Loading etiquette

[Benjamin Maggi]

My general rule (though I didn't think of it): if you are going to move someone else's equipment, don't pull/push by anything but the coupler.

[Loco112]

Helpers can sometimes really hurt you (but so can a leaky throttle or a stuck snifter valve);

[aopagary]

Helpers can sometimes really hurt you (but so can a leaky throttle or a stuck snifter valve);

boy i hate seeing that picture.
Peter & #756 on a better day.
(and hopefully running at LALS in a week)
cheers...gary

[kvom]

That photo resembles the train wreck in "Hugo"

[WJH]

I wonder, as a safety precaution, sticking a bar between the spokes of a set of drivers to prevent such a calamity would of resulted in damage to the engine? I wonder just how much force is involved. Can't say I have heard of that happening before.

[Frisco1522]

Speaking of pulling at the wrong point, when 1522 turned a rail over in N. St. Louis and both engine and tender were on the ground, Hulcher showed up to rerail her (and not gently!) we were overseeing the operation and at one point they threw a chain around the left valve gear hanger and were going to drag her sideways. I had kind of a come to Jesus moment with them and they listened. That would have been a disaster. As it was we ended up with crown brass cracked, drawbars twisted and trailing truck roller bearing housings cracked. All the time they were working on it, it was a boiler at pressure, which is nerve wracking also.
Little engines are sure better to deal with.

[cbrew]

Helpers can sometimes really hurt you (but so can a leaky throttle or a stuck snifter valve);

or when post throttle superheaters and a slug of water come in contact at the wrong moment

[mattmason]

I had the worst time with this topic at the recent Train Mountain event. When loading out Friday afternoon, I had one of the "helpers" dictate to me what I was going to do. I told him politely that I do not need any help and thanked him for the offer. He told me I had no choice then told me again how I was going to load my train. When I told him that that was unsafe and repeated how I needed to back in in order to safely load, he got upset and finally told me that I couldn't use the lift as he was in charge and "that's my lift and you cannot use it." I appealed to the other loading "helper" and was told that the other gentleman was a "nice guy" and anything I had to say was irrelevant. He would not even listen to why I was not doing what HE said to load MY loco in MY truck. (I did manage to un-load just fine with no one to help at this event.) The loader then started to load other trains who were there after me by 20 minutes.

It ended as I was leaving to find someone else with the event staff that could help me load my train SAFELY. The second "helper" said to me he would help me next and work with me. This person and I worked just fine and even though I was REQUIRED to use his help, he listened to what needed to be done and everything was loaded smoothly at that point.

Forcing people to use helpers is appalling to me. Offering help and helping people que up for efficiently is absolutely fine to move the volume of trains, but that's where it should stop. Lesson to other tracks, please NEVER dictate how someone loads their trains in their vehicles. You can question to help safety, but never dictate.

As you can see, it put quite a cool damper on an otherwise wonderful time.

[tburzio]

One unique and useful thing we have at our steaming bays in Chula Vista are dummy couplers at the end of each steaming track. Before you fire up, you hook your tender or front pilot coupler to the dummy coupler and your equipment can't get away. Dummy couplers are cheap. Firing up with the throttle open and watching your engine roll off the end of the track...

Sure, I've seen bars and chains that might (or might not) stop that steamer at full throttle. A bar would make a lovely mess of the works, even if it's because you forgot to remove it. There's nothing so comforting as a good old-fashioned solid metal coupler!

[ccvstmr]

...not all couplers are compatible with one another. If someone has a coupler that does not mate with the dummy, then what does the engineer/loco do in that situation? How did you decide which dummy coupler would become the "standard"? Carl B.

[tburzio]

...not all couplers are compatible with one another.

Have you actually EVER found a coupler that doesn't work with another? I certainly haven't, and I've coupled with lots of club cars all over the place. If you do find a coupler that doesn't work then have them fix it!

I've heard the same thing about air hoses, where people get whatever off the shelf instead of a proper standard air coupling. Honestly, if you can't buy the hose marked "air", then tough!

[mattmason]

I have found many couplers that don't mate with each other, including ones in my own fleet. Some along the way I have been been able to fix and modify them so each of my couplers work with my train and the majority of others, but then won't mate with other brands. In fact, I found ones at Train Mountain last week that wouldn't fit together.