Trains.com

dead cows on tracks

8671 views
109 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Traveling in Middle Earth
  • 795 posts
Posted by Sterling1 on Thursday, June 9, 2005 9:18 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie

Hmmm - a future stand up comic in the making.




Not when nursing a howling jawbone with some blue ice . . .

Matt
"There is nothing in life that compares with running a locomotive at 80-plus mph with the windows open, the traction motors screaming, the air horns fighting the rush of incoming air to make any sound at all, automobiles on adjacent highways trying and failing to catch up with you, and the unmistakable presence of raw power. You ride with fear in the pit of your stomach knowing you do not really have control of this beast." - D.C. Battle [Trains 10/2002 issue, p74.]
  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Traveling in Middle Earth
  • 795 posts
Posted by Sterling1 on Thursday, June 9, 2005 9:20 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by trainman2244

QUOTE: Originally posted by upchuck

what happens when a gp9 hits one?

Heres what a racecar does to a rabbit at 160MPH
http://www.funny-games.biz/videos/14-rabbit-explosion.html



Minced rabbit . . .

Matt
"There is nothing in life that compares with running a locomotive at 80-plus mph with the windows open, the traction motors screaming, the air horns fighting the rush of incoming air to make any sound at all, automobiles on adjacent highways trying and failing to catch up with you, and the unmistakable presence of raw power. You ride with fear in the pit of your stomach knowing you do not really have control of this beast." - D.C. Battle [Trains 10/2002 issue, p74.]
  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: Duluth,Minnesota,USA
  • 4,015 posts
Posted by coborn35 on Thursday, June 9, 2005 10:12 PM
Well, its not a cow, but..........................
One time when i was riding a North Shore Scenic Railroad train, the engineer told me that deer frequently jump against the side of the locomotive. The Side!!!
stupid animal......

Mechanical Department  "No no that's fine shove that 20 pound set all around the yard... those shoes aren't hell and a half to change..."

The Missabe Road: Safety First

 

  • Member since
    June 2001
  • From: US
  • 13,488 posts
Posted by Mookie on Friday, June 10, 2005 6:12 AM
No more stupid than people who run into the side of them....[:-,]

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Muncie, Indiana...Orig. from Pennsylvania
  • 13,456 posts
Posted by Modelcar on Friday, June 10, 2005 8:22 AM
....Or walk on the track....and even purposely jump in front of them...Remember that post several weeks ago with that person jumping on the tracks in front of a fast oncoming train and just by the skin of his teeth did mangage to live through it...!!

Quentin

  • Member since
    August 2004
  • 263 posts
Posted by upchuck on Wednesday, June 15, 2005 10:33 AM
Have stampeding buffalo herds ever taken on a steam loco...and won?
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, June 16, 2005 3:41 PM
While slightly off the topic...

I drive road trains here in Australia, and road kill is simply a way of life. Stations (or ranches I suppose you'd call 'em) can measure into the millions of acres, so it's just not financially viable to fence the whole bloody lot! As a result, nearly all heavy vehicles in Australia are fitted with bull bars, to "absorb" some of the impact, and to try to protect the radiator and engine so the vehicle will still run. When it's 200 km to the next road house, you don't want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with a written off vehicle!

But I've seen road kill in the form of donkeys, cows, sheep and camels(the absolute worst - the bonnet of the truck takes out the legs - so where does the body go? Straight through the windscreen). But the most common roadkill would have to be kangaroos. With estimates of over 50 million kangaroos in Australia, the amount of dead kangaroos is absolutely shocking at times. My worst night on the road saw over 60 kangaroos bounce off the front of my truck. And then the eagles come down to feast on the carcasses. Not good.

Sorry to ruin anybodies appetite![xx(][xx(]
  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Northern New York
  • 25,024 posts
Posted by tree68 on Thursday, June 16, 2005 3:47 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by upchuck

Have stampeding buffalo herds ever taken on a steam loco...and won?

