The original crew came out of Calgary destined for Field BC.
Delays can happen, delays in Calgary waiting for change off,, or if out of the yard ,, delays making up the
train or a defective car has to be switched out, or bad meets along the way,, stopped by hot box detector, max tonnage
and not making time,,steep grades,,and many more can occur.
James Carmichael of the TSB said the original crew was on hours here...
youtu.be
Meaning that the original crew could not make their normal
change of point of Field BC.( their 12 hours in before Field)
The relieving crew has to be ordered,, usually a two hour
call so they show up for work at designated time and then they
are taxied out to the point determined by rail management,
the Rail Traffic Controller ( RTC) and the crew “on hours.”
(...maybe 2 or three hours altogether for the relieving crew to get to “arranged “change off point.)
I do not know why the original crew put the train in emergency
and left it there ( maybe he was going to overshoot the
roadway arranged change off point I do not know)
Having the train at the top of 2 percent grade in emergency
application of the train brakes is extremely dangerous.
If the engineer was to start to pump off the train brakes,
the train would be sailing down the steep grade before
the train brake pipe pressure is fully charged resulting in
the next brake application is the only one you have and
unfortunately not very effective compared to a fully charged
train line.
The safest way to handle this treacherous event is to tie on
hand brakes while the train is sitting in emergency. I am
guessing ,,but maybe 40 might hold the train on that grade.
A test is required so the brakes are released and if the train
stays put,great! If it starts to creep away another emergency
application might be required and another ten hand brakes
applied.
The train is now held by the hand brakes and is now ready
for the train brake line to be fully charged .
Once the brake line is fully charged a full service brake
application is required and then all 40 or 50 hand brakes
are released.
Now the situation is,, train at top of 2 percent grade with a full
service brake application to hold it there while the hand brakes are released and Conductor is back on the engine .
Release the brakes and away you go,, hopefully working
full dynamic brake if you have them and charging train line the faster the better,,for the next application of the train brakes and possibly hold them on until almost fully around the 20 MPH slow curve at the bottom of the hill.
Changing crews or even stopping trains by choice on extreme
grades is courting another deadly occurrence and should be
avoided at all cost.
We will see eventually, what the TSB,, TC,, and Monsignor Garneau recommends,, if anything. |
