janice6 Posted September 4, 2020 Share Posted September 4, 2020 41 minutes ago, kerbie18 said: What was the purpose of the giant bird house on the left? Some sort of office I would assume? If you're serious, it was for the "Switchman". He made sure the "track switches" were set properly. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerbie18 Posted September 4, 2020 Share Posted September 4, 2020 3 minutes ago, janice6 said: If you're serious, it was for the "Switchman". He made sure the "track switches" were set properly. Yep, I was serious. I wasn't sure what that building was for. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deputy tom Posted September 4, 2020 Share Posted September 4, 2020 27 minutes ago, janice6 said: If you're serious, it was for the "Switchman". He made sure the "track switches" were set properly. Yep. There's one of those about a block away from the Carnegie PA Municipal Bldg. Many of my family members traveled thru Carnegie working the rails.I missed out on becoming a Railroader. tom. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janice6 Posted September 4, 2020 Share Posted September 4, 2020 2 minutes ago, deputy tom said: Yep. There's one of those about a block away from the Carnegie PA Municipal Bldg. Many of my family members traveled thru Carnegie working the rails.I missed out on becoming a Railroader. tom. Those were very common in my early days. All the kids knew what they were for. They also kept the "kids" off the switchyard tracks. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deputy tom Posted September 4, 2020 Share Posted September 4, 2020 As an aside, my wife's grand father was a railroader and was struck and killed by a train while working. tom. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted September 5, 2020 Author Administrators Share Posted September 5, 2020 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
railfancwb Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 30 minutes ago, Eric said: Interesting... one spare tire/wheel and it won’t do on rails. It does look a bit like rubber tires running on the rails backed by steel flange plates for alignment. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted September 5, 2020 Author Administrators Share Posted September 5, 2020 10 hours ago, deputy tom said: As an aside, my wife's grand father was a railroader and was struck and killed by a train while working. tom. I had an automotive paint shop for a little while in the early nineties, in Grants, NM. I had a friend that was walking along those train tracks that parallel I-40 across the western states, a few miles west of Grants, when he was killed by a train. It was night and he was walking along the tracks about twenty feet away from them, when some sort of boom attached to a flatbed trailer became unsecured, swung out and struck him in the neck. His body was found the next morning. His head was found later that day, having been knocked over a hundred-and-fifty feet out into the desert scrub. The trains always really hauled ass through there. Hell of a shame. He was a good guy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deputy tom Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 7 hours ago, Eric said: I had an automotive paint shop for a little while in the early nineties, in Grants, NM. I had a friend that was walking along those train tracks that parallel I-40 across the western states, a few miles west of Grants, when he was killed by a train. It was night and he was walking along the tracks about twenty feet away from them, when some sort of boom attached to a flatbed trailer became unsecured, swung out and struck him in the neck. His body was found the next morning. His head was found later that day, having been knocked over a hundred-and-fifty feet out into the desert scrub. The trains always really hauled ass through there. Hell of a shame. He was a good guy. Sorry to hear that, Eric. tom. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted September 5, 2020 Author Administrators Share Posted September 5, 2020 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampfox762 Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 ????? 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted September 7, 2020 Author Administrators Share Posted September 7, 2020 45 minutes ago, Swampfox762 said: ????? When a train loses traction, a steel wheel spinning rapidly on the rail generates a lot of friction. The amount of heat generated, coupled with the weight on the wheel, can heat the rail enough to deform it like taffy. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted September 7, 2020 Author Administrators Share Posted September 7, 2020 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted September 7, 2020 Author Administrators Share Posted September 7, 2020 Gettysburg, 1862. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted September 7, 2020 Author Administrators Share Posted September 7, 2020 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted September 7, 2020 Author Administrators Share Posted September 7, 2020 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
railfancwb Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 (edited) If the subjects of switch towers and/or interlocking interest you, Model Railroader published a “how to” and “why” circa 1961. The three part series is available as a free download. You must be a member of the site, which is free and requires no magazine subscriptions. Web site... Search for trains index... “Mechanical interlocking and signaling” article series Edited September 8, 2020 by railfancwb 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooddog Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 On 9/7/2020 at 2:05 PM, Eric said: When a train loses traction, a steel wheel spinning rapidly on the rail generates a lot of friction. The amount of heat generated, coupled with the weight on the wheel, can heat the rail enough to deform it like taffy. I actually saw this happen once, but it wasn't related to traction or speed. An engine was left idling (as they generally are) and it had a brake failure on one wheel. As the engine sat there for some number of hours, that wheel turned and turned, and eventually ground the rail down just like in the photo. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janice6 Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 7 minutes ago, gooddog said: I actually saw this happen once, but it wasn't related to traction or speed. An engine was left idling (as they generally are) and it had a brake failure on one wheel. As the engine sat there for some number of hours, that wheel turned and turned, and eventually ground the rail down just like in the photo. Is there a Temporary Fix to allow the train to get of that rail so it can be repaired? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted September 9, 2020 Author Administrators Share Posted September 9, 2020 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted September 9, 2020 Author Administrators Share Posted September 9, 2020 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted September 9, 2020 Author Administrators Share Posted September 9, 2020 16 minutes ago, gooddog said: I actually saw this happen once, but it wasn't related to traction or speed. An engine was left idling (as they generally are) and it had a brake failure on one wheel. As the engine sat there for some number of hours, that wheel turned and turned, and eventually ground the rail down just like in the photo. It comes down to the same thing. The wheel spinning in place on the track generates enough heat to soften the track, allowing it to be deformed and flow aside by the weight on the spinning wheel. The metal on the ground in the picture above is slag. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
railfancwb Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 On 9/7/2020 at 2:50 PM, Eric said: Believe this locomotive is on static display at Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden CO. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooddog Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 12 hours ago, janice6 said: Is there a Temporary Fix to allow the train to get of that rail so it can be repaired? I don't remember what they did. We pretty much just showed up, took the report as "non-criminal" and went on our way. It's over twenty years ago, but I think it was one of wheels on the last axle of the second truck that had the failure (IIRC, it was a GP38.) They may have been able to just move it forward. ?? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampfox762 Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now