Railroad Merit Badge

The three basic types of trains are Mixed Freight, Unit Trains, and Intermodal Trains. Mixed Freight   The Mixed Freight train is probably the most common freight train that you will see. You may think they are called Mixed Freight, because all the cars are mixed up. Have you ever wondered why they don't put all the boxcars together, and all of the tank cars together, and etc.? There is a very good reason! The railroads use large consolidatioin yards across the country, where they sort train cars onto new trains that get them closer to their destination. More importantly, they are sorted into the order they will be delivered to their destinations. Drop-off order!   This pre-sorting of the cars helps the trains, because it will be easier and faster to drop off cars along the trip. This can allow a crew to drop off to more stations on a single trip. Mixed Freight trains need to make many stops along their trip, to drop off loaded cars, and maybe pick up some empty cars to move along. They may also have to wait for passenger trains, or maybe even wait for other freight trains to go through before the Mixed Freight can take their turn on the track. (This is because there are not many places where a long freight train can park without blocking the track, so the Mixed Freight may need to wait miles away, until they can makes their deliveries.) As a result, we can drive a car from Sacramento to San Jose in about 2.5 hours, but a Mixed Freight train making deliveries along the trip can take 8-12 hours to cover he same distance dues to the delays, and the time to drop off and pick up cars. Unit Trains   The name Unit Train refers to a train that carries one type of commodity, usually in the same type of freight cars, and usually starting with all the cars in one place, and dropping them all off at another place. Some examples of unit trains are;

• Coal Train, from the coal mine to a power plant.
• Auto Trains, from a car making plant to a Shipping Port
• Grain Train, bringing grain from the farmers to the mill

Intermodal Trains   While the Intermodal Train may look like a Unit Train of Intermodal cars, there are a few differences that don't meet the eye. It helps to know some of the history of how freight has been moved. Initially, if you wanted to ship your goods to market by train, you needed to bring your goods to the local train depot. You usually loaded it onto a truck and trailer, and it was then unloaded and put into boxcars, which were then rolled to a depot near your final destination, where it was moved again to another truck and trailer, and finally unlaoded where you wanted the goods to go. Every time the freight wa loaded and unloaded, there was a chance for something to be broken, or maybe stolen, along the way. Later, those trailers were loaded onto a flatcar, rather than transfering the freight to a boxcar. This was called Piggy-back Service by Southern Pacific, but it is generally called Trailer on Flat Car (or T.O.F.C. for short). This required special loading facilities, which meant sometimes your freight went a bit further by road, but it was more secure, because it wasn't being unloaded so many times. In order to move freight from ships to trains, easily, the International Transfer Unit (ITU) was developed. It was a specific sized shipping container that could be locked shut, could be easily stacked, and could be lifted easily from train or ship or truck. A single ITU container is 20 feet long. Double units were 40 feet long, but there are now also 48- and 53-foot long containers. Today, a truck with a special ITU trailer can bring a shipping container to your business, and you can load it and lock it. The trailer then goes to a special loading facility where the container is lifted from the trailer and placed on a special Intermodal Freight Car (usually a Well car).How many types of trains are there?

What type of train is shown here?

What type of train is shown below?

What type of train is this?

What type of train is this?

The thing that makes an Intermodal Train different from a Unit Train is that_________________________________________. For example, when the train arrives at the port transfer facility, most of the containers may go onto the ship, but some of the containers will go on trucks bound for other customers.  

Looking at the graph below, choose the Class I Railroad that had the greatest operating revenue for 2007?

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The picture is considered a(n)___________________?

 The majority of the major hubs for railroads are located where in the U.S.?

Did You Know?That a  diesel locomotive is more properly called a diesel-electric locomotive. The concept is relatively simple: An oil-burning engine turns an alternator or generator which in turn produces electricity that powers traction motors that connect to the axles of the locomotive. This process is much more efficient than the external-combustion steam locomotive.What type of fuel is used to turn the alternator or generator is the train above?

What are dynamic brakes?In a diesel locomotive, the traction motors can be turned into generators powered by the turning wheels. The electrical current that is produced is converted into heat that absorbs a large amount of the train's energy and causes it to slow down. The extra heat is dissipated by the dynamic brake grid. This is very useful on downgrades and saves a considerable amount of wear on brakes, thus lowering maintenance costs. This also allows longer trains to be pulled since there is more control and less of a risk of a loss of braking on a long train. Dynamic brakes are useful because they reduce  _____ on brakes, and lower ______ cost. Choose the words from below to fill in the blanks.

