Poling a car - unusual shunting

[MaxB]

A video just popped up for me on YouTube titled "Poling a car". American of course, it shows an old engine pushing a "car" on the adjacent track with a loosely fitted pole. I wonder if it ever happened here. Link

 

[Gloster]

Probably done from time in time the early days, when all sorts of hair-raising things happened, but one of those practices that was abandoned early. Even in the days before H&S, there were some things that were just too dangerous, although damage to rolling-stock would be as important as death of staff. That doesn’t mean that on rare occasions in more modern times it wouldn’t be done in remote sidings.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

You mean like this?

14. The final shot of the branch is the photographer's favourite (apologies if you've seen it before) and shows the unorthodox way that the loco ran round the 1978 tour train at BSC. There are some well known people in the end wagon!

Photograph and caption taken from a Branch Line Society Album (online, can't currently find to link to)

Photograph shows a locomotive on the Trafford Park network pushing a rake of open wagons (full of rail enthusiasts) using a plank of wood.

Not as dangerous as running alongside moving wagons in a hump-yard and shoving a pole in and leaning on it to activate the brakes, as featured on one of the British Transport Films volumes.

 

[RT4038]

American steam locomotives, early diesels, and rolling stock of the era were fitted with AAR (Association of American Railroads) standard 'poling pockets' for the pole to sit in. Can be seen on the loco in the clip on each side of the (UK parlance) 'bufferbeam'. (might have been called the 'pilot' in America). https://www.trains.com/trn/train-basics/ask-trains/poling-on-railroads/

In South Africa I think a chain was generally carried for this purpose. (usually used to shunt cars onto sidings from running lines in the 'facing' direction, or vice versa.)

 

[Dunfanaghy Rd]

Nearer to home, Falmouth Docks used a rope. Not the greatest piccy (scanned from a slide), but the cable is visible.
Pat

 

[Ashley Hill]

Nearer to home, Falmouth Docks used a rope. Not the greatest piccy (scanned from a slide), but the cable is visible.
Pat

Fly shunting with ropes,bars or props prohibited except at authorised locations. Excellent photo.

 

[Spartacus]

You mean like this?
View attachment 108195



Photograph and caption taken from a Branch Line Society Album (online, can't currently find to link to)

Photograph shows a locomotive on the Trafford Park network pushing a rake of open wagons (full of rail enthusiasts) using a plank of wood.

Not as dangerous as running alongside moving wagons in a hump-yard and shoving a pole in and leaning on it to activate the brakes, as featured on one of the British Transport Films volumes.

I think you can tell there's a few people there cursing as they won't be counting the loco for haulage!

I wonder what happened to the plank when the loco went over the set points, and it it ever went under the loco and was broken in two?

 

[Taunton]

Probably done from time in time the early days, when all sorts of hair-raising things happened, but one of those practices that was abandoned early. Even in the days before H&S, there were some things that were just too dangerous

Certainly did, there were specific poles provided, generally around goods sheds. It was for propelling a wagon on an adjacent track. Don't just think that because it's not done any more it was necessarily dangerous. Can any incidents be cited?

Pinch bars were an even more strenuous way of achieving the same thing. Ropes were for pulling, not propelling. There was also the use of road vehicles on the ballast alongside, which still happens in some private sidings.

"Proper" fly shunting (this is not the more conventional loose shunting) was given up, because just too many (low speed) yard derailments happened at the points with it.