Train OOPS!

jinman · Feb 26, 2004

Daryl, that's a perfect explanation and makes perfect sense to me. I do think this old bridge in Livingston was getting "a little long in the tooth" and needed to be repaired. The one-time stress of a train braking, caused it to almost completely collapse. One thing for sure, it could have been a lot worse than it was. At least the train didn't get wet. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

tomnky · Feb 26, 2004

The weight of the cars is actually a lot more than 30,000 lb. and I agree about Him applying the brakes as you can sure not stop a train on a dime by any means.

I would doubt seriously if he was using "dynamic" braking.

5030 · Feb 26, 2004

Tomnky:

The article stated that the cars, with the exception of one, were empty, at least the ones on the bridge.

I have a acquaintance who is an engineer for Norfolk & Western. If an engineer applies the brakes on a bridge in any manner other than an emergency procedure, they can be fired.

Of course the media who wrote the article drew conclusions about the structural integrity of the bridge instead of the actual cause. I would be willing to bet the engineer lost his job if he didn't prove to the company it was an emergency. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Taylortractornut · Feb 26, 2004

My brother cleaned up a 12 car derailment with an excavator a few years ago it was loaded with rolls of paper lol they stopped before the 3 containers of new Fords got there. He wanted to swipe one real bad lol. Talk about clean up in a town i worked in they had a tractor trailer rig loaded with Budlight and Smirnoff Ice rolled ovver comming off a ramp and it had taffic bloed.The only tow available was too little and the cops had to baricade it. They were worried about moving it. We took a loader off the job and rolled it back over. The cops couldnt think of cleaning it up to reopen for traffic. In about 20 minutes there wsnt a full bottle to be found. Its amazing how fast alcohol evaporates.

tomnky · Feb 27, 2004

The engines have data recorders on them ,At least the newer ones do and I would say these in the pics do have them.
And yes you can put money on it that , There will for sure be an investigation with that kind of damage.

ScottAR · Feb 27, 2004

My buddy cleaned up an overturned ice cream truck once. 80,000 lbs. of ice cream, truck, and trailer. Took about 4-5 hrs loading into dumps. Said when he got there, the truck driver was eating ice cream and when he left the driver was still eating. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

jinman · Feb 27, 2004

( they had a tractor trailer rig loaded with Budlight and Smirnoff Ice )

When I was a kid, we lived near a railroad track, and the end of a boxcar full of wheat pulled out. They cleaned up the tracks, but still left a lot of wheat around. My dad made me take buckets down and pick up that wheat by hand. He had lived through the depression and just could not stand to see all that wheat go to waste on the tracks.

We didn't have any grain fields or anything to feed the wheat to, so after about 4 years, we threw it away when my dad was at work. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif He never mentioned it again. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Bird · Feb 27, 2004

Jim, sounds like my Dad (or maybe even me). /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Did you ever boil just plain wheat, then drain off the water, add sugar and milk (or cream) for a breakfast cereal? Or just get a mouthfull of raw (uncooked) wheat and chew on it; makes pretty chewing gum.

thcri · Feb 27, 2004

( When I was a kid, we lived near a railroad track, and the end of a boxcar full of wheat pulled out. They cleaned up the tracks, but still left a lot of wheat around. My dad made me take buckets down and pick up that wheat by hand. He had lived through the depression and just could not stand to see all that wheat go to waste on the tracks.

We didn't have any grain fields or anything to feed the wheat to, so after about 4 years, we threw it away when my dad was at work. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif He never mentioned it again. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif )

I swear my dad will pick up a bolt that is twisted, threads beat all too and keep it as he might need it some day. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Need it for what I would ask him. Well someday he may have time to clean it up and straighten it out, yeah right.

murph

NY_Yankees_Fan · Feb 27, 2004

I recall fighting a fire in a box car full of kitchen plastic wrap. They were welding on the front of the box car and the heat ignited a few boxes at the front of the car. Smokey fire but not much flame until we got real close to the boxes burning. We had to empty half of the car to get to the fire. We had a huge pile of boxes of plastic wrap sitting at the side of the tracks. One of the guys asked the supervisor from the rail line what they were going to do with all those boxes of kitchen wrap? He said why you want some?? Lets say they did not have to dispose of much after the fire. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif We all had a life time supply of kitchen wrap for the entire FD. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif