Hunting with Locomotives

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

In the past here some of us have discussed the problem of an increasing count of hoofed critters!

You know Deer, Antelope, Moose and the occasional cow, or feral pig. Those numbers seem to becoming more problematic in many parts of this country (and, I imagine Canada, as well). Hitting one of these critters with a motor vehicle gets pretty dicey. Not to mention, in terms of damages to said vehicle and to those in that vehicle. Depending on the specific driver reactions:

a) simply running into said critter and the resulatant body damage ( depending on the size of the particular critter that wandered into the vehicle’s path.)

b) or driver reacts and drive out of road into something more solid, increasing chances of injury to those inside, as well as more damage to the vehicle.

Trains Newswire of 03/07/2011 had a piece on the problems that BNSF was having with indiginous critters in Montana:

“Harsh Montana winter results in frequent train-wildlife deaths”

FTA: “…the Associated Press has reported. Herds have been gathering on the track because trains keep the right-of-way relatively snow-free during a heavy-snow winter…”

And Further reports FTA"…“The numbers are getting close to 800 animals reported, and I’m sure there are a fair number of animals killed by trains that we don’t know about,” said Mark Sullivan, an official with Montana’s fish, wildlife, and parks department. He said a single train killed approximately 270 pronghorn antelope near Vandalia, Mont., recently…"

One Deer, or antelope or even a big moose would probably not slow down a locomotive, a speed. but I would vent

2

The president of one of the railroads in Maine - the Maine Central, if I recall correctly - had a pretty snappy retort when asked about that ‘back in the day’. Since I’m away from my references from back then, I’ll leave it up to Carl, Deggesty, or jeffhergert (maybe some others) to find that quote and post it in the meantime.

In Trains there was an article - the one below, I think - which included a few paragraphs about the “Manifold Chef” - the engineer who cooked entire meals for the crew and usual few passengers by using the hot manifold of the diesel engine. When asked by a passenger what kind of meat it was, the brakeman (?) usually replied: “Can’t say - the engineer said he came up on it too fast to tell !”

Tales of the Peoria Rocket
by Brunner, Edward J. Eidson, Stu
from Trains December 1981 p. 45
humor

3

I saw a picture of a horse that got hit by a locomotive at speed. There wasn’t much left but oats (it wasn’t a pretty picture - literally).

Lower speeds might reduce the damage, but lower speeds also allow the animals to get out of the way, or try.

4

As one old steam locomotive engineer - “Pappy” Moore by name, as I recall - described it to a jury:

“First I saw the bull coming through the oats - then I saw the oats coming through the bull !”

The book’s author then added a note to the effect that anyone who has been on a speeding train which struck a bull will understand exactly what Pappy meant !

Same source, I believe - again, the same folks here will have access to it.

  • Paul North.
5

At least it’s easy for the engineer to track the animals.

In the early 80’s I lived in Gillette, Wyoming. There was a particularly harsh winter one year. The trains were know to hit entire herds of antelope that were on the tracks

When I was a child, I lived in Alaska. The locomotives had snowplows on the front that everyone called moose-goosers. In the winter, moose have a bad habit of being on the railroads and on the highways. My father was part of a volunteer group that butchered fresh road killed moose to provide meat for the poor.

Moose is not good tasting. Neither is antelope.

6

Reminds me of the time i had a flock of geese fly into my truck while I was going down the road. Don’t ask me WTH they where doing flying at less than 10 feet. Well I got hit by 25 of them 15 did not make it I had 1 in the cab with me Dead of course came right thru the Windshield of the truck. Stopped ASAP when it was safe and called in. Got my Disptacher on the phone the first person that would pick up also because it was an animal strike I was in the clear. Went I was in an accident he goes any injuries I went Multiple Fatalities I went agian MULTIPLES. Next thing I heard was him scream get the Owner in here NOW get the Lawyer here also we have a major issue. I then went Do not worry I hit a flock of Geese. I then heard a THUD and then the other of the dispatchers grabbed the phone and went he fainted WTF happened.

I thold him I had a flock of geese fly into the truck 15 dead 10 injuried damage to the truck consists of a pair of Busted Windshields and I need a detail on the inside of the truck and a wash PO PLEASE. Police were like man this is a huge mess. Truck wash people Puked all over the place.

