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Steam & Excursion > Steam Railroading Was Dangerous Enough Without Adding This!Date: 03/27/17 03:32 Steam Railroading Was Dangerous Enough Without Adding This! Author: LoggerHogger There were so many aspects of danger in the use of steam locomotives back in the age of steam it was not necessary to look for ways to add to this danger.
However, on occasion, a steam operator would find yet additional ways to add to the crews risks. In this fine Al Farrow photo we see Weyerhaeuser Timber Co.'s 1912 Porter 2-6-2T #6 stopped at the water tank at Vail, Washington in June 1937 during her workday chores. #6 was recently transferred to Vail from Weyerhaeuser's subsidiary Siler Logging Co.. She will soon be re lettered as WTCo. #99. We cannot help but notice that the crew has coupled #6 to a boxcar load of dynamite. With no tender between the engine and the explosive load the crew has left themselves quite exposed should anything go wrong with this shipment. The boxcar full of deadly explosives was at least labled as such. So they were warned. Martin Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/17 05:41 by LoggerHogger.  Date: 03/27/17 05:35 Re: Steam Railroading Was Dangerous Enough Without Adding This! Author: MaryMcPherson I'm guessing that kicking cars was going to be frowned upon on this day....
Mary McPherson Dongola, IL Diverging Clear Productions Date: 03/27/17 05:52 Re: Steam Railroading Was Dangerous Enough Without Adding This! Author: Auburn_Ed Remember when you could go to the local hardware store and BUY DYNAMITE over the counter?
Ed Date: 03/27/17 06:15 Re: Steam Railroading Was Dangerous Enough Without Adding This! Author: Chooch It is interesting in this photo that a crew is apparently installing a spark arrester on the stack. Smart move.
Jim Hatboro, PA Date: 03/27/17 06:22 Re: Steam Railroading Was Dangerous Enough Without Adding This! Author: LoggerHogger Actually the spark arrestor is already installed but the crew has it tipped over or deactivated to improve drafting. They must have been more concerned about the smokebox drafting well than the sparks igniting the box car full of explosives.
Martin Date: 03/27/17 07:42 Re: Steam Railroading Was Dangerous Enough Without Adding This! Author: switchlock "Grandpa, did you like working on the railroad?"
"I got real bang out of it!" Date: 03/27/17 07:50 Re: Steam Railroading Was Dangerous Enough Without Adding This! Author: LoggerHogger switchlock Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > "Grandpa, did you like working on the railroad?" > > "I got real bang out of it!" LOL!!! Martin Date: 03/27/17 08:21 Re: Steam Railroading Was Dangerous Enough Without Adding This! Author: Labby Don't believe anyone has mentioned this, but this boxcar could be assigned this service and permanently displays the warning. The crew may be returning this car as empty.
Date: 03/27/17 09:17 Re: Steam Railroading Was Dangerous Enough Without Adding This! Author: railstiesballast IIRC a carload of explosives in a supply train blew up at Lucin during the construction of the original crossing of the Great Salt Lake. It was entrained with cars carrying employees, there were dozens of fatalities.
The only cause that could be presumed was locomotive exhaust or brake shoe sparks. There be ghosts out there. Date: 03/27/17 09:31 Re: Steam Railroading Was Dangerous Enough Without Adding This! Author: west Hi,
...this boxcar could be assigned this service and permanently displays the warning. The crew may be returning this car as empty. That was my thought also. I know logging and industrial railroads didn't have to use the same rules as common carrier RR's, but I'd bet they had some level of rules or proceedures for dealing with this kind of stuff. Especially the larger outfits like Weyerhaeuser. Ditto if they hauled enough to have a car assigned to that service. As dangerous as a steam loco next to a car loaded with explosives could be, so would a loaded log car, fuel oil car, etc. be. Even where and when the car could be moved in loading or unloading areas might be very controlled. Same would be true on mining or quarry RR's. All of the industrial RR's probably came under the safety regulations of a state agency too (i.e. Division of Industrial Safety). Of course how much they fully complied with the rules might be open to question, especially the smaller operators. Does anyone have a rulebook (or it's equivelent) for any industrial or logging RR's ? They probably were less a 'book' and might be just printed sheets with rules. These rules might be within the employee / plant safety rules. Don Date: 03/27/17 09:50 Re: Steam Railroading Was Dangerous Enough Without Adding This! Author: callum_out While not railroading, I've seen the pre-MSHA rules on the use of dynamite and dynamite like explosives
in the mining industry, specifically the larger mines and they're nearly as strict as current regulations. I'd also guess that the car is empty. Out Date: 03/27/17 10:27 Re: Steam Railroading Was Dangerous Enough Without Adding This! Author: wabash2800 I'm not sure you could set off dynamite by jostling the car. But I suppose sparks and fire would do it. It is my understanding that you need blasting caps to set off dynamite.
