Tom,
Stuff like this never has any explanations. Railroad computer
programs do not have manuals. Just gotta live with it.
Comments below.
Some specific questions:
What is meant by Single Unit Rating next to the Car & Tonnage Limits?
For example, if the limit says a 4-unit train is 110-4500 I realize
this means 100 cars or 4,500 tons, but when it says Single Unit
Rating of 2937 does that mean the total horsepower for the 4-unit
train is based on 11,748 HP? In other words, I would need 4 GP40's
(3,000HP each), but if I only have GP30's available (2,250HP each) I
would need 6 units? Or does the Single Unit Rating expressing tonnage
per unit?
Think they are trying to make the simple complicated. For example
67A out of Eola shows 2360 tons. You're supposed to go back to
the tonnage ratings page and pick the correct number of units of
2360 tons and over. The fact that a GP7 is below this sure did not
keep them from using a GP7 on a junk train like 67A.
How does the above correlate (if at all) to the Drag Tonnage Ratings
on pp. 255-271? What are Drag Tonnage Ratings anyway (I understand
the basic concept, but does "Drag Tonnage" relate to particular
speeds, or what)?
Drag tonnage is what the locomotive can handle at it's minimum
continuous speed. In order to get the train to go any faster more
horsepower has to be added. That might mean that the train will
run pretty good on most of a territory but there is one grade that
can only be made with the minimum "Drag Tonnage Rating".
In 1966 "CD" out of Clyde would normally have five GP20/30/35
type units. Two could handle the tonnage to Galesburg but not
make the scheduled running time. 67A would just get the minimum
power since it's schedule and consist did not demand anything more.
An aside: The "Drag Tonnage", Clyde to Galesburg for an O5
was 4500 tons with 90 or less and 4000 tons with 90 to 125 cars.
The poor 9960-62 ABC with their passenger gearing were only
good for 3440 tons. A FT ABCD was 7540 tons.
In the Connections section of a data sheet, it will sometimes talk
about Cutoff time, Departs time, and for train 96 it talks about
Cutoffs - Regular, Special, Departs. What are these times?
Couple parts. Don't know which book you are looking at.
A "Special" would depend on the commodity and customer.
Notice most of those are at East St Louis.
Also, did the Q train (such as train 96) just leave its cars in the yard
to be delivered by a transfer run to the connecting railroad, or how did
this work? Were transfers made from the Q to the connecting railroad,
or did the connecting railroad pick up the cars at the Q yard?
In the context of 1966 these connections would be made by transfers
or switching carriers, depending on the location. Very seldom would
another road pick up in a CB&Q yard. This was still the day of one
way only transfers. When you look at the TOFC times these can be
presumed to be "Rubber" times. For example LW68 at Chicago.
To make #74 for the East carload traffic would have to be at Hammond
by 800 a.m. TOFC trailers at 51st Street by 700 a.m. The goal is a
1000 a.m. departure from Hammond. NE100 & NY100 were Intermodal
only trains. It says "No highway delivery on Sunday". That pretty much
means no delivery at all. Do not recall any rail delivery of TOFC on any
day, Sunday included. Even in the 90's there was still some rubber delivery
going on in Chicago.
All of this is important to me not only in regard to learning, but I
would like to use some of this in setting up operating sessions on my
layout, especially in regard to the connections and transfers between
the Q and other railroads.
A lot of this is "boilerplate". If you look through the book the same or
similar information is shown at certain locations for more than one
train. Getting back to LW68 the cutoff at Congress Park is 300 a.m.
Let's say on this morning that train has 35 for the IHB with 30 of them
being meat out of Ogden and Denver. Do they run away from that
business at 300 a.m.? Probably not. If say, NY2, leaves Blue Island
without any of Wilson's meat Wilson will probably want to know why.
The "true" cutoff here is what time those cars have to be at Blue Island
to get iced and humped. Their Chief Dispatcher knows and the crew
that is picking up knows.
I know this is a lot of questions, but any help is appreciated!
Tom Mack
Some simple answers. I was using a Sept 66 book. Feel free to
ask more.
Russ
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