Another point or 2 when coupling the air: be sure to turn your head away from
the hoses(same applies when your cutting cars off w/air in them,cut the live
air in "SLOWLY" or you'll have mad engineer and be standing around awhile
while the air resets as a quick flow change puts the train in emergency. In
winter its much more sensitive to flow changes. Also if the angle cock is
closed on the opposite side from you open that one first so your not reaching
across with air in the hoses, your odds of dumping the train into "big
hole"is much higher as you have more trouble controlling the valve, and your
risk of injury is much higher.
Now how about the other side of the business? About the neatest (and one of
the most dangerous) ways to switch cars with the air in them is to bottle it
and then kick them. If it works you save all that walking and bleeding the
cars. Here's how you do it; just pull the track with the air coupled to the
engine and as you identify a cut turn both angle cocks and kick the cut where
you want it to go. One crew member rides the now rear car in the cut rolling
freely. When the cut reaches the designated spot you drop off, walk behind
the cut as it rolls away, reach down and hold the hose and pull the angle
cock open. There you've created the perfect bumping post for all the
following cuts of cars to rest against. If you didn't trip, get hit by the
air hose or go nose first into the cut when it stops it worked just fine. I'm
sure there's at least a half dozen rule violations in that maneuver.
Now another option off this is to just bled off enough air to set the air and
then close the angle cock. The brakes are set and the cars will sit there
until you come back for them (this was used a lot in winter to save the air
pumping time when coupling back up. Only problem a lot of crews got time off
when they went back for the cars and they had "leaked off"released and rolled
off or into something. Leo
P.S.=Don't think I'll ever forget the one and only time an air hose got me.
It was at Rochelle (the 110 plant) on a Sunday night and I'll tell you the
stars are real clear when that 80psi hits you in the knee!
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