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36-582: A total of 25 Class EF63 locomotives were built between 1962 and 1976 exclusively for use as bankers (U.S. "helpers" or "pushers") on the steeply-graded Usui Pass section of the Shinetsu Main Line between Yokokawa and Karuizawa . They replaced the Class ED42 electric locomotives previously used on the rack-and-pinion line between these two stations. The prototype, EF63 1, was produced in 1962 by Toshiba for testing before full production of

72-829: A UIC wagon number , or in North America, a company reporting mark plus a company specific serial number. At the beginning of the railway era, the vast majority of goods wagons were four- wheeled (two wheelset ) vehicles of simple construction. These were almost exclusively small covered wagons , open wagons with side-boards, and flat wagons with or without stakes. Over the course of time, an increasing number of specialised wagons were developed. Special wagons for specific purposes or wagons with special features were already being introduced around 1850 by private companies. Amongst these were tank wagons and numerous refrigerated vans . In countries like Germany, wagon hire firms procured large numbers of these wagons and hired them to

108-470: A maximum grade of 28 ‰ (which is common, e.g. , for lines through the Alps ), the limit is a train weight of 1400 tons; if a train is heavier, bank engines have to be added in the middle or to the end of the train in order not to exceed the maximum load for any coupler. Adding locomotives in the middle of the train has the distinct advantage of applying the helper power to only part of the train, thus limiting

144-519: A military point of view and were known as wartime classes ( Kriegsbauart ). After the war, in East Germany, some pre-war goods wagon classes were given a new lease of life as ‘reconstructed goods wagons’ ( Reko-Güterwagen ) and continued in service for several more decades. Since the Union of Private Goods Wagon Companies ( Vereinigung der Privatgüterwagen-Interessenten (VPI) ) was founded in 1921,

180-487: A result they could not push at full power for very far before steam pressure dropped. If it could push enough to get the train to the top of the grade, then it could build up pressure while coasting back down and while waiting for the next train to come along. This practice was common in Europe. Since it was not possible to remotely control a steam locomotive , each helper had to have a full crew on board. Careful coordination

216-545: A runaway derailment also involving two EF62s in 1975, and EF63 24 and EF63 25 were additionally built in 1976 to replace these two. In 1978, EF63 11 and 13 were specially turned out to work an imperial train over the Usui Pass. Following privatization of JNR, the entire fleet was transferred to JR East operation with the exception of EF63 1 and 14 operated by JR Freight. The closure of the Yokokawa to Karuizawa section of

252-533: A wide range of EMU types (including 115 , 185 , 189, 489 series ) – hence the impressive array of jumper cables and connectors on the Karuizawa ends of the locos. Trains ascending the incline from Yokokawa were driven by the driver in the rearmost cab of the EF63 pair at the rear of the train, with the driver in the front cab of the train acting only as signal look-out. Locos EF63 5 and EF63 9 were written off after

288-505: Is a railway locomotive that temporarily assists a train that requires additional power or traction to climb a gradient (or bank ). Helpers/bankers are most commonly found in mountain divisions (called "helper districts" in the United States), where the ruling grade may demand the use of substantially greater motive power than that required for other grades within the division. Helpers/bankers were most widely used during

324-521: The American Railway Association , initially to coordinate time tables. The AAR has developed various standards for freight cars over the years, including couplers , loading gauges , reporting marks , interchange rules, and information systems, through its Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices publications. The numerous types of goods wagon are categorised here based on their main design features and in accordance with

360-568: The German State Railway Wagon Association on 1 April 1909. With the participation of all the German state railways, it created a common pool of goods wagons, which by the end of 1911 had no less than 560,000 wagons. In addition, they all had standardised inscriptions and red-brown livery. In order to standardise future procurements, a total of 11 wagon classes were defined ( Sheet nos. A1 to A11 ). These wagons of

396-541: The age of steam , especially in the American West , where significant grades are common and trains are long. The development of diesel-electric or electric locomotives has eliminated the everyday need for bankers/helpers in all but a few locations. With the advent of dynamic brakes on electric or diesel-electric locomotives, helpers/bankers can also be used to provide more braking force on long downhill gradients. Bankers or helpers were historically positioned at

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432-623: The Shinetsu Main Line in September 1997 coinciding with the opening of the new Nagano Shinkansen marked the end of the careers of the EF63 locomotives. Before their final withdrawal, however, a number of locos (EF63 18, 19, 24, and 25) were repainted into original brown livery following their last overhauls in 1997. Incidentally, these locomotives were delivered in standard blue livery from new. Source: EF63 24 and 25 are currently used to provide driver training sessions to members of

