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Re: Ed, that is my experience,with the physics of choo-choo's as well.
Author: BOB2
Date: 01-23-2018 - 14:23
You are trying to create friction to slow down, by the process of conversion of the energy from the mass and momentum of the moving train into heat energy. The momentum energy is being dissipated in the heat from the brake shoes interacting with the wheels, the more surface area the more heat dissipated, the quicker you stop.
Sliding the wheels dramatically reduces the amount of the surface area creating friction, and the heat that can be dissipated, to just the much smaller surface area of the wheel in contact with the rail head. It is, thus, much less effective in transferring the energy from the mass of the moving train into heat energy, and stopping the train or cut you are handling. There were times when I even used a slight bit of power, along with sand, to make sure I didn't slide the wheels, and lose much of that greater friction and the heat energy being created.
Reversing the engine, if it results in sliding the wheels. is not going to stop you faster, in my 18 years of experience. But, I've had my butt tightened, up not a few times, in situations like that, where I wish I could have thrown an anchor out, though.
You are protected by law from reporting unsafe RR conditions. And, while I've seen folks threaten over that, I've never seen anyone successfully removed from service for that.
As I noted about this thread, we have so little real factual information about what really happened or why he was really purportedly pulled out of service, that all of this is speculation. And while it's been a while since I've run, I was certainly not impressed by the little bit of the story we were told, with the train handling skills he is reported to have used in this situation, him being RR "family", or not.
Sliding the wheels dramatically reduces the amount of the surface area creating friction, and the heat that can be dissipated, to just the much smaller surface area of the wheel in contact with the rail head. It is, thus, much less effective in transferring the energy from the mass of the moving train into heat energy, and stopping the train or cut you are handling. There were times when I even used a slight bit of power, along with sand, to make sure I didn't slide the wheels, and lose much of that greater friction and the heat energy being created.
Reversing the engine, if it results in sliding the wheels. is not going to stop you faster, in my 18 years of experience. But, I've had my butt tightened, up not a few times, in situations like that, where I wish I could have thrown an anchor out, though.
You are protected by law from reporting unsafe RR conditions. And, while I've seen folks threaten over that, I've never seen anyone successfully removed from service for that.
As I noted about this thread, we have so little real factual information about what really happened or why he was really purportedly pulled out of service, that all of this is speculation. And while it's been a while since I've run, I was certainly not impressed by the little bit of the story we were told, with the train handling skills he is reported to have used in this situation, him being RR "family", or not.
