC box would prevent them from leading, but not from being MU'd. So dead in tow is an assumption, not necessarily fact.

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[Gilbert B Norman]

You have a point, Mr. Olesen.

There have been no reports that the train was without HEP, so one of those engines must have been operative.

Now so far as a PTC failure, yes apparently that is grounds to have an engine Bad Ordered. But what ever happened to a Rules Qualified pair of eyes (depending on how the assignment is structured, even two)?

Whoops; a little incident at Chatsworth put an end to that notion.

[eolesen]

Without working PTC in the lead, they'd be operating at a restricted speed. Replacing the leader gave them double the speed.

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[jwhite07]

Pretty good; one 40yo "Kalpub" engine making track speed with that train, #58(14), including two "dead in tows" (DIT):

2024 - 1999 = 25 year old engine... but still, seemed to be doing mighty fine showing the new upstarts how it's done and looking as good as a black brick can in doing so!

Also, in regards your comment on qualified pairs of eyes, I think not Chatsworth where there was but one set of eyes distracted, but the VIA Rail Aldershot derailment of 2012 in which three employees on the head end all missed a key signal with disastrous results, is more to the unfortunate point that putting additional eyes up front is not considered an acceptable alternative to functional PTC.

[ExCon90]

And through the years there have been plenty of collisions due to failure to comply with signal indications with two people in the cab and sometimes three or four.

[Railjunkie]

Without working PTC in the lead, they'd be operating at a restricted speed. Replacing the leader gave them double the speed.

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Not qualified on that particular rule book but the railroads I am qualified on the loss of PTC (I-ETMS) would restrict you to 59mph passenger 49mph freight. Of course if that is CN territory they could have it at restricted speed, doubtful but anything is possible with CN. Anyway, there is a rule within a rule that states PTC does not relieve the engineer of knowing their physical characteristics, speeds, and signal placement. Also please note PTC is a safety overlay it is there to act in speed enforcement, signals requiring a stop, the protection of work areas, and in the case of CSX where I am most familiar, to sound the horn at all grade crossings. It gives other info but these are the major ones. It is not there to operate the train and using as such will earn you a trip to the penalty box for a nice long unpaid vacation.