Towboat vs bridge: sort of off-topic, but it is transportation-related

[zardoz]

OK, so it is a towboat instead of a train, but those of us with an interest in the transportation industry might be able to appreciate this:
http://www.dancetc.com/towboat.html

And to make this railroad-related, here is another series (I know many of you have seen these before...)
http://www.arizonarails.com/bad_day.html

[selector]

Yikes! No, double yikes!!

[railfan619]

Now how in the world does a boat go under the water and come back up on the other side and just go on like nothing happened

[selector]

QUOTE: Originally posted by railfan619

Now how in the world does a boat go under the water and come back up on the other side and just go on like nothing happened

Planning, Silly! [:D][:o)]

[Anonymous]

There's more information on it here http://koti.mbnet.fi/~soldier/index.html Including why it came back up. Apparently she had a full fuel tank so the weight couldn't shift, and was well ballasted!

[samfp1943]

The MV Cahaba pulled thhis trick while the lower Tenn-Tom Waterway was in flood in 79.
Had she gone straight in, it would have cleaned her superstructure off, and probably sunk her, but the sideways action and ballasted as she was with fuel, the only damage was superficial to the vessel and stunning to the crew's nerves.

[BaltACD]

I seem to recollect that Warrior & Gulf was the operator of the tow boat and barges that struck the Mobile River bridge causing the derailment of the Sunset Limited near Mobile which killed 49 passengers and crew....

[DPD1]

And Ironically... W&G is run by Transtar, who runs numerous railroads for USS... So there's the rail connection.

Dave
-DPD Productions - Featuring the TrainTenna LP Gain RR Scanner Antenna-
http://eje.railfan.net/dpdp/

[CopCarSS]

QUOTE: Originally posted by railfan619

Now how in the world does a boat go under the water and come back up on the other side and just go on like nothing happened

It's how the USN is disguising their subs these days...[:D]

[railroad65]

Looks like a new dance, TUG LIMBO. How low can you go.

[vsmith]

Rollover...

GOOD BOY!

[Jordan6]

Wow thats now thats quite a sight! Thanks for sharing

[tree68]

Didja ever have one of those days.....

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

The towboats on the Illinois River and in the Chicago area have retractable pilothouses for low bridges but this is sure a different way of getting under a low bridge.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

Rollover...

GOOD BOY!

Those IDIOTS!!

Why do they build bridges so close to the rivers, if they don't expect boats with barges to come through there? [}:)]

Louder horns, that's what the boats need. Louder horns. [8]

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by TheAntiGates

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

Rollover...

GOOD BOY!

Those IDIOTS!!

Why do they build bridges so close to the rivers, if they don't expect boats with barges to come through there? [}:)]

Louder horns, that's what the boats need. Louder horns. [8]

Check the pics again , its a drawbridge, and the river was in flood stage so it was running very high. I saw the video of this event right after it happened a few years ago during one of the bad floods in the mid-west, complete with interviews with the crew, but if I remember right the power to the bridge was out due to the flooding, so they couldnt raise it, and the current was so bad the tug couldn't stop . One bad + another bad = one terrible day for the boat owner.

[vsmith]

Interview with the boat captain went something like this...

"Well the bridge wasnt raising so we tried to slow down, but we didnt, so we cut the barge and went full re-verse and we still didnt slow, I yelled 'hold on' and we hit, when we started to roll under I knew this was going to be a ride!"

In retrospect it was very funny!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

QUOTE: Originally posted by TheAntiGates

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

Rollover...

GOOD BOY!

Those IDIOTS!!

Why do they build bridges so close to the rivers, if they don't expect boats with barges to come through there? [}:)]

Louder horns, that's what the boats need. Louder horns. [8]

Check the pics again , its a drawbridge, and the river was in flood stage so it was running very high. I saw the video of this event right after it happened a few years ago during one of the bad floods in the mid-west, complete with interviews with the crew, but if I remember right the power to the bridge was out due to the flooding, so they couldnt raise it, and the current was so bad the tug couldn't stop . One bad + another bad = one terrible day for the boat owner.

even worse!! they actually built a bridge near a river and failed to anticipate flooding? [:p][:p][:p]

I don't think louder horns alone are enough .

Now I think louder horns PLUS we should go torture the architects and engineers who designed the bridge, with ice picks jammed in their ears [:o)]

That'll teach 'em!

[tree68]

QUOTE: Originally posted by TheAntiGates
even worse!! they actually built a bridge near a river and failed to anticipate flooding? [:p][:p][:p]

Hey, there's no way to fit my truck into the garage my father added to a house we once lived in when I was young. Today's towboats are bigger and badder than the ones that were probably on the river when the bridge was erected. The builders of the bridge probably also figured that people would be smart enough to stay off the river when it was at flood stage.

Based on other comments, had the draw section gone up in time, we wouldn't even be talking about it...

[Anonymous]

Awesome pics. It would be nice if we could all collect a little of that pure dumb luck at least once in our lives. [:D]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tree68


Hey, there's no way to fit my truck into the garage my father added to a house we once lived in when I was young. Today's towboats are bigger and badder than the ones that were probably on the river when the bridge was erected. The builders of the bridge probably also figured that people would be smart enough to stay off the river when it was at flood stage.

Based on other comments, had the draw section gone up in time, we wouldn't even be talking about it...

I was just having a little fun.[^]