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  • Compressor in CSX Norwood Yard?

  • General discussion about railroad operations, related facilities, maps, and other resources.
General discussion about railroad operations, related facilities, maps, and other resources.

Moderator: Robert Paniagua

 #1186637  by RussNelson
 
There's not much in CSX's Norwood Yard. Two sidings, one main line. Mostly used as an overflow make-up yard for Massena, or so I gather. This year there are two new bits of construction in the yard. One is very obviously an air compressor. It's in a half-container, with electric service and an air line going out of it. Closer to the end of the yard is an air hose tying down some cars (the valve is open).

So here's my question: Has something changed (on CSX at least, but I speculate for everyone) where standard practice has become to tie down a string using a fixed air compressor as I described above?

Now add to that the various bits of signals work that I see going on here and in other places. There are new conduits going in along the railroad, seemingly connected between existing infrastructure and switches. Potsdam has a new radio transmitter. Is there some sensing of switch position being added? Are engineers going to be able to see the switch position before they get to it?
 #1186872  by Freddy
 
Do you know whether or not there are air switches being used? Depending on the size that's what the compressor could be for. The pipe could be for air line or for cable to wire up switches.
I'm just spitballing,mind you.
 #1187978  by Steve F45
 
they've done this here in nj on the riverline where its 3 tracks wide and sometimes they keep a train waiting there for a long time. i guess its better to keep the train there minus the power when the power can be used elsewhere.
 #1188109  by LocoCam
 
Steve F45 wrote:they've done this here in nj on the riverline where its 3 tracks wide and sometimes they keep a train waiting there for a long time. i guess its better to keep the train there minus the power when the power can be used elsewhere.
Have you ever seen the air used at CP 7 southbound hold back? As far as I know its not in service, no ground air lines have ever been provided at that location, and no general bulletins covering their use have been issued. That air station was a waste of money to appease some fools who moved next to a major rail line & then complained that trains were parked there, but once built it was never used.
 #1188611  by RussNelson
 
Steve F45 wrote:they've done this here in nj on the riverline where its 3 tracks wide and sometimes they keep a train waiting there for a long time. i guess its better to keep the train there minus the power when the power can be used elsewhere.
Well, I'm guessing, but would like to hear somebody confirm it, that the point is so that you can tie down a string without having to set the brakes on each car one by one. That would make switching moves a LOT faster, wouldn't it?
 #1188647  by LocoCam
 
RussNelson wrote:
Steve F45 wrote:they've done this here in nj on the riverline where its 3 tracks wide and sometimes they keep a train waiting there for a long time. i guess its better to keep the train there minus the power when the power can be used elsewhere.
Well, I'm guessing, but would like to hear somebody confirm it, that the point is so that you can tie down a string without having to set the brakes on each car one by one. That would make switching moves a LOT faster, wouldn't it?
Hand brakes would still have to be set per rules, the air lines (at least at cp 7 on River Line) are there to keep cars/trains on air to maintain class 1 brake test while letting power be shut down for noise / "pollution" reasons. The hoses to connect the ground air connections to the cars/trains have never been provided & no T&E personnel would touch them before the division posted a bulletin with the official way to use them.
 #1198921  by sd80mac
 
Someone said that they used them to build up the air pressure in the trains more quickly - more quicker than locomotives build up the air. You should see one at west end of yard by state fairground at Airport rd. (oh crap, they got new bridge over the mainline now... I guess that I'll not swing by there anymore. lol) you can see the air hose lying on the ground next to siding.

The yards have them. I have seen few places that have air hoses lying in the yard. I am trying to remember which yard have them.... Frontier have them in west end (if I remember right) which was one of the few yards I had seen.
 #1199931  by rovetherr
 
The compressors are used to build, or hold, air pressure in the cars. In the case of Norwood, since CSX is using the sidings there to swap blocks of cars between trains, this allows the cars to remain on air, and eliminate the need for a class 1 brake test when the cars are finally picked up. Same idea for yard locations. Some yard air systems have valving that allow the car men to reduce the brake pipe pressure, and perform a Class 1 test without a locomotive. Then, once a crew is called and is ready to move, all they have to do is hook up, perform a quick Class 3, and blast off.
 #1295832  by Engineer Spike
 
There is one more reason. With the new laws since Lac Megnantic, trains which are staged with power attached must be in emergency. If the power is separated, then the cars could be left on ground air, in order to maintain the class I test.
 #1296185  by LocoCam
 
Engineer Spike wrote:There is one more reason. With the new laws since Lac Megnantic, trains which are staged with power attached must be in emergency. If the power is separated, then the cars could be left on ground air, in order to maintain the class I test.
Idk where you work, but this is not a law and is not a CSX rule that I'm aware of. Trains are left on the main tied down and with a full service application maintaining the class 1.