Pete,
Thanks for the get detailed information. You left nothing unanswered.
I appreciate yours and everyone elses responses.
Ray
> To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
> From: Jpslhedgpeth@aol.com
> Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:12:13 -0400
> Subject: Re: [CBQ] Double Heading Steam
>
> 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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