Fitted freight train???

[Catsrule]

What is "fitted freight train" or " unfitted freight train"? Fitted with what???

 

[matt]

Fitted with brakes. All of the brakes of the wagons can be applied by the loco.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

A fitted train is where all the wagons are fitted with a braking system controlled by the driver. A partially fitted train is where the whole train is through-piped (i.e. the breaking system is continuous), but some wagons are not braked. Depending on brake force available, the guard may be required to assist the driver with braking by using his handbrake. An unfitted train is where only the locomotive is braked. There are no through pipes. The guard will assist the driver with braking by applying his handbrake. Partially fitted and unfitted trains are not allowed to run now.

 

[Minilad]

Was going to say brakes but I thought someone might get the wrong end of the stick !!

 

[FLHH East Anglia]

nowadays there nothing but fully-fitted

 

[Legzr1]

Unless you've had to isolate a few

 

[Tomnick]

A partially fitted train is where the whole train is through-piped (i.e. the breaking system is continuous), but some wagons are not braked

The whole train doesn't necessarily have to be through-piped on a partially fitted train, but obviously anything behind an unfitted wagon will obviously be unbraked too.

I'm sure we're not the heritage railway to do so, but we do run partially fitted or unfitted freights fairly regularly at the GCR, which is a delight to watch (and listen to!), especially when shunting at Quorn to drop off, pick up and allow other traffic to pass!

 

[ralphchadkirk]

The whole train doesn't necessarily have to be through-piped on a partially fitted train, but obviously anything behind an unfitted wagon will obviously be unbraked too.

I'm sure we're not the heritage railway to do so, but we do run partially fitted or unfitted freights fairly regularly at the GCR, which is a delight to watch (and listen to!), especially when shunting at Quorn to drop off, pick up and allow other traffic to pass!

No, you're not the only ones! I worked a PF a couple of weeks ago. We don't seem to run unfitted much any more though :cry:

 

[Tomnick]

They've made a bit of a comeback for us lately. Worked a cracking turn at Quorn a few weeks ago, with a through goods (which had to stand at the section signal for a while) followed immediately by a pickup goods (which was standing at the home by the time I got the preceding goods underway) which shunted clear inside to allow a following passenger and the postal to pass. While that was happening, they were busily shunting to drop a couple of wagons on the dock siding. Thoroughly enjoyable stuff!

 

[pappleby]

brings back memories of the 'windcutters' or 'runners' !

 

[ralphchadkirk]

They've made a bit of a comeback for us lately. Worked a cracking turn at Quorn a few weeks ago, with a through goods (which had to stand at the section signal for a while) followed immediately by a pickup goods (which was standing at the home by the time I got the preceding goods underway) which shunted clear inside to allow a following passenger and the postal to pass. While that was happening, they were busily shunting to drop a couple of wagons on the dock siding. Thoroughly enjoyable stuff!

Lucky! Nothing like that round here except at galas, sometimes. Last unfitted I was on was May 2009!

 

[CarterUSM]

Out of interest, what kinds of goods are conveyed?

 

[ralphchadkirk]

Out of interest, what kinds of goods are conveyed?

You must be joking! Last freight I worked was utterly empty, apart from a few full of scrap metal. There were the closed wagons that I didn't know about, so ended up putting a few extra tonnes on the weight. Better overestimate than under.

 

[CarterUSM]

You must be joking! Last freight I worked was utterly empty, apart from a few full of scrap metal. There were the closed wagons that I didn't know about, so ended up putting a few extra tonnes on the weight. Better overestimate than under.

No! I was genuinely asking! I thought it might have been for show or perhaps training.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

No! I was genuinely asking! I thought it might have been for show or perhaps training.

For show (well, it was training for me as well!). Sadly, there's little freight to carry on my railway. Apart from stuff chucked in wagons because there's nowhere else to put it.

 

[CarterUSM]

Apart from stuff chucked in wagons because there's nowhere else to put it.

As good a reason as any!

 

[Tomnick]

Our freights (engineers' trains aside) rarely have any purpose other than playing their part in a rather good show. As long as folk keep coming to be a part of it though, they are indirectly revenue earning!

 

[LE Greys]

Didn't they have some trains where some of the wagons were braked and some were not? If so, how did that work and why not the lot? Also, didn't wagons have handbrakes, and were they ever used in service?

 

[ralphchadkirk]

Didn't they have some trains where some of the wagons were braked and some were not? If so, how did that work and why not the lot? Also, didn't wagons have handbrakes, and were they ever used in service?

