RailRoad Flashcards
Updates will be made to this manual every _________ years
3
It should be remembered that unlike the National Highway System, the Nations rail network is _____________ property.
private
Emergency Response personnel become invited guests of the Railroad, and may ___________________be asked to leave at any time after that point. This represents a change in Fire and Rescue operational standards, since Emergency responders do not automatically retain control of the scene once the event has been stabilized
legally
Station construction types range from ___________________ to_____________ frame structures with canopies.
masonry to wood
Some stations are only __________________ and are not considered to be a structure.
steel canopy
train stations have become targets for a terrorist attack as these structures are assembly areas for commuters. Terrorists tend to select these locations to produce _____________________________.
the greatest harmful effect
_________________ facilities located near the railroad tracks may be used as triage and equipment staging areas.
Rail station parking
___________________ Corporation owns and operates rail lines in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Some of these train tracks may be referred to in old maps as ______, ________, or __________ Railroad who are all predecessor railroads
CSX
Conrail, Chessie or B&O
There are _____________ major CSX rail lines in Maryland that span the National Capital Region
3
Names of the major CSX Rail lines
Metropolitan Subdivision (Mainline)
Capital Subdivision
Old Main Line
__________ Line by MARC, This rail line facilitates the movement of Amtrak’s high- speed trains and offers intercity passenger rail service along the east coast.
Penn
_________________ is defined as the section of property between tunnel walls, fence lines and bridges in which the railroad utilizes for the movement of commerce and people which generally consist of approximately _________ feet outward measured from the center of the outward most tracks
roadway
50
trains can operate on any _________________, ________________, ________________
track, in any direction, at any time.
Markers, called ________________, are spaced at _____________ intervals along the roadway and indicate the distance from a selected starting point. In the NCR many are missing.
mileposts
1 mile
Mileposts may be constructed with either a square or round metal sign attached to a pole or a concrete obelisk, shaped like a miniature ______________________ Milepost distances are also stenciled on bridges and other railroad structures. AT&T Telephone cable signs are posted at regular intervals along Amtrak’s roadway. At the bottom of AT&T signs are other milepost markings. These markings are not official railroad measurements, but they are close enough to be used in an emergency.
Washington Monument.
AT&T and MCI cable identification signs that are posted along the roadway of major CSX sections of track _______________ have correct milepost distances on them and are of little or no value.
DO NOT
crossovers provide a means to move a train from one track to another. Some switches operate remotely by railroad controllers as far away as __________________
Jacksonville, Florida.
Switches may also have heaters attached to them to maintain their operability in the freezing rain and snow conditions. Portable heaters are powered by kerosene. Permanent heaters utilize electricity, natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). A __________ gallon LPG tank supplies each LPG switch heater. Some sections of track with many switches may have up to ____ __________-gallon LPG tanks. Totaling ________ gallons
1000
6
1000
6000
The natural gas, LPG, kerosene heaters have small flames that impinge on rails. These open flames can be mistaken for _____________ fires.
hostile
Railroad electric signal wires extend under or above the ground and are energized up to _______________volts
6,900
Highway flares are called fusees in the railroad industry. Fusees can be ____________________________ or ______________ to signal trains.
waved horizontally or laid by the tracks
Amtrak’s electrified territory utilizes overhead catenary lines that carry __________________ volts of AC electrical power to propel trains. THE CURRENT IN THESE LINES CAN ARC UP TO _____ FEET, WHICH WILL ELECTROCUTE ANYONE WITHIN ________ FEET OF CATENARY LINES.
12000
3
3
typical catenary system lines carry approximately _______________ to _____________ volts above the track bed.
