Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Switcher shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Switcher offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Switcher at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Switcher? Wrong! If the Switcher is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Switcher then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Switcher? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Switcher and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Switcher wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Switcher then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Switcher site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Switcher, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Switcher, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
and slug (railroad) in switching service.A
switcher or
shunter (Great Britain:
shunter; USA:
switcher (or
switch engine), except
Pennsylvania Railroad:
shifter) is a small Rail transport
locomotive intended not for moving trains over long distances but rather for assembling trains ready for a road locomotive to take over, disassembling a train that has been brought in, and generally moving railroad cars around - a process usually known as
Shunt (railway operations). They do this in classification yards. Switchers may also make short transfer runs and even be the only motive power on branch lines.
.
Tem 346
.
The typical switcher is optimised for its job, being relatively low-powered but with a high starting tractive effort for getting heavy cars rolling quickly. Switchers are geared to produce high
torque but are restricted to low top speeds and have small diameter driving wheels . steam locomotive switchers are either tank locomotives or have special (smaller)
tender (locomotive)s, with narrow coal bunkers and/or sloped tender decks to increase rearward visibility. Headlights, where carried, were mounted on both ends.
diesel locomotive switchers tend to have a high cab and often lower and/or narrower hood (vehicle)s (bonnets) containing the diesel engines, for all round visibility. slug (railroad) are often used because they allow even greater tractive effort to be applied. Nearly all slugs used for switching are of the low hood, cabless variety. Good visibility in both directions is critical, because a switcher may be running in either direction; turning the locomotive is time-consuming. Some earlier diesel switchers used
cow-calf configurations of two powered units in order to provide greater power. Now, the vast majority of switchers are diesels, but countries with near-total electrification, like Switzerland, use electric locomotive switchers. Small industrial shunters have sometimes been
fireless locomotives and a few of these are still at work in
Germany.
Switching is hard work, and heavily used switch engines wear out quickly from the abuse of constant hard contacts with cars and frequent starting and stopping.
British and
European locomotives of this type tend to be much smaller than the common size in the United States. Current British shunters are British Rail Class 08 and
British Rail Class 09.
Station pilot
A
station pilot is a shunting engine based at a major passenger station, used for moving trains or carriages between platforms, assembling trains, and other passenger train shunting tasks. It is a predominantly British term.
Station pilots are no longer used in the UK as the majority of passenger trains are formed with multiple units; the few locomotive-hauled passenger trains are shunted by the train engine rather than a dedicated station pilot.
See also
and slug (railroad) in switching service.A
switcher or
shunter (
Great Britain:
shunter; USA:
switcher (or
switch engine), except Pennsylvania Railroad:
shifter) is a small
Rail transport locomotive intended not for moving trains over long distances but rather for assembling trains ready for a road locomotive to take over, disassembling a train that has been brought in, and generally moving railroad cars around - a process usually known as
Shunt (railway operations). They do this in classification yards. Switchers may also make short transfer runs and even be the only motive power on branch lines.
.
Tem 346
.
The typical switcher is optimised for its job, being relatively low-powered but with a high starting tractive effort for getting heavy cars rolling quickly. Switchers are geared to produce high torque but are restricted to low top speeds and have small diameter driving wheels .
steam locomotive switchers are either tank locomotives or have special (smaller) tender (locomotive)s, with narrow
coal bunkers and/or sloped tender decks to increase rearward visibility. Headlights, where carried, were mounted on both ends. diesel locomotive switchers tend to have a high cab and often lower and/or narrower hood (vehicle)s (bonnets) containing the diesel engines, for all round visibility.
slug (railroad) are often used because they allow even greater tractive effort to be applied. Nearly all slugs used for switching are of the low hood, cabless variety. Good visibility in both directions is critical, because a switcher may be running in either direction; turning the locomotive is time-consuming. Some earlier diesel switchers used cow-calf configurations of two powered units in order to provide greater power. Now, the vast majority of switchers are diesels, but countries with near-total electrification, like Switzerland, use
electric locomotive switchers. Small industrial shunters have sometimes been
fireless locomotives and a few of these are still at work in
Germany.
Switching is hard work, and heavily used switch engines wear out quickly from the abuse of constant hard contacts with cars and frequent starting and stopping.
British and European locomotives of this type tend to be much smaller than the common size in the United States. Current British shunters are
British Rail Class 08 and British Rail Class 09.
Station pilot
A
station pilot is a shunting engine based at a major passenger station, used for moving trains or carriages between platforms, assembling trains, and other passenger train shunting tasks. It is a predominantly British term.
Station pilots are no longer used in the UK as the majority of passenger trains are formed with multiple units; the few locomotive-hauled passenger trains are shunted by the train engine rather than a dedicated station pilot.
See also
- Road-switcher
- Rail car mover - some of which resemble HiRail trucks
- Road-rail vehicle
- Unimog
