In the April issue of Trains there is an "In My Own Words" (I love this series) story called "Close Call at Capreol."
I'm calling on anyone who still has the magazine to read the article, and tell me which of these things happened:
A) The writer's camp car was part of a freight train that was parked on a track parallel to the main, with one track between it and the main. Let's call the tracks Main, 2 and (where the writer's train was) 3. The passenger train was accidentally lined onto the yard ladder, then into Track 2. When the passenger train could not negotiate those two quick changes of direction, it went onto the ground between 2 and 3, then just beyond (east of) the camp car it hit some cars in the writer's train, which uncoupled them from the rest of the cut, and sent then rolling down the track until they derailed.
B) The writer's train was on Track 2, and the passenger train was unfortunately lined into 2. But it could not make the switch at that speed, so went onto the ground between Main and 2, and then the rest of the scenario played out like in Choice A.
C) Something else entirely, which hopefully some can explain to me.
The author never actually says the passenger train derailed and was on the ground. He does say the passenger loco "cut out" three cars, and sent them rolling, which I can only assume means uncoupling them with the force of the impact, despite the fact that the inpact had to have been at a very shallow angle.
???
In any event, it sounds like a real pulse-quickener!
As is often the case these days, I just don't get it.
Still in training.
Hmmm. Seems like maybe very few people read the story. Or those who did were as confused as I was.
I read it and was also confused, but I assumed that was because I read it too quickly. Anyway, I was (simplistically) more interested in the conclusion than the events leading up to it.
- PDN.
I read it three times, slowly ...
But I was a railroader for only a couple of years in the early '70s, so there may be someting I don't get that would be obvious to an experienced trainman.
I finally went back and read the article.
I'm thinking a variation of B is the correct one with the information given. His outfit car, along with other cars destined for the yard were set out on a yard track. He's not clear, but it sounds like the track was next to the main track. The main track switch to the yard lead may have been left open, but not the switch from the lead to the track his car is on. The train never made it that far. The engine derailed going through the main track switch, I'm guessing about where the frog would be.
He doesn't say the engine derailed, but it's strongly implied. It reads like it side-swiped the car next to his and then started cars beyond that one to roll down the track.
Jeff
Thanks, Jeff.
It doesn't say, but one has to wonder if it was the crew of the writer's train that had left that switch lined wrong.
I don't think so. The writer's outfit was moved by an eastward freight train, the same direction as the passenger train. Setting out cars, the eastbound would've used the switch at the other end of the track. Even if they pulled the set out through and cut it off, to get the rest of train and continue on all the switches used would have to be restored normal.
He wrote that he was waiting for the yard engine to move his outfit car to another track. The yard engine may have been working other tracks in the yard and left it open when going to other tracks within the complex. Or someone opened the switch early for a move that didn't happen, due to a change in plans or getting too close to the time of the psgr train, and forgot the open switch.
There is so much more to the story that we'll likely never know.
There is nothing worse than a incompletely told story. A bad story is one thing, a incomplete story is something else.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
jeffhergert I don't think so. The writer's outfit was moved by an eastward freight train, the same direction as the passenger train. Setting out cars, the eastbound would've used the switch at the other end of the track. Even if they pulled the set out through and cut it off, to get the rest of train and continue on all the switches used would have to be restored normal. He wrote that he was waiting for the yard engine to move his outfit car to another track. The yard engine may have been working other tracks in the yard and left it open when going to other tracks within the complex. Or someone opened the switch early for a move that didn't happen, due to a change in plans or getting too close to the time of the psgr train, and forgot the open switch. There is so much more to the story that we'll likely never know. Jeff
Very good points. You'e probably right.
I don't have the magazine anymore, but my impression (perhaps not actually supported by the article) was that the writer's car had been coupled on to the end of the freight train. Maybe that's not what one would usually do, I dunno.
In any event, my thinking was that the freight had entered the yard via the ladder on the west end, and pulled his entire train through the yard track, stopping to cut off the camp car(s?), then rejoining the main at the east end. I was thinking the camp car was just behind the caboose, so there would have been a flagman right there to make the cut. Under that scenario, that crew could be the one who left the switch reversed.
Here's what we do know: Someone done fv©ked up.
jeffhergertI don't think so. The writer's outfit was moved by an eastward freight train, the same direction as the passenger train. Setting out cars, the eastbound would've used the switch at the other end of the track. Even if they pulled the set out through and cut it off, to get the rest of train and continue on all the switches used would have to be restored normal. He wrote that he was waiting for the yard engine to move his outfit car to another track. The yard engine may have been working other tracks in the yard and left it open when going to other tracks within the complex. Or someone opened the switch early for a move that didn't happen, due to a change in plans or getting too close to the time of the psgr train, and forgot the open switch. There is so much more to the story that we'll likely never know. Jeff
I would put the whole thing down as a failure of the Editor that put it in the magazine. Editing is more that making sure the words are spelled correctly and there are complete sentances. The sentances have to make sense in the context of the article's subject matter. To do that the Editor must have a understanding of the subject matter - in this case it would appear that the Editor had no knowlege beyond spelling and sentance structure.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.