468-603: The UIC goods wagon classification system. Freight railroads in North America have always been almost entirely privately owned. The separate northern and southern U.S. track gauges were unified on June 1, 1886, allowing freight cars to be interchanged throughout the continent. The Safety Appliance Act of 1893 made air brakes and automatic couplers mandatory on all trains in the United States, effective 1900. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) had its origins in 1872 as

504-807: The UK it was a usual practice for banking locomotives to follow and buffer-up to a slow-moving assisted freight train without coupling (as demonstrated in archive films of banking on the Lickey Incline ) before applying more power, thus precluding the need for a standing start. Following an accident in 1969 this practice was discontinued. This procedure is not performed in North America, as it would violate Canadian and United States safety regulations . Freight car Goods wagons or freight wagons ( North America : freight cars ), also known as goods carriages , goods trucks , freight carriages or freight trucks , are unpowered railway vehicles that are used for

540-980: The agreement for the mutual use of goods wagons in international traffic ( RIV ) has regulated the exchange of goods wagons in Europe and the Middle East. In addition, international goods wagon fleets were created in 1953 in Western Europe with the Europ-Verband and in 1965 in Eastern Europe with the Common Goods Wagon Park (OPW). During the second half of the 20th century, national goods wagon classes in Europe were increasingly replaced by Union internationale des chemins de fer (UIC) standard wagons. Since 1964, all goods wagons in Germany, for example, have had to be classified using

576-449: The braking distance of fast goods trains is longer than the separation between distant and home signals (as are Express Passenger trains), they may only run at high speeds of 150 mph (240 km/h) with locomotives on routes with early signalling systems in the driver's cab ( LZB , FZB and ETCS ). In Europe, the first agreements were struck very early on between the national state railways ( Länderbahnen ) and private companies for

612-428: The class started in 1963 spread between manufacturers Kawasaki, Mitsubishi and Toshiba. The class was equipped with a number of special safety features to cope with the unique conditions of operating on the 66.7 ‰ , 6.67 % gradient of the Usui Pass. These included independent dynamic brakes on all six axles (hence the large louvres along the bodysides for heat dissipation), magnetic adhesion brakes operating directly on

648-454: The end of the steam era. Special heavily constructed cabooses were sometimes used in helper areas. Ordinary cabooses were built as lightly as practical and might be crushed by the helper/pusher's force, which could be as much as 90 tons. The heavy cabooses allowed crews to avoid the time-consuming procedure of splitting the train just ahead of the caboose. Pushers/helpers were commonly designed to provide extreme power for very short runs; as

684-571: The end of the train, but in front of the caboose . This was done for the safety of the train crew riding inside the caboose. To be able to add and remove helper locomotives quickly, which is especially important in Europe due to the high traffic density , they are usually added to the end of the train. Normally, they are coupled and the air hoses are connected, which is necessary for the air brake to work correctly e.g. , in emergency situations, but in special cases trains are banked with uncoupled locomotives, which can be added or removed "in-flight." In

720-775: The end users. In the early days of the railway, goods trains still ran at top speeds of only about 20 mph (32 km/h). However, the introduction of through brakes using air pipes (such as the Kunze-Knorr brakes in Germany) from the 1920s enabled higher speeds to be safely achieved. Modern goods wagons are authorised for speeds up to around 75 mph (121 km/h) and in certain countries, wagons are increasingly equipped with GPS receivers and transponders which provide location monitoring as required. The Deutsche Bahn (DB) even has goods wagons cleared for high-speed rail travel at up to 100 mph (160 km/h). Because

756-406: The helper(s) and the train being helped. If radio operation is not possible, electrical control might be used, by way of cables running the length of the train (especially in case of passenger trains). Alternatively, radio communication with the lead engine's driver facilitates manual operation, which is still the norm for bank engines at the end of freight trains in Europe. In the UK, an engine that

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792-418: The interests of private transport organisations in Germany (including wagon hire firms, goods wagon builders and repair firms, and owners of private sidings) has been jointly represented. The Union has around 100 members who own 50,000 goods wagons. In 2007, they transported 361,000,000  t (355,298,556 long tons ; 397,934,383 short tons ) of goods. Other countries have similar organisations. Since 1922,

828-446: The international UIC classification system: Goods wagons for special purposes include: The UIC's instructions were sometimes interpreted differently by the various railway administrations, so that it could happen that almost identical wagons were grouped into different classes. In addition wagons had occasionally to be reclassified after slight modifications. For example, an E Class wagon can become an F Class simply through welding on

