Yellowstone volcano-What would it do to the MR industry?

[trainboyH16-44]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Railroading_Brit

I think I saw that one - was on BBC a while ago. Did it have an argumentative Scottish vulcanologist in it? my MRR budget for the year would have to be spent on snow tyres and a suspension lift kit to cope with the resulting ice age...

Yeah.... Mr. "It's going to blow in a matter of days, if not hours, and everyone, absolutely everyone, is going to die"
I wouldn't mind the ice age part of it. I already think it's too hot and it's only 15c here.

QUOTE: [i]The thing that everyone seems to be omitting here is the last half-hour of the special. Currently there is NO EVIDENCE that Yellowstone is preparing to erupt and if it were we would have quite a few warning signs. The odds of the event occurring as they did in the doccu-drama are so astronomic that it is actually more likely that a major killer object from space will blast us, and that's just not the type of thing that happens at teatime every day.

I am talking hypothetical here, and I say that docu-dramas are aboutthings that have alreadyhappened.
I've always been interested in volcanoes, ever since I was about 6.
Oh, no. I have to go now, be back tomorrow with more ranting.
trainboy

[Anonymous]

Trainboy, if memory serves, the Yellowstone caldera is appox. 50 miles long by 20 miles wide by 5 miles in depth. If the entire area "let fly" in one event (unlikely), any discussion on the matter will be strictly academic. The lucky folks will be "Gone with the Wind." The rest will face world-wide famine and the global chaos that goes with it. There really is nothing to worry about as we all face disaster on a daily basis just driving to work. However, as a precaution, you might wi***o add a snow blower to your roster. Happy rails to you, Ted

[nickinwestwales]

In a word--FUBAR One point made in the doc. shown over here was that these events seem to occur at roughly 100,000 year intervals,with the last being about 140,000 years back. Now my maths is a little rusty but this suggests we are somewhat overdue.......The prog. seemed to suggest that in a worst-case-scenario the continental U.S would effectively cease to exist,whilst the rest of the planet would drop into a nuclear winter,most likely for decades. Whilst I would love to carry on modelling I suspect I will be too busy shooting anything edible that crosses my sights....Stop Press!!! B.B.C. News today carried a report of a meteorite inbound-due in about 20 years. It never rains but it pours as they say. sleep well & be happy!!! regards nick

[jddav1]

If the Yellowstone area becomes more active I think the Long Valley near Mammoth would do the same. They are not that far away from each other.
Jeff

[Train 284]

Ya I saw it, I seriously don't think it will happen, at least not in our lifetimes, I hope.

[lyctus]

You guys are just not cottoning on to the Main Point...current locomotive design DOES NOT provide correct filtering to prevent volcanic ash from entering diesel power plants and someone in design had better wake up to this fact QUICK ! I am currently fitting model VAF cowls to all my models, this could well be a case of prototype follows model..... and will I get any credit ???

[Anonymous]

Having experienced the original Mt. St. Helens blast first hand, I think I'll chime in here. I lived 35 miles from it, down river in Longview, hiked, camped, and hunted the area extensively, and my mom at the time worked in the hospital operating room. Volcanos don't match up with any other natural event. Prepare to be "blown away" when you experience one first-hand.

1. Ash mixed with water does NOT produce concrete. Ash is finely ground rock, the consistency of talcum powder. Rock mixed with water does not produce concrete. It IS however VERY difficult to move once it settles. Hard pan clay is easier to move than settled out ash. Once some air is mixed in with the ash it is easy to move around, but the air tends to vent out within a short amount of time. Watering it down doeas the same thing. That's probably where the idea came that the a***urns to concrete.

2. You'll have LOTS of warnings before a volcano blasts. They don't go from dead quiet to temper tantrums, they work up a good bit of rage before they let loose. The smart folks get out of their way, the dumb ones stand around and watch. Lost a friend that way. Her and her friend were camping in a "blue zone", where they said is not a good place to be, but we won't forcibly remove you.

3. Generally death is FAST when a volcano lets loose close up. People died sitting in lawn chairs. They were found sitting upright with ash packed into EVERY orifice of their body. There was a very large herd of elk that had to be put down because they were blinded and had their hair singed pretty badly. Not a pretty sight. They were a bit further away when she blew.

4. There is NOTHING that can prevent mechanical damage to equipment operating in the ash. We replaced engine air filters weekly, and changed the oil and oil filter weekly. Windshields were shot after the summer. They looked fine during the day but you couldn't see through them at night from all the scratches that were ground in by the windshield wipers. People re-plumbed their car engines so the intake air was drawn from the passenger compartment (cleaner air), which helped a bit. A lot of engines were toast after a couple of years. One airliner was dumb enough to fly through the original ash cloud. He was the last one to do it. His windshield and engines were sandblasted and he had to land on instruments.

