Those of you with inspection depths, can you tell me the average depths of your pits from the top of the rail?

Greg

Are you talking about the roundhouse inspection/work pits or the rolling car inspection pits (for checking brake rigging) in the yard?

At the Columbia Junction Roundhouse at the Connecticut Eastern RR Museum in Willimantic, Ct, our Roundhouse pits are roughly 3-3.5 feet deep (pit bottom is deeper at the turntable end for drainage. Keep in mind that this depth was for working on steam engines with large main drivers and not for diesels. Not sure what the depth would be for diesels and railbusses, but they are probably closer to 5 feet deep.

Regards,

Rich Cizik
MoW Foreman
Ct Eastern RR Museum
Willimantic, Ct 06226
www.cteastrrmuseum.org

My primary interest in in locomotive inspection and work pits, but I'd be interested in any pits and their uses.

Mr AREMA portfolio of plans seems to have standard designs for everything except for inspection pits.

.

Two pits at IRM. In the Electric car shop it is about 3.5 feet deep and requires no pump or sump. The drop pit for the steam locos must be over 12 feet deep (to hold the machinery) and must have power and an electric pump working at all times.

So my advice would be to build pits only in the desert.

Bob Kutella

I couldn't agree more with you Kelly. I have not yet settled on a depth for the shop in Bryson City, but it is going to be in the 4 1/2 foot range. The architects are still addressing water table info and such.

It is a lot easier to step up on a stool for some stuff that it is to duck walk all the time.

What is the depth of the pit at TVRM? That was pretty comfortable.

Ryan

Our diesel pit is 4 foot deep. Slight bending to get under motors. Wheeled mechanic's stool is perfect for motor bottoms, small 3 step ladder for the top's amd stand there for brake rigging. And if no one listens and drops the loco water in it when the sump's full you can throw a pallet in for a quick fix.
Don't forget mounted G.F.I. Bright lights and outlet's. Dark Sucks!

I firmly beleive my time spent in the net playing hockey has conditioned me to contort in all the positions necessary for working on steam. I am pretty adept at the duck walk. Our pits are shallow, Which suits my lack of vertical distance just fine it keeps me closer to the chooches.

Now once I get our McCabe figured out things will be just dandy

We have settled on 4ft inspection pits in the new building in Altoona.

Hi,

It would depend several signifigant factors. How much is the pit going to be used (every once in a while, every day...) , and how much do you like your volunteers.


Having worked as a volunteer at a museum and as current employee of a major transit authority, I would like to suggest that the height be sufficant enough to walk under the vehicle. Also have access to the out side of the trucks for mechanical work. The pit we have here, under the car is 6 feet, and there is a 18 " step up to access the either side of the trucks and other gear on the vehicle.

The pit should also have access to table jacks that can be used as needed.

There are a lot of things worse than bending over all day working under a vehicle, but if your designing a new pit, the better the acess, the more the volunteers might use it (and enjoy it).

One of the more interesting pits I have seen, was about 200 feet long ( X 16 tracks) and the pit was sloped. One end of the pit was 7 feet and the other was about 3 1/2 feet. You could put the vehicle were you wanted !!

Karl J.

Karl,

We are in the early stages of designing the details for a new shop facility. Do you have further details (photos? general outline sketch, etc.) of the 6 ft pit you discuss in your recent post on RyPN?

Thanks.

Wesley

It always seems that the locomotive that needs work on underneath is on the one track with no pit. The most important part of a pit is that it has good drainage. It's a pit, not a pond. Also, falling objects will always find their way to the deepest part of the pit.
Did someone mention a flanger?

RMNE is in the final stages of our new shop construction-- this is a two-track building with an inspection pit on one track. I'd post some photos if I could figure out how. The details of the pit are 65 feet long, with a 40-ft long "wide section" on steel supports. The depth of the between-the-rails section, the full-length of the 65 ft, is 4 ft. 6 in. to top of rail. The elevated section is 11 ft wide and about 3 1/2 ft. deep outside of the rails. Pictures would help explain this a bit better.

All the rail in the shop will be 131 lb; the pit area will have welded rail to eliminate any joints. A total of 530 ft. of welded 131 will be used in the shop, with jointed 131 to fill out the balance of the two tracks. The building is 65 x 180 x 20 at eaves. The elevated pit supports were copied from Amtrak's Renssalear shop.

Send me your e-mail and I can send you some digi-photos. There will be an article submitted to RyPN when the first loco is rolled inside!!

I think I still have knots on my head from years ago. Our pit at the Museum of Transport wasn't deep enough for me at 6'3" and I've been in shallower roundhouse pits. I think it was worse wearing a hard hat as you tend to forget that your head sticks up further with it on. Worst shot I ever took wearing one was hitting the top of a caboose doorway.