A CN train put a few on the ground and took out a
signal bridge between 16th St and 21st St. This is
a perfect example of a string-line derailment. Note
that all the cars pulled over are empties.
emptys derailing on a flat curve, most likeley because theer was a lot of loaded cars behind it
CN train 334 has a lot of empties with loads all over the place, can or should the railroads try to do this? CN train 331 is a rather small train in comparison (334 is usually 140 or more cars long where as 331 is usually 20 to 80 cars long) when 331 is short, a lot of the cars at the back tend to shake more violently going straight never mind on a curve; however when the same train going the same speed is longer, it doesn’t shake as much; why is that?
331 is made up of mostly covered hoppers, tankcars (65 foot LPG carring mostly and they are empty) and loaded frame cars (on the front).
334 is mostly made up with loaded cyclohexane tankers, loaded covered hoppers with J.H Huber clay, and loaded autos. Its empties (which is the bulk of the train) is steel coil loading covered gondolas, centerbeam flats, bulkhead flats, box cars of all sorts, covered hoppers and some tankers.
On the Grimsby Sub, there is a curve just before Clifton Wye onto the Stamford Sub with a high elevation that I would say is at least 5 stories high if not higher but the trains don’t shake too bad.
WHHHHOOOOOPPPPS A DOO!
neat picture, dg! I understand one of the tankers was syrup car? Loaded? But didn’t leak? I’ve had to deal with a breached tanker of corn syrup… talk about a sticky mess.
Not to mention it will attract too many bees and wasps.
Those FBCs (I shouldn’t call them Center-Beam cars, because that’s the trade name of one of several manufacturers) are the worst! Having no real center sill makes the center of gravity 'way too high on an empty car.
They scared me once, too. We had an incident in which we were trying to make a joint on the curve in our classification yard–a cut headed by a couple of these cars, against some free-standing cars that hadn’t rolled into the track. Bypassed drawbars, and the first FBC started to lean quickly. I grabbed the retarder to stop the cut, and fortunately the flats uprighted themselves on the rails (maybe it’s lucky they were empty–loaded cars would have turned the rail at the point of impact).
I’ve seen Center-Beams stenciled FBS and I think FMS.
FBC is the most recent and correct designation for the cars; some had been lettered FBS in the past, before FBC was adopted (if you look them up on UMLER or in an Equipment Register, they should show as FBCs regardless of what they’re stencilled).