Off centerline pulling

[bcp]

Not a tractor, but an illustration of a possible danger caused by pulling at an angle.

36 second video:

Bruce

 

[whistlepig]

I would have hated to be the guy that came up with this idea. And, no doubt, there was someone with more experience saying not to do this.

 

[aczlan]

Ouch...

Aaron Z

 

[mjncad]

That's a serious "OH ****" moment.

 

[Baby Grand]

I leave you alone with the crew for ten minutes and see what happens?

 

[radioman]

They didnt have a choice really -- the track just curves right in video. I agree - there must be a better way -- expensive lesson learned

 

[texasjohn]

He said, "we gotta do something."

They did:drink:

 

[pjbci]

Totallydifferent circumstances than backing a tractor up @ an angle to another stuck tractor and pulling. Sometimes sharp angle pulling is the only way to get a larger machine out with a smaller one.

 

[kebo]

I would have hated to be the guy that came up with this idea. And, no doubt, there was someone with more experience saying not to do this.

And someone probably got fired for it too!

But, that is what I call an "exercise in futility"! I don't know what they were hoping to accomplish by simply dragging the car up closer to the tracks. It would have still taken a crane to get it back on track, so they should have just gotten a crane in the first place. Bet they will next time lol.

I wonder how long those diesel engines ran before they were either shut down, blew up, or else they hydrolocked (whichever came first)?

 

[Todd727]

It'd be ironic if the original accident was caused by the cars stringlining that curve.

 

[Thomas]

Plan B ???

 

[boggen]

and first few seconds, i saw the cable twist, and what looked like a one of the strands of the cable went loose... i thought cable was all going to break and whip.

 

[Bob77064]

When I saw them cleanup a derailed train cars they used a crane.

 

[aczlan]

Looking closely, it looks almost like the rail on the inside of the curve broke or came off of the crossties. If you watch closely, it looks to me like the engine started to slide sideways, then the front wheels caught in the dirt and the other engines pulled it over.

Aaron Z

 

[whistlepig]

If you take a perfectly fine locomotive out and then somehow flop the pesky thing on its side you may want to consider a different way of making a living.

 

[k0ua]

If you take a perfectly fine locomotive out and then somehow flop the pesky thing on its side you may want to consider a different way of making a living.

yeah that was pretty much a disaster, and I am not sure what they thought they were going to accomplish anyway..What was the end result supposed to be?

 

[Baby Grand]

I wonder if any of the participants have:

1) Left to spend more time with family.
2) Left to pursue other interests.
3) Accepted a position of increased authority and visibility.

 

[mjncad]

Or accepted the fact they made "A career limiting decision."

If the RR in question was Amtrak, then I'd say option 3 applied.

 

[k0ua]

Also, if that pull line had parted, we would have seen several guys cut in half too..This thing was a cluster from the get go..

James K0UA

 

[Baby Grand]

Would have helped to take a few hours & drag out & set up a snatch block to get a straight pull.
There's never time do do it right, but there's always time to fix the FUBAR and then do it the right way.