what happens when a gp9 hits one?
Pa-dum-dum
In one case I know of, the impact broke a fitting on the snowplow pilot. That allowed the pilot to sag into the rail, derailing the lead locomotive.
dd
I was on Amtrak - Chicago to Sparks Nevada when we ran over one. It rolled up between cars and parted the glad hands between cars and sent the train into emergency!
More often than not…the loco in question will get a thorough clean-up at the next service track by a crew of unlucky firemen & oilers (laborers) who just happen to be on duty when it rolls in. 
Sometimes though they will do a bit more damage than just the usual ‘Splat!’; sometimes the handrails will get twisted around and on one occasion a chunk of Bessie rolled underneath and knocked a gearcase cap off of the #1 tm.
…and then the section crew buries it, the claim agent and the brand inspector determine whose “prize cow” it was, is the claim legit?, how did it get where it should not have been, if there is a hole in the fence - harass the roadmaster, if the owner was at fault - call the local version of ASPCA animal fuzz, if the hogger turned in a report…
Ever seen what Amtrak does to a herd of 80 in one swipe at 90 mph? A few of us have. (and that one was the rancher’s fault!, no claim check on that one, just a bill for the cleanup![swg])
…damn! - can’t quit laughing at Mark’s response[(-D][(-D][(-D]
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From the modeling realm, back in the late 50’s American Flyer had an accessory called “cow on the track”. It consisted of a small platform which held a solenoid that drove an arm with a cow on it. When engaged, the cow would swing out over the track, which was wired so as to stop the train. Cute by kid’s standards, obviously very unrealistic in the full sized world.
I liked Mark’s answer, but how about### Burgers on the grill !!!
Hope this isn’t too off topic.
Some while ago when I was younger and innocent to the ways of the law as it regards livestock, my mom talked about how “Luella from across the road was all worked up because Bittner’s cows broke out and trampeled her garden.” I had asked with some bravado "Why didn’t she shoot the cows to protect her property? to which my mom replied, “you can’t do that, those are someone’s livestock and there are laws about that kind of thing.” But then my mom though a minute and said, “well, she could shoot the cow and when the sheriff’s deputy came she could say, ‘sorry officer, I didn’t know it was Bittner’s cow. It was dark out and I thought it was Bittner, and, well, I had to defend my honor!’”
I don’t know why a section crew would burry it. If it’s fresh killed beef it has value. Unless, of course, the train has ground it into hamburger.
It has a name, 4D meat. Which is for dead, dying, diseased or downed. It can’t be sold for human consumption because the bovine critter didn’t meet his/her Earthly Demise in a USDA approved slaughterhouse.
It can be, and is, used in dog food. There are companies that specialize in pickining up dead farm/ranch critters that met an untimely demise. No farmer or rancher is intentionally raising beef to go into a dog food can. But if he/she looses an animal, that’s where its preferrred destination is.
There’s nothing wrong with meat from a cow that was hit by a train, or by a truck, or by lightening, etc. It just can’t be sold for human consumption. So it goes into dog food.
Trust me, I know this one.
Are you seriouse? Lol, that would be cool to see! [:D][:D][:D] What happened… exactly?
Mark–
If you do anything like that again, you’ll give me a heart attack!![(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D][xx(]
Mudchicken, At least there are fences there. Here it is open range, if there is somewhere that you don’t want cows on your land it is your responsibility to fencte the property. THerefore making the rancher not liable for the damages that an accident with thier livestock causes ANDthey have to pay the rancher for the price of the cow what ever is determined which usually includes the amount of calves that the cow would have had.
See what happens when there is open access?
ed
Probably the worst part apart from having to clean the flesh and blood off all the under frames is the smell. Even a freshly killed cow will leave a horrible smell that lingers for days. The smell is mainly the partly digested stomach remains.
We’ve had a few recently at our depot and it does niff for a few days after.
I had one recently where there was a big lump of flesh on the front of the unit and the police took it away for DNA tests to see whether human or not - never heard the outcome, so presumably animal.
Luckily its not too common for this to happen as most of the surrounding farms etc are fenced. We mainly have to pull dead birds off the front couplings and underframes.
Might not be a nice topic but someone has to clean it up.
Not good whatever it is…
“Laidies and gentlemen, Tonights special in the diner is … whatever animal is now under the front of our locomotive”.[dinner]
Did anyone get to take home the rest to [dinner]?
mmm freshly cut chuck roast.
WHERE’S THE BEEF?
Ha ha hahhhhhh…
wait, is it a regulated or de regulated cow?
One cow (a moo nopoly), or a herd.
Does the cow have the chance to get run over by more than one railroad?
This could get udderly ridiculous…[:D]
Ed
Ed
I thought you worked weekends. (Give that man an early quit, and look what you get).
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Jay
An old engineer (from steam days) told me that a cow will most likely by knocked aside by the locomotive and a pig is almost certain a derailment ( heavy, low, and dense) but sheep are just baaaaahd!