Which nation was the first to use hump freight yard... which uses gravity to assist switching operations?
British or Americans??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQwH9caXfuE
Most of the time when I saw Railroad documentary on Youtube. I saw that American rairloads uses this type of freight yard. a VERY advanced yard compared to the british versions shown here. (and operating American hump yard was easier and safer than the Brits. partly due to the two things
- existence of tower-controlled retarders and yard switches.
- AAR Janney coupler VS European chain and buffer... Janney coupler has decoupling lever where pinman can decouple railcars safely without going between cars.... while chain and buffer (or anything that comes before Janney) has no such levers.
Or did the similar things exists in Britain too?
Hump freight yard
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RayofSunshine
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Re: Hump freight yard
From all the movies, and not actually visioned in person, or documentaries, I have never seen any other "coupling" devise, other than the "Chain and Buffer". And from personally viewing the "humping" system in America, I can see that the "C & B" system would be considerably more hazardous.
Now in my later years I have seen and watched the "retarders" mostly in documentaries of the UP, but in my younger days, the system was to have a brakeman ride the car/cars, and manually slow down the momentum with a hand brake.
There was some hazard with the braking of box cars, etc, but around an "ore car" switching yard, there was a platform at the end of the car, so the brakeman had better footing.
Having personally worked at a "railway carman" for 8 years, I know that the system being used by American companies is the safest in the world. Janny couplers, and Westinghouse brake system. Now if the railroads would spend more time with the ballasting and care of their track and roadbeds, there would be less accidents.
Now in my later years I have seen and watched the "retarders" mostly in documentaries of the UP, but in my younger days, the system was to have a brakeman ride the car/cars, and manually slow down the momentum with a hand brake.
There was some hazard with the braking of box cars, etc, but around an "ore car" switching yard, there was a platform at the end of the car, so the brakeman had better footing.
Having personally worked at a "railway carman" for 8 years, I know that the system being used by American companies is the safest in the world. Janny couplers, and Westinghouse brake system. Now if the railroads would spend more time with the ballasting and care of their track and roadbeds, there would be less accidents.