5. Volcanos are more powerful than anything you can imagine. When St. Helens blew in 1980, it was a fairly mild event in her life. A 50 megaton blast spewing about 3/4 or a cubic mile of ash. There was a smaller mountain north of her that she cut right off. The top was not pushed over, it was cut off. The remains of it were NOT pushed to the back side, but blown completely away. It was cut like it was butter and St. Helens used a hot knife.

6. While the ash is sterile when it first comes out, you can grow stuff in it after a couple of years. Geologists were surprised at how fast mother nature started to re-grow.

7. Flooding is a major problem after a heavy ash fall, even if you have no pyroclastic flows. The Cowlitz river was at low-flow, but the river bottom filled with a***hat ran off the hills. The delta that formed in the Columbia river raised the river 2 feet in Portland, Oregon, which is amazing when you consider the size and flow rate of the Columbia. The Corps of Engineers started their larged dredging operation in history to clean out the rivers before the riny season hit. As I remember it they had 14 dredges operating 24/7 that entire summer cleaning out the rivers. You could see one dredge from the other one. People had their fields raised over 30 feet in some areas from the dredge spoils. I know one guy that had his 40 acres raised 30 feet. His view of his fields from his home turned his home from living on a hill to living in a small canyon!

8. Within a year or two nature will secure most all of the ash so it's not causing the grief it was, anchoring it down with water and plants.

9. It Yellowstone starts to seriously act up I think I'll take a long vacation in some place far up-wind from her, like either Hawaii or Alaska. California may be too close for comfort. Even Florida could be dow-stream, not a good place to be.

As for the MR industry? When you've evacuated what could have been complete destruction, who cares? Maybe 5 or 10 years afterwards I'd care, but not any time soon. As long as the wife and kids are healthy, all is good.

Mark in Utah

[MAbruce]

QUOTE: Originally posted by stokesda

I think if something like what was in the movie happened in real life, MR would be the least of our worries. Seems like the moral of the story was that if the worst case scenario were to happen, the best anybody can really do is put your head between your legs and kiss your you-know-what "goodbye."

BINGO. I find it unnerving that the first thing that concerns "trainboy" is it's impact on RR's and the MRR industry. Yikes! Please don't consider a career at FEMA.

[trainboyH16-44]

QUOTE: Originally posted by MAbruce
[BINGO. I find it unnerving that the first thing that concerns "trainboy" is it's impact on RR's and the MRR industry. Yikes! Please don't consider a career at FEMA.

It isn't the first thing, but it's the first thing that fits on this forum, and I would never work at FEMA, as I want to be an engineer.[:D] I would think that once we got all of the ash out of our train room, which wouldn't be as bad as if we lived in the US, model railroading would help keep me going, but how would I replace the engines that were destroyed by the ash?
Trainboy

[trainboyH16-44]

QUOTE: Originally posted by trainboyH16-44

and GMD would be fine.

I can't believe that I said that! what I meant was that the Canadian economy might not turn out as bad as the US economy, and EMD might not be affected as bad as GE, and after they got all the ash out (1cm?) they might do a lot better than GE.
Trainboy
P.S. I swear that if it blew, model railroading would not be my main concern for months, if not years.

[HOScaleModelRailroader]

Hmm - points to ponder.

I guess I shouldn't fini***hat model of Mt. Rainier with the blow away top on my layout now - oh well, it took too much of the basement up anyway. Doubt if my Athearn engines would be able to filter out the ash. Make one heck of a mess on the carpet too.

Right now I'm worried about my girlfriend's threat about putting HO scale insurgents on my layout unless I get her an engagement ring pronto. Might have to buy a set or two of Model Power's HO Scale soldiers to protect my key industries - like the "Suds Bucket" and "Waterfront Willy's" .....

[Anonymous]

Seriously guys, if Yellowstone erupts, I think the last thing we'd be worried about would be our model trains.

[ErnieC]

Enough already! Everbody get off the coffee break and back to modeling.

[trainboyH16-44]

QUOTE: Originally posted by 4884bigboy

Seriously guys, if Yellowstone erupts, I think the lst thing we'd be worried about would be our model trains.

You're just saying that 'cause you're in the <1cm ash fallout zone.
Trainboy

[Anonymous]

Woops, what I meant to type was last, not 1st. I'll go back and change it.

And yes, I should be relitively safe (atleast from the lava). I'm in Michigan.

[nfmisso]

People, the whole of the USA has been covered with ash from super-volcano erruptions, which at the present, we are only aware of in WY, CA and CO. One of the last major erruptions of Yellowstone resulted in ash over 6 feet deep in eastern Nebraska - 1000 miles downwind. If this happens again - likely in the next 100,000 years or so, or maybe never, animal and plant life in USA, most Canada and Mexico will be mostly killed.

[Anonymous]

Trust me, if Yellowstone turned into a megablast super volcano you would not be wondering about model railroading at all. You would be looking for something to eat, clothes to where, a place to live. Life as we know it would cease. We would go from living in a land of plenty with excess cash and time to pursue our hobby interests to a basic survival (at best) economy.

