Train Blogging: Freight Car Storage and Brakes | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Train Blogging: Freight Car Storage and Brakes (none / 0)

Would re-introducing guards vans (cabooses ?) and split braking make a difference ?

I read somewhere that rail unions insist on 3 people in the engine cab, which really hits the economics and mandated the long trains. Britain makes do with one or two and so can have a lot of short frieght trians, which are easier to manage.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Sun Mar 8th, 2009 at 04:48:55 PM EST

Re: Train Blogging: Freight Car Storage and Brakes (none / 0)

No, adding caboose cars would not work. The trains are so long now that the cumulative slack in the couplers adds up to several meters, which causes a tremendous jerk when the slack gets picked up at the back of the train.

The real point of the article was to talk about electric brake systems, which use air to power the brakes combined with an electrical control signal. With this approach, the brakes can be applied to all cars at the same time, and modulated for better control.

by asdf on Sun Mar 8th, 2009 at 07:33:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Train Blogging: Freight Car Storage and Brakes | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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