Railworks America

Something I have noticed on the UP lines around route is that they only show the warning (arrow down sign to slow). So far I have not seen any speed sign to inform that the limit has increased.

Can some explain why UP would do it this way?

Do you mean a warning that the speed limit will increase? I assume the reason is because it is unnecessary, as you have to pass the sign anyway to speed up.

That's just it. There is not sign to "speed up" just to slow down.

PapaXpress wrote:That's just it. There is not sign to "speed up" just to slow down.

Well I cant speak for UP since I dont have a clue as far as their signs go. With CSX, if the reverse side of the speed sign was green then that meant you could resume line speed as posted in the timetable.

The reverse side is bare metal over here.

I just don't get it. This means that the engineer has to know the speed limits by heart and the warning signs are there just to remind them about slowing down.

PapaXpress wrote:The reverse side is bare metal over here.

I just don't get it. This means that the engineer has to know the speed limits by heart and the warning signs are there just to remind them about slowing down.

That's really true. Any of the old heads I worked with could tell you exactly where speed changes were to the tenth of a mile down to the tree or bush. They could run the line blindfolded so the speed signs were really kind of irrelevant. What always killed me would be we would get slow orders on a bulletin and it would state something like the 15 mph from the 843.1 to the 843.2. Any good engineer would tell you exactly where that was at in a heartbeat without even thinking about it.

But what if a new engineer/conductor is trained? Yes, of course there would be a veteran in the cab to instruct him/her, but still ...

The General Code of Operating Rules 6th Edition states under point 5.5:

GCOR wrote:Resume Speed Signs
A permanent resume speed sign or a speed sign showing a higher speed will be placed at the end of
each restriction.

Source: http://www.utu1904.com/files/Download/GCOR_6th_ed.pdf

The GCOR is adopted by Union Pacific. So, according to the rules, they must have a speed sign at the end of each restriction.

micaelcorleone wrote:But what if a new engineer/conductor is trained? Yes, of course there would be a veteran in the cab to instruct him/her, but still ...

The General Code of Operating Rules 6th Edition states under point 5.5:

GCOR wrote:Resume Speed Signs
A permanent resume speed sign or a speed sign showing a higher speed will be placed at the end of
each restriction.

Source: http://www.utu1904.com/files/Download/GCOR_6th_ed.pdf

The GCOR is adopted by Union Pacific. So, according to the rules, they must have a speed sign at the end of each restriction.

Our new engineers were taken from the conductor pool so technically they should already know where all the speeds are located and be very familiar with the route. I guess my point is our engineers didn't necessarily rely on the signs since you had to know a mile or two in advance when to start slowing. We never used advance warnings for speed \changes and never used any kind of boards for slow orders, on one of the particular routes I worked on. Now that's definitely not saying they shouldn't be displayed, they just weren't that much of a factor in the scheme of things. The only time we ever discussed speed changes, in the cab, was for a slow order or something, other than having to get onto someone that wanted to run hot or just 'forgot' where they were lol.

Sounds like I need to go hiking and find that speed sign.

PapaXpress wrote:Sounds like I need to go hiking and find that speed sign.

If you do, try to enjoy yourself!

Always!

PapaXpress wrote:I just don't get it. This means that the engineer has to know the speed limits by heart and the warning signs are there just to remind them about slowing down.

IIRC, engineers in North America must be certified for each route they will work on. this including memorizing everything about the route.

This is why we need some cheats in RW, such as the track profile in the F4 HUD, or the advance signal status in the F3 HUD. The advance information they give us is not realistic, but then some of us can't / won't memorize each route.

This is one reason that VORA is so great. They have made the route authentic, along with mile posts and speed signs. You get a schedule like a regular conductor/ engineer would, slow orders included. Great fun. And so accurate. Oh, and only qualified VORA members can download these updated accurate route, so sign up!

arizonachris wrote:This is one reason that VORA is so great. They have made the route authentic, along with mile posts and speed signs. You get a schedule like a regular conductor/ engineer would, slow orders included. Great fun. And so accurate. Oh, and only qualified VORA members can download these updated accurate route, so sign up!

Oh lord, I hope you guys dont put 10s out there as far as slow orders lol. They suck on a 10,000ft pig for sure. All you need to add is a stick man and the whole experience would be complete!

OK, I found one... just one.

Its a green arrow pointing up. Now I need to see if its part of Kuju US or if I have to make one.