AgentKidIshmaelOSHA would have a fit seeing men working on the track as the train was approaching. And they didn't seem in any hurry to get out of the way.That doesn't look right to me. I think the film maker took a bit of artistic license to add a little drama to his work. All those men standing that close together would be konking each other over the head with the back-swings of their hammers. And no self respecting section foreman is going to let a train over a newly laid rail unless he gives it a once over by himself. In each of the scenes where this occurs the men almost move back in lockstep. Bruce
IshmaelOSHA would have a fit seeing men working on the track as the train was approaching. And they didn't seem in any hurry to get out of the way.
All those men standing that close together would be konking each other over the head with the back-swings of their hammers. And no self respecting section foreman is going to let a train over a newly laid rail unless he gives it a once over by himself. In each of the scenes where this occurs the men almost move back in lockstep.
Bruce
There might have been some theatrics incorporated in the film, but from accounts I have read, I suspect that cutting it close like that was fairly standard practice in those days. One 1800s era account from the Lehigh Valley RR describes a working track gang aware of an approaching milk train coming upgrade on the track they were working on.
The noise and tumult of the hard working milk train obscured the approach of a “Lightning Express” train coming down the grade fast on an adjacent track. When the captain blew the whistle to get clear, about 20-30 men watching the milk train stepped backwards in lockstep to clear the milk train; and stepped right into the path of the express train. Many were killed and injured.
AgentKid IshmaelOSHA would have a fit seeing men working on the track as the train was approaching. And they didn't seem in any hurry to get out of the way. That doesn't look right to me. I think the film maker took a bit of artistic license to add a little drama to his work. All those men standing that close together would be konking each other over the head with the back-swings of their hammers. And no self respecting section foreman is going to let a train over a newly laid rail unless he gives it a once over by himself. In each of the scenes where this occurs the men almost move back in lockstep. Bruce
That doesn't look right to me. I think the film maker took a bit of artistic license to add a little drama to his work.
I recall seeing one of those '100 years ago' snipets in Railway Age several years ago, with the industry congratulating itself that only 1500 or so employees had been killed in the prior year. Safety at the turn of the 19th Century to the 20th and today is a word that has two different realities.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
I've seen it written that switchmen in link-and-pin days were easy to spot due to the digits they were missing.
I recall seeing a video which included a steam engine change on a passenger train. There were people going "in between" before the train came to a stop.
One wrong step...
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...
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200081.Wisconsin_Death_Trip
It has been years since I have picked up a copy of this book. A different time is a different place. Death was less a stranger and less denied.
If your town was an active railroad center in the 19th century, go to your local library. Go through the old newspaper files. Note the number of railroad related deaths.
Brakemen figure prominently, especially in the Winter. Young men falling from the roof a freight car to an early demise was not uncommon. "Crushed between the cars," you will find as well.
Victrola1 Wisconsin Death Trip http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200081.Wisconsin_Death_Trip It has been years since I have picked up a copy of this book. A different time is a different place. Death was less a stranger and less denied.
We had this in our English AP/creative writing class my senior year. There's something creepy about it. Sure, they had all sorts of scholarly stuff at the beginning about the research and the general temperament of living in that place in those days. But it strikes me just the same as those 'scholarly' introductions from psych people that 'legitimize' reprints of, say, Victorian pornography or "The Adventures of Jonathan Corncob"..
One thing for sure: when you died on the railroad, people could usually tell!
John WR The CNJ trackage is today New Jersey Transit's Raritan Valley Line. However, it does not pass the CNJ station at Elizabeth; rather it is routed to the NEC on the Aldene connection.
The CNJ trackage is today New Jersey Transit's Raritan Valley Line. However, it does not pass the CNJ station at Elizabeth; rather it is routed to the NEC on the Aldene connection.
Thanks John, I was wondering about that!
Wayne
Much more history and technical info on Janney\AAR couplers at
obts.wikia.com/RailCar_Couplers#AARx_Couplers
OBTS Much more history and technical info on Janney\AAR couplers at obts.wikia.com/RailCar_Couplers#AARx_Couplers
Link doesn't want to heat up.
For those that don't know, this is from the OpenBVE Train Simulator community. Link is hot; it just renders on the page as if it weren't...
For what it may be worth: I tried making the link live with the convention. From a PC running Firefox on Windows 10 with latest upgrades, the link did not render in red, and using the convention with text, wouldn't render clickable at all. This is very strange, and indicates to me that either the origin board or Kalmbach may have some sort of optional flag against hotlinking in force for some content.
Overmod For those that don't know, this is from the OpenBVE Train Simulator community. Link is hot; it just renders on the page as if it weren't...
Not hot on my browser. Trying this:
http://obts.wikia.com/wiki/RailCar_Couplers#AARx_Couplers
Use the "url" in brackets trick that Ed (gmpullman) posted over here:
http://cs.trains.com/ctr/f/3/t/273549.aspx
Test
http://obts.wikia.com/RailCar_Couplers#AARx_Couplers
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
SD70DudeUse the "url" in brackets trick that Ed (gmpullman) posted over here: http://cs.trains.com/ctr/f/3/t/273549.aspx
The bracketed URL did not work on my attempt, guess it only works on this forum's software when preceeded by the http://
I added http:// at the beginning of that coupler link (groan), then it worked!
[Yoda] Finnicky, this forum software is! [/Yoda]
Ulrich But then again, the life expectancy for the average male was only 45 years
But then again, the life expectancy for the average male was only 45 years
That was at birth. In the back then days of turn of the 20th century, 15 percent of people didn't make it to their first birthday. Losing that big a chunk of your cohort pushes down the life expectancy rate. If you were born in 1900 and made it to adulthood (which only about 70 percent of people did), you could expect to celebrate your 65th birthday and have a good shot at living to see Neil Armstrong walk on the moon.
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