Brakeman 101: How do you make sure a train will stop?!? [Terminal Airbrake Test]
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- Опубліковано 17 жов 2022
- The terminal brake test (of which, there are many flavors depending on your railroad and operation) is an incredibly important part of railroad operations. Let's take a 1st person view at how it's done here at the @crrm .
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![[SFS] This is a boxcar that ruined our week.](/img/n.gif)
Excellent video! You guys/gals have come a long way regarding operating and safety rules training and compliance. Good Job!
As information for others viewing, the CRRM is considered an “insular” operation and by FRA policy, the museum operation itself is not inspected by FRA.
Back in 2018, the museum completely revised its operating, safety, and air brake rules. These rules were based on the General Code of Operating Rules (GCOR) and other current best practices in the industry regarding safety, air brakes and maintenance of way practices. Specific rules and best practices used from these documents were selected to be applicable to a small operation like the CRRM. Since the museum does not have anything that is considered “main track” (requiring some sort of main track authority), it is all considered “other than main track” with all operations at “restricted speed”. This requires stopping within ½ the range of vision of other equipment, etc. not to exceed 10 mph.
With that said, the air brake rules are not as specific as they would be for larger FRA regulated railroads but cover the basic “Initial Air Brake Test” that would be required for trains that would be hauling passengers for the day or other demonstration operations at the museum. It is this test that the video demonstrated. Their air brake rules do include the basic running air brake test for these type of trains.
Mike Ramsey
CRRM Advisory Board
FRA Safety Specialist (Ret)
AHR Safety & Compliance Manager
Howdy Mike! Did not know you had a UA-cam account. Thank you for the insight.
Mike, are you any relation to Dirk Ramsey, who used to volunteer at the museum. He and I worked on D&RGW as well as at GC&SJ. It's been too long since I've visited there and it looks like that will have to be addressed.
Yes, Dirk was my cousin and a long time volunteer at the museum.
love to hear this kind of information!
Man, the TSW realism on the new RTX 4090 is insane!
Yeah
As a Brakeman I support this content. I do learn things apparently.
Apparently lol. Somehow I learn things too
15:17 you done spooked the bun
I've accumulated a lot of keys myself so my solution was to get more key rings and separate them out into smaller groups, sorted by what I used them for (home, work, etc.)
this is just my work key ring... lol
@@Hyce777 coaches ,locomotive,museum building keys, other
@@Hyce777 will they ever expand a loop I'm just curious
@@lokl844 possibly, if we acquire more property.
@@Hyce777 Google Maps and seeing that whole big field behind the museum. It might take some grading, but I could see an upgrade from Model Railroad Loop to Model Railroad Figure Eight.
What always amazed me is that before the air operated brakes brakemen rode the tops of the moving trains walking/running up and down them to individually tune each brake with the constant possibility of being thrown or knocked off or just falling off the ladders when they had to get down between cars for tunnels.
We have a handbrake with a quick release on the open air car at Pine Creek rr museum. You always know when you released it right because you go deaf from the big bang the chain makes when it drops.
It has a really nice multiplier on it too, that sucker gets tight with little effort. The caboose and coach have the old wheel and dog, we use the classic brake stick for them. That was part of my brakeman/conductor training, I had to stop the whole train down the hill using the caboose handbrake only.
I see it as an initiation of sorts...
That sounds awful, lol! Yeah, the ones that auto-release sure are loud, you're very right.
If anyone was wondering, on a modern Class 1 airbrake test you do check to make sure shoes are there, but your brake cylinder has a minimum and maximum length of travel usually stenciled on the side of the car (10 1/2 inches maximum for most 12 inch travel cylinders, or if they are truck mounted cylinders they have a handy indicator). Typically if your cylinder exceeds this travel its an indicator of worn or missing brake shoes.
Most modern cars, like from the 70's onward, have automatic slack adjusters that keep the travel consistent no matter the brake shoe wear.
