This may be a dumb question but when pushing cars over a hump, where do they set the cars up so the brakes dont apply when the air hoses part at the hump? Is it just before they push them over, and a yard man walks the cars setting the angle cocks closed? Or when the train is in the receiving yard? Just wondering and thanks for replies.
Hi Bob,
Generally, when trains arrive at large yards with humps, the trains are parked in the "receiving yard". This is where the air brakes are released, or discharged, and the cut of cars is inspected at the same time. After this is done, the cars are pushed up and over the hump. The air hoses are still connected at the crest of the hump, but there's no air in the air brake system; nor any need to turn angle cocks between the cars.
All those "loose" cars that go over the hump end up in the "class (ification) yard, or bowl" sorted by destination. Still, no air brakes and all angle cocks open.
The bowl tracks are pulled out and those cuts of cars are put in the "departure yard", still with no air and angle cocks open. It's in the departure yard where these cuts of cars have their air hoses coupled up, air brake system charged, and inspected. A new train is born...
Even at smaller yards without humps, a similar procedure is followed. A train arrives on a yard track. The cars are inspected, air brakes discharged, etc. A switch crew then pulls that track and "kicks" the cars into different tracks. After the switching is done, the tracks have their air hoses coupled back up, air brake system charged, and cars inspected. So, instead of a large yard with receiving-hump-class-departure tracks, the same principal is used at smaller yards with only 6 total tracks.
While this is a longer answer than you requested, I figured I'd "finish the story" in case the next guy asked "where do the air hoses get coupled...".