Chris Walker Wrote:
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> Dr Zarkoff Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > > Apparently Anticipate isn't in your vocab.
> >
> > Not when making moves on the railroad, no.
>
> Just remember that this was about some flat
> switching video that Hutch posted...and Margaret
> commented on that incidentally didn't show any
> coupling up around a curve some 40 cars back, you
> moved the goal posts because you couldn't
> understand comprehend my description.
>
> Bollocks: You know are going to Kick, you can see
> the Shunter about to move so you've got the
> independant reduced to just holding, and you've
> got the other hand on the throttle....
> >
> > > Why you insist on waiting for the ground crew
> to
> > signal your every move precisely when kicking
> cars
> > and it's obvious you have to perform certain
> moves
> > to under take a series of kicks.
> >
> > For the simple reason that you can never know
> when
> > they want to start a kicking movement.
>
> Bollocks: At my first yard, every time we pulled
> half of 1 (or 2 road) up the backshunt and as soon
> as we stop, we're going to give a series of
> ease-ups to kick off, Shunter goes in to get the
> Hook, he actually went out of sight between the
> wagons to do that, no cut levers on the end to
> pull, and he would come out and walk back to get
> the next drop and repeat, and repeat. Of course he
> will be signalling and he will also be listening
> to the slack but our difference is we were ready
> for it, anticipating unlike Your description of
> just sitting there with the brakes fully on ....
> waiting, oh well Espee got all day I guess.
>
> >
> > > So tell me what you do when the guy on the
> > ground messes up and you can see it happening
> in
> > advance??
> >
> > Phooey, this assumes you're a mind reader. Give
> > him/them a single toot on the whistle or
> respond
> > by moving the engine very slowly. With radios
> this
> > is frequently called "that'll do. different
> other
> > back them up".
> >
> > > You do realise he will emerge and give you
> stop
> > eh. Zark's description of how to you kick cars
> was
> > straight word from the instructor. :) Now when
> the
> > radio was used yes you'd be correct, but on
> hand
> > signals nah, the head went outside and you
> watched
> > both the signal and the remaining distance.
> >
> > I can tell you've never railroaded and used
> hand
> > signals because most of the time you couldn't
> see
> > the remaining distance. And if you anticipated
> an
> > acted on what the crew was doing, they would
> > highly resent it. About the second time the
> cars
> > started moving without their giving a signal to
> do
> > so, things would be 'splained to you in no
> > uncertain terms (because you could chop off an
> > arm, leg, or head). Do things like this enough,
> > and they will try to knock you off the seatbox.
>
> Hell you are absolutely correct, by gosh, just
> what gave me away? Never Railroaded in my life
> you're correct.
>
> However I was a Railwayman :) starting out in
> Loco, 7th Feb. 1977 using handsignals right up to
> one-man shunt crewing in 1990. I also did the
> Train Operator(Conductor without an orchestra)
> work on two-man trains after the Guard's were
> taken off the back in late '86. It will piss you
> no doubt that I aced the TO shunting school at
> that time, partly in fact due to the
> Assistant(Diesel fireman) usually did the
> reductions at Tablet-locked sidings during my
> Woodville days.
>
> You also seem totally unaware that the reducing
> separation distance usually can be seen with the
> Shadows cast on the ballast on all but cloudy
> days, and by the yard lights. Only when the
> adjacent tracks are full then that cut the
> lighting down.
>
> Since I use my real name and you hide behind a
> pretentious handle.... so you may put your $$$
> where your knowledge is and google the phone
> number of, or email Kiwirail.co.nz and ask to
> speak to any of the following at Palmerston North
> Freight Terminal.
> Ross Adams former Train Controller (dispatcher
> CTC), nowadays the Terminal Manager.
> John Grant Enginedriver started with me in '77
> nowadays Team Leader (Road Foreman).
> Simon Stitchbury, Enginedriver nowadays overseeing
> Crew Training.
> Alan Adams former Enginedriver with me in
> Woodville by early '78 now Train Performance
> Specialist. However be warned that if you reach
> Allan after confirming my existence and service,
> he will tell you all about Anticipating :)
>
> For some reason I'll think you'll pass on doing
> the above, eh!! BTW my Instructor from my
> Enginedriver's course is still alive, you want his
> number so you can call him direct?
>
> >
> > > Ever seen a chain of passers relaying
> > handsignals? What do you then since there is
> the
> > Human delay in changing being passed down the
> > chain, you watch the furthest man you see.
> >
> > Yes, many many times, and you're completely
> wrong.
> > There is very little delay between the actions
> of
> > the various crew members because of what is
> called
> > the "chorus girl effect", which is similar to
> how
> > birds in a flock move in such a coordinated
> > fashion.
> >
> Chorus girls eh, cough cough! Ahem, I'll never get
> that image out of my head from now on.
>
>
> >
> > READING books??? I bet one you didn't read was
> > Peter Josserand's Rights of Trains, which is
> > considered a bible of railroad operating rules.
>
> > He specifically says you can't read a book and
> > then know the subject. You have to read it, do
> the
> > work, go back and read it again, etc, etc. When
> I
> > was a switchman, it took about 3-5 years of
> > working jobs daily to pick up the rhythm of the
> > craft.
> >
> Actually I have, my teenage years pen pal from the
> US sent me his dog eared copy: Thayer Palmer, who
> was a UP Agent from the Eastern Divison: but was
> quickly told in 1977 by the revered instructor
> Jack Dean that I should forget that Yank ****
> pronto, lest I fail the Loco Trainee school. You
> see NZR had an excellent training scheme that
> actually taught the employees. I was surprised to
> find out just how little the US loco crews knew
> about their loco.
>
> > > Another feller was on the Espee, named
> Hardisty,
> > worked out of Sparks Yard,
> >
> > Ahh, the "Bone Crusher". Nice character
> reference.
> > Last time I saw him was in KFS, and we avoided
> > each other.
>
> Klamath Falls I presume
> >
> > > Then there are the several Drivers that went
> up
> > to work on the Wisconsin Central after they
> took
> > over the NZR, a couple of those I caught up
> with
> > on their holidays back here every now and then.
>
> >
> > Using the WC as a character reference in a
> > discussion with two retired RR union men does
> not
> > speak well for you.
>
> Well that US Railroad did purchase and gut the NZR
> for every last cent without spending a dime here
> on track maint. And they did indeed need real
> Engindrivers up there to show just how it's Done,
> just like the Iron Ore roads in Northern Australia
> that came hunting our Drivers back in the 70's,
> and still do today :)
> Most of the guys who went to the WC eventually
> came home disgruntled by the working conditions in
> the cabs, and the weird, away from home layovers.
> However Bruce Rogers is still up there running for
> the Bnsf, maybe you can track him down for a
> reference as well?
> >
> > You should stop trying to be such a US RR
> > sexologist because you aren't pulling it off.
>
> Oh I don't know, seem to be doing a great job by
> far, go read this POST on the NGDF and my answer a
> couple of replies later :)
>
> Could you pull that one off, Doctor?
>
>
> Cheers Pal
>
> Chris
> in New Zealand

Anyone can use the name "Chris Walker" on this website. I just did. Could be real. Could be fake. Who cares?