Considering the relative size of early steam locomotives and buffalo, I'd say they probably did. In fact, seems like I recall that they did. And a stampeding herd of several hundred buffalo would probably overwhelm an entire train...

LarryWhistling
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...

  • Member since
    August 2004
  • 263 posts
Posted by upchuck on Thursday, June 16, 2005 6:40 PM
If the trucks in Australia hit all that stuff, the loco's must look like Merle Olsens' Wild Kingdom on rails.
  • Member since
    August 2004
  • 263 posts
Posted by upchuck on Tuesday, July 12, 2005 11:49 AM
The BBC reported on 7/7/05 that a passenger train in North Yorkshire derailed
when hitting cows on tracks at a level crossing. Any other info?
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Southwestern Florida
  • 501 posts
Posted by Tharmeni on Tuesday, July 12, 2005 12:19 PM
I was on a Monon E unit that took out not just a pig, but the entire barn!! The farmer near Ellettsville, Indiana, was using a tractor to move his pig barn from one field to another. He had low wheels on a metal frame under it and it hung up on the crossing and boy, did we do a job on it! The bigs were in another truck and they were OK, but very homeless.
  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: Duluth,Minnesota,USA
  • 4,015 posts
Posted by coborn35 on Tuesday, July 12, 2005 3:32 PM
Back in the days of cattle cars, I wonder if a train ever derailed the cattle cars.........................................?

Mechanical Department  "No no that's fine shove that 20 pound set all around the yard... those shoes aren't hell and a half to change..."

The Missabe Road: Safety First

 

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 12, 2005 5:04 PM
wow....
  • Member since
    August 2004
  • 263 posts
Posted by upchuck on Tuesday, July 12, 2005 5:08 PM
Could be....Possibly out of revenge...
  • Member since
    April 2002
  • From: Northern Florida
  • 1,429 posts
Posted by SALfan on Thursday, July 14, 2005 3:46 PM
The next little town up the road from my hometown has a chicken-processing plant, and the ex-SAL Savannah, GA to Montgomery AL line. The catch crews catch the chickens in the grower houses at night, put them in cages and load them on flatbed 18-wheelers so the chickens can be waiting at the processing plant when the first shift comes to work. Early one morning many years ago a flatbed driver was crossing the RR on the way to the plant and for whatever reason didn't stop for an oncoming train. You guessed it, train obliterated the flatbed trailer and scattered chickens both in and out of cages over a considerable area. The cleanup crew never did catch all the chickens; the local cats ate well for a few days.
  • Member since
    November 2003
  • From: West Coast
  • 4,122 posts
Posted by espeefoamer on Thursday, July 14, 2005 4:19 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by JOdom

The next little town up the road from my hometown has a chicken-processing plant, and the ex-SAL Savannah, GA to Montgomery AL line. The catch crews catch the chickens in the grower houses at night, put them in cages and load them on flatbed 18-wheelers so the chickens can be waiting at the processing plant when the first shift comes to work. Early one morning many years ago a flatbed driver was crossing the RR on the way to the plant and for whatever reason didn't stop for an oncoming train. You guessed it, train obliterated the flatbed trailer and scattered chickens both in and out of cages over a considerable area. The cleanup crew never did catch all the chickens; the local cats ate well for a few days.

Meow meow,did someone say [dinner]?
Ride Amtrak. Cats Rule, Dogs Drool.
  • Member since
    August 2004
  • 263 posts
Posted by upchuck on Friday, July 15, 2005 11:12 AM
I guess you could say he was playing chicken...
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: US
  • 286 posts
Posted by dekemd on Friday, July 15, 2005 11:38 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by coborn35

Back in the days of cattle cars, I wonder if a train ever derailed the cattle cars.........................................?


