Western Railroad Discussion > railroad torpedoes

Do any railroads still supply torpedoes to train crews? I would assume with the loss of the caboose and with two man crews the head end, the days of sending out a flagman to the rear are over.

Only Fusees are required, the FRA dropped the Torpedoes, for simple reason they can not be reliably heard, with todays sound proof cabs and the wearing of ear protection.

What are torpedoes?

Its a small black powder charge with two lead straps to attach it to the top of the rail so that when a locomotive passes it, there is a rather loud explosion to warn of some MOW work ahead. Usually red in color. somewhere a while ago, someone had a post and some pictures about them.

Old Espee caboose carried both before it became a coffee shop in Coquille, OR

Fred Harrison
Central Point, OR
CORPpower/JSS/EORS

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When they did away with the torpedo rule I kept a few ........

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The contents are the same as what is in a fusee, only in a tight wrapper. You can take fusee powder and spread a thin line down the ball of the rail and it sounds like muffled little firecrackers going off.


Nudge

Some of my cohorts who apparently had great fun playing with torpedoes insist you can occasionally find them on Canadian National units but I've yet to find one.

spnudge Wrote:
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> The contents are the same as what is in a fusee,
> only in a tight wrapper. You can take fusee powder
> and spread a thin line down the ball of the rail
> and it sounds like muffled little firecrackers
> going off.
>
>
> Nudge


I think the torpedo powder was more sensitive contact explosive.
We used to take them apart and separate the powder.
Just a small amount tapped with a hammer gives off quite a bang.

The danger is that like dynamite, as it ages it becomes unstable and crystalizes. We had the Hazmateers remove a few that had crystalized when turned in by parents who's kids had brought them home. They can be dangerous!

James Nelson
Thornton, CO
www.flickr.com/mojaveflyer

And my instructor said the record was 4 high, stacked.

smitty195 Wrote:
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> What are torpedoes?

C'mon Smitty-- Are you kidding ?? In your "profession" you don't know what they are ??
They are classed by the FEDS as a "Class 'C' Explosive" and extremely dangerous..
They act like a small stick of dynamite!

I'll find my story about them and come back and post it here...

Cheers.

Ken Shattock (KRK)

not as dangerous as you think, I use to store 3 cases (1500) on top of steam heat radiator in station, summer and winter.

Not only were torpedos found to be ineffective as a warning device with today's sound-insulated cabs, several roads also found that a not-so-insignificant number of employee injuries occured due to their misuse (see some of the earlier posts) and use in pranks/practical jokes.

The 2005 Edition of the General Code (GCOR) eliminated the rule requiring use of torpedos (GCOR 5.7). This was a mere formality as virtually all GCOR roads had already cancelled the rule by General Order/Special Instruction and issued instructions prohibiting their use or possession on company property.

Cabooseless operation has pretty much rendered all flagging equipment obsolete, but fusees continue to be used and required for things like protecting grade crossings, etc. Besides, if they got rid of fusees, what would managers test with? :-)

NZ

KeyRouteKen Wrote:
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> smitty195 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > What are torpedoes?
>
> C'mon Smitty-- Are you kidding ?? In your
> "profession" you don't know what they are ??
> They are classed by the FEDS as a "Class 'C'
> Explosive" and extremely dangerous..
> They act like a small stick of dynamite!
>
> I'll find my story about them and come back and
> post it here.

Nope....never heard of 'em. And I had never heard of anyone calling a flare a fusee until joining TO.
>
> Cheers.
>
> Ken Shattock (KRK)

waning exp devices to wan trains of maint or trains ahead of them not used on the up any more restricted speed was required when you encountered a torpedo up bridge

It's actually rather confusing on the UP depending on how you read the rule book (GCOR).

First, UP has deleted Rule 5.7, which tells employees what to do when they encounter torpedoes. Basically because Rule 5.7 has been deleted you can ignore torpedoes you do find.

However, when you read Rule 5.2.2, that rule still gives a requirement as to how many torpedoes you are required to carry (8) although the last sentence in the rule specifies that "UP flagging kits" will only have a red flag and fusees and does not mentioned torpedoes at all. So, if you ignore the first part of this rule you don't carry torpedoes with you although the rule does tell you that you are supposed to carry them, just not in a UP flagging kit.

Then when you go down to Rule 6.19, this rule explains how torpedoes are supposed to be placed, even though Rule 5.7 has been deleted and therefore you can ignore them.

So in this wonderfully simple world of the UP GCOR you have one rule that contradicts itself by telling you that you have to carry them but not in a UP flagging kit (Rule 5.2.2), then you have another rule that tells you how to place them if you have them (Rule 6.19), and finally you have another rule that has been deleted (Rule 5.7) so the crew finding the torpedoes can simply ignore them since there is no rule that tells anybody what they are and what to do when they explode.

Highball!!!

upbridge Wrote:
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> waning exp devices to wan trains of maint or
> trains ahead of them not used on the up any
> more restricted speed was required when you
> encountered a torpedo up bridge


This is english of some sort, right?

You ain't text messaging here pal. Use all of the keys so us olde farts can read it.

Maybe this should be in the "Nostalgia" board: The railway museum I belong to used to "ring out the old and blow in the new" on New Years Eve by pumping up the main reservoirs of cars and locomotives with horns and/or whistles. We'd synchronize watches, and at the stroke of midnight let loose a cacophony of warning devices that could be heard in the next town. We'd also run a loco across numerous torpedoes, causing numerous explosions and generating copious clouds of smoke. Some time in the 70's or 80's wisdom overruled wackiness and torpedoes were banned from the property. At least it didn't take a serious injury to cause them to be outlawed.
Side note: Torpedos were also called "guns".

a737flyer Wrote:
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> Its a small black powder charge with two lead
> straps to attach it to the top of the rail so that
> when a locomotive passes it, there is a rather
> loud explosion to warn of some MOW work ahead.
> Usually red in color. somewhere a while ago,
> someone had a post and some pictures about them.

On the SP there were two types of torpedos.