SOME ANSWERS TO THE SPOILER ALERT QUESTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Im not sure what you are asking about with the air....it's (or was really as most RR's are banning it) fairly common to switch without air, so the move in the beginning with the engineer hopping off to get a misaligned trailing point switch (yes, it was lined correctly in the shot, that was an error in the movie, but correct in the dialog) while the train was still moving could and did happen wiht the CSX runaway. The engineer applied fully independent brake, and then thought he set full dynamics. However, the dynamics did not engage, adn instead went to full power.
So opening the angle cock on the engines (the only things with air) would have put the engines in emergency and cut the power, but the rest of hte train would have kept pushing it. There have seen several runaways on Cajon Pass where an emergency brake application on the whole train did not stop the train. The engineer in this case felt that the brakes were set and the train woudl stop eventually - very slowly, but eventually it would, so he thought, he didn't know dynamics did not engage.
Climbing inbetween the cars and engine to try to lace up the air hoses while the train is moving at 10mph? Thats impossible and would result in near certain death to the employee. Same wiht opening up the angle cock to cause the locos to go into emergency.
Yes, when the 2 SD40s were coupled to the head end, they probably could have had an employee climb aboard the 777 (catch the number reference? CSX 8888 - AWVR 777), but yea, then there wouldn't be a movie
And the wreck there, yea, the rest of the trian should have taken the switch - haha
The grain well it was a damaged hatch from the hard hitch. Could happen? I guess, would it? probably not. I would think the car would derail before the hatch would be damaged and grain flying out......
Yes, it would have been necessary to put the police at the Xings, as in the one scene, the train is flying through and the gates are just activating and lowering as the locos are already through it. That is totally realistic, well the gates lowering after a train has passed, as the gates are set to activate at the track speed of the track and if a train is speeding down a train (controlled or not!) they can "beat the gates" down.
Even tho the single "5000HP" SD40-2 had less power than the 2 GEs leading under power, it would still allow the train to slow down. It would in simple terms cancel out about 3/4 of one of the locos under power and allow the train to slow down. Thats how CSX got the train to slow down, a crew caught up to it, coupled to it and applied the dynamics and air brakes of their loco and it slowed the train enough for someone to climb on the head end and get aboard to shut down the power. Except it was a trainmaster I believe at a Grade Xing at a speed of about 10mph, not out of a really nice Ford pick up!
Like i said above, its not perfect, but it was a great movie adn much more realistic and accurate than I would have ever imagined it to be
Im not sure what you are asking about with the air....it's (or was really as most RR's are banning it) fairly common to switch without air, so the move in the beginning with the engineer hopping off to get a misaligned trailing point switch (yes, it was lined correctly in the shot, that was an error in the movie, but correct in the dialog) while the train was still moving could and did happen wiht the CSX runaway. The engineer applied fully independent brake, and then thought he set full dynamics. However, the dynamics did not engage, adn instead went to full power.
So opening the angle cock on the engines (the only things with air) would have put the engines in emergency and cut the power, but the rest of hte train would have kept pushing it. There have seen several runaways on Cajon Pass where an emergency brake application on the whole train did not stop the train. The engineer in this case felt that the brakes were set and the train woudl stop eventually - very slowly, but eventually it would, so he thought, he didn't know dynamics did not engage.
Climbing inbetween the cars and engine to try to lace up the air hoses while the train is moving at 10mph? Thats impossible and would result in near certain death to the employee. Same wiht opening up the angle cock to cause the locos to go into emergency.
Yes, when the 2 SD40s were coupled to the head end, they probably could have had an employee climb aboard the 777 (catch the number reference? CSX 8888 - AWVR 777), but yea, then there wouldn't be a movie
And the wreck there, yea, the rest of the trian should have taken the switch - hahaThe grain well it was a damaged hatch from the hard hitch. Could happen? I guess, would it? probably not. I would think the car would derail before the hatch would be damaged and grain flying out......
Yes, it would have been necessary to put the police at the Xings, as in the one scene, the train is flying through and the gates are just activating and lowering as the locos are already through it. That is totally realistic, well the gates lowering after a train has passed, as the gates are set to activate at the track speed of the track and if a train is speeding down a train (controlled or not!) they can "beat the gates" down.
Even tho the single "5000HP" SD40-2 had less power than the 2 GEs leading under power, it would still allow the train to slow down. It would in simple terms cancel out about 3/4 of one of the locos under power and allow the train to slow down. Thats how CSX got the train to slow down, a crew caught up to it, coupled to it and applied the dynamics and air brakes of their loco and it slowed the train enough for someone to climb on the head end and get aboard to shut down the power. Except it was a trainmaster I believe at a Grade Xing at a speed of about 10mph, not out of a really nice Ford pick up!
Like i said above, its not perfect, but it was a great movie adn much more realistic and accurate than I would have ever imagined it to be
On the RR, "believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see"
John, aka "JTGSHU" passed away on August 26, 2013. We honor his memory and his devotion to railroading at railroad.net.
John, aka "JTGSHU" passed away on August 26, 2013. We honor his memory and his devotion to railroading at railroad.net.
