Railroad Term: Hot Box

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SpaceMouse

SpaceMouse

Fun Lover
The Language Of The RAIL This Is Known As A HOT BOX !!!!!!




The Good news:
It was a normal day in Sharon Springs, KS when a Union Pacific crew boarded a loaded coal train for the long trek to Salina .

The Bad news:
Just a few miles into the trip a wheel bearing became overheated and melted, letting a metal support drop down and grind on the rail, creating white hot molten metal droppings spewing down to the rail.

The Good news:
A very alert crew noticed smoke about halfway back in the train and immediately stopped the train in compliance with the rules.

The Bad news:
The train stopped with the hot wheel over a wooden bridge with creosote ties and trusses
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I remember seeing these a couple of years ago, Chip. I don't recall the details, but one has to wonder why the train couldn't have been dragged further across the bridge. I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation, but I don't recall what it was. Ideally, a pusher at the rear would have made it simple to decouple at the last car before the lead engine and pull what could be salvaged back off the trestle.

I am a huge fan of wooden trestles, as you know, and this breaks my heart. We lost a dozen 90 year old wooden trestles in one week along the old Kettle Valley Railway lines near Vernon five summers ago. The wildfire engulfed huge areas of tinder dry land, and was started, it turns out, by a volunteer fire fighter who was careless flicking away a cigaretee.

What a crying shame.

-Crandell
 


Weird! This seems like the kind of fire that could have been bought under control fairly quickly if there were some firefighting efforts. The pictures show firefighters with tankers and brush trucks just standing around. Since it was obviously just coal hoppers, there weren't any hazmat concerns. I can't imagine how the fire was allowed to get that much out of control.
 
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