Yes they did! At the bottom of the NS line coming down Saluda mountian is a deep cut. I can't remember the year but it was in the steam days, a Southern train ran away down the mountian and derailed in the curve in the cut. There was a cattle car on the train and over a hundred head of cattle were killed. Ever since, it's been called Slaughterpen Cut.
  • Member since
    March 2004
  • 913 posts
Posted by mersenne6 on Friday, July 15, 2005 12:04 PM
There are a number of first person accounts about hitting a cow on the track back in the days of steam. In the book Forty Years a Locomotive Engineer - about railroading in the 1800's - the author mentioned that when a cow was blocking the track the practice of his road was to speed up and hit the animal as hard as possible in order to throw it clear. He recounted one evening when he did this. The cow was catapulted through the telegraph window of the adjacent station. He wondered about the reaction the next morning when the station agent arrived and discovered several hundred pounds of cow in the middle of his office.
  • Member since
    August 2004
  • 263 posts
Posted by upchuck on Friday, August 19, 2005 10:19 AM
CHECK OUT THIS LINK ABOUT DEAD COWS ON TRACKS CONSPIRACY:
www.depotnews.com/BNSF/030805BNSFa.htm
  • Member since
    August 2004
  • 263 posts
Posted by upchuck on Friday, August 19, 2005 2:53 PM
ANY MORE INFO ON THE OUTCOME?
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, August 22, 2005 3:32 PM
Could be worse. CSX hit a whole herd of them about five years ago in Hilliard, Ohio - which is a Yuppified suburb of Columbus.

A traveling rodeo housed their stock at the Franklin County Fairgrounds about a block away from the ex - NYC Columbus-Ridgeway-Toledo line., about a mile north of CP Darby and two miles north of Mounds ( the crossing of the ex-PRR Columbus-Chicago main ). Apparently the critters managed to get out, and the inbound Chicago-Columbus IM train bowled into a herd of about 50 calves and cattle at 3 AM in the morning.

This is right in the middle of typical suburban housing developments - the last place you'd ever expect to find cows on the ROW.

I'd gladly give a week's pay to have been able to listen to a railroad version of the "cockpit voice recorder" - wouldn't you? :)
  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Smoggy L.A.
  • 10,743 posts
Posted by vsmith on Monday, August 22, 2005 4:02 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by mrsheep


I'd gladly give a week's pay to have been able to listen to a railroad version of the "cockpit voice recorder" - wouldn't you? :)


"Hamburger! Hamburger, I'm up to my armpits in Hamburger!"

Bet the neighbors really loved it, about a 3 days later, 'specially if it was nice and hot and humid[:0][:(][xx(]

   Have fun with your trains

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Saturday, September 3, 2005 8:52 PM
While this is somewhat off the subject, in 1989 my Dad told me that when he was a kid, there was a man in his neighborhood who hated cats with a passion. So do I! He would grab a stray cat and head for the nearest railroad line, secure the cat to the rail and leave it for an oncoming train to run over. Of course I would do the same thing, only I would use a hammer and four large nails!! But in truth, as much as I hate cats, I could never bring myself to be that cruel to an animal. You could imagine the stink that would result with a dead cat rotting in the sun!!
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 3, 2005 9:39 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816

While this is somewhat off the subject, in 1989 my Dad told me that when he was a kid, there was a man in his neighborhood who hated cats with a passion. So do I! He would grab a stray cat and head for the nearest railroad line, secure the cat to the rail and leave it for an oncoming train to run over. Of course I would do the same thing, only I would use a hammer and four large nails!! But in truth, as much as I hate cats, I could never bring myself to be that cruel to an animal. You could imagine the stink that would result with a dead cat rotting in the sun!!



a cat rotting in the sun, I've seen those a lot since I live near a railroad (guess the poor things get blinded by train light), they don't really smell much, the sun dries them all up and they are small, unless you get really close that is, but still not that much..

now, what REALLY smells bad is what I've seen once beside a rail road, a huge thing, all black from rotting, a cloud of stench around it. I just passed along, didn't know what it was really. Judging by the size of it and shape, I'm thinking something like...what do you call a female deer in english? (sorry for my bad english) ...anyway, that, a female deer .

