Is it hard for trains to brake when it’s raining? I figure if a train is going 40 miles an hour and the conductor hits the brakes, the metal on metal would make the train slid for a while…
Yes, you need more stopping distance if the rails are wet. Here’s an earlier thread on the subject.
If no one has yet written it, this should be a country song.
Wasn’t it already done by Boney M?
Train brakes in the rain!
La lala la la!
I hear train brakes in the rain…
Laaa la la la la la…
One of us is thinking of Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.
Rear view mirror reflection
Intestate in every direction
Train brakes in the rain
Worth noting that the conductor doesn’t apply the brakes. He normally doesn’t touch any train controls (except to open the doors).
For some reason, I’m reminded of this tragic story.
That’s what Uncle Casey was doing. Writing a song.
The earth-stopping screetch of said brakes *reminds *me of country music…
So what happens when the train is about to arrive at a station?
That’s what the driver is for.
He doesn’t brake before arriving at the station?
It’s not the “conductors” job to run the choo choo. It’s the job of the “locomotive engineer” to drive the train. The locomotive engineer would control the throttle, apply the brakes, add sand to the rails, etc.
The engineer (the driver if in UK) does all the braking. The conductor has charge of the train, with the engineer as his chauffeur. The conductor of a passenger train has responsibilities regarding hospitality, ticketing, timekeeping, and paperwork, and spends most of his time in the lounge car. The conductor of a freight train calls the signals to the engineer, probably works the radio, and does paperwork.
You might all be amused to learn that wet leaves on the tracks cause problems with braking and acceleration. It’s called slippery rail and my commute is delayed by it many times every fall.
Maybe others aren’t amused by slippery rail, but it sometimes makes me giggle when the conductor (and automated voices) announce delays due to slippery rail. That’s no mean feat at 7:30am.