@Shawn Dulin semis have the same thing but they also are known as a common failure point, in trucking (which I work in) therefore it is still important to verify correct operation at least in trucking, not a railroad expert but can at least draw similarities
Sadly, brakemen aren't a thing on the railroad anymore. I also learned during my stint at NS that safety was only a top priority when the FRA was out watching. Any other time, moving freight at all costs is priority number one. I actually saw guys get investigation letters for "delaying freight," because they were taking the time to do things by the book, like we were supposed to. It's really tragic what that job has become. I wanted to work there my whole life and I applied for over 10 years before I got hired on. It only took NS 8 months to crush my enthusiasm and kill any desire to work for the railroad ever again.
Ugh. That sounds all too familiar.
@@Hyce777 in my country there was an accident because 2 train drivers didn’t open the valves between locomotive and cars since they where in a rush they didn’t do their brake check they Paid with their lives as the cars where pushing them down a hill with no way to stop them they rammed the back of 6 other cars so never forget your brake test
Agree about the NS (no shit) RR. An engineer I know, said he and his conductor got 3 days off for speeding. The conductor was new and took a little to long to set up his train. He was doing 28 mph in a 25 zone on the main line. He said he he to be off at a certain time for the commuter rail line. At an NS yard I used to work at as a contractor, NS would send college kids to set up flags on the tracks, and if a train hit it, the crew would get time off. Sometimes, upper NS management would come into the yard and disrupt our work, to spy on crews.
Brother I can Recall those Times Union Pacific Railroad Brakeman Las Vegas NV
Man the NS management style is awful.
I love these "day in the life of..." videos!
It's crazy the little things you pick up on that you would never know to ask about, case in point, I have seen those hand brake wheels in the vertical position and had no idea they could rotate down flat.
You taking the time to let us see and understand railroad work is much appreciated.
Amazing how similar this procedure is around the world. In Poland it's almost identical, except that we use long-handled "wagon hammers" (also used to check nuts for tightness and wheels for cracks, by you guessed it - hammering them) instead of baseball bats lol. And the brake tests are usually done by the yard's rolling stock technicians, not by the trainmen.
In many places in the US, the "rolling stock technicians" are called car men, and they usually check it for us as well.
It's a lot more simple in the UK. Hand brakes are checked/released on initial prep. Then when it comes to brake test the driver charges up to 5 bar (72psi), we make sure the brakes are released on the last 3 vehicles then open the tap at the back to vent all the air. We then check the brakes have applied on last 3 vehicles, tap is then closed and driver recharges and then overcharges. A final check to make sure brakes have released again. None of this banging around every vehicle with a stick.
That was a brake club, not a baseball bat
My Father was an air brake foreman with Illinois Central RR! Sadly he passed away in the Paducah, Ky. Shops in 1950 the stone age of railroading. Heart, not accidental!
For your information, you were not yakking. You explained the function of the brakes on the cars that are pulled by a steam engine or locomotive. When you do what you and feel what you do, you can get more significance out of the job than what you put into it. That is why I believe in taking the job that you can do. Hapy Railroading!
thanks to people like you, people like me can still experience the golden days of steam power. thank you for showing us this Hyce
15:17 a small bunny appeared to trey and rob the choo choo
Hyce, that was a wonderful and complete demonstration on railway braking. I didn't know there was alot to it.
Many thanks to you and your crew.
That's railroading!
It was fun to see how others do it. I volunteer at the Nevada State Railroad Museum, Carson City. Things are similar, except they don't use radios. I'm told that we are following the practices of the 1800s before radios, so we use hand signals. In general we only have 3 or 4 cars connected to our engine and each car has a Car Attendant and a Brakeman. That makes for faster break checks and we need it because each trip, we switch the engine around from the front to the back.
When you're changing the consist after it's very recently seen air, usually most places are OK with a set and release test, rather than this full test. And that's fair, we usually use hand signals but when there's no line of sight, we've got radios. Cheers :)
As usual ultra great video Mark. So nice to see this as a part two to your brakes 101 video. In this part, I observed what you said in your first video about charging the line and all that as practically applied here. Nice to learn about about all the safety checks a brakeman must perform and the varying ways the stick is used. Helps me to understand a brakeman’s job so much better. So you do walk softly but carry a big stick! 😂 Thanks again Professor Mark, its like getting a Yale University level train education from you!