11,000 to 138,000
Transmission lines carry ________ volts
138,000 (25hz)
Trolley wire carries _______ volts
11,000 (25hz)
Power lines carry ________ to ________ volts
33,000
230,000
transmission lines are energized at 138,000 volts and objects must not be allowed within ____________ feet of these lines.
eight
signal power lines, which are usually found below the transmission lines are energized at 6,900 volts and objects must not be allowed within _________ feet of these lines
three
Amtrak Impedance Bonds are situated _____________________. Note the small wires protruding from the side of the casing. These wires may be energized even if the
local catenary power is removed.
between the tracks
In the absence of Class-A electricians, the catenary system can be shut down and grounded by foremen and Class B employees in two sections of the Ivy City Yard in the District of Columbia. In this exception, the catenary systems at the Motor Pit area near the Annex Building, and tracks ______ and ______in the Service and Inspection (S&I) Building, can also be de-energized and grounded by on-site foremen and Class B employees.
7
8
Stay _______ feet away from all catenary wires until power off
15
_______________ any type of extinguisher, including Class C extinguishers, on any energized catenary equipment. Rescuers must de-energize and ground the catenary wires first.
Do NOT use
Before entering a rail yard, responders must contact ____________________________ or ________________ to stop train movement.
the Yard Master or terminal superintendent
First Street Tunnel Entrance and egress can only be made from a ___________________at each end of the tunnel.
portal (opening)
In the District of Columbia there are two significantly long tunnels that extend for approximately __________.
a mile
Tunnel fires present challenges such as (7)
access, Smoke obscuration, darkness, limited work space, communication problems, hazardous materials and water supply issues
Rescue workers without self contained breathing apparatus can possibly find refuge by ___________________________________________________________________ but safety at that location is NOT guaranteed
lying in the corner where the wall and floor come together
Railroad bridges in the Metropolitan Washington Area are made of :
steel, masonry and wood
In some isolated areas, access to the incident is best reached by :
four-wheel drive vehicles or specialty vehicles
A majority of the railroad incidents occur at :
switches, curves, bridges and grade crossings.
moving trains kill more than _______trespassers a year on railroad roadways and property.
500
two types of locomotives used by the railroad industry for regular service are classified as either :
electric locomotives or diesel-electric locomotives
A typical electric locomotive utilizes a pantograph to collect the ______________ volts,
12,000
transformer inside the electric locomotive produces _______ volts of direct current (DC) at 800 amps, with a total potential capacity of 2,500,000 Watts of power.
600
firefighters must always maintain a 15- foot clearance from all locomotive ______________________ equipment
rooftop
_____________ locomotives are not used with freight trains.
Electric
ACS-64 bi-directional locomotive is used with conventional passenger cars and travels up to 125 mph and are numbered ______________________
600 to 670
3000 series train sets can travel up to 150 mph but will travel at ______ mph in the Washington Metropolitan Area.
135
Diesel-electric locomotive fuel tanks range in size from ______________ to ___________ gallons. A typical locomotive weighs more than ________ tons.
800 to 5000
150
480-volt Alternating Current _______________________ delivers electrical energy needed to run electrical components of passenger cars. This includes heating, air conditioning, lighting and other power needs of passenger cars
head-end power (HEP
___________trains do not have head-end power
Freight
Freight locomotives, at a minimum, will have ___________________________. The freight train will likely also have a conductor in the lead locomotive as well totaling
an engineer in the lead locomotive
2 people
Employees may be present in t:
the forward nose, engine room (diesel-electric) and in trailing locomotives
Train locomotives are outfitted with a variety of fire safety equipment. All locomotives have at least :
one fire extinguisher, a small first aid kit and fusees (Flares)
Amtrak’s High-Speed locomotives and power cars have a dry-chemical extinguishing system in the __________________. VRE locomotives feature two fire extinguishers; one in the operators’ cab, the other in the engine room.
electrical cabinets
The Amtrak High-Speed locomotives and power cars also have a ________ sprinkler system. The sprinkler heads are on the ___________ of the machine room. The sprinkler system is supplied by a single 2 ½ inch National Standard Thread (NST) female connection. There is one fire department connection installed on ____________ of the locomotive or power car
dry pipe
sidewalls
each side (totaling 2)
There are _______ emergency shut-offs on electric locomotives.
