Working rail roads and their tracks.

[dodge man]

Not to get to far off track but there were numerous Tiger Tank encounters in Normandy. Read about Michael Whittmann.

 

[Hay Dude]

Back “on track”….

Caught some East Penn action while baling some square bales yesterday.

 

[oldtimer 66]

The front isn't off, it is open. You can see just a bit of it on the tight side.

Here is a slightly different angle:
View attachment 4107713
I think it has been shot up. The air tank is at an angle, the smokeboox door latch is bent, the cab front and floor are mangled.

View attachment 4107746
Bruce

Note the European hook and buff on the front of the locomotive versus the US knuckle coupler.

 

[dodge man]

A picture of one of the passenger trains we rode in Switzerland. They aren’t exactly a cog train but there is a gear like rail in the middle of the steeper segments. Most were electric.

 

[ArlyA]

An empty Minntac stone train rolls toward Boston Yard as the John J. Boland delivers more stone to CN-Hallett Dock 5. Duluth, MN - September 23, 2025.

 

[ArlyA]

Nice video of how basically the engines work and are setup.

 

[ArlyA]

A really good video on how rail expansion/compression is handled.

 

[bcp]

Like the sign says:"DO NOT STOP ON TRACKS"

Train strikes log truck in Canby; no injuries reported, road cleanup underway

A Union Pacific train hit a log truck on Monday morning in Canby.

katu.com

From another article with more text and fewer pictures:

"Authorities said that the truck had been driving on Barlow Road when it stopped at a red light.

While stopped, the train crossing activated, and the truck was unable to move out of the way without crashing into other vehicles."

Bruce

 

[BravoXray]

Like the sign says:"DO NOT STOP ON TRACKS"

Train strikes log truck in Canby; no injuries reported, road cleanup underway

A Union Pacific train hit a log truck on Monday morning in Canby.

katu.com

From another article with more text and fewer pictures:

"Authorities said that the truck had been driving on Barlow Road when it stopped at a red light.

While stopped, the train crossing activated, and the truck was unable to move out of the way without crashing into other vehicles."

Bruce

And it never spilled a log!
Those must have really been tied down well.

 

[ArlyA]

Like the sign says:"DO NOT STOP ON TRACKS"

Train strikes log truck in Canby; no injuries reported, road cleanup underway

A Union Pacific train hit a log truck on Monday morning in Canby.

katu.com

From another article with more text and fewer pictures:

"Authorities said that the truck had been driving on Barlow Road when it stopped at a red light.

While stopped, the train crossing activated, and the truck was unable to move out of the way without crashing into other vehicles."

Bruce

Why on earth would on stop on tracks behind another vehicle?? Then do you hope n pray a train doesn't come?

 

[WinterDeere]

Why on earth would on stop on tracks behind another vehicle?? Then do you hope n pray a train doesn't come?

Could have been that it was too late to stop ahead of tracks, when light changed and car in front of him stopped unexpectedly. Drivers of cars rarely consider the position into which they're putting any truck in their rear view mirror... if they even ever look at their rear view mirror.

 

[ArlyA]

One heck of a good video on how a modern stream locomotive worked. I wonder the volume of man hours it took per year to keep them running?

 

[BravoXray]

One heck of a good video on how a modern stream locomotive worked. I wonder the volume of man hours it took per year to keep them running?

A few years ago I read an article that said the large locomotives of the 40s and 50s required as many hours of maintenance as the number of hours the were operated, and some even more.
When diesels arrived, it was a whole new ball game, check the oil and water and drive it.

 

[ArlyA]

A few years ago I read an article that said the large locomotives of the 40s and 50s required as many hours of maintenance as the number of hours the were operated, and some even more.
When diesels arrived, it was a whole new ball game, check the oil and water and drive it.

I believe it, and if you don't keep them up, they blow up!

 

[Cub 7274]

Lots of RR jobs gone with the invent of the diesel

 

[oldtimer 66]

From what I have read, a steam locomotive only went around 60K miles if working in mountains, a few more miles in the flats, 80K before rebuild. A heavy repair would take 6 to 7 weeks.

 

[oldtimer 66]

If I remember correctly, the "Blue Card" still has a check for "Hammer and Hydro"

 

[BravoXray]

Speaking of railroad maintenance, do you remember when freight cars used bronze journal bearings, and they had journal boxes with a big wad of cotton or something similar, that was soaked with oil to lubricate the journal bearing?
Back in the late 60s, there was a row of grain hopper cars sitting on a siding at a local feed mill, and one weekend some thieves using hydraulic jacks jacked up the truck side frames which freed up the bronze bearings, and stole all of them out of 10 cars. 10 cars with 8 bearings per car times about 20 lbs per bearing, that's 1600 lbs of bronze.
Never did hear if they caught the culprits.

 

[ArlyA]

By the time I was working as a carmen, the bronze bushings were gone but did see them on retired cars.