Nice! Whoa...roller bearings on all cars! fancy-shmancy! Almost all our cars have old-school friction bearings, so we're always hauling a container of bearing oil along during our inspections and constantly looking for smoke while running.
This was a very interesting video! I enjoyed the perspective of Railroad operations outside of the Engine. Thank you for giving us insight to how things work :)
Thanks for the refresher Hyce.... You guys have just about the same as what I had at the tourist Railroad in Indiana.... Will definitely have to come out sometime and hang out with you guys....
That last footage reminds me of something you don't hear in train sims, the whine of the generator. Good first person tutorial video about technical stuff we know about but don't see. Thanks.
I absolutely loved trains when I was a kid and would've passed away and gone to heaven if I lived next to a museum like this 🤣
Sometimes I wonder what I'd be doing for a living in another life. In one of them I'd definitely be working here with these locos!
"Here at The Colorado Railroad Museum, we poke and prod at our cars with sticks" hehe.
Who does the lubrication ànd air pressure checks?
@@michaelgmoore5708 Probably the breakmen and engineer, I was trying to be funny if you didn't get it.
Another superb vid, Hyce!
I did enjoyed this Hyce.
hi hyce!! i have my first brakeman class this week so i'm trying to study as much as i can. thank you for these!!
Great video, as always!
The radio chatter when switching tracks reminds me of working security at the powerplant and the coal yard chatter about the car dumper and knuckling into cuts of cars. You'd get guys that would call it like that "four cars... three cars, two cars, half a car length. STOP". Every once in a while, the guy would be calling car lengths "three... two... one..." then you'd hear a huge CRASH!!!! and the guy on the radio would just go... "stop." It made me laugh every time.
Don't know much about trains but do enjoy your videos!
amazing how physical and tough this job is, when you think of early days of railroading...having to apply all brakes by hand, and walk the length of the train while its moving, in bad weather.....much respect to those early RR days, and even watching you work here, this is a glimpse of how physical this is
আর যেনো না দেখি আর তোমার মেয়েকে বড়ো করো আমার কী
Nice video! Loved the Indiana Jones quote!
This dude has the coolest job ever.
On logging railroads they used a metal bar with a hook on the end called a brake hickey. So I saw you give your fellow man there a hickey 😂
The basics of how we do it at RTD is that our Vehicle Maintenance techs complete a class 1 test everyday actually checking cylinder externsion etc(Im not to privy to full information on that), then before departing each end terminal I do as we call a class 2 where I build my air in our full service notch then ensure a proper release before doing another full service and ensuring air pressure or +/- 5 psi to be acceptable.
I love your videos this is one of my favorite railroads some day I want to come visit and see all this in person!!!!
Great job
Great Video !
If I ever visit the states i have to check this place out!
Thank you for this great viedo volunteering for this museum lots of enjoyment and fun too railfan Tommy
great video as always, thanks.
Another key point to check all the brake components is that the Rio Grande Heritage RR is a passenger excursion train. Though you'd think with millions of pounds of tonnage on main lines they do more detailed checks but along the rails on mainlines there are sensor blocks the train passes through and all the cars basically get a top to bottom scan so if there is a hot axle or wheel or airleak they will alert the train crew over the radio via digital audible message tells them to stop and check. For those who are not a train nerd like me. Lol
Yup! The BNSF actually also has a few "cold wheel detectors" where they measure the temperature of each wheel in the train at the top and bottom of the grade, with rulebook stating the engineer has to use airbrakes. They automatically flag cars with less than sufficient brakes with defects to be addressed at the next car shop.
Thank you I learned a lot
How fun! Thank you.
That was good to watch. We tend not to check brake shoe tightness at Sumpter, but otherwise it falls along the same lines; hook in, air up, equalize, set and check, release and check. We probably should test shoe tightness, our cars are mostly as old as yours except maybe the White Pass flats.
