8136 engine prep

[@regionaltrainvlogstrains638]

That’s soo cool its my dream to drive 81 class trains I really like your videos Steve

[@aussiealco]

G'day, I am pleased that you enjoy my videos. The 81 class were not a particular favourite loco of mine. I always preferred the Alco / MLW units. Much more melodic to the ears. But, yes, there are 81 class still rattling around NSW. Steve.

[@regionaltrainvlogstrains638]

@@aussiealco thank you Steve for responding to my comment I really appreciate it. Ted

[@aussiealco]

G'day Ted, I attempt to respond to all comments when able to. I guess that I continue to reflect upon the good ole days era. I can remember when the 81 class were brand new. Witnessing one exit the Clyde (now Downer EDI) plant at Kelso. The early class units now 39 years old, does make me feel OLD. The superseries traction control system was alien to us when first encountering the 81 class. But, that did pose dramas initially when climbing up through the Lithgow ten tunnels. The radar system underneath the 81 class utilized to control the superseries requiring rough surfaces to reflect the radar signal. The then smooth concrete road bed through the tunnels causing the superseries system to play up. And, I remember a trip home from Dubbo with a single 81 class having problems climbing Red Hill (1 in 40). We ran into umbrella grass piled up on the track in the cutting. I had to kangaroo hop the unit up the hill while my offsider was out on the ground hurling dirt and sand under the wheels to gain traction. You could smell the traction motors cooking in short time ratings. But, we got the train up the hill. Steve.

[@regionaltrainvlogstrains638]

@@aussiealco hi Steve thank you for that story I did not know you had to throw dirt on the track to get traction. Are you still driving trains or are you restired? Also do you prefer drivin passenger trains or freghit trains? Thanks again. Ted.

[@aussiealco]

G'day Ted, I have been retired for a number of years. I spent most of my footplate career working freight trains. But, did belt around on the Indian Pacific way back when a senior fireman. Sand is necessary for all locomotives, to gain traction during wet and icy conditions. Metal wheels on metal rails can result in wheel slip and also wheel spin. I have had to resort to tossing sand under the wheels a number of times when struggling up a hill to prevent stalling. I walked up most of Tumulla bank one trip being on the ground hurling sand and dirt under the wheels of an 80 class. Took us so long to get up to the top that the signalman from Gresham came hunting for us. Ah the good ole days. But, sand can also cause problems with the track circuits utilized for automatic signalling. Sand insulates the wheels from the rails and can cause a signal to go to Clear, which is not good. So, there are rules as to how much sand can be used to maintain traction. Steve.

[@AloanMoreira1]

I must have a problem in my head because i can´t see myself remembering all that stuff... blessed are you if you have a good memory! I have a hard time even remembering song lyrics.. piloting an airplane is even very much more alien to me :D

[@aussiealco]

G'day Aloan, When you learn a routine and perform it regularly it becomes easy to remember. Flying a plane would be more difficult, but again repetition of tasks to become familiar. Many older musos forget the lyrics to their songs and sometimes make things up. I learned Slim Dusty's A pub with No Beer when I was a nipper to sing at school. I forget most of those lyrics now. Steve.

[@AloanMoreira1]

@@aussiealco that´s true! thanks :D

[@FishplateFilms]

Nice one Steve!,there's certainly a lot to know about running a loco!. Thanks for the lesson mate. Cheers Gregg

[@gordonvincent731]

I've done this every time I take over a consist, it's an engineer's seat box test. I made sure the dead man device worked also.

[@aussiealco]

G'day Gordon, Deadman device is fitted to NSW emu and dmu sets, but generally not locomotives. Silverton locomotives did possess a deadman foot pedal on their DL531 aussie alco beasties. Otherwise, the Vigo (vigilance system) performs the necessary task on locomotives here in NSW, plus now also on emu and dmu sets. The Vigo was not originally a facet of emu and dmu sets until the Waterfall prang. Steve.

