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The black-and-white sign with dots tells the plow operator to raise flanges prior to crossings, switches, etc. Greg McDonnell Q What does a whiteboard sign with black circles mean? It’s near grade crossings and sometimes has one black circle, and sometimes two.— Mike Cough, Kemptville, Ont., Canada A That board (which can also be black […]
Three Deseret Power Railway E60Cs begin the short but steep 2-percent descent into Coyote Basin near Bonanza, Utah, on July 8, 2009. David Honan Q How do you figure out the percent of the grade of a railroad track?— Richard Buckhold, Kirkwood, Mo. A Grades are expressed as the rise in feet per 100 feet […]
A Pandrol e-clip elastic rail fastener secures the rail to the tie, along with a type of hairpin spike. TRAINS: Kathi Kube Q How do Pandrol clips secure rails to concrete or wooden ties?— John Trifari, Sunnyvale, Calif. A The clips are made of spring steel and must be pressed into position by machinery or […]
Q I bought this key almost 20 years ago. I know it’s from the “Frisco,” but can anyone date it or explain the “S” stamp?— Rick Goodell, Etna, Maine A A plain “S,” like on the key shown, means it is a switch key. Early railroad switch padlocks and keys came in various styles, but […]
The Silver Chalet, once part of the Western Pacific’s California Zephyr, rests outside Quad/Graphics’ Sussex, Wis., printing plant Nov. 24, 2004. Cody Grivno Q I saw a private car named “Silver Chalet” at Union Station in Washington, D.C. It had an odd-looking observation platform. Can you tell me its history and who owns it now?— […]
Q On which railroad was the 1975 movie “Breakheart Pass” filmed? — Klaus Schmidt, Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. A “Breakheart Pass” was filmed on the Camas Prairie Railroad, a short line in Northern Idaho. Originally a cooperative building effort by predecessors of the Union Pacific and the BNSF in the early 20th century, as of 2004, […]
Southern Railway SD45 No. 3121 leads long hood forward on a unit coal train at Oreton, Va., in 1984. Such design enhanced bidirectional capability. Ron Flanary Q When did railroads such as the Norfolk & Western stop running their road engines “long hood first?” How effective was this practice for crew safety? Did it have […]
Steam engine gage glasses have prisms to improve water visibility. J. David Conrad Q What type of glass (or other material) was used for the sight glass on a steam locomotive boiler? Was it a special material, or just very thick?— William Johnson, Eagle, Mich.A Most (but not all) gage glasses on steam locomotive are […]
Q Why are some Rio Grande steam locomotives referred to as “Mudhens?”— Larry Beck, Susanville, Calif. A The term “Mudhen” refers to 15 Denver & Rio Grande Western class K-27 2-8-2s, Nos. 450-464, built by Baldwin in 1903. Two K-27 Mudhens are left: No. 463, under restoration at the C&TS and No. 464, in operation […]
Q Why do modern locomotive throttles still use notches?— Ben Redl, Williams Lake, B.C. A The primary reason is to help the locomotive’s engineer direct a specific response from the locomotive. Engine RPM speed must be increased gradually during normal operation. As the engineer demands more power from the locomotive by moving a notch at […]
Union Pacific’s Desert Victory and United Way tribute locomotives were the first to receive special paint schemes, in 1991 and 1994, respectively. John C. Benson Q I understand that Union Pacific ES44AC No. 7400 is the railroad’s 15th specially painted locomotive. What are the other 14 commemorative locomotives?— Wesley Chen, Irvine, Calif.A According to Union […]
Q My employer receives plastic pellets in rail cars. Recently, I saw a car that was marked with GATX on the opposite end from the reporting marks, which were different. Do the chemical companies own the cars, or are they leased? — Frank L. Mejean, Crawfordsville, Ind. A GATX Corp. is a leader in leasing […]
