Are engines allowed to run unattended while parked on mainline overnite?

Yes. It's done every day.

We do this where I work. But, the engines are locked down where the general public do not have access to them. The doors and windows are always locked whenever we leave them unattended. 

Not a very busy "mainline" if you can park a train on it for hours.  Are these really parked on a mainline and not a siding?

More info about idling engines left overnight:  In cold weather this was/is common practice for older generation motive power. Antifreeze is a no-no and the engines need to keep from freezing, not to mention the expansion and contraction of cylinder liners and engine blocks. Modern technology has pretty much eliminated these concerns.  And can you imagine the headaches of starting cold engines with cold batteries in remote locations? 

 

Conductor Earl     

Engines back running tonite, so the same scenario. Our rail line is the origonal Gulf and

Ship Island which later became the Illinois Central all the way to Chicago, I believe.

it is now hosting KCS traffic what with a newly laid "seamless" rail.

those loco's appear to be 6 axel SD-40, possibly  -50 or -60 but not a modern cab unit.

just hope since they are on a somewhat steep slope, there won't be a repeat of that Lac

magantic, Quebec scenario this past July. well, the cars they carry north usually are mt

chlorine tanks, so that's a slight comfort.

Gunrunner John, just google map us @Saucier,Mississippi and you will be able to see the how the line runs N/S or S/N. If you put in 23559 old still road 39574 you'll see our 

fire depot and just east of that the r/r line.

 

if any of you would want a reference, that is.

Usually leave at least one unit running to keep the brake system charged .conrail john

All of our units are equipped with Auto Start/Shutdown so we can leave them running and they shut down on their own.When the air pressure drops to a certain point, they start back up to pump the air back up .

Rufus,

Hmmn...Canadian National appears to own the line now. I am sure they operate under FRA US regulations as they are in the USA.

 

Well, the good news is that it's making money, it's still running. Thanks for the map info. It appears that they service industries in Gulfport with a wye there, they pass through the military base further north and there's not a yard/sidings until Hattiesburg.

 

What's the beef about the engine running? Why contact the newspaper? Contact the railroad.

Thanks, Moonman for that "heads up" as the saying goes.

 

No problem with me and my bride about the mainline mooring, but just mentioning that as several posts have appeared in our local newspaper(www.sunherald.com)

and then a couple of my railroad watching friends had asked the ...why?

 

Hmmm..CN, you write.. Interesting!!

The cold weather rule on the railroad I work for is if the temperature is to drop below 35degrees, leave the engines running. As Laidedoffsick states, most newer engines are equipped with Auto Restart controls and will shutdown and restart on their own when the proper parameters are met.

 

I believe the KCS still owns the line Hattiesburg to Gulfport line, I believe they acquired it with the MidSouth acquisistion years ago. (CN/IC does the haulage between Jackson and Hattiesburg as far as I know)

I did not know it was using 3 axle SDs on their trains, must have been when the installed the welded rail a number of years ago.. In the past it has always been the domain of geeps.

 

I spent a number of years at Gulfport for my two week Air National Guard summer camp at the Gulfport ANG training site at the airport. But have not been down that way in 12 years or so.

 

Dan

the train that runs through Manchester will sit some times for a day with no crew..usually because crew is timed out.. just idiling

 this is probably the "tail end" of the post I started, but just wanted to relate

that one of my r/r watchers just mailed me with this tidbit:

 

"CN has no claim on the KCS. Canadian National got the Illinois Central Railroad, but

IC had divested itself of the Hattiesburg to Gulfport line years prior to it's merger with

CN. KCS has some ties to Mexico, but not Canada."

 

Interesting how these threads go off into something not so orginally "topic related"

as they first started out. That is not to rain on anyone's parade, just a observation.

 

Thanks to ALL who replied. This OGR Forum is the best source and most informative

of any I have read pertaing to R/R information.

 

Bye!~!