[@gordonvincent731]

Thanks for the info. I did 36 years in engine service. GG1,E33/44 electrics, and all kinds of diesels, EMD,the best, ALCo, and GE engines.

[@aussiealco]

G'day Gordon, Them GG1 beasties did have style. I have always been a Pennsy fan. EMD, well I am NOT an EMD fan. Aussie Alcos and Pommy English Electrics I did enjoy working. Very few GE here in NSW until more recently, so I did not work any GE's. We had three classes of electric loco here in NSW, of which the 86 class were the most comfortable. Unfortunately, since privatization, no electric locos toil here, only diesels. You would refer to the Vigo as an Alerter. I remember when I was up yonder on vacation in 2000 playing with a BNSF coalie on the Marshall sub MN. Humongous length train with two up front and one DPU at the rear. Had to keep it to a max of 40 mph. The hogger was a union rep and invited me onboard to compare situations. Steve.

[@gordonvincent731]

How much business did you loose with privatization? That usually means less trains and more trucks. I use to be an engineer out. of Denver back in '78-81. Our coals trains averaged about 15,000 tons, 6 engines on the head end, and 2 engines behind the caboose, which were manned. The helpers shoved from Denver to Palmer Lake, 52 miles, then returned lite back to Denver. Mostly SD40-2 and C30-7 engines.

[@aussiealco]

G'day Gordon, Yes, big rigs are more prevalent on our highways since privatization. Basically, privatization resulted in the rail traffic being divided out amongst the various companies. My depot was Lithgow NSW, and we lost grain and intermodal traffic. We also lost the Indian Pacific pas job. Plus, we lost the ability to transfer with seniority to the interurban pas services based at Lithgow which remained with the government. Lithgow coalies during my era were 3000 tonne, increased to 3300 tonne when three pack coupled hoppers appeared, and ultimately increasing to 4200 tonne after the demise of electric traction. Today, the few remaining coalies at Lithgow are 4500 tonne. Hunter Valley coalies average around 9300 tonne. Your SD40-2 equates to our 81 class JT26C-2ss, which is featured in this loco prep. I also worked down in Tassie, based in Hobart. Tassie is 3 foot 6 inch narrow gauge and 18 tonne axle load. PNT were told to depart in 2011 and the Tassie state government took back control of the railway. Today Tassie has the only government freight railway in Australia. I left Tassie in 2007 to return to the mainland, though not returning to the footplate. Very few trains now rattle through Bathurst where I now reside. Steve.

[@1mach28914u1]

Good video. I'm trying to learn about 26l and 81's. This has helped me. thanks.

[@aussiealco]

G'day 1 mach, The Westinghouse 26L brake valve was introduced back in the late 1960s. It has the benefit of not relying on mechanical parts like rotary valves and slide valves. The diaphragm design of 26L provided the self maintaining feature which older types did not possess. The self maintaining feature keeps the brake pipe pressure at the desired level if there is a minor air leak. The desktop version of 26L is now more prevalent. And, the ECP system is becoming more utilized. Steve.

[@Muggar62]

I'm an absolute loco enthusiast but had absolutely no idea what the driver was talking about lol. Looks so complex.

[@aussiealco]

G'day, Rob, Just like anything, you learn a routine and follow it when preparing a locomotive. Just what facets are employed depends upon the specific locomotive class involved. Steve.

[@stumpypetros2685]

I'm only part of the way there, but most of the vid is is testing the three types of brakes.. Carriage and LOCO, LOCO only, and Regen. LOCO only is OK, but if you brake too hard, you'll end up with a zig zag of carriages behind you. Using the carriage brakes helps to stop this, BUT they are physical brakes, so have to be replaced.. Management don't like you wasting stuff even if it is to stop your train ;) Regen: basicallly instead of the dynamo running your light on your bike, the LOCO dumps power to effectively A Huge Set Of Kettle Elements and those HUGE / NOISY two or three fans on the roof blow the heat off them. This is economical as it is not physical at all, but unfortunatly cannot be used in the carriages so you still need to use some type of carriage braking to stop the zig zag. Hope this helps.

