I’ve got some pics of a UP unit coal train in Sharon Springs, KS that had a hot box and stopped on a wooden trestle bridge (creosote treated wood + molten metal = big fire), but nowhere to post them. If you’re interested in seeing them, email me. I was thinking about webshots, but if anyone knows an easier way, let me know. Here’s my email. mistercivil@hotmail.com
Your kidding me – coal burns. Guess someone forgot to tell that to the engineer. And stopping on a bridge, whatever was HE thinking. Never mind, he obvisiouly wasn’t.
Go ahead and send them to me.
Thanks.
I read somewhere that back in the days of torpedoes and fusees, use of either on a bridge was severely restricted, and if in use, required someone watching carefully. I wonder why? grinning
~Ra’akone
I got the pics. These are UNBELIEVABLE.
All I can say is WOW! and How? and Why?
I forwarded them to some people so they can see them too.
Well, one thing they taught us in school is that when you see smoke coming from your train you stop. These guys saw smoke and stopped. They just happened to stop on a bridge. Unfortunately the bridge WAS made of wood and treated with creosote, which burns if you look at it wrong. On a side note, the Kettle Valley Railway (very nice tourist train), up in BC, lost a bunch of wooden trestle bridges to the big forest fire this summer. Because of the cost, they probably won’t be replaced, which probably means the end for Kettle Valley RR. Very sad. Anyway, back to the coal train, for those of you who may not know, a hot box is industry jargon for an overheated wheel bearing. This one had overheated to the extent that it melted off, dropping the truck frame onto the track and throwing off sparks and molten metal which ignited the creosote in the wood on the bridge. Apparently the head end was on solid ground and the crew made it off safely so the only casualties were the bridge and the train.
I bet this is one set of railfan pictures UP wished had not been shot. [}:)] [:p]
Dont know all the circumstances, but Arrons correct, the GCOR says if you see smoke, stop and go looking.
Bet the rear was around a curve, and the conductor couldnt see where the rear end was sitting, until it was too late.
Still a awesome sight, bet the crew was glad they had job insurance!
Stay Frosty,
Ed
Probably walked across that bridge a couple of times in the past two years. UP wanted to replace that structure with a concrete pre-cast structure, but not quite that way!
Mudchicken
Not when it cost 'em some eighty odd fully loaded coal cars.
I bet the new bridge isn’t wood. hhaaaaa[}:)] [:p] [;)]
That coal doesn’t burn very good. I know a yardmaster that bought some Western coal from an overturned car and sold it to people around town. He had to lay low for a long time because the stuff wouldn’t burn. People got pretty angry when they had to shovel the coal back out of their coal bin. Power plants grind it into dust and blow it into the furnace.
Aaron [:)]
I had heard about the Kettle Valley Railway’s bridges. Mitchell, or one of my other Canadian friends had told me about them. That is to sad. What a shame. Here in the states many of the forest fires are started by people. Many of these are started accidentally but some are intentionally set. How sad it is when only one person can effect the lives of so many other people. It just isn’t right. I don’t remember the cause of the Kettle Valley fires. But either way if the railway shuts down people will lose their jobs and that is a shame. Then there could be a domino effect after that. Things seem to just keep getting worse.
Jim sent me the pictures of this. Wow, that’s something!
Actually the Kettle Valley Ry. bridges weren’t being used to carry trains. The old original Kettle Valley line was a walking and biking path and the birdges were used by tourists. The railroad was torn out in the early 70’s. Even so, the KVR trestles were a major tourist attraction and brought in a lot of money for the local economy. A lot of businesses are suffering becuase of this. There is the Kettle Valley Railway tourist line, which runs near Summerland, B.C. and operates a Shay, but it doesn’t use any of the trestles that burned (I’m not sure if there even are any bridges on that line). I’ve been to B.C. a few times, but haven’t had the chance to ride it because they have odd operating days and it hasn’t worked out for our trips.
The cause of the B.C. fires was determined to have been from a cigarette from a firefighter who was working there during the dry season. He didn’t do it on purpose, but it still is pretty bad that such destruction occured just because somebody had to have a smoke.
If the train goes in emergency, you don’t get a choice where you stop.
According to what I heard the train hadn’t actually gone into emergency.
Thanks for correcting me. It’s good to have the facts straight.
Just one worth mentioning, the Trout Creek Canyon Bridge, but they wouldn’t dare run across it now (the train actually stops and reverses at the approach). It’s the highest bridge on the entire line and was the longest span of its type when installed. However, it hasn’t seen any maintenance in over 30 years. Still looks impressive though.
I live in Kelowna, just across the lake from Summerland, and have walked and biked the Okanagan portion of the line hundreds of times. So have thousands of others. Thousands, BTW, who graciously donated enough money (collectively) to have all of the damaged or destroyed trestles re-built according to their original blueprints. Which is really good for me, since I won’t have to change the models now!
SRT.
Image Shack hosts pix. [:o)][:)]
[quote]
Originally posted by mistercivil
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Awhile back the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin got a free load of coal from the CNW. The car was bad-ordered, and needed to be emptied before it could be repaired. It was near Mid-Continent, so they unloaded the coal there only to find the same thing…Powder River Coal burns really awfully.
Power plants can adjust their systems to accomodate it since the stuff is so insanely cheap. For everyone else, though, its almost useless.
Chris, that was one story about Mid Continent that I had not heard. Thanks for passing it along.
Noah