There's also a couple other tests; the running brake test (engineer gets the train moving, then makes a short set to see if it slows the train) and set-and-release test (used after unhooking and running around the consist). The latter is basically a terminal test, but you only need to check the last car for air and brake continuity, since the terminal test should have taken care of the other cars. Since your consist is probably the same all day long, I suspect you don't have to worry about htat one.
Yup; seen both of those in other rulebooks but both not terribly applicable for us. We don't really have to do the test set as you end up doing it right away on the hill, lol.
Your first test is a Class 1, the second one is a Class 3 application and release lol
19:37 the "How dare he" in a scottish accent made me lol
Great video! will be good knowlegde
for my projects
The mountains sure are pretty around the museum
Great video! That dynamo is such a blaring sound, though.
Hyce toll down to the armpit of Colorado Pueblo, and do a vid on the whacky hoover jet train thingy at the rail road museum. So great the crazy stuff done out at the rail road test track lol
nice last crusade reference there
interesting to see how different us brake equipment it. We have 'ackermann' cut-off valves, that dump the air from the hose when you cut it off, so you don't get hit with the remaining 70 psi air pressure when disconnecting (we disconnect hoses manually). Also, during the tests, we use a hammer with a long handle and hit the brake pads with it, listening to how it sounds, and if it moves. After checking the brakes applied, we dump the air a bit with a ~2 second emergency application, just to check if there are any abnormalities, then quickly releasing the brakes.
It's interesting comparing the brakeman and engine crew work that you do at CRRM to the protocols that we follow at the preservation railroad I volunteer at. I'm not sure if it's the camera angle making it seem bigger, but despite the fact that our track gauge is 6 inches wider than yours, our stuff seems smaller. Our fleet consists of heritage rolling stock and locomotives, which being near the ocean isn't always in the best condition, and if the FRA existed here they would have a fit over some of our stuff lol.
One thing I noticed is the air cocks on our locomotives, some of which are roughly the same era as yours, have bleeder valves which bleed the air out of the hoses when the valves are opened and closed to prevent incidents when the hoses are disconnected or the dummies are removed.
Interesting. Might be the camera, though I try to lens correct for the distortion every time with the GoPros.
None of our airbrake valves have bleeders so far as I know.
Putting jokes in the middle of a serious brakeman/engineer talk and then ending it as if nothing happened 😄
8:04 we have a Rodgers pass in montana....... highway 200
.
no rail traffic.... but quite a bit of cars and semis
took it MANY times getting to and from college to my home in glasgow mt
Y'know, going through checking the brakes reminds me of how truckers check their tire pressure during pre-trip
Ya take a metal pole, bat, pipe, crowbar I've even seen rebar used, and give the tread a good WHACK.
The sound that'll make will change depending on tire pressure, meaning as long as you're not deaf, you shouldn't need any specially made tool to check it.
Also, many trailers will actually refill their own tires with air from the brake line, so as long as you don't have a big leak, you *should* be fine.
Really cool video my Dude thanks for posting it !
As a car inspector we check our brakes ever day we do a class 1 and make sure shoes and pads are fully applied we as hammer teat the wheels to double check application and release on regular brakes and EP brakes
It's like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Hyce in real life: Safety is important. You need to make sure everything works before moving a train.
Hyce in Derail Valley: BEEEAAAAAANNNNNSSSSS!!!! Why are my brakes not working?
This was a great a video. Always enjoy watching your channel. Would it be be possible to get a video of traveling in the caboose like in the olden days?
For sure!
man, now i feel super regimented about how i talk on the radio at NS.
Class 1's are held to more scrutiny than we are. :p
such a different process to here in Victoria Australia. if one of the cocks is left closed the air will leak out but once both are open the leak stops. Also very different hand signals used.
19:38 Bonus points for timing the Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade quote to occur at 19 m 38s. 1938 was just before it all went south in WW2.
Don't know how I missed this video very well done as usual. My question is do you all operate the locomotives any where else than the loop ?
