don't know why I thought of this now, but I watch NJT/Amtrack trains pass thru Hamilton, NJ at lunchtime, and a LOT of them have the engine in the rear of a 8-10 car unpowered trainset, in a push configuration.
Is there anything inherently unsafe with this set up? Is there a higher risk of derailment, compared to a pull configuration?
Sorry for my naivety, but just wondering...
Posted by trainchaser (Member # 22435) on :
I had asked an expert the same question a while back. I usually save anything he sends me since his knowledge is priceless. I didn't this time. So, I'll try to replicate what he said. My worry was that the trucks would tend to cock and jack knife. He said that passenger car couplers did not have "slack" in them and that the wheels would not have that sort of pressure on them which I saw as an increasing problem in turns. He also said that the end car had controls for the operator to use in controlling the engine so "eyes up front" is taken care of with the engineer in the front. The last one I disagreed with him which you may take as a warning. It concerns derailment of the pushed cars, your concern. He said that if a lead car derailed the engine would not push the rest of the cars off because the brakes would lock with lost air pressure ( only if the line was broken). To me that may be true at low speeds, but at high speeds the momentum of a heavy engine would be hard to overcome by even 8 light weight passenger cars and the engine's brakes locked. But then I don't know Jack. Hope that helps or at least lets you know you have company in your question, or maybe I've seen Unstoppable too many times? Steve