What are the chances of this happening? I am not holding my breath waiting. I am not altering how I live or the things I do out of fear of what might be. How many times has someone predicted the end of the earth? Is it gone? How many people have talked of California sliding into the sea? Is California gone? I just do not see any reason to sit and worry about something no one on earth can do a thing about. If it happens we will learn to deal with it. What are the chances? Infinitesmal! Build your railroad. Surf the net. Irritate your wife or girlfriend. Anything. Just do not turn into nutty putty over some presentation on the tube. This is, of course, just my opinion.

Yellowstone is a good thing, it produces lots of steam.

Tom

[trainboyH16-44]

With no money, I would wonder where I would get my trains. I would miss my models so much, as I love them like my pets!
Trainboy

[grayfox1119]

Guys, stop worrying about it, you sound like a bunch of olde women, we all all be dead and looon gone when this blows again.....enjoy today, we cannot control tomorrow.

[CNJ831]

I have got to say that, bar none, this is the stupidest topic I have ever seen on a model railroad forum. When one considers that these 3 pages have all been in response to a TV program whose basis is, at best, highly questionable and that I expect hardly a single responder here has any actual, applicable, knowledge of the subject at hand, it tends to demonstrate the extreme naivete of the public today to be concerned over an event which hasn't happened since modern man appeared on the planet and may not happen for yet another million years or more.

Based on the responses, I strongly urge that you don't watch the shows on major meteorite falls, asteroid impacts, mega tsunamis, mega earthquakes, extreme global warming, or UFOs abductions, if you want to sleep tonight ;^))

CNJ774

[Anonymous]

HEY GANG,
Chill out. When or if it happens in this life time it won't matter. If you wake up in a state of complete euphoria, and see the beauty of things the aren't at first site. You're already in Valhalla. Chill, enjoy,and get ready for your next assignment.

I saw that program.....Today, the snow that hit us yesterday, melted. I live on the northern edge of the Huron National Forest. This afternoon, I decided to take a walk in the sun. The sky was a deep shade of blue, with a light spattering of stark white clouds. There was hardly any breeze. The pine trees are a bit greener; the Pin Cherry trees are starting to show a trace of buds, and a couple of deer were feeding on a patch of Lechin at the other end of my place. You could here a Plaited Wood Pecker sounding off, somewhere if the woods.

Screw the "Discovery Channel." Life is good.

Later, Bill

[Anonymous]

Hell, stuff like "Armegedon" , "Deep Impact", "Day after Tomarrow" and "The Core" have some chance of happening. Ain't no point in worrying about it now. Just live.

[trainboyH16-44]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CNJ831


Based on the responses, I strongly urge that you don't watch the shows on major meteorite falls, asteroid impacts, mega tsunamis, mega earthquakes, extreme global warming, or UFOs abductions, if you want to sleep tonight ;^))
CNJ774

I would agree with you, if you are someone impressionable, but I watch them all the time, and I find they use the word "overdue" far too often. The yellowstone volcano is OVERDUE the cascadia earthquake is OVERDUE I'm just not caring about them anymore. It's just the paranoia taking over. I've learned about volcanoes and earthquakes, and I watch those programs all the time to learn more, and I just ignore the "we're all going to die, and it's overdue" messages.

QUOTE: [i]Originally posted by CNJ831

I have got to say that, bar none, this is the stupidest topic I have ever seen on a model railroad forum. When one considers that these 3 pages have all been in response to a TV program whose basis is, at best, highly questionable and that I expect hardly a single responder here has any actual, applicable, knowledge of the subject at hand, it tends to demonstrate the extreme naivete of the public today to be concerned over an event which hasn't happened since modern man appeared on the planet and may not happen for yet another million years or more.

[:(] That makes me sad, and I do have to agree with you on some points, but as I've said before,THIS IS JUST SPECULATION on a HYPOTHETICAL TOPIC THAT MAY NEVER HAPPEN so it is JUST HYPOTHETICAL!!!!
Trainboy

[trainboyH16-44]

I had a dream about this last night. It involved me putting all my trains in boxes covered with saran wrap, and going to the local hobby shop to see how it was doing. The shop was completely sold out, it's shelves stripped by buyers trying to prepare for the oncoming ash cloud. I went inside to see how they were doing, and I found that they weren't completely sold out. They gave me everything they had for free. I got a brass 2-10-2, some Branchline coaches, 6 brass SW1200RSs, and a bunch of freight cars. It took me so long to load the into saran wrap boxes that I had to walk home through falling ash.
Fun dream, huh?
Trainboy

[trainboyH16-44]

Just a note...
Today is the 25th anniversary of the Mount Saint Helens eruption. (May 18 1980)
Trainboy

[selector]

If the world ends ,what will I do with all my money!!!?? [:O]