For you railroaders

[waksupi]

Take a look at this series of pictures. One hell of a mess.

http://www.rockinghamremembered.com/CoalTrain.html

[Buckshot]

..............One thing about train wrecks, they're usually pretty messy! Many years ago a freight train ran away coming out of Cajon Pass down into San Bernardino Valley. About 4,000 tons worth. The track is a mostly straight shot downhill once out of the canyon until a few miles before the Santa Fe yards. The curve isn't too abrupt but it was more then a train going that speed could negotiate.

Yup, it was a mess and no doubt about it. About 7 years ago in San Timoteo canyon some track on an embankment gave way after the majority of the train had passed. It was on a curve with the cars going down on the inside. When they rolled off they naturally took a bunch more with them. The very next year 4 locomotives lost their brakes or something.

San Timoteo runs basicly east-west. The smaller canyon we lived in runs north-south. The SP tracks run through San Tim and maybe 200 yards north of where our canyon joins San Tim the tracks are in the midst of an S curve. Also there is a steel trestle where it crosses the wash coming out of our canyon.

One locomotive jumped the tracks just before the trestle and went like an arrow through the air and hit the opposite bank of the wash and plowed it's entire length into the field. The short hood was at ground level with the cab windows right there, and the long hood maybe 4' above ground. Looked like someone had dug a long trench and set the unit down in it.

The 2nd unit didn't make it all the way across the wash but buried it's nose in the far bank and was lying catywumpus across the wash. The other 2 units were jackknifed across both sets of tracks. The SP had to actually build roads down into San Timoteo creek to get equipment in. They had to take the units apart to get them out.

Naturally went we'd ride in the canyon we'd ride down, cross the road and follow the wash down then go over the tracks and down into San Tim. I swear they had the whole area torn up for several weeks and we had to ride way around. The first locomotive that was half buried they left for several months but had a rent a cop camped out there to watch it.

At first he tried to give us **** about riding past but after a few times of us not paying any attention he gave it up as a bad job and began to wave. We'd wave back!

................Buckshot

[shooter575]

Took a while to put out that fire! I counted about 7 car on the trestle@ say 70 tons each. That is a bunch of coal. Was probly that good low sulfur western stuff too.

[DOUBLEJK]

Them loaded BN coal cars are weighin' 254,400lb. to 254,600lb. each....at least the ones they bring to my werk place do....purty big fire in a nasty place ta fight it fer sure....100 tons a coal per car n a empty weight on those steel cars of 54,400 to 54,600...

[waksupi]

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