LUGOFF, S.C. — Kershaw County Sheriff's deputies are looking for a suspect in a CSX Transportation derailment near Lugoff, S.C., earlier this month. According to a law enforcement investigation, a bulldozer was intentionally placed along a CSX ...
http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2017/08/24-south-carolina-police-looking-for-suspect-in-csx-freight-train-derailment
Brian Schmidt, Editor, Classic Trains magazine
Someone with access to a bulldozer? And I wonder what was his/her motivation?
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
schlimm Someone with access to a bulldozer? And I wonder what was his/her motivation?
I tried pennies, quarters, and rocks, and none of them worked. Let's see how a bulldozer works....
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
acessing a dozer isn't hard at all. Getting it to the accident site is much more difficult. Unless someone stole a MOW unit or it's was from a nearby construction site.
Depending upon size, it may have needed professional transport possibly including permits. Anyone know more about the dozer itself?
Modeling the Cleveland and Pittsburgh during the PennCentral era starting on the Cleveland lakefront and ending in Mingo junction
Can it be operated by someone with a portable oxygen tank?
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
ruderunnerAnyone know more about the dozer itself?
If it's the one in the images on this site, it's a smaller one.
http://www.wltx.com/news/local/cargo-train-derails-in-lugoff-no-injuries-reported/462139754
As already noted, access to such a machine isn't difficult. Even if there is a key, it's probably hidden on the sun visor, if you get what I mean. Current satellite images don't necessarily show any construction nearby, but that's not to say those images are current.
What's interesting is that they haven't said anything in the media reports about who it may have belonged to, and whether it was reported stolen.
This makes my blood boil. Why someone would want to intentonatly derail a train and possibly cause a major catastropy I cannot fathom. IF I EVER CAUGHT UP TO SOMEONE WHO DID SOMETHNG LIKE THIS HE WOULD BE SINGING HI SOPRANO PERMENENTLY.
The dozer looks like the ones commonly seen in logging operations.
The story seems to be missing a few signficant points. Where the dozer came from can't be a mystery.
BaltACD Can it be operated by someone with a portable oxygen tank?
The 'dozer will be a different story.
Joyrides happen. I was on a project constructing a connecting track between two mainline. During the long 4th of July weekend, someone walked back in 3/4 of a mile and drove a dozer and roller around. Fortunately, they got stuck in the creek before reaching the tracks. After that, the contractor removed battery terminals when leaving the site.
schlimmSomeone with access to a bulldozer? And I wonder what was his/her motivation?
OK, true story then some speculation.
I was a brand new US Army 2nd lieutenant fresh out of Transportation Officer Basic when I was assigned to a troop unit at Ft. Eustis. I properly reported to the company commander and told him I'd been assigned to his unit. The first words out of his mouth were: "Well I'll Be Damned." The words "Oh ***" came to my mind.
One of the first assignments he gave me was to go find a bulldozer. He was signed for a D7 but had no idea where it was. I had been trained for many things, but locating a missing D7 bulldozer wasn't one of them. With the help of an old head NCO the dozer was located. (As further info one of my next assigments was to get one of our troops out of civilian jail. Again, the Army had neglected to train me for this. I asked what the soldier had been arrested for and was told he had a gun and was headed to kill his wife. All I had to control him was that little gold bar. Just another day in the life of a 2nd lieutenant.)
Anyway, my speculation is that someone was either trying to steal the dozer fouling the CSX track or taking it for a joy ride. When they got to the track they couldn't get the machine across due to inadequate operating skills. They left it where it was. Just my guess.
In the early 80's there was an incident with a bulldozer in Gillette Wyoming. Some fool came home from the bar in the wee hours and saw a bulldozer in front of his apartment building, so he took it for a ride. He crushed cars, smacked into buildings, tore up pavement and chased police around for quite some time. He did an incredible amount of damage. Of course the next morning when he woke up in jail he said he didn’t remember a thing.
Sometimes things like this really don't have any motivation behind them.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
Here is one with a very large motivation:
http://www.snopes.com/2017/06/09/killdozer-day-marvin-heemeyer/
EuclidHere is one with a very large motivation: http://www.snopes.com/2017/06/09/killdozer-day-marvin-heemeyer/
Was not this related to the Richard Bachman story "Roadwork"?
BaltACDCan it be operated by someone with a portable oxygen tank?
Total aside: Some years ago there was a highway collision involving a tanker with hazmat. As it was cold, the hazmat wasn't much of a problem, but there was still clean-up to be done. One DOT worker, who also happened to be a volunteer firefighter, operated his front loader with a regular fire department "air pack" beside him in the cab, as he wore the mask...
RME Euclid Here is one with a very large motivation: http://www.snopes.com/2017/06/09/killdozer-day-marvin-heemeyer/ Was not this related to the Richard Bachman story "Roadwork"?
Euclid Here is one with a very large motivation: http://www.snopes.com/2017/06/09/killdozer-day-marvin-heemeyer/
No, I thought I had included a video in that link, but here is is. The guy went on a revenge spree because he felt persecuted by a variety of people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zRsmcIaB1Q
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