If you check out the Paradise PA railcam (link below) and scroll back to about 11:18 EST, you can see 475 on the train and see how the run-around works. The switch they ran through in right in the foreground in front of the camera. There isn't really much trackage there, that track is just a spur track with some very old pieces of equipment sitting on it. I've been watching Paradise off and on for a year or more and I'd never seen that switch thrown for the spur track until the accident. At the other end of the run-around is a track running under the bridge in the distance. That track is the track that the MOW people were apparently working on the day/night before the accident.
Paradise, Pennsylvania USA | Virtual Railfan - YouTube
BaltACD I believe smoke boxes get a coating of linseed oil mixed with graphite account of the relatively consistent high temperatures, rather than paint.
I believe smoke boxes get a coating of linseed oil mixed with graphite account of the relatively consistent high temperatures, rather than paint.
Correct. That was true back in the old days when the paints available weren't anywhere near as advanced as we have today, they wouldn't last long on a hot smokebox. Graphite mixed with linseed oil and rubbed into the metal provided the rust protection the paint's couldn't. Towards the end of the steam era heat-resistant paints had been developed, the Lackawanna was using them on their steamers by the early 50's for example. But of course steam was on the way out by that time.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
zugmannI kind of want to see it with a twin sealed beam light.
How about a Mars light just for grins?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC2Mud5fn9E
That's a pretty slick repair job! Although I'd slap a coat of black paint on it just to hide the scars. Rust-Oleum black barbecue paint would do nicely. I imagine at some point they'll use the old smokebox door as a pattern for a new one.
Some were disappointed it didn't get a high headlight again.
I kind of want to see it with a twin sealed beam light.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
475 already has a new front. Not picture perfect but workable.
Same me, different spelling!
Flintlock76 zugmann But I think it more has to do because unlike many of those other incidents Harrison mentioned, these cameras are hosted/located on the property of the subject matter. A "cameras on private property" excuse for blocking videos strikes me as a bit lame. Yes, the Strasburg owns the property, but it's not "private" in the sense you can't come in without an invitation. There's no fences or guards and certainly no "No Photography Permitted" signs. There's not and never has been any attempt to keep people out, except for certain areas where it's unsafe for the public to be without supervision. While I love the Strasburg and everything they do trying the "private property" angle to surpress embarassing images strikes me as trying to have your cake and eat it too. The cat's out of the bag folks, there's no putting it back in. Admit the mistake, LEARN from the mistake, and move on.
zugmann But I think it more has to do because unlike many of those other incidents Harrison mentioned, these cameras are hosted/located on the property of the subject matter.
A "cameras on private property" excuse for blocking videos strikes me as a bit lame. Yes, the Strasburg owns the property, but it's not "private" in the sense you can't come in without an invitation. There's no fences or guards and certainly no "No Photography Permitted" signs. There's not and never has been any attempt to keep people out, except for certain areas where it's unsafe for the public to be without supervision.
While I love the Strasburg and everything they do trying the "private property" angle to surpress embarassing images strikes me as trying to have your cake and eat it too.
The cat's out of the bag folks, there's no putting it back in.
Admit the mistake, LEARN from the mistake, and move on.
The 'Deep Doo Doo' will be deepest for the MofW crew that worked with the backhoe and DID NOT close the switch after the backhoe cleared on the track.
The train crew doo doo on their shoes for not being more vigilant about switch positions on their route.
zugmannBut I think it more has to do because unlike many of those other incidents Harrison mentioned, these cameras are hosted/located on the property of the subject matter.
BaltACDReal reality is not pretty much of the time, things happen and people get hurt and die. With a sizable fraction of the country disavowing actual reality, a reality they have seen with their own eyes, REALITY is a big problem for the USA in the 21st Century.
Well, as Groucho Marx once said:
"Who are you gonna believe, me or your own lying eyes?"
Having read the "official statement" on the Trains Newswire my only take away is maybe it would be a good idea to reduce the yard speed limit from 10 mph, which is the speed they were operating at, to 3 mph, which is the average walking speed of the average human. At that speed somebody may have been able to flag the train. Especially if there was an attendant at the turnout.
I don't see VRJ 'riding herd' on use of the video as any worse than the suppression of the Panhandle initial video (which showed the train being shoved into the accident site by the DPU). The incident has apparently not 'topped the charts' at Yahoo or other "news" pages, probably in no small part to the active damage control efforts.
zugmannIt's sort of a Janet JAckson moment for the rail streaming service. But I think it more has to do because unlike many of those other incidents Harrison mentioned, these cameras are hosted/located on the property of the subject matter.