They only have the loop.
Your whistle quilling sounds so good that I got my Grade Crossing whistle style from The Hyce Grade Crossing, except I blow a little more crazier than you.
rabbit just hangin out at 15:17
STICK WORK!!!
Have you guys ever thought about talking with the temp or the people around and the museum to possibly extend the track layout to out
of the property to make the train ride longer? So the passengers get a longer experience writing on the train
The town or the people around the area of the train museum. I accidentally said temp
Great video!! I am going to the museum tomorrow and I’m so excited. I have a question though. Why are narrow gauge wheels marked with white on them?
Easy to tell if they're sliding, or rolling. :)
@@Hyce777 Oh cool! That makes a lot of sense to have the marks on them then.
Well I was a brakeman on Pennsylvania rail road, and I never spit or rubbed spit in brake hoses coupler.
Hey! i absolutely love these videos, and my absolute favorite are the steamers, but just out of curiosity, at about maybe 40 to 50 seconds into the video, whats that yellow engine, looks like a 50's era diesel electric or diesel hydro, do you have any information on that? i saw it and fell in love haha! Best channel for Steamers and Steamer lovers like me, and i recently got into Derail Valley again because of your channel hehe!
The one that's just fleetingly visible in the corner of the screen a 0:40? That's DRGW 5771, an EMD F9A. They also have DRGW 5762, a matching B-unit. Both built September 1955.
It was good
that rabbit at 15:15 freaked me out 👀
It might be silly, but I'd love to see a split cam of the brake pipe pressure gauge in the cab, and one at the monkey tail just to watch how the sets work.
At 12:20, are those old bearings? Im a train nerd, but one who can still learn alot, and are those the bearings where they used to stick oily rags in them, and they used to be the source of most hotboxes? And are they still like that, or do you use some special formula to keep them lubed nowadays? Love the videos Hyce!!!
Yes, they're journal bearings. I suspect there's no magic formula. It's easy to keep the journals topped up when you have six cars on your train -- the difficult part is when you have a couple of thousand cars in a yard
don't forget the news papers and boot laces
How do you set up the retainer valves? Is the pressure set by the trainline, or is it specific to the valve itself?
I need to talk about retainers in more detail. They're sprung valves with levers. The ones we have have "off, 10 lb, and 20 lb" settings on them. What that actually means is just longer hold before release.
When did the passenger cars actually couple with the tender? And, why weren't they coupled at the time the air line was first hooked up? Thanks
I never knew popping the safety was that loud
Are those open carriages with the benches along each side just converted freight cars for touristy things or are they actual passenger rolling stock from yesteryear?
Amtrak requires a 100% functional braking system before it leaves the yard. We set the brakes, then tap each wheel with a small brass mallet. A think indicates a set wheel, a ringing sound indicates a released brake. There are both a tread brake and a disc brake on each wheel.
Yeah, that's a totally different animal when you're talking about a class 1 test on Amtrak with disc brakes. Not surprised. Glad to hear the test is more in depth than freight. :)
@@Hyce777 yours looks like way more work.
@@vicfeb3 I believe it.
You need 100% brake application on all freight class 1 brake test in the US as well.
Nice video! Do you think guys like D&S do this procedure with every train set at the end/head of each day? For sure the night crew does a safety and lube check but is this practice common outside of train sets that have been sitting?
I'd wager the car shop tests out each train just like this each day at an outfit like the D&S. I am not certain of their operations but that's how I'd do it if I had a dedicated car shop crew.
This brake test, usually has to be performed on any consist that hasn't seen air in greater than four hours.
@@Hyce777 Interesting, so in the morning they must send the crew out to do a check before each train leaves, makes sense. So the role of the break man is to insure that task is done properly and be on the train to insure it continues to work properly?
@@CinemaRepository yes, though there are more duties for the brakeman as well while over the road. Watching for sliding wheels, interacting with guests, etc.
I'd expected you to have experience as a brakeman from Derail Valley ;)
Never in all my years around trains did I hear a backup hose called a " monkey tail". Also did not hear a running brake test called for when leaving the station. That is the final test to make sure the brakes are functioning properly before going out of the yard limits or station stop.
