Passenger Car Switching

Today I write from a Viewliner Roomette on Amtrak's southbound Silver Star. This may be the first time we have composed a blog post from a moving train. It probably does not come as a surprise that a trip report will be put together after this journey, but that will be at a later date. Today I thought I would talk about switching passenger cars and a few other things from work.

Earlier today, I boarded the Silver Star in New York, with my wife, Sarah. We elected to take the train to Florida to visit her parents rather than fly because we both enjoy train travel and the cost for us to travel First Class on Amtrak was slightly lower than the cost for both of us to fly. When the train departed New York, it was lead by an AEM-7 electric locomotive. The overhead catenary, which provides electricity to operate such a locomotive, ends in Washington, DC. Upon arriving at Union Station, the electric locomotive was removed and a pair of P42DC locomotives were placed at the head end. This was the first time Sarah had ever seen this operation, and explaining what was going on got me thinking a bit about work, particularly about passenger switching.

When I started working with Alaska Railroad, there were many similarities to what I had learned on BNSF. One big difference between Alaska Railroad and nearly every railroad in the Lower 48 is that Alaska Railroad operates both freight and passenger trains. This is not like a freight railroad hosting Amtrak, which is quite common in the continental United States, because the host railroad rarely does any passenger operations beyond allowing Amtrak to use the trackage. Amtrak provides the passenger train crew and equipment. In Alaska, the Alaska Railroad operates the freight trains, but also operates the passenger trains. The Alaska Railroad provides the crew and equipment for passenger operations.

Since Alaska Railroad operates both freight and passenger trains, this means that train crews could potentially go back and forth between passenger equipment and freight equipment during the course of a tour of duty. This would have been an extremely rare situation for road crews, but was more common in the yard. During the summer, Anchorage Yard had two crews each day that were specifically assigned to switch passenger equipment. Occasionally, when they were either busy or not on duty, another crew could be assigned to take care of a few moves in the coach yard.

Every day in the summer, at 4:30am, the morning passenger switch crew came on duty. The first passenger train scheduled to leave Anchorage was the southbound Coastal Classic, which went to Seward. The train was made up the night before, by the evening passenger crew, so there was rarely any switching to do in the morning. This was done to expedite the morning movements and ensure an on time departure, at 6:45am. Occasionally the locomotives had to be added, but even that was typically done by the roundhouse hostlers, in the middle of the night. Once we got on the train, the Brakeman would release the hand brakes and walk through the train, getting the doors and steps positioned for use at the depot. The Conductor and Engineer would compare paperwork with the train dispatcher and perform an air brake test. As the train departed the yard, a couple of carmen would perform a visual roll by inspection, for safety. We would head south out of the yard, on to the main track. Once the Brakeman had walked through the train, he would stay on the rear car. Once on the main track, the train had to be backed up to the depot. The Brakeman would serve as the eyes for the engineer during that movement. At the depot, the train would be secured. The road crew would take over and bring it to Seward from there.

For the yard crew, there were still more trains. The Denali Star, which operates to Fairbanks, was next. This was usually the most complex. The evening crew usually had things in order, to minimize the work for the morning crew, but because this train operates with private tour company cars, it is impossible to have it put together the night before. The morning crew would first get on the locomotives and pull the Alaska Railroad portion of the train out of the yard. Next, the Wilderness Express cars, if there were any that day, would be added to the rear. They could only be added after they had finished servicing them and lowered the derail protecting the entrance to their track. Sometimes they were ready when the crew got there, other times the crew had to wait a few minutes for hem to finish up their work. Behind the Wilderness Express cars, Holland America Line's McKinley Explorer cars were added, followed by Princess Cruise Line's private cars. Since Holland America and Princess are sister companies, their tour operations in Alaska are combined and operate under the name HAP Alaska-Yukon. Both companies' private cars are serviced together, on the same track, and the evening crew usually had them put together, in the right order, the night before. Once they were added to the train, an End of Train Device was added and tested, and then an air brake test was conducted. Once again, the carmen did a visual inspection as the train departed the coach yard. This train went around the wye on the way out of the yard, and then backed out to the main track. The engineer spotted the train at the depot, where it was secured to await the road crew and an 8:15am departure northbound.

The last train of the morning was the Glacier Discovery, which went to Whittier and Chugach National Forest. This was usually the easiest train, since all the switching was almost always done the night before. After an air brake test and a visual inspection from the carmen, the train headed out to the main track and was then backed in to the depot. Just like the others, it was secured to await the road crew and the trip southward.

