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I've done some of that stuff. One afternoon, I shoved a freight train over Newcastle with my 'hopper' without cutting off, or 'cutting in'. Like you say, it could have been messy, but wasn't, he really didn't take much shoving. I've had the Belle Ayr helps cut off on the fly with the crew on the waycar, and no air cut in. Sometimes they weren't even coupled, just pushing against closed knuckles. If you helped another train on the road, it paid time or miles, whichever was greater, with a minimum of two hours (25 miles). The time started when you were notified by the Dispatcher that you would have to cut off to shove them, and ended when your train was moving again. The miles were counted from where you cut off to where you cut off the train you were shoving, and back again.
In reference to the original question, I've always read that with steam helpers, the helper would try to start the train first, then the road engine would start pulling, though Karl would probably be in a better position to comment on that. The principle was that the Helper was 'bunching' up the slack, so that the Road engine didn't have to start the whole train at once. The two Engineers would communicate by whistle signals. The helper had the automatic brake valve cut out, with what was commonly called the 'double heading cock'.....though the instructors at BNU in St. Paul would loudly inform you that it was properly known as the 'brake pipe cut out cock' :>) Mike __._,_.___ Posted by: mdecker@gwtc.net __,_._,___ |