# Ethanol Trains



## battalion51 (Dec 24, 2006)

I'm not sure if anyone here will know the answer to this, but I'll ask it anyway. After looking at photos like this one I've noticed that every ethanol unit train seems to have a boxcar (or some other car) on the head end right behind the Road Power and ahead of the first of the tank cars. Anyone know why this is?


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## Sam Damon (Dec 24, 2006)

I seem to recall reading somewhere that this configuration is required by FRA rules.

I could be wrong about who requires it, though. But I think I am correct in asserting the car placement is done that way on ethanol trains owing to safety considerations.


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## gswager (Dec 24, 2006)

It's for safety reason with the locomotives and its engineer/conductor/fireman, but I don't know exactly why.


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## battalion51 (Dec 24, 2006)

Based on that it would seem that if the cars some how got pushed into the Road Power (like in the case of a rear impact) that if the lead car were to rupture it wouldnt hit the engines right away causing issues there. If that's the actual reason who knows. It just drives me nuts because I hate when you get a unit train and theres one random car thrown in there, unit trains are great for photography purposes.


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## AmtrakWPK (Dec 24, 2006)

My guess would be to give any sparks coming from a loco's stacks time to get below flashpoint temperature before it could potentially land on an ethanol-filled car or a car filled with ethanol fumes, and explode it if it wasn't properly sealed, and if there is an incident where one of those cars was to spring a leak, you don't want it right next to a loco with high temperature exhaust or electrical sparks involved with the motors, relays, or whatever. But who knows. Maybe they don't want crewmembers mixing martinis. :lol:


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## Sam Damon (Dec 25, 2006)

I knew I saw a discussion of this somewhere:



> ... The car in front is a hazmat placarded tank car. One of the restrictions for these cars is that they can not be placed next to a shiftable load account of the obvious puncture hazard should the load shift as a result of severe slack action or a derailment. It is permissible to have the tank next to a loaded bulkhead flat as long as the shiftable load, in this case steel channels and I-beams, are not loaded above the bulkheads.


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## George Harris (Dec 26, 2006)

I can't quote it exactly, but generally a placarded car can not be placed next to an engine, occupied caboose, or other occupied car. There are also types of dfferently placearded cars that are not allowed to be placed next to each other. In addition. for some particular materials, there is a limit of the number of cars that can be placed together without a non-placarded car between them.

When BN was experimenting with LPG powered diesels a few years ago, I believe they had to have an FRA waiver to place the LPG tank car next to the engine. The crews were not happy about it either.

George


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