The cameraman/ narrator says he used to be a carman, and he knows the carman Kenny that is performing and supervising the rerailing operation - he seems to be pretty knowledgeable to me, although a little muffled at times.
Most of the video is of the ‘art’ of setting the wood blocks in the right places. Notable portions are:
Re-starting the locomotive’s shut-down engine at about 3:50 to 4:00;
Such acts of rerailing equipment are a normal part of everyday railroading. I have always found it amazing how some wooden blocks and wedges can be used to coax wheels back on the rail. Even more amazing is the control a engineer can use in moving rail equipment with 3000 & 4000 horsepower inches at a time.
While the video shows the entire event in a 9 minute span, in real time the event would have taken between 1 & 2 hours from the time the Car Department and crew arrived on the scene.
Interesting to me, especially…since that is one of the problems I have understanding how such a system allows 100 - 200 tons to be supported by such rail structure.
The contact, wheel to rail head, is angled and curved to the point it’s difficult for me to understand why such as in this video…why it doesn’t happen so much more often. Why the forces don’t push the gauge wide and drop the wheels on the ground. Especially, when one can see the spikes sticking up above the rail base…perhaps a half to an inch, etc…
This incident seemed the engine went on the ground at a location of straight rail too. I can understand this happening {quite often}, with questionable rail structure at curves and or switches.
Paul, thank you for posting that video. Sorry it took so long to thank you, I have been busy keeping up with all the weather related issues in this part of the world lately.
I have heard about how to do this forever it seems, but this is the first time I have ever seen it done.
The only thing that would scare me about being there, is the idea that a misaligned block of wood might spring out into the air at about Mach 2 or so. I don’t think you would have time to duck!
Gage rods are a broad hint that the ties no longer hold gage (or a spike)…probably on the industry side of the division of ownership. Single vs. double jaw gage rods add more to the equation.
SD40-2’s still turn better than anything GE makes and most current EMD products.
(there is probably a roadmaster cursing the mechnical bubbas just out of earshot, especially if there is a switch involved as dragging them up tends to tear up more track and the track forces don’t get to charge the mechanical guys for the damage beyond the initial derailment outcome they or the sideboom Cats case.)
When she was rather young a lady in the church I grew up in was playing on the tracks. A train came and she had to dive between the rails. She was not physically hurt but had serious mental problems. She married as an adult and had 3 good children. Her husband was an abusive alcoholic and they divorced. She carried around with her in her purse a newsclipping about her surviving a train going over her. The engine on the front of that train happens to be the C&NW 1385. She wished that engine did not exist. She would be in her 70s now. I have not had any contact with her in about 20 years. If you had a train go over you I would greatly suggest therapy any which way you can get it.