I'm at the controls of a locomotive... what do I do now?

[CaptainKoloth]

Hello everyone:

Longtime railfan, first time poster here. I have a general question that I realize will have an answer that will vary tremendously depending on the circumstances.

There are innumerable books and simulators out there about the operation of locomotives; you can go get Train Simulator or Run8, for example, and get a pretty much 1:1 accurate representation of all the switches and levers and so forth. What I haven't found anywhere, however, despite countless hours of searching books, videos, old forum threads, etc. is an answer to the question of, in real life, I step into the cab, I know how to operate the train, but... what do I do now?

In aircraft, for example (I'm a licensed pilot), you have a flight plan and ATC tells you exactly what to do. But in train simulation games this part is usually hyper simplified (you get some God's-eye view of where you are and where you're going). From what I can piece together, in reality it would be something like this:

1) You would have a printed rulebook/timetable for the road you're on explaining what the rules are for those sections of the track. I have to memorize all the rules, signals, and idiosyncrasies for every piece of track I will be operating on.

2) You'd have printed orders from the dispatcher about exactly where to go and when that you'd verify via radio.

3) As you travel between sections of track under different orders, e.g. CTC, 251 ABS, etc. this would be delineated by the employee timetable. Details will vary depending on which road you're on.

4) And in reality before ever being entrusted with a real run I would have gone over the same route 100 times as a trainee.

Is this kind of how it actually works? Please correct me! It seems like real-life railroading would have to have inordinate amounts of rule, signal, and road memorization.

 

[Zoohogger]

It is how it works. You must know and pass tests on the general code of operating rules, you will have safety rules to know and be tested on. Many things you will learn and be enforced by your training period. If you are an engineer you should know the route, the grades up and down and will have been taught how to handle a train of varying lengths and weights safely on the route. Your train handling skills are important to not damage the customer goods, the track or equipment. The conductor will review the orders, follow dispatchers orders and help the engineer with watching signals and following rules and work with the engineer during switching moves and pick ups and setouts along the route. You used the word inordinate. There are a lot of rules. It is a huge responsibility and dangerous work. There are many things to learn to do this job safely. Releasing the brakes and opening the throttle is Only a small part of the vast job you are to do.

 

[MP-20-b]

Each railroad/carrier has its own procedures for operations and some vary by region and division. In general you are usually required to carry all your book (or tablet in some cases) for the territories you will be operating on. You would have you general rules books depending on what your employer uses (norac, gcor, cror, or other book) and whatever other required books they mandate such as safety, air brake, special instructions, time tables, employee schedules, electric operations, policy book, book of physical characteristics. Some railroads will combined or call them different things. You are required annually to go to rules and training classes and be tested on them.

Each time you go on duty you are required to check and sign for your paperwork, bulletin orders, division notices, work orders, switch list, drill slips, car placement orders, movement permits (track warrants, form D's, track authority orders) different railroads call them different things. Paperwork can be updated any number of ways as the train crew preforms their assignment such as radio, cell phone, electronic transmission to tablet or as simple as stopping in the office.

Rules for the tracks (territory) you are operating over would be listed in the time table-special instructions(again depending on what the railroad wants to call it). You also need to be qualified on the physical characteristics and operating rules of the territory and test on them on a periodic timeline.

Training does very according to classification of the type of railroad. You would be required as a trainee to operate and learn train handling and operating practices procedures under a set amount of hours and days on each territory (trackage) you are operate on.