We have to go downhill immediately after leaving where we performed the test, so we get a running brake test in regardless every single time. Just didn't make it on film.
Man this equipment must be 100 years old and it's in great shape
Not sure how similar the train is to semi brakes but for trucks the brake chamber has a specific stroke distance depending on the style of the chamber but one way I can tell if brakes are adjusted correctly is the rewards card method by that I mean if you can barely fit a rewards card between the brake pad and the drum then you're good it's not an end all be all but if one or more has any more of a gap then right away you know there's an issue and you know to focus on that wheel end but I'm curious if there's any quick and dirty way like that for trains that may not be industry standard
Piston travel can be checked for trains, and commonly is on the more modern and standardized stuff. If the travel is "long", you need new brake shoes. Unfortunately these historic cars don't have any easy way to measure the travel in-field, and have more areas with ancient parts that can fail or wear than just the shoes.
Hi Mark thanks for showing how this is done man. Hey just wondering the west side shays that are there I know Lindsey Ashby owns does he still own the GTL and is there a reason why they don’t run there any more? Thanks ahead of time and I look forward to seeing more videos from you soon man. Jeff aka NW611J.
He does not run the loop, which is why they're at the museum.
@@Hyce777 aww ok that majes since thank you fir telling me that man! Hey when do you think we’ll see more cab ride videos of you running 491 or 20 are there any planned any time soon? Thanks man.
I would love to get a job there
I did not hear a bell, as the engine was backing? That was standard practice during the time I worked for Union Pacific in Portland Or.
We're not in mechanical limits or around passengers, so it's not require by our rulebook.
Nothing like a steamer ❤❤❤
when is the oil level checked on the friction type journals? All the journal oil levels were checked just after the consist was finished, in the UP yard.
First thing in the morning, by our brakemen while we fire up; when the cars leave the shop; I wouldn't be surprised if some ops tie it into the brake test, but not us.
"How dare he"
Captions said "Whats up guys this is Heist"
do you think you could do lubricators 101, safety valves 101, or valves (The ones in the steam chests) 101?
All three are things I want to talk about more :)
@@Hyce777 I'm looking forward to all of them!
11:52 what do you mean by "retainer"?
.
and what does it do....... also, what should i look for in the video?
thanks for your time
Retainers are delayed release devices, "retaining the set", such that the engineer can release the brakes, but hold cars with set retainers. This let's the train recharge with air without losing all braking force. They're a small valve up high on most cars, mounted on a small pipe. I need to do a video on them at some point.
whats the connector called that couples the monkey tail to the pressure pipe on the car? is it still used today?
Gladhand, and yes, that's the standard AAR style brake pipe connection these days still.
I'm guessing that loud venting right before 491 starts moving is the safety popping?
Also, I'm left wondering how long it would take the Lockpicking Lawyer to pick those locks... I'd bet it'd be 30 seconds or less.
I remember wanting to do steam train stuff as a kid when I didn't understand the shear physicality required to do it. (...or that steam trains were long gone from the rails in any meaningful capacity.) Alas, I turned out to basically all brain and no brawn. (Though I'm no genius either.)
Yes, safety pop. Lock picking lawyer? Has he done a switch lock? They're a bit odd, I'm sure he could open them, and quickly, but I don't know how quick.
@@Hyce777 I wouldn't be surprised if he's done a switch lock. If he hasn't done one specifically, it looks like it's just a standard lever padlock, so it shouldn't be hard to pick for somebody who knows what they're doing. The point is to stop people casually moving the switches. If anyone actually wanted to move a switch without authorization, they'd just take a pair of bolt cutters to the chain -- it's hard to imagine a situation in which somebody malicious would want to move a switch and leave the lock intact.
I like trains.
Also, ever since you mentioned it in a Detail Valley video... Man, that dynamo really is annoying!
An easy way to test if the train stops is to pull the brakes and see if the train stops.
Playing with Sticks 101