7

In winter heavy snows, since highways and RR ROWs are usually cleared of snow it is a very convenient place for wildlife to stand “out of the snow”. The animals will run from an approaching predator and the “best” direction to run is NOT out into the deep snow where it is difficult to escape from the predator, but to keep to the clear relative snow free road or ROW. Of course, a vehicle is not really a predator so the evolutionary survival-of-the-fittest “Best” strategy is not necessarily a true survival strategy. The animal does not know that simply stepping to the side will save it from being attacked.

8

What about an elephant,go to You Tube and see for yourself.

9

Them there durn critters luv to munch on the grain and other edibles that litter the ROW. Kinda like when the coyote leaves free bird seed on the highway for the roadrunner…

10

Several years ago, someone put some bags of sand in our baggage car, for eventual use in the locomotives. They sat there over the winter, got damp, and when I tried to move them while tidying up the car, they broke (of course).

I had some bird seed bags at the house (I feed black oil sunflower seed, and buy it 50 lbs at at time). So I brought them down and used them to put the loose sand in. Even stenciled “SAND” on the bags.

Nonetheless, a passenger asked one day if we had the bird seed so we could spread it on the ROW so the passengers could see birds…

11

DRGW (and later SP/UP) have problems with elk in Western Colorado (by the dozen in Glenwood Canyon)

12

50 years ago. Miles from nowhere.

An early GP lurching constantly. Racing the 10 MPH limit through tall brown weeds. A fireman perched on the locomotive’s front. Pump action 12 gauge in hand.

A pheasant bolts. The gun barks. The train brakes.

Do you pick up the pheasant up off the ground? The fireman up off the ground? Both?

13

I wonder if this is enough of a problem that the railroads would equip the locomotives with a large, economy-sized set of ‘Deer Whistles’ ?[:-^]

14

Ron Ziel in his 1960’s book Twilight of Steam Locomotives mentions a logging railroad out west - Klickitat Log & Lumber, as I recall - where the crew used to carry a hunting rifle on their Shay, which got good use during deer season . . . [swg]

  • Paul North.
15

Bigfoot. Nobody mentioned Bigfoot. Out there somewhere probably in northern California, Washington or Oregon is a train crew or two that have seen them. If you want to see one go on youtube and enter “new bigfoot trail cam video”. Only 9 seconds long but memorable.

If a little Dodge Colt can literally empty the latter end of the digestive system of a small deer a locomotive can surely destroy a bull weighing 2000 pounds.

16

Which reminds me of a story that happened about 40 years ago.

CP was still receiving new SD40-2’s, and there was a fairly new unit on the point of a WB between Bassano and Crowfoot, AB, on their way to Calgary. They hit a cow and the report apparently read: We hit the cow… it rose up in the air… and it just EXPLODED!

There was much consternation in the Alyth Diesel Shop later.

Bruce

EDIT: I had typed 30 years, but time flies when you are having fun.

17

Back well before Global II paved everything over, our hump was next to a grassy (sometimes marshy) area that was home to a great deal of wildlife. One of my fellow CROs unwittingly served as a gamesman when a free-rolling freight car neatly severed the head of a pheasant, right at the neck-ring. One of the hump conductors (there were two per shift back then) calmly walked down, inspected and bagged the kill, and later informed us that it had been very good eating!

No, thanks![xx(]

18

I’ve read - and you can just imagine this - when the same thing happened to a steam locomotive, and the remains were ‘well-baked’ onto the boiler and appliances by the time it got to the next roundhouse or other servicing point where it could be hosed off - meantime, the crew was essentially downwind of it all . . .[:-^]

  • Paul North.
19

Turtle soup, anyone? My mentor hogger was running one day and I’m just sure he took the head off one bc just as he was running south down through there, this BIG old turtle stuck his head up over the rail. I had to pretend we missed him! [:(][+o(]

20

I know what it smells like to hit a skunk in a truck. I would hate to imagine hitting one in a Locomotive let alone a passenger train. Can you imagine the compaints from the Passengers. [#oops][(-D]