Kickback Trestle

[mp202]

At the Havana, IL Rail - Barge Transfer Facility, they have a unique way of unloading cars. They use something called a KICKBACK GRAVITY TRESTLE. It's a tail track that projects upward at a very steep grade, which makes the cars change direction. During this time, the brakeman has thrown the tail track switch to direct the car into the yard for reassembly.

 

[frogpipe]

That's different...

 

[BD1]

placemarker

 

[mp202]

Interesting videos BD1!

 

[JohnnyC1]

If I remember correctly there are at least 2 on the DLS. At the moment I can't remember their names or kuids.

John

 

[JIb228]

Heres one in O scale, dumper and all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDOmYdq1ssA

 

[bendorsey]

I made 3 for the DLS:

Kickback Dumper 1 kuid2:210518:8389:1
Kickback Dumper 2 kuid2:210518:8401:1
Kickback Dumper 3 kuid2:210518:7598:1

All three are interactive for coal and must have humpyard retarders installed to slow the cars down after they come off the kick back.

All have spring loaded switches so no throwing a switch is required to divert the empties to the yard tracks below (most real ones worked this way).

Number three has an interactive rotary car dump as part of it and requires you to read the README file in the folder for proper operation.

Ben

 

[Isegrinns]

Did not know that some are still in use.
Nice! Enjoy those living fossils until they are gone.

 

[sawyer811]

I made 3 for the DLS:

Kickback Dumper 1 kuid2:210518:8389:1
Kickback Dumper 2 kuid2:210518:8401:1
Kickback Dumper 3 kuid2:210518:7598:1

All three are interactive for coal and must have humpyard retarders installed to slow the cars down after they come off the kick back.

All have spring loaded switches so no throwing a switch is required to divert the empties to the yard tracks below (most real ones worked this way).

Number three has an interactive rotary car dump as part of it and requires you to read the README file in the folder for proper operation.

Ben

So THAT'S why I about clobbered an Amtraker with an empty coal hopper? :hehe:

I love this assets; I once built a little module with the express purpose of fitting one or two of these in. Trouble is, I forgot to add retarders to them (more like didn't know I needed them) and didn't put a long enough siding down so that my 0-6-0 could lasso the cars before they rolled away. Another bad idea: putting the siding "throat" on the same track as the station lead. I think the guy driving that AI Amtrak local might have had to pull into a siding to change his pants after the first time I tried to use it...

 

[bendorsey]

Yeah - - - they come off the kick-back return lickety-split. The AJS Humpyard Kit retarders come in two flavors. One slows cars to 2 or 3 MPH (or therebouts) the other will stop them completely. Great gadgets (as is the entire humpyard kit).

Its surprising to me how steep the kickbacks were. I've seen others as steep as this photo if not steeper. Kinda makes ya wonder how they slowed them down in the real world as ya really don't want empties banging into each other at 20 or more MPH. Hard on the running gear, a potential derailment waiting to happen, and down right dangerous.

Ben

 

[Isegrinns]

According to "Trackplanning for realistic operation" by Armstrong, the empty yard was shaped like a bowl, so the cars would roll down from the kickback into the MT yard and then after a while there would be a grade going up, so they wouldnt roll into the dirt on the other end. There probably were some kinda brake shoes on track or some other things to keep them under control, but I havent read about that so far.
By the way, most of the time there was a spring switch and not a switchman at the kickback.


Ingame, I park a switcher at the MT tracks end. Works good enough for me.
It just sucks that those kickbacks dont work with 12.
As far as I know, humping cars and kicking them doesnt work to prevent people from trolling.
Tells a sad story to me, but well, there is always 10 to have fun with.

 

[bendorsey]

They don't work in 2012? Hummm. Let me look into that. I didn't have 2010 when I made them. Let me see what happens when I place one into 2010 (which will convert it to 2009 content). I'll get back to ya.

Ben

 

[cascaderailroad]

I park a switcher at the MT tracks end. Works good enough for me.
QUOTE]

I put in a BNSF50 Invisatrack runaway ramp of +0.10% , so that escaping railcars roll backwards slowly, see-sawing back down into the classifcation yard bowl.

 

[bendorsey]

I just uploaded versions of all three that do not generate any errors in TS2010 as 2009 content. Didn't test them tho so let me know if they work please.

Look for:
kuid2:210518:10913:1
kuid2:210518:10914:1
kuid2:210518:10915:1

Ben

 

[NSSD70MAC]

wow bridge up how rollercoaster make bridge new

 

[frogpipe]

 

[Konni]

Hi,

I have never heard of this kind of operation before. It seems unknown in germany. What I do not understand is, how are the empty hoppers accelerated again to leave the dumper and to move on to the kickback ramp?


Cheers,


Konni

 

[cascaderailroad]

Notice the pig (a pushing device) that rises up out of a pit in the track.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEAUFP3bPjU
There is probably some sort of pushing devce atop the unloader, to get the cars rolling out again.
A NG shunt loco (on an adjacent track) pushes cars around, by lowering a retractable arm in the car ends (and usually bending grab irons, and causing shunt damage).

 

[bendorsey]

Mine are pushed up the ramp by a loco, uncoupled at the top, then the loco reverses direction which allows the now empty car to continue to roll down a ramp, thru the straight route of a spring switch, up the kick back to reverse direction, then roll back down taking the curved branch of the spring switch, and down to the empty car yard.

Few are actually done this way as has been stated above but my scripting guru and I have tried for months to get a ng loco on one track to push a std ga car on a different track with absolutely zero, zilch, and no success. We have come to the conclusion it can't be done.

The slug idea has possibilities as does MU'ing two locos - concepts which we are looking into.

Ben

 

[mp202]

That's my problem Ben. When you have a loco pushing it up the ramp, no matter the size of the consist, wheelslip is an ever present danger and is extremely unrealistic to operation when your train goes sliding back down the ramp.