A question heard on the scanner?

I heard on the scanner today, something I do not understand.
CSX here in Syracuse, NY. Talked about a "good axle count." What is an good axle count?

Matt

One that corresponds to wheel report, nothing like a 380 count on wheel report and only getting 378 on detector. now crew has walk back to count axles and or find missing axles .

When the automated detector anounces an axle count which matches the conductors work report/tonnage graph it is verification that the train is complete and correct. More axles or less axles than what is on the conductors wprk report means extra or less cars in the train than there is suppose to be and will require the dispatcher to check the next scan of the train to locate the discrepancy. If extra car(s), must verify non hazardous shipment or issue a radio waybill for the placarded extra car if any. If less axles, find the missing car by comparing the scan with train work order and making adjustments on the work order.

We get bad axle counts all the time out here, especially on the manifest trains where the yard can't verify that the switch crews did 100 percent correct work until the train passes the first AEI reader. Obviously the big deal is the Hazmats, you have to have your MSDS sheets and info before you can transport them. Another way you can get a bad axle count is if you pass a detector at less than 10 mph, it will mess up the wheel count (and sometimes give you an integrity failure, in which case you have to walk the train). Sometimes you can also have extra power on your train which will make the count wrong, so as a conductor you need to take a physical assesment of what you're pulling with, not relying on just the list.

Question: Is it possible to get an odd axle count (as opposed to even)?

Question: Is it possible to get an odd axle count (as opposed to even)?
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I would imagine it would be very possible if your train contains articulated cars.

an old FL9 will give a odd axle count(5 axles),anything else is probably a malfunctioning detector.

Hey, someone got the FL9 one, I thought that would be the tough one. I saw a couple of those for the first time this winter at the Adirondack Scenic RR shops at Rome, NY and had to do a double-take to count the axles.

We talked about this question out here once and the only thing that anyone could come up with was articulated cars with single-wheel trucks but nobody was sure if there was such a thing (I haven't seen them in my brief career). Another way I came up with, although highly unlikely, is moving a steamer dead-in-tow that has an odd axle count ie: 0-3-0. 2-3-2, etc.

How does the detector count the axles?

There are magnetic wheel detectors associated with the infrared thermal scanner that checks the journal temperature. The wheel detector triggers the infrared scanner as each wheel passes. The HBD counts the number of axles scanned to identify the axle number of any defect and also the total axle count when the train has passed.

SteelWheels21 wrote:Question: Is it possible to get an odd axle count (as opposed to even)?

The detector @ Medfield Jct. on CSXT's Framingham Secondary sometimes would give an odd axle count, many times it somehow mistook the plow on an engine as an axle....ooops.

As long as we're considering possible (but highly unlikely) scenarios, an odd axle count could also come from having a Fairbanks Morse C-liner in the consist.

BR&P wrote:As long as we're considering possible (but highly unlikely) scenarios, an odd axle count could also come from having a Fairbanks Morse C-liner in the consist.

Or an FL9...still not likely, but at least more so than a C-Liner!

Will go way out and say how about one of those old Baldwin "Centipede" locomotives.

While we are on the topic, what does "Three step to the fly" mean? (or something that sounds like it) I know "three step" refers to the three step protection but what is "to the fly"? I'm still very new to the railroad world so please don't butcher me on this

Also, when conductors give how much the engineer should move back to couple/uncouple cars, sometimes they say how many cars, sometimes they just give numbers. what do the numbers (ie. 50 30 20 10 5) mean?

Thank you

"Three Step APPLIED", maybe?