train going through floodwaters


hmmm, interesting. i guess it wasn't that deep there. still , strange decision though...
 
I remember seeing this somewhere before. I have a strange feeling it was somewhere around the Missouri river.
 
on the ICRR in Western IL they would battle Flooded tracks with steam engines. Seams the traction motors would short out in deep water. Years ago a friend had showed me a pic of a ICRR E8 or E9 streamliner being pulled by a steam engine through a flooded field. Story was said that they took a few retired steam engines left out west and put them back into service for a few weeks just to keep important trains moving untill the water levels went down to run Diesel electrics safely. If I recall he said the flood was in the mid to late 50s?
 
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There are a number of first hand accounts from older railroad books where they describe running on flooded track. The steamers could only run until the water got deep enough to put the fire out.
 
alcoman said:
There are a number of first hand accounts from older railroad books where they describe running on flooded track. The steamers could only run until the water got deep enough to put the fire out.
Click to expand...

which would still be pretty deep.
 
The Western Pacific had a switcher operating in Portland, Oregon? I think someone got the caption wrong. I still think this is somewhere around Alameda/Oakland CA, where the WP did operate.
 
If we "encounter unexpected high water" we're supposed to slap the throttle down to idle, flip the generator field switch open, then slap the throttle back to Number 8. Theoretically the traction motor blowers will hopefully blow enough air down through the traction motors to keep the water out of them. The train would just be coasting at this point and I'd be checking my pockets for essentials like my wallet and preparing for my egress and sending out an sos to the dispatcher lol.
 
So, I've checked various rosters. Both Northern & Western Pacific did not have a steam locomotive in the 32xx series (that unit looks to show 3298).

If correct, this should be a Brooks 2-8-2, Southern Pacific class Mk-11, so, either Jim's guess for the Oakland/bay area, or Portland area could be correct.
 
I thought it looked like an SP switcher to begin with. Given that, Portland is probably the correct location, since several sources place it in Portland. It wasn't going to be Portland with a WP engine though, that's for sure. :)
 
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