Crazy things DO happen was Re: multiple choice,

["Rod [comtrain]" <freight_man@hotmail.com>]

> > I don't believe it.
> >
> > --
> > David Johnson
> > trainman@ozemail.com.au

Story #1
My old mate Wodonga Driver George Lynch [decd]
told a story about Heavy Harry when it was working on the North East, either
during or just after the second world war.
It seems that Harry used to haul a fast goods out of Melbourne each nite,
and it usually carried a full load. It was usual to attach a spare D3 to the
front, and Double head over the ranges to Seymour, where the D3 would
detach, and return a pass to Melbourne.
On this occasion, the D3 ran out of steam at Broadmeadows, and it was
decided, that Harry would keep pushing in the hope that the crew on the D3
would get some horses back before they climbed the grade.
The D3 did not recover and near Broadford the train finally stalled!
Now Harry had a problem with her throttle linkages, and in the dome, a pin
had
worked loose effectively jamming the throttle wide open!
The driver struggled and the fireman even added his weight, but the
regulator was stuck hard.
The driver was controlling the Loco with the reverser, moving the block
forward or back, trying to avoid the stall.
At the crucial moment, the reversing wheel, loaded as it was, with more than
200 lbs of steam, also jammed solid. Harry, then unloaded went into full
wheel slip, and even with the brakes applied, started to gain speed
rapidly....eh well..
she had stalled, so sitting there , her large drivers started to spin at
high speed!
They immediately dropped the fire, and the crew on the D3 came back to help,
but it was many minutes before the steam was reduced enough to stop the
wheels spinning.
When the Emergency Crews arrived, they found Harry had buried all 8 drivers
into the head of the rail ! New 94 lb rail and the threads were sitting in
the web of the rail.
Story #2
My own experience, I have driven a loaded wheat train on the Bendigo track
on a pitch black night, with absolutely nothing to see outside the beam of
the headlight.
When the loco was getting very close to a stall, the auxiliary electricals
failed, taking the headlight out, and my mate had to sit in the open door to
ensure we were still moving, AND going forward. It was impossible for me to
know!
Not one traction motor slipped, and in the finish my mate had to sand the
track ahead with his Billy, to maintain forward motion.The poor B was only
minutes from meltdown when I finally got her moving down the other side.
 Story #3
Recently at Violet town a Driver changed trains and with the cab light on
and the headlights off, he began contacting control, to give him times and
tell him the crews had changed over. Driver Error was cited, but it seems
that the brakes had been released, but when the changeover Driver swivelled
around in the chair as he sat down, that he knocked the throttle into run 1,
the train crept forward, at about 5 kph, and hit the side of the other train
now departing at about 25 kph!
The Driver did not feel the motion, the Second man could not differentiate
between his train moving, and the motion of the other train passing!
These are true stories, so young David, you have not seen it all yet, don't
close off your mind. Remember every one of us learns something new every
day, or we are dead ;o)))
Rod
Chris Downs <cvdowns@ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
72Of6.2415$sS4.81552@ozemail.com.au">news:72Of6.2415$sS4.81552@ozemail.com.au...
> I've read of an incident in one of Canada's longer tunnels where this
> reportedly occurred (although I can't remember how far through the rail
the
> drivers went).  The loco slipped to a stand on greasy rails on a rising
grade
> but the crew were unaware as the engine still made roughly the right
movements
> and changes in sound were not discernible in the cacophonous din.
>
> Subsequent to this incident one of an engine's crew held a broom to the
tunnel
> wall to ensure the engine was still making forward progress.
>
> Chris
>
> David Johnson <trainman@ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
> 3A7EB2C1.536E63D9@ozemail.com.au">news:3A7EB2C1.536E63D9@ozemail.com.au...
> > John Garaty wrote:
> >
> > > I know of one other
> > > incident in the UK when a "Duchess" slipped in a station and burned
its
> > > wheels through the rails and into the ballast before the wheels could
be
> > > stopped.
> >