How long does it take to couple and uncouple trains?

J

JonMyrlennBailey

Well-known member
This video show freight cars being coupled in no more than 50 seconds flat. Human boots have to be on the ground for this operation. Not quite as snappy as Trainz/model trains coupling. I used to ride SP/Caltrain commute trains in the 1980's from San Francisco to San Jose and back in California. At each end of the line, engines would get run around the train. Men would have hammers and toolboxes doing the coupling operations. I have been on front coaches when the engine backed up to hook up. A mild thud was felt and heard. I don't think it took more than 5 minutes for the the train to be underway after the aforementioned thud to couple. Are there more things for human hands to connect on a passenger train than on a freight? It looks rather dangerous to stand between cars to hook things up. I ask so I know how much WAIT FOR time to give on Trainz time tables (before or after coupling commands) to simulate the real time for coupling operations as if RR men were actually doing the work. Do engines take longer than cars to couple?


freight car coupling uncoupling - Yahoo Video Search Results
 
To uncouple you have two air vales that must be set to off, disconnect the air hoses, pull the pin.
To couple pull both pins, back train, connect air hoses, open two air vales.
Some passenger cars also have steam heating to connect/disconnect.
 
To be realistic, in game I allow 4mins for this procedure to be completed, this is related to my UK pre WW1 era route and sessions.
 
The procedure can be even faster than you describe. I remember when Amtrak ran diesels on the Boston portion of the Northeast Corridor and electric on to New York City. The trains would pull in, and while the passengers were boarding the train, the engines were swapped out. The process probably took less than three minutes at the most.
 
I find it's far quicker to couple and uncouple vacuum braked stock with screwlink couplings than it is air braked with buckeyes. A minute or two for the former as opposed to sitting fighting with air hoses, which can be quite stiff at times, on the latter.
 
JCitron said:
The procedure can be even faster than you describe. I remember when Amtrak ran diesels on the Boston portion of the Northeast Corridor and electric on to New York City. The trains would pull in, and while the passengers were boarding the train, the engines were swapped out. The process probably took less than three minutes at the most.
Click to expand...

Not the same but similar concept.. handling the Amtrak Autotrain - getting customers automobiles and motorcycles off in a timely fashion... Danny Harmon video.

Bonus trivia question answered: What locomotive is possibly the cleanest one found in the USA?

 
Last edited:
This is going to be a long answer.
In my experience (7 years but on only 1 railroad), the actual act of coupling and uncoupling is very quick. You close the air valves, undo the hoses (we have both automatic and straight air brakes), pull the pin, and have the locomotive move away. Often takes less than a minute, but part of that depends on how easy it is to get yourself into the space where you have to work.
Coupling takes a little longer as you have to move in, line up the couplers, make sure one is open, then actually make the coupling, have the train stretch the slack out to make sure the coupling is good, then reconnect air hoses and open related air valves. With a good crew, this can take as little as 90 seconds. I've also seen it take several minutes. Per policy, once the air brakes have been connected and the train is clear of any road crossings or things like that, we do a test of the air brakes, which takes several more minutes. We do an application, check to make sure all cars have applied. Then a release, followed by another check. Finally we do our 5 minute test, where we do another application and check, then shut off the air supply from the locomotive to the train. The brakes on the train must remain applied for 5 minutes.
As far as the video goes, there was a little bit of preparation work before hand. The couplers were already opened and ready, as was the air valve on the tank car. All they had to do was hook up, connect the air line, and open the one valve. I have seen and done it this fast when doing yard work so brake checks weren't necessary yet
 
In the US the couple/uncouple operation is fairly quick, very fast if you are switching "Off Air" (i.e. no air brakes on the cars, usually at a class yard). A on average minute is about right, the big time killer is securement, or in other words, applying/removing the hand brakes. Most cars are set up so that the angle-cock (trainline air valve) is on the opposite side as the cut lever (locomotives being the biggest exception), the make it so one doesn't have to crossover equipment and can close the angle-cock (on what you are taking with) and "pull the pin" from the same side. Looking at the end of the car the cut lever is on the left and the angle-cock is on the right, this makes it so an engineer looking back can see his conductor (a throwback to the old days when you signaled by hand).

If things were left correctly when the cart was dropped/set out, then it is a smooth efficient process, and most trainmen have habits that make this work efficiently. Remember only one knuckle has to be open, but two gives you a better chance. When you drop a car, normally the angle-cock on the dropped car is left open and the knuckle on the standing equipment is opened and the other knuckle is normally opened at the next convenient time (usually when you clear the switch). A little prior planning (and action) goes a long ways when switching.

If things aren't aligned, such as in tight curves at an industry, then it can really eat time up, several tries over 5-10 minutes is not unheard of, the time usually due to rule requirements of getting between the equipment and maybe a quick water/smoke break for the trainman to realign their head, as being frustrated can easily lead to mistakes (or other bad things).

"Off-Air" switching (with the cars having no air brakes operating) is now normally reserved for certain areas usually classification yards. In a hump or bowl yard the cars are cut of in motion and either humped over a hill, or kicked on the "level" track into a yard that has the profile of a (shallow) bowl. In the case of the hump yard there are usually retarders to slow the car to the correct speed, while it is up to the skill of the crew to in a flat bowl yard to get the speed right when "kicking" cars. Either way, the cars roll into the tracks with only one knuckle open and still manage to mostly be all hooked up when the track is pulled. No air and no brakes means it takes seconds to couple and uncouple.
 
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