[@denzel387]

nice loco

[@stumpypetros2685]

Steve Do you drive 82's? I'm looking for a similar vid that youve done here, but also starting and stopping the LOCO. I'm getting an 82 built in 5" scale, and I would love to see if I can put some prototypical sound and operation in.. I'm thinking of using the Raildriver Train Simulator as the controls seem almost exact, and then I'll build a bank of pull switches on the right to amtch the cab.

[@aussiealco]

G'day Stumpy, Yes, I did drive 82 class things. I do have some cab video shot but not any loco prep footage. I was not a fan of the 82 class. Yes, they possess the desktop 30CDW controls. Starting was similar to the 81 class, except that instead of the 81 class pendulum there are three buttons. Prelube, Fuel Prime and Start. If you hit the prelube button, you are stuck for around 15 minutes waiting for it to perform. When you get your 5 incher scale dingus, you will hafta make it do the 35 kph transition. HIDEOUS generator transition, not traction motor circuit transition. Steve.

[@stumpypetros2685]

Thanks Steve Yeah I've got a Drivers manual from ARHS and I found some diagram / descriptions. Theres 3 generators, Main, Field and a 3x speed Alternator. So by generator transition, you mean that the fields were switched? As far as I remember back 2 years, I had the prototypical design where I was going to use high power relays to switch all Motors to series (Series), to 3 pairs in series (Hybrid) to all parallel (Parallel). The problem is the relays would fail and there would be a big fireball according to the guy thats going to build the model. The 82 is a difficult model to build as its external walkways so very thin in the middle. I am supposedly going to get 4 batteries in the LOCO with 4 motors. I am getting a very different drivers van. Instead of a small milk van, I've asked for a scale NHFF so it will also have 4 larger batteries in it. Problem is I will have 3.8 meter overhang off any station I drive at :)

[@aussiealco]