When the morning passenger crew was done the morning switching, there were still several hours left to work. Usually a short lunch break was on the agenda, followed by some freight switching. This was, of course, all determined by the yard master.

At 6:30pm, the evening passenger crew came on duty. Their switching was typically more complex, since they were responsible for setting up trains, as much as possible, for the morning crew. The first train scheduled to arrive was the southbound Denali Star, which was so long it had to be split in two when it arrived at the depot. That train was due at 8:00pm every day, and the evening crew would meet it at the depot. The cars belonging to Princess and Holland America would be cut off east (railroad north) of the C Street crossing, just outside the depot. Motor coaches were provided by Holland America and Princess for their passengers, and there is a large paved area there for easy transfer from the train to the waiting coaches. The remainder of the train would pull up behind the railroad depot. When the train arrived at the depot, some of the servicing was done immediately. The crew would have to wait until everyone servicing the train was finished. Once the toilets were all pumped, baggage unloaded, and money counted and removed, the train could head to the yard. Once in the yard, the switching began. The switching could be simple, or it could seem to go on all night. The current position of cars and the arrangement needed the next day determined the complexity of the switching. Other variables that contributed to complexity included the need for car to visit the shop or have wheels trued. Wheel truing is a process that removes flat spots and other imperfections from wheels, resulting in a smoother, safer ride.

When all the Denali Star switching was complete, it was time to do a different train. Usually. Y the time it was complete, both the Coastal Classic and the Glacier Discovery had arrived and were parked at the depot. It was up to the Conductor which one got done next. Both needed to go around the wye, so they would be facing south, since all the switching happens at the south end of the coach yard. Usually the Glacier Discovery was the easier one, since it usually just had to be put away for the night, with little or no switching. The Coastal Classic usually had a little switching, and sometimes a Wilderness Express car or two to put away. Both trains however were far easier to put away than the Denali Star usually was.

Switching passenger equipment could be frustrating at times, for a variety of reasons. One of the most frustrating aspects of passenger switching was the speed. All the coach tracks were limited to walking speed, and the train must be stopped prior to coupling to other equipment. This sounds and is simple enough, but it adds considerable time to even a simple switching move.

Perhaps the most frequent frustration of passenger equipment switching is the overwhelming amount of connections and the limited amount of space between cars. When cars are coupled together, the air hoses must be coupled and the angle cock opened. On freight cars, this is a quick task. On passenger cars, there are electrical jumpers, communication cables, and a walkway in close proximity to one another. Additionally, the air hoses and angle cocks are not located beside the coupler, but rather directly below it. In some situations, it is so crowded between cars that the only way to couple hoses and open angle cocks is to crawl under the car and lie down between the rails, facing up at the bottom of the car. Needless to say, almost anyone who switches passenger cars finishes the day covered in grease, oil, and dirt.

At this point however, I do not have to worry about crawling in the dirt under passenger cars. The Alaska Railroad experiences a pretty significant drop in traffic around the end of September, and consequently they lay off about a third of the workforce. This is a temporary, seasonal layoff, and everyone laid off is guaranteed their job and seniority in the spring, if they still want it. I was notified on September 18th that I no longer had enough seniority to hold a job, and I would be laid off. I will go back to work in the spring, in April or May, depending on manpower needs. It will be sooner if they decided to train ten or more Conductors this winter, but I will not find out definitely about that for at least another month yet. Most people would be disappointed to be laid off, but I am enjoying it. While I enjoy my job, it is nice to have a break. I had taken a week off in the past three years when I got my layoff call, and I was ready for a vacation! Besides, it gives me the opportunity to visit distant family and take leisure train rides, such as this one, aboard Amtrak's Silver Star. I'll be enjoying dinner in the diner next!

Prototype Railroading: Roll By Inspections

At the originating terminal, all trains have to have a safety inspection and brake test before the train can go anywhere. Usually these two requirements are met at the same time, during a walking inspection. The engineer sets the brakes, and then the person conducting the test walks the length of the train, inspecting each car and making sure the brakes have set on each car. Once the person conducting the test is satisfied that the brakes all set up properly, the engineer releases the brakes and the person conducting the test walks the other side of the train, performing the safety inspection and ensuring that all the brakes released properly. When cars are added at a later point, they too must be inspected and brake tested. On unit trains such as coal trains, which are rarely broken apart, this inspection and brake test happens every 3,000 miles. Despite all these inspections and tests, defects can and do still occur en route. To help spot these before they become big problems, train crews perform rolling inspections of passing trains.

