"Bottling the Air"

[NW Mailing List]

You guys are right. I've been there and done that! 
 
About the only thing we haven't covered about moving cars without air, I believe. is by use of a push pole. Again, back in the good ole days, every steam locomotive, at least in yard, or local service, carried a push pole. These can be seen in  many photographs as a long pole hanging just under the frame of the tender. They were probably about 6" in diameter, 10' long with cast iron caps on each end.
 
When a car, perhaps on an adjacent track, neded to be moved, and for whatever reason the engine could not get on the same track, the push pole could be used to move the car. 
 
A trainman would place one end of the pole against the push pole pocket on the corner of the car. Then, as the engine slowly eased up toward the car, the trainman would hold the pole, guiding it into the pocket on the engine. When the engine made contact, the trainman would let go and let the engine push the car however far it needed. When the engine stopped, the car would continue to roll thereby dropping the pole to the ground.
 
As you can tell, this was a very dangerous opoeration, and eventually outlawed.
 
Jeff sanders   

--- On Tue, 10/26/10, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:


From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Subject: Re: "Bottling the Air"
To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Date: Tuesday, October 26, 2010, 7:53 AM



Jimmy,
 
You are absolutely right. I saw an employee push a Chesapeake Western caboose once years ago.
 
I have to say this discussion has been a good one.
 
Thanks,
 
Richard D. Shell
 
In a message dated 10/26/2010 6:53:39 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org writes:


"If you let bleed the air out of train car, can you not move it unless you hook it up to an air supply from a locomotive?"
 
Once the air has been bled off and the hand brake is released, then you can move the car around any way you want. You can push it around yourself if you are strong enough. Don't laugh, it's been done many a time.
 
Jimmy Lisle



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