But I think it more has to do because unlike many of those other incidents Harrison mentioned, these cameras are hosted/located on the property of the subject matter.
We are living in a society that can't stomach the real in reality if it doesn't fit their pollyana version of reality.
The 'reality' shows on TV are scripted and edited to paint a unreal picture of 'reality'.
Real reality is not pretty much of the time, things happen and people get hurt and die. With a sizable fraction of the country disavowing actual reality, a reality they have seen with their own eyes, REALITY is a big problem for the USA in the 21st Century.
It's sort of a Janet JAckson moment for the rail streaming service.
zugmann If nothing else, this incident will lead to discussions/lessons about operations, PR response, and damage control when there's viral video of an incident. (sorry VRF, you just can't use copyright strikes to simply make it go away)
If nothing else, this incident will lead to discussions/lessons about operations, PR response, and damage control when there's viral video of an incident. (sorry VRF, you just can't use copyright strikes to simply make it go away)
Strasburg's overreaction to the incident and VRF's over-the-top response has become a meme in itself within the younger railfan community. On YouTube, VRF is going as far as having channels suspended and terminated for sharing the video. This is quite hypocritical as they haven't done this to countless other viral (unauthorized) clips, some of which have propelled the channel to fame (Wabash Railfan or whatever his name is).
I also should point out that VRF clipped and recorded countless major events such as derailments at SFJ in Kansas City, vehicles being destroyed by trains at high speed, and even the Tucson shooting on Amtrak in which a DEA agent was killed. So the same company profiting off a video of a shooting is going crazy to stop an already viral video from spreading of a weeks-worth of repairs and no injuries. Yeah right.
And yes, the minute it happened yesterday and even now, the memes, recordings, and discussions (and VRF-SRR comments/criticisms) have been flying underground via Discord and text groups...
Harrison
Homeschooler living In upstate NY a.k.a Northern NY.
Modeling the D&H in 1978.
Route of the famous "Montreal Limited"
My YouTube
You said it Zug! Especially in this day and age where cameras are everywhere.
Thanks Becky!
NDG's posted some interesting links on this under "General Discussion."
I'm not seeing the most recent videos when I click on the links so if this has already been posted I apologize. But I saw this on Facebook today: https://www.facebook.com/christian.schluter.180/videos/2252195374942824/
kgbw49Here is a wider viewpoint that gives more information. Somebody has put together an interesting compendium of the incident
Oh brother, it's worse than I thought! Damn near the whole front of the smokebox shattered.
Hopefully the damage doesn't extend back to the flue sheet but I can't be sure.
Maybe I'm being optimistic but I don't think what's happened is beyond Strasburg's people to repair.
Compendium video with several angles including a railcam aimed directly down the stub track.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pS71HXT_wLc
kgbw49It appears the switch stand was showing white to the mainline.
Hard to tell color from internet videos reposted 56,000 times to keep ahead of VRF copyright strikes. But going by shape: the target has a rectangle shape, which usually indicates diverging move. Straight moves are usually the upward diagonal shape.
Not that we target shoot.
That backhoe folded up to form a battering ram. I would suspect potential damage to many of the flues on the inside.
40.00506623740313, -76.11316888143642
It looks to be at this location, Leaman Place Junction.
White building behind the locomotive.
Stub track, but in this aerial occupied by two covered hoppers.
My take:
From what I can see, the backhoe was parked on a stub track, not on the main. I think the old steam crane you can see on that cam is parked there all of the time.
This raises the question of why the switch was left lined for said stub track. It also raises the question of why the crew of 475 didn't notice the mis-alignment of the points.
And, if the target showed the switch aligned for the main/passing siding, why did no one notice the discrepancy?
As Balt says, plenty of blame to spread around.
I would opine that the smokebox door, etc were cast, which would explain why they broke the way they did.
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...
They'll find it hard to live down having everyone on the right side waving to the coaches!
Here is a wider viewpoint that gives more information. Somebody has put together an interesting compendium of the incident
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS71HXT_wLc
It appears the switch stand was showing white to the mainline.
One could not see what the switch stand was indicating from that video.
However, it seems the operators did not see what the switch stand was indicating as the locomotive did not appear to be in emergency.
There's going to be some serious questions asked over this.
First of which will probably be why was the switch lined for the track the backhoe was on? I don't think it's part of the main line, I can't see them parking a backhoe on the main.
And on the Strasburg of all places!
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.