A radial steering truck is found on trucks and not on locomotives.  True or FalseA Radial steering truck is a type of bogie used on locomotives. On railroad equipment, "trucks" are the wheel assemblies that the train rides the rails on. Trucks are found on almost all train equipment with the exception of some steam locomotives (e.g. a 0-6-0). On diesel locomotives, unlike freight or passenger cars, the trucks are powered, with an electric motor mounted on the truck connected to the driving wheels. On locomotives, these trucks may have three or possibly four axles, making the truck quite long. Such a long truck makes it difficult for the wheels to go around curves. To solve this problem, Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) designed the Radial Steering Truck. This design allows the wheels to pivot around the center of the curve somewhat, allowing less wear on the wheel flanges and rails.

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 Choose all the letters below that represent the cars shown above.

               Choose the all the cars listed below that match up with the cars shown above.

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Choose the all the cars listed below that match up with the cars shown above.

What form of mass trasmit do both New York and Boston have that is typically located underground?

Picture AorPicture BPassive Signs IN ADVANCE of Railroad Crossings Choose the non-electric sign that warns the motorists the road ahead crosses the railroad tracks.

A signal is a mechanical or electrical device erected beside a railway line to pass information relating to the state of the line ahead to train drivers/engineers. The driver interprets the signal's indication and acts accordingly.Signal colors North American signals use a standard set of colors common to other modes of transportation.

• Green - Used to indicate "clear" track conditions.
• Yellow - Used to warn the engineer of an impending stop or speed reduction. Also used for low speed movements.
• Red - Used to indicate a full stop or other restrictive condition or used as a "placeholder" light.
• Lunar White - Blue filtered light used to indicate a restricted proceed condition.
• Amber - Used in position light systems as an all-purpose high visibility color.
• (Plain) White - Plain incandescent white light. Used in some position light systems.

Individual signal heads may be set to flash a color to create a different signal aspect. Signals in the United States typically flash only one head at a time, while signals in Canada may flash two heads at a time.To indicate a clear track this color is used?

Go to the Operation Life Saver site at:http://www.oli.org/and watch the video located on the upper left side of the site.The ending sentence states:___________________.

Pedestrian Safety Railroad tracks, trestles, yards and equipment are private property and trespassers are subject to arrest and fine. Cross tracks ONLY at designated pedestrian or roadway crossings. It can take a mile or more to stop a train, so a locomotive engineer who suddenly spots you ahead has little chance to miss you. Railroad property is private property. For your safety, it is illegal to be there unless you are at a designated public crossing. Trains overhang the tracks by at least three feet in both directions and loose straps hanging from rail cars may extend even further. If you are in the right-of-way next to the tracks, you can be hit by the train. The only safe place to cross is at a designated public crossing with either a crossbuck, flashing red lights or a gate. If you cross at any other place, you are trespassing and can be ticketed or fined. Do not cross the tracks immediately after a train passes. A second train might be blocked by the first. Trains can come from either direction. Wait until you can see clearly around the first train in both directions. Flashing red lights signal that a train is approaching from either direction. You can be fined for failure to obey these signals. Never walk around or behind lowered gates at a crossing. Stay Alive! DO NOT cross the tracks until the lights have stopped flashing and it is safe to do so. If you are in a rail yard uninvited, you are trespassing and subject to criminal prosecution. The worst penalty is death. DO NOT hunt, fish or bungee jump from railroad trestles. There is only enough clearance on the tracks for a train to pass. Trestles are not meant to be sidewalks or pedestrian bridges! DO NOT attempt to hop aboard railroad equipment at any time. A slip of the foot can cost you a limb or your life. Be aware trains do not follow set schedules. Any Time is Train Time! Do not walk, run, cycle or operate all terrain vehicles (ATVs) on railroad tracks or rights-of-way or through tunnels. QUESTION:The only safe place to cross is at a ______________________ with either a crossbuck, flashing red lights or a gate. If you cross at any other place, you are trespassing and can be ticketed or fined.

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http://www.oli.org/education_resources/docs/myth_or.pdfVisit the site above and list the number of something you did not know.

The Crossbuck sign is the most common sign at public highway-rail intersections. It has two crossed white boards with the words RAILROAD CROSSING. It marks the crossing and should be considered the same as a YIELD sign. If there is more than one track, a sign below the Crossbuck indicates the number of tracks present. After one train has passed, look and listen for another train coming from either direction. Take extra care at "passive" crossings (marked only with a Crossbuck). Always expect a train!Which sign is the most common?A.      B. C.

The flashing rear-end device, or "FRED," (also called an end-of-train device, ETD or EOT) is an electronic device mounted on the end of freight trains in lieu of a caboose. They are divided into two categories: 'dumb' units which only provide a visible indication of the rear of the train with a flashing red taillight; and 'smart' units which also send back data to the crew in the locomotive via telemetry.^[1] They originated in North America, but are also used in other countries.What color is on the bottom of theis "FRED?"

Please respond to each question.1. What was the most interesting information you learned during your railroading merit badge experience? 2. What was your favorite part of earning the badge?

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