G'day Stumpy, The 82 class (can't refer to them as I normally did here in a public forum), was a kind of backflip. Diesels possessing Main Generators normally required traction motor circuit transition. The older style generator had to be small enough to squeeze into the locomotive body. This did limit the maximum output. Going to a Main Alternator to provide traction current meant that a lighter and smaller by comparison unit could be utilized. Retaining DC traction motors required rectifying the output to DC, but could avoid traction motor circuit transition. The 80 class were permanently wired in Series Parallel motor combination. The 81 class in Parallel motor combination. Field shuts continue to be necessary to permit traction motor armature rotation increase when achieving Full Field current. Weaken the fields to permit faster rotation. I won't mention AC traction motors as I did not work on any motive power with AC traction motors. Except that a basic difference being that DC traction motors have short time ratings, whereas AC do not. So, an AC traction motor can remain at slow speed with high amps without the possibility of cooking the motor. The 82 class has a DC Main Generator that has two halves. To provide grunt at slow speed, both halves are connected in Parallel. But, once train speed has increased to that determined, the Generator halves are altered to Series connection. More amps output necessary at slow ground speed, whereas more voltage output at high ground speed. I kinda remembered that this was at around 35 kph. But, checking me drivers manual, it stipulates a speed inbetween 40 and 45 kph. The CLP things (yeh, I cannot refer to them as I did either), definitely did the Generator transition at 35 kph. I remember that from when working the Silver Streak with them. A similar situation, bang, crunch, whallop, cop that back in the dining car. You had to either attempt to remain below 35 kph, or above when ever possible to prevent the fierce snatch. Just as well that I don't wear dentures, or they would have flown out of me mouth when the transition occurred. As with traction motor transition, there is a complete removal of power during transition, then return of power. Traction motor circuit field shunts are less severe. Locos that have traction motor transition were required to be marshalled in the lead of units that did not. This was especially the situation if that transitioning loco had medium draft gear. So, you would find a 44 class leading an 80 class etc due to that reason. The crew would probably have preferred to be in the cab of the 80 class. Traction motor transition was also at different ground speeds depending upon loco class and balancing speed. So with a mixture of old locos, you would cop the transitions at different road speeds. Wheel diameter, ring gear gearing, main generator type, all affecting the balancing speed. The 82 class has a companion alternator to provide current for the main generator field excitation and cooling fans. As to your station "overhang" just adopt Car Markers. Like those used at short station platforms for the Rocket (XPT). A buddy has a 7.25 incher garden ride on dingus. He had the vintage soot belcher 4-4-0 converted to battery operation. No boiler inspections necessary. He also had an 0-6-0 DM (pseudo cane loco) built which also runs on batteries. It was acquired from a mob who build to 7.5 inch gauge. So, he had to have his curved track eased slightly to accommodate the DM dingus. I ain't squizzed it in operation as yet. He has been building track for some time, but it is now ready for the golden spike ceremony. If you could scrounge 24 volt motors for yer 82 class, you could do it similar to the real McCoy. Have a pair of 12 volt batteries and start off in parallel output, switching to series and 24 volt at speed. I don't know if this would work, you would need to consult a battery guru. The 40 class MLW imports had manual traction motor combo transition selected by the driver at the determined speed. But, if he forgot, then the train would not get any faster, or stall. I do remember that when belting around Yankeeland on the wrong side of the car and road, I had a strange experience. I had taken me 12 volt cigy lighter convection coil for boiling water in a cup. The first time that I used it, I was amazed just how rapidly it boiled the water for me cuppa java. The second time, I smelt burning and the cable started to melt. I though nothing about it until at a servo some time later and thought to buy a replacement. They only had 24 volt dingi hanging on the wall. QUE Mr Fawlty ? Didn't know did I that most Yankee cars have a 24 volt system to provide higher cranking amps during winter. Steve.

[@stumpypetros2685]

@@aussiealco thank you for this I'll look out for the transition next time I hear a quad 82 coalie run past. They slow for Hurstville and the wagons get this massive compression rattle. I thought it may be the driver putting the air brakes on as the regeneration gets less effective at low speed, but may just be that generator transition.

[@stumpypetros2685]

@@aussiealco talking speed jerks, I heard from a u.s. Driver that used to drive the huge trains over the mountains. They got slammed as well, but by the coupling slack. As the train got over a hill they could hear it coming. Even with the massive locos, they sometimes got shaken to the floor. The locos would jump up speed by 15miles an hour.

[@alxblyth]

I’m a private pilot and our pre take off checklist is way shorter and less complicated than yours.

[@aussiealco]

G'day Albi, With anything in the transport industry, there are set routines for preparation. The air brake is the major facet of locomotive preparation. Including the associated safety systems. Neglect any facet and a potential incident could occur if something is not correct. I would be certain that the combined check lists performed for take off, in flight and landing would be much more complicated than that for a locomotive. Steve.

[@vsvnrg3263]

entertaining, yet baffling to a car driver. it does not seem to be a very ergonomically designed cab. you have to reach for everything instead of it being within easy reach. i note the name of your channel and have observed that drivers generally consider the alcos ride smoother and i have also seen it written that they require more maintenance time than the emd's. why are they your preference?

[@aussiealco]

G'day, this is the cab of an EMD. Noisy damned things, as I refer to them, ear ache territory. You can easily reach any of the necessary controls. I prefer Aussie Alcos as they were most harmonic to the eardrums. Basically, the difference between a four stroke motor bike and noisy two stroke. Not many two stroke lawn mowers exist today, only four stroke. Four stroke is generally much more harmonic and also fuel economic. Steve.

