Pumping up the air!

[Tom]

It means you need to have a car or cars already in the track with handbrakes applied. This would ensure the car you are kicking, which has no brakes, will indeed stop where you wanted it to (it will couple to the car that is tied down). If you kick a car into an empty track it will just roll until it hits something, rolls off the track, or up a grade.

Charlie I guess I am not too great at wording what I am thinking. Yes, it is ok to bleed the air off of cars to work industries, though I admit to having only done it once in my relatively short RR career. I never saw the need to do that, the one time I did do it I was being lazy, it was below freezing, and the car I had tied down in the siding rolled when I kicked the car into it. I ended up having to run and hop on and tie down the car I kicked, negating the purpose of kicking it in the first place. I never kicked a car out on the road again. But it IS an FRA violation to leave your initial terminal without 100% functional brakes which is more what I should have said. Not a problem if all your industries are within yard limits tho.

At the shortline I used to work for, we called them "catch cars". We had a fairly sizeable yard that was single ended. The lead went uphill (the yard was in a "bowl" of sorts) and curved around next to the engine house. We would shove down the main, across the diverting canal slowly while I bled them off. (we're talking a cut of about 20-45 cars here). I could see the rear from where I was at next to the diesel shop, and would pretty much stand in place pulling the bleed rods as we shoved backwards. Once I had it all bled off, we'd stop and reverse direction. Mark or Scott would be down in the yard (he was lining switches going back and forth from switch to switch). Prior to our shift, Mark (usually) would run down Fremont street near the crossing for the "Bean lead" and make sure we had at least 3 catch cars at the end of each rail (cars with handbrakes applied tight). Remember, this is a stub end yard, last thing we want is cars winding up across Fremont street! Anyway, after Rich would pull teh train past me, I'd spot him up at the rear car right next to me, and as I would have my switch list in my left hand (always facing the engine), I'd pull cut levers with the right and let 'em roll! There is no better way to switch a yard in my warped opinion.

On our (shall remain nameless East Stockton, CA shortline who is notorious for its former fleet or old yellow Alco switchers with the city's name in its name ) railroad, we never ONCE did an airtest of ANY kind, operating over road crossings, going to BNSF and UP for interchange cuts, etc. When I was new, I asked Mark and he said "we don't do that here".

Ah, but what a fun railroad it was to work on, especially with Alco S2's, S4's and S1's. Especially the S4. What a badassed, MADE for switching, engine. Just a really neat little operation. Drops, dutch drops, kicking, just loads of fun for a switchman.