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  • 1/12/59 - RUSHVILLE, INDIANA

  • Discussion relating to the NYC and subsidiaries, up to 1968. Visit the NYCS Historical Society for more information.
Discussion relating to the NYC and subsidiaries, up to 1968. Visit the NYCS Historical Society for more information.

Moderator: Otto Vondrak

 #1456712  by shlustig
 
On the line from Jeffersonville to Goshen, Rushville had the NKP, NYC, PRR, and B&O in town. The NYC had trackage rights for less than a mile over the NKP on which it crossed both the PRR and the B&O.

The NKP / PRR xg was not interlocked and featured stop signs. At about 11:40PM, PRR X9142 North (1 unit, caboose, and 8 cars) stopped as required, pulled onto the xg, and stopped at the nearby PRR station to do switching with the train blocking the xg.

At this time, NYC #78 (northbound, units 1811-1810, 62 cars, caboose) approached Rushville at about 35 mph with the fireman -- not a qualified engineer -- running the train. The braking distance on the downgrade into Rushville was misjudged and #78 t-boned the PRR train at 18 mph. The Engr., Fireman, and Head Brakeman all jumped before impact and were slightly injured.

The odd twist to all of this is that the average number of trains on the NKP and PRR trackage was less than 2 per day each.
 #1456739  by BR&P
 
shlustig wrote: The odd twist to all of this is that the average number of trains on the NKP and PRR trackage was less than 2 per day each.
Murphy's Law - If something can go wrong, it will do so, at the worst possible time.
 #1466412  by mel
 
I was the relief engineer to move the train #78 after the wreck was cleared up. The only damage to the loco was the housing for the speed recorder cable was broken and after we left town the recorder stopped working . A Road foreman and book of rules man road with us . As we came down the hill to Carthage , IN. where the speed went from 40 mph to 30 mph the road foreman went back to the to check my speed after the slow down . Upon his return I said it had to be from 29 - 31 mph and don't you trust me he did not give an answer . North of Knightstown, IN we came to a bridge we had to slow down to 20 mph . After releasing the air on a running release the speed came down to 18 mph the loco dropped from parallel to series and it was like a bomb going off and the rules man almost jumped off of the loco . It was the first time for the fireman to come into Rushville . You come down hill into the stop and then it levels out . The secret here is you can over brake and then the air will start releasing when you kick it off and then if you misjudged you have to really have to go after the air . I found out you drawed off that first reduction of 8 lbs. and then ride it . You may get a little wormy but not to worry as the track levels and starts a small amount of up grade the train will start slowing and a little more air and you and the train come to a perfect stop . All of the crew have passed on except the head brakeman and I see him about every month at a breakfast we have . Maurice Lewman
 #1466485  by BR&P
 
Interesting mel - thanks for posting! It's always neat to hear of the various ways different engineers handled the air back before everything was prescribed by rules and computers. As you say, there were some places where you had to have faith - it would seem like you were coming in a bit hot, but then the air would take hold, or the track would level off, and the needle would drop right to the speed you wanted after all.
 #1466586  by mel
 
br&p , Yes that was what you always tried for . I always tried when coming to a lower speed that when I had released the air and it was released on the train
I would be if 30mph one mile above or one mile below . You also had the men on the caboose to think about and try to give them a good ride . That is why you had to always be aware of the location of your train from one end to the other . We had one location where the engine would be on the top of a hill with
a swag from there to the middle of the train which would be on top of another hill and a swag from there to the rear of the train which was on top of another hill . Your job was to operate the air that would keep the slack starched on the train and still maintain the speed and the slack stretched for a good ride .
I worked for an engineer for 4 years and as a challenge we would race from Jeff - North Vernon . This was on the B&O and it was called the race track . This train was about the same size and weight every day . The engineer would start today and I would start the next time we came out of Jeff . We put a speed limit of 65 mph. and this made train handling the winner . I could not beat his time but I would come within 30 seconds or less . Another test was to come to a spot to stop with 135-150 cars using the air and come within 2 ft. either side of the spot . We did use the air about 25 times on a trip to Elkhart and sometimes more . MEL
 #1466699  by BR&P
 
I understand on some lines today, stretch braking is forbidden, and the on-board computers will squeal on you if you do. By the time you get to the terminal, there's a Road Foreman waiting to ask you why it was done.

Most of my running was done with smaller trains than you describe. But I was amazed the first time I found that a long train, in some cases, is easier to handle than a shorter one. With 35 or 40 cars you may be lugging everything up, or they are all coming down behind you. With 100 or more, if the terrain was right, the ups and downs would cancel each other out and it was easier to maintain a steady speed. Every location was different, every train was different, but overall that's how it sometimes worked.

And is there any bigger pain in the rear than power not equipped with dynamics, and a kicker in the train? Image
 #1466707  by Statkowski
 
BR&P wrote:I understand on some lines today, stretch braking is forbidden, and the on-board computers will squeal on you if you do. By the time you get to the terminal, there's a Road Foreman waiting to ask you why it was done.
New Haven Railroad, mid-1960s. Power braking, as we called it, appeared to be the norm for passenger trains on the Berkshire Line. Keep the power on and stretch out the train for a station stop. Two FL9s pulling up to eight cars, one had to look out the window to see if you were actually moving once the train started. No slack action at all.