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Canadian Railroads > slip and slideDate: 11/20/14 04:40 slip and slide Author: hoggerdoug June 12, 1974 on the BC Rail at mile 716.5 Fort St John sub, the grade above the Peace River slipped and slid down about 20 to 50 feet. the yard crew was returning from Teko, caboose leading along with engine 580. They hit the slide and depressed track, both caboose and loco rolling onto their sides. Fortunately nobody was injured, badly shaken but otherwise okay. I was at Fort St John waiting to return to Chetwynd and we were held at FSJ and eventually deadheaded home. If we had encountered the slide with a loaded train it would have be a tragic event.
01 slip above grade 02 looking north (next day) rails and ties have been removed caboose pulled away. You can see the sheer drop in right of way. 03 looking north on what was the track, to the right and below me is engine 580. Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/14 05:05 by hoggerdoug. Date: 11/20/14 04:42 Re: slip and slide Author: hoggerdoug Date: 11/20/14 04:47 Re: slip and slide Author: hoggerdoug I was called as Conductor for the "auxilary" big hook late afternoon of June 12, we went to Teko siding and spent the night there while the site was prepared to recover 580. all of my images were taken during the day of June 13, 1974
07 preparing to upright 580 08 up up 09 just about upright with side boom cats. Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/14 14:41 by hoggerdoug. Date: 11/20/14 04:51 Re: slip and slide Author: hoggerdoug By early evening crews pulled the 580 up makeshift trail to the roadbed where it was lifted back onto the rail. Was a slow and tedious process pulling the loco up the bank. It was dark during the rerailing operation and I did not get any images.
Date: 11/20/14 04:55 Re: slip and slide Author: hoggerdoug Last two images of the hook at Teko, early morning June 13. After the 580 was back on the rails, we took it and the auxilary crane back to Chetwynd, making frequent stops to check the bearings and traction motors account the accumulation of dirt and mud. We were on duty 38 hours, all quite exciting for this at the time 21 year old, brand new Conductor, the ink was still wet on my card. Thanks for looking, Doug
Date: 11/20/14 05:07 Re: slip and slide Author: 9643_South Great stuff Doug. Thanks for posting.
Dean Purcell Bracebridge, ON Date: 11/20/14 07:37 Re: slip and slide Author: tomstp Wow! Nothing like mountain railroading.
Date: 11/20/14 07:43 Re: slip and slide Author: mwarfel Cool series of pics, Doug; thanks! As a foamer and geologist, this sequence has it all for me! Thankfully no injuries. Interesting that hard hats were "optional" for yellow steel operators back then.
Date: 11/20/14 08:13 Re: slip and slide Author: ALcocentury Wow, thankfully no one was injured, nice interesting series of pictures, must have been some experience for you being a fresh young employee. Thanks for posting these, I like how your crew was able to retrieve the MLW, that in itself is a great feat. I know this experience,I had to do similar operations when our machines broke down in the Bogs/swamps/meadows on Long Island,N.Y., and the winter, oh boy, a whole different story. Thanks again Doug for your very interesting series of photos, I enjoy all your posts. Have a good one,
Robert E. Kannengieser, Dover,PA, USA Date: 11/20/14 12:02 Re: slip and slide Author: hoggerdoug mwarfel Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > Cool series of pics, Doug; thanks! As a foamer > and geologist, this sequence has it all for me! > Thankfully no injuries. Interesting that hard > hats were "optional" for yellow steel operators > back then. For the geologist, check out the "UFO" on the Tumbler sub, towards the south end of Wolverine siding. Told that it is an ammonite??, to me it looks like a giant clam, then again perhaps a UFO that had a bad day. Too bad I did not have something near it to give a size definition, it was at least 10 or so feet wide. Lots of interesting things in the rocks. Doug Date: 11/20/14 12:37 Re: slip and slide Author: mwarfel Yeah, we geologists always slip a rock hammer or other object in the photo for scale. I would comment on the fossil, but I was more interested in the engineering aspects of geology and never got into the old critters . . .
Date: 11/20/14 13:11 Re: slip and slide Author: loleta Did you actually spend the night at Teko or did they taxi you out to a motel somewhere? Come to think of it, I'm not sure you can even get all the way in there by road. At any rate, that's a remote place to spend a night.
L.F. Date: 11/20/14 13:30 Re: slip and slide Author: hoggerdoug loleta Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > Did you actually spend the night at Teko or did > they taxi you out to a motel somewhere? Come to > think of it, I'm not sure you can even get all the > way in there by road. At any rate, that's a remote > place to spend a night. > > L.F. Yes, we spent the night at Teko, trainmen slumbered on the caboose cots, I slept in the desk seat, hogger stayed in the outfit cars with the auxiliary, we had full meal services in the kitchen car. I was told on the open radio by the Superintendent, "sleep at Teko, leave the company radio on loud in case we need the hook sooner, and do not tieup" ie "stay on pay". Weather was warm and a short summer night. Also they could not take us off the train in work service, otherwise we could take rest and another crew would have to be called. Don't forget this was 1974, "rest rules" did not exist, we could stay on duty forever. The whole situation was fluid, depending on how soon the MOW got the site prepared for recovery of 580, or if the hillside slipped more. Doug Date: 11/21/14 10:42 Re: slip and slide Author: tq-07fan That's probably in the same area where we had to walk the Sperry car across a section that had started to slip but went completely later in the day. Lowest seniority man had to operate it across with the doors open on both sides while we watched on the ground. Luckily we were able to make it across without things going down hill quick. Neat pictures and story. I don't think to take pictures but wish I did now. I remember being shown the UFO on the Tumbler Sub as well. The weeks spent testing the BC Rail are still some of the most memorable and unique of any in my two plus years at Sperry.
Jim Date: 11/21/14 18:57 Re: slip and slide Author: mtnwestrail Thanks for the photos, explanation, and answers to the questions, Doug. Amazing amount of earth in that slide and then moved around to recover the locomotive.
Paul Birkholz Sheridan, WY Date: 11/22/14 12:57 Re: slip and slide Author: EMDSW-1 AMAZING photos and story...thanks for posting.
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