no
To lower the pantograph, responders must find the Pantograph-Down switch located on ______________________________ in the operator’s cab. Once this switch is moved to the “down” position, all the pantographs on that engine only will be removed from contact with the catenary wires. Amtrak employees can only perform total removal of the electrical power from the catenary wires
the right-hand side of the dashboard
MARC “cab cars” (the first car of a train when the train is in the push mode) will also have a toggle switch that is located in the overhead console of the cab car that will either lower the pantograph of an electrical locomotive or cut off the fuel to a diesel locomotive that will be located at rear of the train. This switch is a ____________________ of power cut off.
secondary means
All diesel-electric locomotives are equipped with ________ clearly marked emergency fuel shut-offs. The first shut-off is generally located on the rear wall approximately in the middle of the locomotive cab remaining accessible fuel shut-offs are installed on the exterior; one on each side approximately mid point of the locomotive
3
fuel shut-offs on newer locomotives have red push buttons and the older yard locomotives have ____________
pull rings
When fuel shut-offs are activated they may take anywhere from several seconds to a minute to shut down the locomotive. Press and hold for ________ seconds.
10
Battery cut-offs are usually well marked _________________ or ____________ style switches. Handling the _______ switch should be avoided unless critically necessary
knife or rotary
knife
Locomotive entry doors are ________________________. Most are not locked during train operations. They are the preferred method of entering the locomotive
manually opened hinged doors
Locomotive windshields are made of _____________.
safety glass
Side-door windows and sliding side windows are made of either
polycarbonate material or safety glass
To remove locomotive windows from the outside:
1. If a windshield cage is installed, remove slotted bolts that secure it and remove the cage.
2. Grasp the split end of rubber molding and completely remove the molding.
3. Insert _______________________________________________________________________________________
a pry bar between the window and the frame and pry out the pane.
emergency hatch in the roof is intended to be used when the locomotive ________________
The hatch can be opened by breaking the small, round cover over the handle, then turning the handle.
has rolled over.
The Acela train-set power cars also have a “soft spot” over the ________________ room that can be cut with a circular rescue saw.
equipment
_______________ is a railroad term that means a fire within the exhaust of a diesel-electric locomotive and is usually caused by the buildup of a carbon or faulty turbocharger.
A stack fire
The dry chemical agent of a _______________________________ can be used on hard to reach areas of the machine and engine rooms. The use of foam on diesel-electric locomotives, particularly where burning fuel is present, is highly recommended.
Twinned Agent Unit
Shut off __________at an emergency shut off to stop the stack fire. If the stack fire continues to burn, cool the exterior of the exhaust manifold in the ceiling of the locomotive
the fuel
Both the Amtrak ACS-64 locomotives and the Acela power cars are equipped with dry chemical fire extinguishing systems in the _______________________ of their _____________________ rooms. Both are also equipped with a dry-pipe sprinkler system. The sprinkler heads are located along the walls of the equipment room. A single 2 ½ inch National Standard Thread female connection is located on each side of the locomotive. On the train-set power car, the connection is located __________________________________________ Before charging the sprinkler system, the pantographs on the locomotive must be down or the catenary power must be shut down and grounded.
electrical cabinets
equipment
behind a cabinet door, in front of the rear wheels.
The ______________________ is the person in charge and has the overall responsibility of the train and the onboard personnel and communicates with those crew members by a portable radio.
conductor
Passenger trains can reach speeds of 110 mph in the District of Columbia, 135 mph in Maryland and 79 mph in Virginia. VRE trains are currently governed to _______ miles per hour
72
MARC Commuter
Most trains usually consist of a locomotive, _____________ trailer cars and a cab car totaling ___ cars
2 to 6
8
Each car typically has sitting capacity for approximately ________ passengers however this number will be doubled with standees during rush hour totaling ____ passengers
100
1200
