Track washout!


trailrider

Well-Known Member
I don't know if anyone would want to do this, but it might be something different to put in an out-of-the-way branchline or siding:
As most of you know by now, the Front Range of Colorado is experiencing torrential rains. (The Weather Bureau has described it as "a Biblical episode")! The local T.V. station in Denver showed a siding where the roadbed was completely eroded away under the track and ties by a fastmoving stream over its banks. The rails are supported at either end for what looks like about thirty or forty yards. The ties are still attached to the rails.

This is very unusual for Northern Colorado, but those familiar with railroads in the Mississippi River, Ohio River and Missouri River areas, where flooding over railroad tracks is common, especially in the Spring. Back in the '40's and '50's, when steam locos were still around, they were sometimes called on to substitue for diesel electrics (when the water was less than around three-four feet deep), because the water would short out the electric traction motors. At least that was the caption of a photo in one book on the Burlington Route operations. You certainly couldn't model that very easily unless you had a non-functional steamer that you could mould "water" around the wheels.
 
I think you bring about a great idea. It's the perfect idea for a diorama of any size.

You could probably get away with something as small as about a foot long where a side track is only big enough to support a crane and a few pilings from a washed out bridge with some people attempting to do some work.

Heck, you could go even smaller in that it has just a stop and appropriate (I'd assume) markings to designate that the side track is not usable.

It could be a much larger version of the washed out bridge idea with two ends connecting to your main line.

I'd be very interested in what people could come up with.
 
Ya this 100 year storm on the front range is crazy. One of my favorite golf courses, Coal Creek GC was completely under water today. OMG!

I saw those tracks too, they showed today. I can't believe the tracks are still in place, I figured that rushing water would have bent that steel.

Last year we get absolutely no rain at all, and the devastating fires all up around everywhere. And this year too much rain. Good lord this weather is crazy these days.
 
Yes, you could add an angry golfer (someone MUST have a figure for this) waving his club around madly 'cause his hole in 1 just got washed away.
 
How about a scuba diver with a golf club in his hand, standing by the edge of the golf course, contemplating the lie of his ball...which could be barely seen under the water? I also just had a thought...(look out!) How about an avalanch covering a stretch of track, with the rotary throwing snow? Styrafoam blowing from the exhaust chute. Again, these might be better for diaramas, but if done carefully and right, you might be able to put a temporary snowdrift over the track. For operating layouts, this could create an interesting scenario for dispatchers and crews to figure out. You know...you start out with a regular session. Suddenly, the head dispatcher (or whoever sets up the session) sets the snowdrift across the track, and then the crew has to figure out how to dispatch the plow (maybe take your choice between a wedge and a rotary), get it to the scene of the blockage, then allow so many minutes (scale time, maybe?) to clear the track. Meanwhile, of course, traffic is backing up on both sides of the drift. Same could be done with a liftout bridge over a river. I remember when the Burlington had to re-route the Zephyr from Quincy Main station to West Quincy, MO, because a barge had plowed into the swing bridge across the Mississippi at Quincy, IL.

Wishing the best for those affected by the real floods.
 
Snow drifts? Rotary snow plows?

I got that already here!

IMG_0859.JPG
 
A club I belonged to had a short section of "damaged" track, with a "temporary" shoofly built around it.
 
Dunno 'bout Bugs there, but if they were one of Hugh Heffner's Bunnys, I'm quite sure they would have.
 
Here is a washout we had on the RR I worked for, if they didnt stop us about 10 miles away I would have hit that at 40mph at 2am.

10-9-05%20MP%20125.60%20%2815%29-XL.jpg


10-9-05%20MP%20125.60%20%2820%29-XL.jpg


10-9-05%20MP%20125.60%20%285%29-XL.jpg
 
This will probably not be found humourous around the train guys but it reminded me of aerodynamics when I read the thread title as in...

...will the outside rail cause the inside rail to stall the locomotive before the other?...

Now that's just funny if I were around aircraft oriented folks ;)

(sorry, I couldn't resist)

EDIT: I thought it was funny :\
 
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Here is a washout we had on the RR I worked for, if they didnt stop us about 10 miles away I would have hit that at 40mph at 2am.

10-9-05%20MP%20125.60%20%2815%29-XL.jpg


10-9-05%20MP%20125.60%20%2820%29-XL.jpg


10-9-05%20MP%20125.60%20%285%29-XL.jpg


I would like to see a photo of that section after it had been repaired.



tootnkumin said:
Dunno 'bout Bugs there, but if they were one of Hugh Heffner's Bunnys, I'm quite sure they would have.


I'm letting that one go through to the keeper.
 



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