A Guide to Kicking Cars

[CSRX]

Currently working on a guide that will have rules and regulations, as well as several options on kicking cars, and prime examples of how to kick cars, safely, efficiently. This is based off my own experience in the real world of kicking cars, as well as the ORTS world.

For those interested, what would be best for this guide. Place directly in this post, upload the guide here in the library, submit it to the ORTS website, or all three?

[R. Steele]

Thanks Shawn, that will be a welcome addition to the train sim library I'm putting together.

I vote for posting here at first and then finish up with a downloadable guide. Although, that makes more work for you.
Thanks for doing this. I've been having lots of fun kicking cars - works really great in OR - but I do not know what I'm doing, would be nice to learn from someone with actual experience.

[CSRX]

Mr Steele,
It will include Guidelines, Rules & Regulations, as well as safety aspects, or what cars and or material cannot be kicked. This is mostly also based off the rules & regulations of the Vermont Rail System with our guidelines.

Example, I know some railroads will allow the kicking/rolling of 60' boxcars with long draw bars, or 73' Centerbeam flats, with loads, while at VTR, we frown upon this, because of the long drawbars, and the poor track conditions we have in most yards.

I will also of course, provide two different ways of kicking cars, with air, and without air. Without air, is typically used outside of the yard, at customer locations, such as grain facilities that do not unload their cars in perfect order.

I'll also give a few examples with several train set ups.

[conductorchris]

I agree with Gerry.

Seems like there aren't many railroads left that kick cars. (I was just thinking who else has experience that could contribute.) Great to keep the tradition alive.

Adding to the list of ways to kick cars: The gravity drop and the flying switch.

Christopher

[CSRX]

FRA allows Gravity Dropping, They do not allow fly-by "drop" switching however.

I believe it also is depending on the location, and not just the railroad, that allows kicking cars. Any GNWR property, you can forget it all together.

By the way, I understand with "others contributing" What I don't understand, is why.. After all, it is just the simple method of how to do so successfully in ORTS, with some info on what cars can be, and cannot be kicked, and examples of train set up.

[geepster775]

They do not allow fly-by "drop" switching however.

Crew sizes today don't accommodate that anyway. It usually took 4 guys to do that, one guy in the engine, one guy riding next to the pin, one guy riding the handbrake of the car on the fly, and one guy on the ground to throw the switch. Attempting that with less and someone will get hurt. Easier with engines on both ends.

[ebnertra000]

I think another reason they don't allow fly-by drops is the risk of splitting the switch if the timing is messed up. One of the instructors had a picture of that when I was in school, but the IT guys deleted it along with a bunch of other pictures he had on winter break before I was able to see it myself

[CSRX]

Crew sizes today don't accommodate that anyway. It usually took 4 guys to do that, one guy in the engine, one guy riding next to the pin, one guy riding the handbrake of the car on the fly, and one guy on the ground to throw the switch. Attempting that with less and someone will get hurt. Easier with engines on both ends.

Bingo.
We use three guys in the yard, one in the cab, two on the ground, and even then, doing the gravity drop is sometimes a hair raiser.. Me personally, I avoid it as much as possible, especially on cars, that I truly do not trust the hand brakes on. I am sure eventually FRA is going to put a complete stop to this ability as well.

[CSRX]

Here is what I have so far. Edits will take place once I get a chance. This is basically a rough copy so far.

A Guide to Kicking Cars in ORTS.

This guide will provide the information desired, for succesfully kicking freight cars in the ORTS world.
First, let's go over GCOR's rules of switching. GCOR is Genral Code of Operating Rules, and several railroads including many class 1's, follow these rules, as well as have some additional of their own. I will only put key points.

Under GCOR 7.0 Switching
7.1 Switching Safely and Efficiently
While switching, employees must work safely and effeciently and avoid damage to contents of cars, equipment, structures, or other property.
Do not leave equipment standing where it will foul equipment on adjacent tracks or cause injury to employees riding on the side of a car or engine.
On tracks where clearence point is indicated, leave equipment beyond the clearance point.