Yes - see my first post - they're partially fitted trains.

 

[9K43]

I have worked 100's of loose coupled trains to pits in the Yorkshire area.
We mainly took HTV's into the pit yards.
This is where the shunt pole works its magic.
As I recall, the HTV when fully loaded was 28 tons including the wagon.
For estimating the all up weight, I always rounded the figure up to 30 tons for ease for adding up.BV's finished on trains in 1990. +/-
In those days, drivers slips, tops sheets , mobile phones were not available in a filthy unlit pit yard at 03:00 on a cold and frosty morning.
Loose coupled trains were phased out after the miners strike in 1985.
As well as the loose coupled trains all the pits were closed so it did not make much difference.
Rapid loading bunkers were in use where you could load 38 HAA's in 30 mins, and be on your way.
Such pits with rapid loading bunkers in my area were, Wooley, South Kirby, Kinsley, Brodsworth, Grimethorpe, Selby Coal Field at Gas Wood,Manvers Main,Houghton Main,Hickelton,Askern and a few more that escape my mind.
Non of these bunkers are here as they have suffered the the same fate as the HTV's and to some extent the HAA's sold for scrap.

 

[sprinterguy]

Didn't they have some trains where some of the wagons were braked and some were not? If so, how did that work and why not the lot? Also, didn't wagons have handbrakes, and were they ever used in service?

The hump marshalling yards used to employ stickmen to bring rolling wagons to a halt in the sidings using the handbrakes after they'd run through the retardation clamps coming over the hump. I believe stickmen were also employed in a similar role to brake wagons coming over the "kip" on rope worked inclines.

Also, wasn't it the case with partially-fitted freights that, wherever possible, all the through-piped wagons would be grouped together at the head of the train behind the locomotive, with the unfitted, unbraked wagons at the rear to ensure that maximum brake force was available to control the train?

 

[CarterUSM]

Are stick men the guys who invariably had missing fingers?

 

[Hydro]

Wagons still have handbrakes, commonly in the form of a wheel on the side of the wagon on modern wagons.

 

[sprinterguy]

Are stick men the guys who invariably had missing fingers?

Yep, that would seem to be one of the likely perils of the job.

 

[LE Greys]

I wish I knew more about this, my great granddad was a stickman, somewhere near Hull, until he lost his head in some sort of accident. I think I'm beginning to understand how.

 

[sprinterguy]

I wish I knew more about this, my great granddad was a stickman, somewhere near Hull, until he lost his head in some sort of accident. I think I'm beginning to understand how.

Sounds grisly I can well imagine that a guy could very easily come a cropper in a job like that, I've seen some old 1950s/60s BR promotional footage of the stickmen when the hump yards were brand new. A great-grandad of mine was lost to the railway in a similar way while working as a signalman for the North Eastern.

 

[Jeff Worsnop]

Didn't they have some trains where some of the wagons were braked and some were not? If so, how did that work and why not the lot? Also, didn't wagons have handbrakes, and were they ever used in service?

Brakes on unfitted (with vacuum brakes) were manually pinned down at the top of steep inclines before descending when the brake force of engine plus brake van would not be able to control the train. There are numerous accident reports of trains running away down hills when brakes were not properly pinned down.

 

[LE Greys]

Brakes on unfitted (with vacuum brakes) were manually pinned down at the top of steep inclines before descending when the brake force of engine plus brake van would not be able to control the train. There are numerous accident reports of trains running away down hills when brakes were not properly pinned down.

So someone has to go along the entire train pinning the brakes down. I'll bet that took ages.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

The hump marshalling yards used to employ stickmen to bring rolling wagons to a halt in the sidings using the handbrakes after they'd run through the retardation clamps coming over the hump. I believe stickmen were also employed in a similar role to brake wagons coming over the "kip" on rope worked inclines.

For a year in the early 70's I lived close to a large hump yard which was worked hard throughout the night.

What impressed me the most was the occassional 'loose humping', where the unbraked train was uncoupled at the appropriate point and then the shunter
would run the traintoward the hump and break hard at just the right moment. When done correctly, that always separated the waggons at exactly the right moment over the hump. The loose waggons rolled on as required, the shunter pulled the rest back, ready for the next de-coupling and another run at the hump.

Just imagine what a mess they'd be in if anyone had insisted on fully fitted brakes throughout!
Can't see how freight can ever make a comeback now, unless its all in containers or hoppers all going to the same place.