CZ East Bound (24) 6 hours late due to fire

[eblkheart]

From my Local train list (Edited):

The train is running 6 hours late due to a fire on the brakes of one of the coaches. The Train was about an hour east of Elko running on time when the fire was discovered when one of the two coaches filled with smoke. The train stopped on the main and the crew put out the fire. The passengers in the coach were moved to the remaining coach. After about an hour the conductor(assuming after discussions with management) decided to back the train three miles to a siding and cut out the coach. This decision was made because if the bad ordered coach coach were to remain on the train it would have been restricted to a max speed of 40 MPH due the fact that there were not enough working brakes to allow faster speeds under the rules.


The rules also required that the last car in the train had to have all brakes functioning. This set up and elaborate switching operation at this remote siding in the middle of nowhere because the last sleeper did not have all the brakes functioning.

When the train reached the siding the conductor decided to swap the sleepers first. The train was running in the latest configuration of lounge, coach, coach, dining car, sleeper, sleeper. The last sleeper was backed into the siding and cut off. the second sleeper was then set out on the main. They then went back and got the sleeper on the siding and backed it up on the main to couple on to the other sleeper putting my sons car last on the train. All this time the ventilation and heat was disabled and the car got pretty cold. At this point they uncoupled the two sleepers and the dining car leaving them on the main.

...Since the coach had to be left behind, all the fluids had to be removed from the car to keep it from freezing up in the desert cold. At this point they backed up and coupled up to the diner and sleepers. Once coupled up all the HEP cables and brake lines had to be reconnected and inspected under the rules before the train could proceed. After all was in order and the train began to proceed it was over six hours late.

The train is expected to be in Denver around 11ish with only 1 coach. OUCH. Those in Glenwood Springs are being bused to Denver. Just a heads up.

 

[SteveSFL]

I'm on 6(26) and they have announced that we are going to pick up this coach on our way east. They said it shouldn't delay us too much. I talked to the conductor and he said the brakes are supposedly fixed now. I will probably sleep through the whole thing after the big dinner I had! If anything exciting happens I will report back in the morning.

 

[KmH]

Do the Superliner cars have vented disc brakes? And if so, how many discs per car?

 

[X]

Do the Superliner cars have vented disc brakes? And if so, how many discs per car?

Two discs per axle as well as one tread brake per wheel, the discs provide 60% of the braking force and the treads the other 40% (60/40). Originally the Super Is didn't have tread brakes, the Super IIs came with them.

 

[KmH]

So 8 disc brakes and 8 tread brakes per Superliner II car, plus the dynamic braking on the locomotives.

I finally found a couple of photos online purported to be of Superliner trucks and I can see part of a vented disc in one and a tread brake shoe in another.

 

[chakk]

Ah, yes. How I remember the smell of brake shoe smoke on pre-Amtrak trains. Have only rarely smelled it on Superliners. Sounds like a set of brakes locked up and wasn't caught by the crew.