Railroad terminology and other questions about trains?

Question

Is there a distinguishing name for the locomotive ‘helpers’ that are placed between freight cars as opposed to at the end of the train and what is the purpose of such placement? Does a helper in the middle of the train provide better help in certain situations compared to one at the end or is it just for easier unhooking of train cars?

When 4 locomotives are placed at the beginning of a freight train, are there terms to distinguish between the engines? For example: Is there a nickname or term given to the lead engine while the 4th engine has a different nickname? Are all other engines besides the lead engine considered helpers?

Are the helper engines controlled by the conductor through remote control and only used when necessary, such as going up steep grades or hauling heavier loads?

Is there more than one conductor on these freight trains that have 6 engines on them?

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Answer 1

On the UPRR most of our trains with helpers are run as DPU or distributed power units which are all controlled by the engineer from the head end of the train.If the engines are on the rear it's called a end of train power block.If they are put in the train they are called entrained helpers.On the DPU control screens they are designated as consist A,B,C,..etc.If the helpers have a crew on them they are called manned helpers.A group of engines is called a consist and the one you run from is called your leader and the rest are your trailing units.They have formulas to decide where the helpers have to be placed in the train to control draft and buff forces.Draft and buff forces are the pulling and pushing forces on the couplers in the train and track.

Answer 2

Helpers are exactly the proper term, whether they are on the rear or cut into the train.

The helpers on the rear of a train are mainly for convenience, it is easier than breaking the train apart twice, once to cut in and once to cut, quite time consuming.

From a train handling point of view, as an engineer I always preferred helpers cut into the train as opposed to a "suppository" or up the rear help.

Engines on the head end that are wired to the head locomotive and operated by the engineer are not helpers, they are "in consist" with the rest of the head end power.

Helper engines always have an engineer and sometimes a conductor, not always, some railroads are so cheap they have one man helper crews.

There are also remote controlled locomotives that are operated by the engineer on the head of the train and have no crew on them, these can either be cut into the train or on the rear or on very heavy trains both.

They are usually called boosters or DPU for divided power unit.

They work pretty good but having a crew is always better, anything made by man can and will break down when you least want it to, that goes double for remote control locomotives.

There are no extra people involved with DPU operations, it is just extra work with no extra pay for the train crew.

Answer 3

As far as I am aware the term helper is only used to distinguish those locomotives used specifically for assisting a train over a grade, and then uncoupled once no longer needed.  

The lead locomotive(s), or consist if there is more than one, have no distinguishing features between them save for the head locomotive where the engineer controls all other locomotives coupled to his/her lead unit (technically known as being "MU'ed").  And, no matter how many locomotives are assisting a train there is only ever one conductor which only oversees the train, and is not responsible for operating the locomotive/s, which is only the job of the engineer.

Of note, helpers are typically controlled separately by an engineer and not from the head locomotive.

Answer 4

Well, I was going to weigh in on this question too. But it appears everyone is off work now, and got in their responses first.  There isn't much I can add to what has already been said. Guess I'll just wait for 'em to go back to work.

Answer 5

First, here's the rest of the answer to your previous question, which the machine wouldn't take...

Bush Bunnies, Weed Weasels............ A company official covertly conducting “efficiency testing” of trains crews out on line, unobserved by crew.

Motor, Jack, Stove............. A “motor” can be either an electric or diesel electric locomotive, while a “jack” is a diesel electric locomotive and may be a regional term.

Roll By........... An inspection of a passing train, or by having your train inspected while passing another train or employee on the ground.

House, Barn........ The roundhouse or engine service track. or a tie-up track.

Tie Up...... To complete a tour of duty.

Section Man, Gandy Dancer...... Maintenance of Way personnel.

Plug, Pull the Plug, Big Hole, Wipe the Clock, Dump the Air, Gas ‘em... Place the train air-brakes into emergency.

Cornfield Meet........... A head on collision.

Tail Rail........... When needing to switch cars a tail rail is used to provide additional room for the engine and cars when necessary and a “lead” or the main track cannot be used.

Spur, Team Track, House Track.......... Usually a “stub” track servicing an industry, freight dock or to allow unloading of a freight car in the open.

Boomer............. A railroader, usually a trainman, who would travel from place to place, railroad to railroad, following the work that was available from season to season, sort of a “transient” railroader.

Saw By.......... When two trains meet and one is too long to fit between the switches of a siding, one train would stop clear of one end only, the other train would arrive and clear, then the other would go on its way.

Saw the Switch...... In switching movements, if engine and cars fail to slow or stop in time fore the switch foreman or helper to line the switch, the engine would have to reverse and back up until the man could line the switch for the proper route.

Helper engines fulfill one of two needs: additional horse power for a grade, or to provide that additional horsepower while lessening the load on the draw bar first out behind the road locomotive.  Standard draft gear is rated at 240,000 lbs.  If trailing tonnage causes force levels higher than this, the draft gear will fail in the form of a broken knuckle or broken draw bar.  With engines back in the train (entrained), they reduce the amount of this force by lessening the amount of tonnage that the raod engine is pulling..

When helper units are entrained, there are placed such that they will shove 1/3 ot the tonnage they handle and pull 2/3's of the tonnage.  This keeps a multiple unit helper consist from shoving the cars ahead of it off the rail.

At times there will be two helpers entrained, one cut-in to the train with there other behind the rear car.  In this instance, the first helper engine is called the "swing" helper.

There is a point between the helper engine and the road engine where there is a point of "neutral" slack, between the last car that is being pulled by the road engine and the first car the helper is shoving.  This is called the "node."  It shifts as the train moves or as slack is adjusted.  The helper engine and the road engine must work closely together when these situations arrise.

As far as locomotive consists are concerned, the lead locomotive is usually referred to as the "controlling" unit, with others referred to by their position in the consist (2nd unit, 3rd unit and trailing unit.)

Many helper consists are in fact remorely controlled from the controlling unit by the road engineer, but helper engineers are still used to man helper consists as well.

And, by way of correction, the conductor doesn't run the train.  That falls to the engineer.

Answer 6

In the UK: a locomotive placed at the rear of a train for extra traction is called a banker.

When double heading, the leading loco is called the pilot, the engine nearest the train is called the train engine.

With diesel locomotives, 2 or more coupled together can be driven en bloc from the leading cab: all the controls are hooked up using cables between the engines.