[video=youtube;PdCt2xa_dKI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdCt2xa_dKI[/video]
Grade crossings are situated right on the CSX yard feeds in Fostoria. Often the switch engine is not the first vehicle crossing the roads during shunting operations. Yet, by law, any train crossing a road must sound their horn and/or a bell. How is this accomplished if the engine is back a ways on the consist?
The answer is to use an old fashion caboose at the end of your "cut." The cabeese (plural of caboose) are furnished with high pitch whistles that are able to be sounded by a crew member when the yard cut needs to poke out across a road crossing caboose-first.
9/28 Update: BlakeDooley commented and correctly pointed out that "shoving platform cabeese" are also a common modern usage of the caboose. They are used in to carry brakemen to remote cut yards when the ride is too long too just hang on to the last ladder.
In this particular video, the caboose is not first to cross South Poplar Street, which is situated between the two camera views, but rather a GP-38. This yard movement is actually a transfer between the CSX B&O yard and the CSX C&O yard. Having left the B&O yard to pull forward towards the camera, the consist is seen backing eastward, caboose first, over a B&O mainline crossover, and then taking what is referred to as the "Northwest Transfer track" to turn northward. There are four transfer tracks in the B&O/C&O diamond, one in each quadrant, which allow trains to make a 90 degree turn to a perpendicular track before the diamond. The one taken here is northwest of the diamond. Once positioned on the C&O mainline, this little consist is aligned with entering the C&O yard to the south of the diamond. This map may be useful in understanding this video:
I hope to present a caboose-first grade crossing video in the future.
CSX, and even BNSF, take full advantage of these transfer tracks for mainline operations as well. About 30 to 40% of the trains on the B&O or C&O lines through Fostoria make a turn on these transfer tracks.
Grade crossings are situated right on the CSX yard feeds in Fostoria. Often the switch engine is not the first vehicle crossing the roads during shunting operations. Yet, by law, any train crossing a road must sound their horn and/or a bell. How is this accomplished if the engine is back a ways on the consist?
The answer is to use an old fashion caboose at the end of your "cut." The cabeese (plural of caboose) are furnished with high pitch whistles that are able to be sounded by a crew member when the yard cut needs to poke out across a road crossing caboose-first.
9/28 Update: BlakeDooley commented and correctly pointed out that "shoving platform cabeese" are also a common modern usage of the caboose. They are used in to carry brakemen to remote cut yards when the ride is too long too just hang on to the last ladder.
In this particular video, the caboose is not first to cross South Poplar Street, which is situated between the two camera views, but rather a GP-38. This yard movement is actually a transfer between the CSX B&O yard and the CSX C&O yard. Having left the B&O yard to pull forward towards the camera, the consist is seen backing eastward, caboose first, over a B&O mainline crossover, and then taking what is referred to as the "Northwest Transfer track" to turn northward. There are four transfer tracks in the B&O/C&O diamond, one in each quadrant, which allow trains to make a 90 degree turn to a perpendicular track before the diamond. The one taken here is northwest of the diamond. Once positioned on the C&O mainline, this little consist is aligned with entering the C&O yard to the south of the diamond. This map may be useful in understanding this video:
I hope to present a caboose-first grade crossing video in the future.
CSX, and even BNSF, take full advantage of these transfer tracks for mainline operations as well. About 30 to 40% of the trains on the B&O or C&O lines through Fostoria make a turn on these transfer tracks.