If that is the book I am thinking of I have seen it, my High School library actually had it and I used to look through it periodically. Seen it other places too. Assuming it is the same book, the picture that always haunted me was the one of the F unit that hit a gas tanker, it stayed on but was completely burned and the crew unfortunately perished.
Seems like a good one for Smash Lab, although they’ve done the train thing before.
http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/smash-lab/smash-lab.html
Hey… what better to smash something with than a couple 200 ton freight locomotives with about 10,000 trailing tons, right?
I’d normally say that the smart money is on the train, but given the example, I don’t think there would be any winners here.
I recall a photo for an old (late 1970’s) TRAINS magazine issue with the caption “Geep Versus CAT” showing the aftermath of a local headed by an SP GP9 colliding with a Caterpillar Motor Scraper(earthmover with a single axle tractor linked by articulation to a scraper “pan”, in this case with a secondary diesel engine powering the rear axle, very big kitty). The text went on to state that it was a low speed accident (fortunately) and the Geep had only minor pilot damage while the Cat was driven away…
Lets not forget the one about the Amtrak turbo train hitting a car, having to be towed off, and the car drove away I believe. The good news, apparently nobody was seriously injured. The bad news, How Embarassing!
Well, both will lose. I refuse to contemplate the scenario as these mine hogs stay in sand boxes that are very large and usually off limits to everyone not involved with mine ops.
But thinking if such a scenario for a moment, both will lose and badly. If any hazmat is on that train, it’s going to basically trash the town and perhaps kill/hurt many people.
You need to realize that those mine trucks are so heavy and act like a large house when driven. Basically if you mash the boss’s pickup truck, you might feel a slight jar similar to the many that you felt all day up and down the haul road. The only clue something really happened is the irate boss coming up the ladder to skin you alive.
Ive been down around these things in my own 18 wheeler making deliveries. The tires alone are higher than my rig and they get the right of way every time. It’s that simple. If I thought I can get onto the haul road in front of one, Im going to pay with my life for that stupidity.
A car is a mouse to trucks. Trucks are a mouse to trains. And so trains are a no no to big haul trucks. It all works down to mass, weight, centres of gravity and velocity. Two things cannot occupy the same space at once. There is much energy released when they do try.
With a truk that size,the truck would be driven away,and the locomotive would be scrapped.
Game Over!
I respectfully disagree.
Well almost We carry these things on flat bed behind the engine they are just as wide and they are just as tall with wheels on they are not that much higher. and they are top heavy so when the engine would hit it then would toppel over and over and over. yes the engine would have damage also but not in the amount you are thinking. Ive meet these out on county roads crossing our main our speed is 50 mph dont care to hit one . makes a mess.
Now if that truck had a lift kit the train could go right under it and not hurt a thing.
…Wabash1:
Some of these monsters are much bigger…Require a half dozen RR cars to haul the “truck” in pieces. I’ve read of figures 36’ wide…!! Tires in the 12’ high range and so on…That will be a threat to any RR engine.
These off road trucks come in a whole range of sizes, some of which are carried on a flatcar, fully assembled. Those are at the tiny end of the size range. The Cat 797 shown in the first post is at the large end of the range.
47’-8" long
30’ wide
23’-9" tall
640 tons gross weight loaded
Powered by two V-12 diesel engines combined at 3,400 h.p.
But if they wanted to, and found a highway wide enough to fit, who’s going to stop them? Or do we have to change the thread title to “Bridge vs Truck”?
…And maybe “State Police” against truck, operator and owner.
Yes, trainfan1221, that is the book. The caption to the photo said that it was a UP passenger train that hit a tanker truck.
A horrible example of a train losing because someone was an idiot behind the wheel.
Definitely a haunting image. You are right about that and there are no winners in this case, just unwarranted loss of life.
Since some of you are seriously trying to analize this accident senario, I’ll put in my 2 cents.
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I don’t think 2 locomotives and 150 coal cars would do any move damage than 2 locomotives and 10 coal cars. It seems to me that only the first dozen cars would transfer energy to the collision point. At that point the train has buckled and car are going in all directions.
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The energy from a moving train would be located about 4 feet off the ground (I think). This accident senario might be like what happens when an automobile hits the broadside of a semi- trailer. The car goes thru and loses it top. The locomotive frame and trucks might pass thru leave the carbody on the side of the big dump truck. I’m sure the train would go under and the big dump truck up.
Care to contribute to this thread?
…NP Red:
Take another look at the chassis of one of the largest off road mining trucks. Material and mass is probably in the similar bracket of weight as is the RR engine.
How about running into one of these?
http://srforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/t/7334/0
If you scroll down, there are photographs of an incident where a D8 Cat got too close and went for a ride on the ferris wheel.
…Wild machinery…!
Years ago, movement of one of the mammoth drag line machines {used to uncover coal}, the “walking” version…was moved across a distance {straight across the land surface} to move it to another site back in my home area of Pennsylvania.
It required a land fill similar to the one in the photo in above post to cross the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Seems it was accomplished with out too much trouble. Don’t remember how long the movement and preparation took and how they detoured the traffic.