864-460: The maximum drawbar pull applied to the first car of the train to a safe level. The narrow gauge portions of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad , in particular, used "swing helpers", which meant the helper locomotives were placed mid-train at a point where they were pushing and pulling an approximately equal amount of tonnage, said location being referred to as the train's "swing point". This

900-620: The mutual use of each other's goods wagons. Around 1850, the Union of German Railway Administrations ( Verein Deutscher Eisenbahnverwaltungen ) drew up regulations for the standardisation of dimensions and fittings. The formation of the Prussian State Railway Union in 1881 encouraged the emergence of wagon classes built to standard norms . One further European milestone was the formation of

936-491: The public at the Usui Pass Railway Heritage Park on a short stretch of track electrified at 750 V DC (rather than the normal 1,500 V). EF63 11 and 12 are kept as operational spares. All other preserved examples are kept as static exhibits. Bank engine A bank engine (United Kingdom/Australia) (colloquially a banker ), banking engine , helper engine or pusher engine (North America)

972-583: The rails, and mechanical locking brakes. Small wheels attached to the centre bogie were used to measure the train speed and apply the brakes in the case of run-away. The class used the same 425 kW MT52 traction motors used on the EF62s and also the EF70s . The entire class was based at Yokokawa depot, and they were always used in pairs at the Yokokawa end of trains travelling in both directions, and were capable of operating in multiple with Class EF62 locomotives and

1008-430: The rear of the train, in which case they also protected against wagons or coaches breaking away from the train and running back downhill. Also, in a pusher role, it was possible for the helper/banker to easily separate once the train had crested the grade . Once separated, the banker would return to a siding or stub so as to clear the mainline and get ready for the next train. A common practice with knuckle couplers

1044-639: The so-called standard class ( Verbandsbauart ) and subsequent developments from them (the Austauschbauart class with interchangeable parts) dominated goods traffic in Germany up to the Second World War and had a significant impact in many other countries which acquired these wagons either through war reparations or simply because they were left behind by the Germans after the two world wars. From 1939, wagons were developed primarily from

1080-461: The train would experience a violent run-in (an abrupt bunching of train slack), resulting in the derailment of part or all of the train. The town of Helper, Utah , was named after these engines. It was where helper engines were kept to assist on the climb to Soldier Summit . Nowadays helpers/bankers are often controlled by coded radio signals from the locomotive at the head end of the train, allowing one engineer (driver) to simultaneously control

1116-409: The transportation of cargo . A variety of wagon types are in use to handle different types of goods, but all goods wagons in a regional network typically have standardized couplers and other fittings, such as hoses for air brakes , allowing different wagon types to be assembled into trains . For tracking and identification purposes, goods wagons are generally assigned a unique identifier , typically

JNR Class EF63 - Misplaced Pages Continue

1152-432: Was also done to balance out the "slack" in the train between the locomotives, the swing helpers, and the end train helpers just in front of the caboose. However, this arrangement requires splitting the train in order to add or remove the helper engine(s), which can be a time-consuming maneuver. However, on some American railroads it was necessary to an extent, because operating rules required end of train helpers to be added at

1188-406: Was required between engine crews to assure that all locomotives were operated in a consistent manner. Standard whistle signals were employed to tell the helper crew when to apply power, drift or brake . A misunderstanding of signals by a pusher locomotive crew could result in a major wreck if the lead locomotive applied brakes while the bank engine was still applying power. The usual result was that

1224-412: Was temporarily attached to the front of a train to assist with the ascent of an incline was called a pilot locomotive . This differentiated it from the train engine(s) that powered the train to its destination. A train with one or more locomotives attached to the front may be described as a " double header ", "triple header", etc., depending on the number of helpers/bankers even when this lash-up of power

1260-408: Was to remove the knuckle from the front coupler . The locomotive would be brought up behind the last car of the train while the train was moving slowly. The air brake hose would not be coupled. When the train no longer required assistance, the helper/pusher would slow, then reverse and coast back down the grade to its siding at the bottom of the grade. This practice was outlawed in North America after

1296-400: Was used for the entire run. These terms gradually fell out of general usage as diesel locomotives replaced steam power , and are not used for the common assemblage of several power units. In countries where buffers-and-chain couplers are used, bank engines often cannot be added to the front of the train due to the limited strength of the couplers; In the case of standard UIC couplers and

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