Re: C&TSRR Triple Header Question

The usual operating proceedure was to have two locomotives on the front and one on the back on three-engine trains. The couplers can stand only so much pull so the railroads have to place engines in the train to balance the forces.
A general rule of thumb is that it takes (IIRC) two pounds of tractice force to get a ton of freight moving. When the grade is increased the tractive effort needs is increased by 20 pounds per ton per percent of grade. A 500-ton train would need 42,500 pounds of tractive force on a 4 percent grade. Curves also are taken into account.
The couplers are rated for the amound of tractive force they can take before they break. If the tractive force exceeds this, engines have to go elsewhere on the train. Special instructions in the employee timetable direct when midtrain or rear-end helpers are placed.
To make a long story short there was no operational need for triple headers.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/18/2011 11:57PM by CharlieMcCandless.