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On a recent Saturday morning, I had dropped my wife off at work and was driving home when the gates came down on the BNSF line running through Oklahoma City to Dalles/Fort Worth.  Turned out it was the Heartland Flyer going by on its morning run to Fort Worth.

As I was waiting I noticed multiple cars on a siding with what appeared to be a air hose running from the air hose coupler on the lead box car to a grey box next to the siding.  My google searches have not turned up anything except the 2012 BNSF manual for employees(addendum) and I will very readily admit I am most likely doing incorrect searches.

Was(is) this air hose used to keep air pressure up on the brake line?  If not a air hose then its purpose?

If so, is this a common practice that I have seen for the 1st time?

Why?  Safety?  Less time to charge line when connecting to engine?

If the above is true, may I assume that even with the brake line charged you would still have to set a number of hand brakes?

Thanks,

Tim

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Exeter posted:

 

... If so, is this a common practice that I have seen for the 1st time?

Fairly common in some places, like departure tracks.

Why?  Safety?  Less time to charge line when connecting to engine?

Yes, less delay for engine and engine crew if yard crew handles it.

If the above is true, may I assume that even with the brake line charged you would still have to set a number of hand brakes?

Hand brakes would have been set, if necessary, before the brake line was charged.

Thanks,

Tim

 

Last edited by Ace

Lots of big yards had "ground air" so the car department could do their brake tests before the power was coupled to the train.. They would apply the trains  brakes.,walk the train making inspections of the brakes and other things, They would then release the brake and walk the train again. It just save time and could they could get  the work done  without the engines coupled onto the train.   Eventually another shorter  test with the engines coupled on.

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