[@vsvnrg3263]

aussiealco , thanks for the reply. you seemed to have to lean forward to reach things, that's what i meant. the english electric seem to have the sweetest sound to me the car driver. i've seen it written that the reason the alcos puff out smoke when you open them up and the reason emd's don't is because the emd's have some sort of assistance to get the turbo up to speed on the lower notches. might it be possible to improve fuel emissions on the 48 class(obviously a highly practical machine) on throttling up if it had something like on emd's retrofitted? i don't know what ge's have under the bonnet to stop it. oh, and about the noise of emd's, i was given the opportunity to get in the cab of a gm or cl class while it refuelled at cook, 30 years ago. i was surprised just how bloody noisy the cab was. what an unpleasant environment. then i was allowed to look in the engine room. jesus bloody christ, now that was bloody noisy, so i understand where you're coming from. surely the 81's, g's and bl's were quieter after decades of development?

[@stumpypetros2685]

I recall that the 82's have cab suspension which is why theres that weird crack just below the shunter's horizontal handrail, going just about at the top of the PN logo to the back. I guess the suspension was meant to reduce the noise. I wonder if this is why there is vibration at notch 8 the cab springs are in harmony?

[@stumpypetros2685]

Hi Steve Got an 81 doing What? kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4LWhWyap7Jmldk It seems to have Sea Container built liquid containers. Perhaps gas? But since the 81's do the Manildra run I'm thinking Canola Oil maybe? Freight is very LOCO/Job specific. 81's (Wheat and this) 82's (Coal) NR's (Metals) 81's do a box container run every now and again maybe I've seen it once per 3 months, but I'm not looking out for them and don't know if theres a specific running time for them or if it's a DoD run - Deliver on Demand.

[@aussiealco]

G'day Stumpy Steve, I managed to find yer you tuber clip, though not the link that you have here. I am guessing that the containers would be the cement tanks now in use between Clyde and Port Kembla. I have not seen the particular train, but have heard a little bit about it. I cannot find the forum comment here at the local library on the www. The container code was something like ISO but I cannot confirm that here. Steve.

[@stumpypetros2685]

Hmm that's what youtube said the URL was, so what did it actually show up as? (1st time poster of this so I hadn't added comments.) BTW did the vid come out portrait or landscape? I hope land as I had Hell's own trouble usung VLC to save in landscape. Eventually I ran it in VLC in 90 degree mode, and saved it on a screen recorder. Interesting re: wagons. I've got a mate at Parramatta and there seems to be something diffrerent going on there... some blue wagons with I think crushed stone - perhaps towards Penrith for crushing, then back the other way as cement. Also, since NSW is trying to centre population at stations, it woould make some sense to have these somehow available astraight to the worksite as it were if they could.

[@stumpypetros2685]

BTW I've come across these before at the station, but not the UM (O) blue flashing light W A R N I N G 30 UM The speed number is yellow, so is Normal (Passenger / Freight). ANSG_604_I5 says: "WARNING 2500m before the affected portion of track. Temporary speed restriction ahead. The bottom of the sign shows the limit that applies in the affected portion of track (Intermediate) WARNING Before the affected portion of track. Temporary speed restriction ahead. The bottom of the sign shows the limit that applies in the affected portion of track, and the reduced distance to the CAUTION sign. " How would I know if it is Int or Full? The bad thing is one of them is located at the starting end of the platform which is on a curve, so it could not be a speed warning, as it's hidden from a driver skipping the station by the curved platform. So I would guess its Full, giving the driver an indication as they sweep past that theyve got to slow. I thought the UM (white) seems to say Up Main ?!?.. One track is the Down Main, but the other is the Down Local so Im getting confused. Is it for passengers ie UnModified speed or something? I have downloaded spc-213.pdf but that's specs, not usage.

[@aussiealco]

G'day Stumpy, I am at home today. No point trudging to the local library on tuesdays as the old farts doing genealogy research hog the computers. I am not able to view video at home on my el cheapo www. I forget just what You Tube said now when I attempted to find your clip. I had put in your link, but nothing came up. It then suggested a slight change to the link, which then worked. As to the video shape, again I don't remember, but I think that it was wide screen. When I began uploading video, only very low resolution was possible. Only brief low res clips would squeeze through the www at the library during the time limits. As the www improved, higher res video could then be uploaded an I utilized short MPEG2 clips. But, today with much faster www, HD can be uploaded. However, again, HD would take too long at the library, so I now only utilize medium res MPEG4. You Tube alters the video upload to conform to their standards. I don't have the www time to muck around in the You Tube video editing section. I don't possess a mobile phone capable of shooting video or photos. So, I have no idea just how to alter the video footage shape as shot with one. Though, I would imagine that holding the phone horizontal should produce video of wide screen shape. But, as to the video shape orientation when transferred from the phone, I have no idea. I have only shot video with dedicated video cameras. I only know that there is a BIG hole in the ground at Parramatta where once there used to be shops. I don't get to see many current freight operations in the Sydney region. And, VERY little occurs up here where I live. The Kandos cement train was once a major freight source in the greater Lithgow region. I had worked that into and from Clyde yard numerous times. I enjoyed the days when three or four 80 class were the motive power to Kandos and electrics working east. But, those days are now long gone. I remember working home from Mudgee and needing to stop at Kandos works to help rescue a run-away pot. An old derelict turntable exists at Kandos works. Kandos yard is downhill towards the branch line and the points set towards the turntable to protect the branch. But, one of the loaded cement pots had managed to escape and rolled down through the gate and across the table. We had to detach from out train, leaving it on the branch line and then shunt light engine into the yard. Then approach the turntable so that a long steel cable could be attached to our loco and the pot. After the bogie of the cement pot which was buried in the mud had been lifted and placed on temporary rails, we dragged it. We could not proceed onto the turntable with the loco as the old table could have collapsed due to the weight. After much effort, we managed to drag the pot back across the table and onto regular rails. It was then shunted back up into the works yard after the bogie had been checked and approved for travel. We then hooked back onto the train and continued home to Lithgow. I also remember another time when we had to help a gang of fettlers drag their bogged truck back up an embankment. We used a long chain attached to the truck and our loco and slowly dragged the truck back up out of the deep ditch. Ah the good ole days. Steve.

[@aussiealco]

I have just found your TSR question in the spam section. Not sure why, but have moved it to normal spot. Where there are more than one TSR zones overlapping, intermediate boards are utilized. Differing speed restrictions can be imposed. There can also be a time period for a TSR. Usually during the hot part of the day. And intermediate boards can be utilized where sighting is restricted due to curves and infrastructure. The actual speed is implemented at 50 metres inside the CAUTION board. And ends at the CLEARANCE board. A blue flashing light affixed to the warning board at night time to attract the attention of the driver. A yellow flashing light affixed to the caution board. And a white light affixed to the clearance board. Where the boards cannot be located on the left side of the running track, the board must stipulate the track that the speed is applied to. UM DM UL DL etc. Parallel running exists on the speewdway west of Westmead. The UP lines adjacent and then Down lines adjacent. The Mains are the outer tracks. So, if due to infrastructure, a TSR applied to the DM, boards cannot be positioned on the left side, then the boards could infer the TSR for the DS. So, DM would be applied to the boards. Steve.

[@CosgroveNotts]

This all looks very prehistoric

[@aussiealco]

G'day Cosgrove, the 81 class JT26C-2ss might look prehistoric, but they remain the backbone of PN Rural and Bulk services. The 81 class built from 1982. I am not a fan of EMD, but spent many hours bouncing around in the cabs of 81 class. Steve.

[@Muggar62]

It would have been easier to understand Japanese :) Absolutely 4 minutes of no idea what he was talking about :)

[@aussiealco]

G'day Bops, Like any industry the railway uses a lot of jargon. And, loco preparation requires a specific technique to be followed. As with preparing an airplane for take off, the procedure ensures that everything is working as is necessary. Steve.