It's amazing what a train can do to animals. If you go on walking on an active railroad, you'll find all kinds of animals: rabits, cats, dogs, even big things sometimes. Most of the smaller ones will be in peaces, head here, half of body there, another half there.

sorry for the grotesque post [:D]
I'm just contributing

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 3, 2005 9:40 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816

While this is somewhat off the subject, in 1989 my Dad told me that when he was a kid, there was a man in his neighborhood who hated cats with a passion. So do I! He would grab a stray cat and head for the nearest railroad line, secure the cat to the rail and leave it for an oncoming train to run over. Of course I would do the same thing, only I would use a hammer and four large nails!! But in truth, as much as I hate cats, I could never bring myself to be that cruel to an animal. You could imagine the stink that would result with a dead cat rotting in the sun!!


by the way, what's up with the cat hate? perhapse you should track the problem to its source
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 3, 2005 10:46 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by electro-ortcele

QUOTE: Originally posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816

While this is somewhat off the subject, in 1989 my Dad told me that when he was a kid, there was a man in his neighborhood who hated cats with a passion. So do I! He would grab a stray cat and head for the nearest railroad line, secure the cat to the rail and leave it for an oncoming train to run over. Of course I would do the same thing, only I would use a hammer and four large nails!! But in truth, as much as I hate cats, I could never bring myself to be that cruel to an animal. You could imagine the stink that would result with a dead cat rotting in the sun!!


by the way, what's up with the cat hate? perhapse you should track the problem to its source


Where's Mookie when we need her?????[:D][:D]
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, September 4, 2005 6:50 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by drephpe

QUOTE: Originally posted by electro-ortcele

QUOTE: Originally posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816

While this is somewhat off the subject, in 1989 my Dad told me that when he was a kid, there was a man in his neighborhood who hated cats with a passion. So do I! He would grab a stray cat and head for the nearest railroad line, secure the cat to the rail and leave it for an oncoming train to run over. Of course I would do the same thing, only I would use a hammer and four large nails!! But in truth, as much as I hate cats, I could never bring myself to be that cruel to an animal. You could imagine the stink that would result with a dead cat rotting in the sun!!


by the way, what's up with the cat hate? perhapse you should track the problem to its source


Where's Mookie when we need her?????[:D][:D]



and who is Mookie? If you are refring to a cow, then I don't get the joke, and if you are refering to a forum member, then fill me in, cause I'm new [:p]
  • Member since
    August 2004
  • 263 posts
Posted by upchuck on Monday, September 12, 2005 8:46 PM
CHECK IT OUT....BIGFOOT VS TRAIN
http://www.cactusventures.com/bigfoot_VS_train.htm
  • Member since
    November 2003
  • From: West Coast
  • 4,122 posts
Posted by espeefoamer on Monday, September 12, 2005 8:53 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by electro-ortcele

QUOTE: Originally posted by drephpe

QUOTE: Originally posted by electro-ortcele

QUOTE: Originally posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816

While this is somewhat off the subject, in 1989 my Dad told me that when he was a kid, there was a man in his neighborhood who hated cats with a passion. So do I! He would grab a stray cat and head for the nearest railroad line, secure the cat to the rail and leave it for an oncoming train to run over. Of course I would do the same thing, only I would use a hammer and four large nails!! But in truth, as much as I hate cats, I could never bring myself to be that cruel to an animal. You could imagine the stink that would result with a dead cat rotting in the sun!!


by the way, what's up with the cat hate? perhapse you should track the problem to its source


Where's Mookie when we need her?????[:D][:D]



and who is Mookie? If you are refring to a cow, then I don't get the joke, and if you are refering to a forum member, then fill me in, cause I'm new [:p]

Check the "Depot Diner" thread.She's on there a lot[:)].
Ride Amtrak. Cats Rule, Dogs Drool.

Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

Search the Community

Newsletter Sign-Up

By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy