All right let's have a try at the details of steam double heading and answer
some of the specific questions originally asked on this post.
What I'm positing here is what I recall from some of the old accounts in
RAILROAD and other True tales.
Let's start with a true "double header"...ie both engines on the head end of
the train.
Some basics..The engineer on the lead engine had control of the train..He
handled the air and set the speed. Each locomotive has a "cutout cock". This
in effect disables the air brakes on an engine...The second engineer closes his
cutout cock which isolates his brake valve and disconnects his air pump and
main reservoir from supplying air to the trainline. The lead engineer does all
of the train braking.
The brakes on the second locomotive continue to be operative, but just like any
other car in the train they are under the control of the engineer on the lead
engine. The engineer on that second engine has no control over any
braking...either on his own engine or of the train.
When the train is ready to move the lead engineer whistles off and opens his
throttle and initially has the whole load..As soon as the train begins to move
the second engineer opens his throttle and picks up his share of the
load...From there on the two engines work together. There were no "load
meters" or any other method of determining how much of the load each engine is
pulling..It's strictly a "seat of the pants" operation..The old head engineers
could indeed "
feel" what their engine was doing and would thereby determine their proper
throttle and Johnson bar (reverse lever) settings.
When it was time to slow down or stop the lead engineer "shut off" and/or set
the air on the train..when the second engineer saw or felt this happening he
made his own adjustments to throttle and cut off. He had no control over the
braking of the train. While whistle signals were used when necessary,
normally the communication was by hand signal since the crews could see each
other.
Now let's assume a situation where the "helper" is on the rear end. There was
a real art to getting a train started. Too much power or lack of power by the
rear helper could tear the train in two or cause it to buckle. Here's my
understanding as to how it was done...Remember no radios and engines too far
apart to see each other.
When the train was ready to go the engine on the head end would set the air on
the train...When this was done the rear engineer would put his Johnson bar down
in the corner and open the trottle (with the air still set on the train). This
would fill the cylinders with steam and the engine was against the end of the
train and technically stalled. Just like a car with an automatic transmission
with the wheels blocked.
The lead engi;neer, when he was ready would release the air on the train. As
the train brakes released the helper would begin to move, shoving in the slack
and thus getting20the train under way...When the lead engineer felt the slack
coming in he opened his throttle to take up the load on the head end and, if
everybody did everything right, the train would get under way with no undue
slack action. As both engines got ahold of their share of the load the train
would be brought up to track speed or whatever speed the load would permit. In
this case the initial preparations and initial moves would be coordinated by a
series of whistle signals.
As to the placement of the waycar and the rear helper...Some roads required the
waycar to be behind the helper, but some roads would allow the helper to shove
against the waycar..Other roads would allow the helper behind the waycar, but
would not permit the rear end crew to occupy the waycar..they had to ride the
cab of the helper. I recall one tale where the crew was riding on top of the
waycar related that they could feel the waycar roof "heave" up and down with
each exhaust stroke of the helper....When he waycar was behind the helper it
required an extra move to remove the helper and get the waycar back on the
train..Their was usually a "helper stub" at the top of the hill at the end of a
helper district...Crews got pretty adept at making a "drop" of the helper
engine and getting the waycar back on the train "on the fly"...Today's safety
police would have a combined heart attack, apoplexy and stroke if they saw this
kind of move being made.
As to passenger trains requiring helpers
they were almost always double headed (both engines on the head end)..Most
roads considered shoving on a passenger train as to dangerous besides causing
an "uncomfortable" ride on the coaches near the rear end of the train.
Additional note...Where the rear end helper was behind the waycar some roads
required that the air be connected between the waycar and the helper..Thus if
the helper became uncoupled from the train the air would set on both the train
and the helper. The crews didn't like this arrangment...The perferred
arrangment was that the angle cock on the rear end of the waycar was closed and
the air hose not connected...Thus when it was time for the helper to be dropped
off all that was necessary was that the rear brakeman on the waycar would
reach down and "pull the pin"...This was, of course, after the helper shoved in
the slack between his engine and the waycar..Thus the helper could be cut off
on the fly and a stop avoided.
I'll take questions or comments.....If I don't know the answer....I'll do just
like I always do...Make it up...
Pete
-----Original Message-----
From: Jpslhedgpeth@aol.com
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wed, Jun 17, 2009 4:57 pm
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Double Heading Steam
Ray...I'm not an engineer...let alone a steam engineer....but I've read quite a
few of the old RAILROAD MAGAZINES and have some idea of the procedures
used....I don't have time now, but later this evening I'll discourse a bit and
then some of those guys with real
experience like Karl and Bob Campbell can come along and "straighten things
out".
Pete
-----Original Message-----
From: Ray bedard <tczephyr@hotmail.com>
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com <cbq@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wed, Jun 17, 2009 9:39 am
Subject: [CBQ] Double Heading Steam
have always wondered how the railroads, I mean the engineers & firemen,
perated a double header. I know that each engineer operates his engine separate
rom the other engineer, but how did they coordinate the start up, increases and
ecreases in speed and stopping?
Were there some kind of signals between engineers to let them know when changes
n speed were being done. How did they know that one engine was, say, running at
0 mph and the other would match that. I have never seen anything about this in
ny mags.
I am more curious about this when the 2nd engine was at the rear of the train.
f not coordinated properly, the pusher could easily run the consist into the
ead engine causing a derailment.
Thanks,
Ray Bedard
San Jose CA
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