7.3 Additional Switching Precautions
The following equipment must not be unnecessarily switched or couplings made so as to damage the equipment or load:
⦁ Passenger or outfit cars.
⦁ Intermodal of TOFC cars.
⦁ Cabooses.
⦁ Multi-level loads.
⦁ Cars containing livestock.
⦁ Open top loads subject to shifting.
The following equipment must not be cut off in motion or struck by any car moving under its own momentum:
⦁ Passenger cars.
⦁ Outfit cars.
⦁ High-value loads.
⦁ Engines.
⦁ Loaded depressed center flat cars.
⦁ Cars loaded with modular housing units.
⦁ Articulated and solid drawbar-connected cars with more than two car bodies. However when empty, these cars may be kicked, but not humped.
⦁ Scale test cars.
⦁ Roadway equipment.

Additional rule to GCOR 7.3, per Vermont Rail System.
"Cars containing hazardous materials must not be cut off in motion or struck by any car moving under it's own momentum".
This is meaning, Hazardous Material tank cars, such as UN 1075, UN 1202, UN 1267, etc, shall not be kicked, or have cars kicked into. These much be switched out normally.
7.4 Precautions for Coupling or Moving Cars or Engines.
Make couplings at a speed of not more than 4mph. Stretch the slack to ensure that all couplings are made.

7.7. Kicking or Dropping cars
Kickings or dropping cars is permitted only when it will not endanger employees, equipment, or contents of cars.


Hopefully these will help the process of kicking cars in ORTS.
There are a few ways of doing this. There is the process of kicking cars with air, as well as kicking cars without air. I will explain both in this. I don't believe you will be able to do this in hump switching, due to needing to be beyond certain switches in order to do so.


Okay, so here is the process of kicking cars with air. First, here is the train you will be kicking, for example. You can even set up a consist to match this process to learn from.

From the tail to the engines.
Three loaded covered hoppers
Two empty tankcars (1075)
Three loaded boxcars
One loaded centerbeam
One empty tankcar (1202)
One loaded boxcar (60')
One Covered Hopper
Two loaded gondolas
One Covered Hopper
Locomotives (two GP38-2's)

First of all, you will need to make sure the tracks you are kicking to, already have cars in place, with handbrakes. If not, you will need to set some of these cars to the tracks desired to get started. With this, let's pretend there are cars already on said tracks.
Okay, so you will need to get the covered hoppers on track 5, the loaded boxcars on track 4, the empty tankcars on track 2, the loaded centerbeam on track 4, and the two gondola's on track 1.

You will need to make sure the track and switches are lined for track 5. You will need to make sure there are no brakes applied to the cars. Open the F9 option showing the cars, and close the angle cocks between the three covered hoppers, and two tankcars.
Now, throttle up enough to reach 5-6mph, clicking on the knuckle between the covered hoppers and tank cars while putting the engine brakes, trainline brakes on, and bringing down the throttle. Watch the three covered hoppers go, and make a hitch/hook/couple on said cars already on track 5.
Sometimes the cars may not make it, that's okay. Just make the next kick count.
Now, you have the two empty 1075 tank cars. You will need to manually switch those onto track 2.
You can now prepare track 4, for the three loaded boxcars. Prepare the cars, making sure there are no brakes, and do exactly the same as above with the covered hoppers.
You can continue this process until finished.
This option of bottling the cars, allows you to continue switching said cars as needed for any industries in the yard or near by, being able to couple up to the cars, and not have to pump up as much air.



The difference of kicking cars with air, and without air, is basically doing the same as above, however, you must dump the air on the other end of cars being kicked, and simply click on each car being kicked, bleeding them off in the F9 option.
Once done, you may go ahead and kick the cars with the above steps.
This result will make you have to pump up the air on the cars, before you continue switching as needed.

Kicking cars will help you, sorting out cars in the yard, breaking down trains, or building trains. This option also works while switching out customers over the road, especially places such as feed mills, that may have 15 cars on a siding, but the empties needing to be placed into your train, are scattered in the 15 set of cars.
Not recommended to kick cars onto the customer tracks however.

[kjp115]

Great guide there Shawn! I never even thought about bottling the air and using the trainline. It's hit or miss whether the independent is enough to stop the cars in the somewhat realistic/unrealistic virtual world.

[CSRX]

Great guide there Shawn! I never even thought about bottling the air and using the trainline. It's hit or miss whether the independent is enough to stop the cars in the somewhat realistic/unrealistic virtual world.

This alone, is why I've been going through and editing cars and locomotives for the correct weights and such. Gives much better results when kicking cars. In the real world though, it takes about 1 to 2 car lengths to stop (from 6mph) with only the independent, and all loaded covered hoppers (feed cars).


This entire concept is pretty much hit or miss, as well as the real world of kicking cars.