Victor A. Baird http://www.erstwhilepublications.com Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/17 21:47 by wabash2800. Date: 03/27/17 11:01 Re: Steam Railroading Was Dangerous Enough Without Adding This! Author: WrongWayMurphy wabash2800 Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > I'm not sure you could set off dynamite off by > jostling the car. But I suppose sparks and fire > would do it. It is my understanding that you need > blasting caps to set off dynamite. > > Victor A. Baird > http://www.erstwhilepublications.com Clint Eastwood just used a cigar and that worked for him. Date: 03/27/17 12:25 Re: Steam Railroading Was Dangerous Enough Without Adding This! Author: Kimball Does it have a siphon and hose for "Jerkwater" operation?
Date: 03/27/17 12:37 Re: Steam Railroading Was Dangerous Enough Without Adding This! Author: LoggerHogger Kimball Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > Does it have a siphon and hose for "Jerkwater" > operation? Yes, whe does have a syphon and piping to feed the saddle tank. WIth such a small tank that would come in handy. Martin Date: 03/27/17 17:17 Re: Steam Railroading Was Dangerous Enough Without Adding This! Author: loleta Auburn_Ed Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > Remember when you could go to the local hardware > store and BUY DYNAMITE over the counter? > > Ed > > A simpler time. Thanks, Obama! Date: 03/27/17 17:50 Re: Steam Railroading Was Dangerous Enough Without Adding This! Author: WOPRJim loleta Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > Auburn_Ed Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Remember when you could go to the local > hardware > > store and BUY DYNAMITE over the counter? > > > > Ed > > > > > > A simpler time. Thanks, Obama! WOW, more "Fake news"^^^... A little internet research shows the laws changed in 1968 to require federal paperwork, and by the mid-70s the laws became even more restricted. Even bulk fertizlier became difficult to buy after the OKC bombing (remember that WHITE anti-government guy) and laws were passed to limit it's "explosiveness"... After 9/11, under GW Bush, EVERYTHING that goes "Bang" became more restricted. Jim PS I don't come to this website for politics... Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/17 17:55 by WOPRJim. Date: 03/27/17 18:09 Re: Steam Railroading Was Dangerous Enough Without Adding This! Author: PHall WOPRJim Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > loleta Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Auburn_Ed Wrote: > > > -------------------------------------------------- > > > ----- > > > Remember when you could go to the local > > hardware > > > store and BUY DYNAMITE over the counter? > > > > > > Ed > > > > > > > > > > A simpler time. Thanks, Obama! > > WOW, more "Fake news"^^^... A little internet > research shows the laws changed in 1968 to require > federal paperwork, and by the mid-70s the laws > became even more restricted. Even bulk fertizlier > became difficult to buy after the OKC bombing > (remember that WHITE anti-government guy) and laws > were passed to limit it's "explosiveness"... After > 9/11, under GW Bush, EVERYTHING that goes "Bang" > became more restricted. > Jim > PS I don't come to this website for politics... "Some" people just can't help themselves... Date: 03/27/17 20:43 Re: Steam Railroading Was Dangerous Enough Without Adding This! Author: jcaestecker You couldn't operate a car like that in over-regulated California.
Date: 03/28/17 12:55 Re: Steam Railroading Was Dangerous Enough Without Adding This! Author: WW Auburn_Ed Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > Remember when you could go to the local hardware > store and BUY DYNAMITE over the counter? > > Ed > > Yes, I remember it well. Also, dynamite that is not crystallized is pretty stable. Many years ago, a "powder monkey" (blasting contractor) demonstrated that to me (when I was a teenager) by breaking a fresh stick of dynamite over the tailgate of his pickup truck. I'm still here. Now, when dynamite "crystallizes"--that is, the nitro-glycerine starts to seep out the paper and form crystals, dynamite is extremely unstable and will detonate easily. I learned a trick from another powder monkey years ago about how to handle crystallized dynamite and render it harmless. I won't share that here and I don't intend to try it, but he handled a lot of crystallized dynamite (he worked in the hardrock mining industry for years and they would find it in old mines that they were getting ready to re-work) and lived to a ripe old age, dying of natural causes. A lot of the deadly accidents caused by explosives in the early railroad days were not caused by dynamite, but by its predecessors, black powder or "giant powder." That stuff wasn't as powerful as dynamite, but was more apt to explode accidentally. |