When trains meet, and one is in a siding, very often at least one of the trains is stopped for the meet. A crew member from the stopped train gets off and does a roll by inspection of the train they are meeting. Usually everything is operating normally, but occasionally the roll by inspections turn up something that the crew members of the passing train could not possibly have seen.

Recently I was on an empty coal train and we were headed into a siding. The train we were meeting was already there waiting for us, on the main track. The conductor of that train got off to do a roll by inspection of our train and found that there seemed to be some brakes applied and dragging within the first fifteen cars. Despit the closeness to the head end, it was dark out, so would have never seen the telltale smoke, and we certainly would not have smelled the brakes. When we came to a stop in the siding, I grabbed my lantern and walked back to investigate. Several cars back I began to smell the brakes, which is an exceptionally foul but easily recognized smell. As it turned out, the handbrake on the ninth car was applied for some reason. I released it and then inspected the car. We could only assume we had dragged it from Glendive with the handbrake applied, since this was our first stop. We had gone 50 miles with that hand brake applied. After dragging it that far, there is a realistic possibility that the wheels were locked and have huge flat spots. There is also the possibility that the wheels heated up beyond safe temperatures. After looking for any flat spots, and finding none, I checked the temperature of the wheels and bearings. You could feel heat radiating off them several feet away. They were warm, certainly warmer than any of the ones around them, but not dangerously so. After I finished inspecting that car, I checked the rest back to the fifteenth, since we had been told it was in the first fifteen, just to make sure there were not any other cars with sticking brakes. It turned out that that car was the only one. Why the hand brakes on that car were on in the first place remains a mystery.

At other times I have been the one doing the roll by inspection and I have spotted the defect. Several weeks ago I was sitting in a siding waiting for a westbound merchandise train to meet us. When they finally did come along, I climbed out to do a roll by. About eighty cars back in their train I saw sparks coming off the side of one of the cars. My engineer spotted it too, from the cab, and let them know over the radio before I had a chance. They stopped, and when the conductor got back to the effected car, there were no sparks. So the engineer on that train suggested that the conductor ride a nearby car while they move slowly, to see if he could see the source of the sparks. When they did that he was able to see exactly where the sparks were coming from, and once they stopped again he inspected that area closer. My engineer and I thought we may have found a broken wheel, which would have gotten us a nice little bonus from BNSF, but it turned out to only be a broken brake shoe. Part of the metal bracket was dragging on the rolling wheel, causing it to spark.

The first time I ever spotted a defect on a train was about three months after I got done with my conductor training. By that point I had never spotted a defect, nor had I heard anyone spot one, so I was beginning to think they were pretty useless inspections, but I continued to do them. It was dusk, and we were in a siding waiting on a merchandise train. When it arrived I got out and watched it go by as it passed us, I noticed what appeared to be a lot of dust or smoke surrounding an approaching car. As it got closer I could tell it was some sort of blue-grey smoke. As it went by, the smell of overheated brakes was overwhelming and was enough to make you gag. I climbed back on the locomotive, coughing and wheezing, and let them know they had a sticking brake. They checked it, and it turned out to be a handbrake on, about ninety cars back. I realized a few things that evening. First, roll by inspections did have a point and were not useless! Second, as hard as you try, you cannot tell which car is the problem car when the train goes by at 55 mph! The smoke surrounds several cars, and so you have to give an estimated area when you report it to the passing crew. I told them it was by the first of their trailer flat cars, because they had a large block of flat cars carrying truck trailers on the rear end of their train. Third, brakes smell just awful! They had dragged that one from Forsyth, which was more than fifty miles behind them at that point! They were able to stop and correct the problem relatively easily and quickly, and then continue on their way.

Roll by inspections are important to maintaining a safe railroad. They help find defects that trackside detectors cannot pick up and train crew members cannot see. Most of the time, you end up telling the passing train, “Good roll by,” but the defects that do get found make it worth it. In inclement weather, we do not get out of the cab to do a roll by, but we still watch from the cab to see if we can spot anything. I have wondered how often roll by inspection have prevented bigger problems down the road, but I am not sure there is any way to tell.