Unattended Cut on a Grade with Insufficient Hand Brakes
Engineer T. Okafor is instructed to cut away from a 38-car, 4,200-ton cut of loaded boxcars and leave it on a siding with a 1.6% grade. The railroad's securement chart for this grade and tonnage requires 12 hand brakes. Only 9 hand brakes on the cut are operational; the other 3 are cut out and tagged. The cut will be unattended for about 6 hours. Okafor's locomotive will depart light to the next terminal. The yardmaster says the air brakes will hold because the brake pipe is charged and the cars have new brake shoes. Okafor has a portable derail available but no extra hand brakes. The siding has no bumper and ends 900 feet from a highway crossing. What should Okafor do?
1. Can Okafor leave the cut with 9 hand brakes?
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No. The railroad's securement chart is the controlling minimum for this grade and tonnage: 12 hand brakes. Nine is insufficient. Charged air brakes are not a substitute for hand brakes on an unattended cut because air pressure can leak off or be released, and new brake shoes do not change the chart requirement. The cut is on a 1.6% grade with no bumper and a highway crossing 900 feet away, so an uncontrolled roll would be serious. Okafor should not cut away or accept the yardmaster's assurance that the air brakes will hold.
2. What alternatives should Okafor pursue?
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He should request additional operable hand brakes, a second locomotive, or permission to remain attached with a crew member on duty. If none is available, he should leave the locomotive attached and secure the cut, or hold the assignment and notify the dispatcher. A portable derail can add protection at the switch or clearance point, but it does not replace the required hand brakes and should not be treated as a substitute. He should also ask whether the cut can be moved to a level track or a siding with a bumper, and he should not depart light until the cut is secured to the chart requirement.
3. If the cut is eventually left, how should Okafor verify securement?
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He should apply the required number of hand brakes, then verify they hold before releasing the air brakes or cutting away. Depending on the railroad's rule, verification may include releasing the air brakes and observing that the cut does not move, or performing a push-pull test with the locomotive. He should confirm that the hand brakes are applied on the correct cars, that the cut is clear of the crossing and fouling points, and that the derail, if used, is placed and locked. He should document the number of hand brakes applied, the verification method, the time, and the name of the person who accepted the cut.