Western Railroad Discussion > Low branches and over grown trees invading train space

After spring rains, are low hanging branches and trees growing into a train's space ever a problem, or are they good about keeping them cut back?
 

We once had to spot some cars at an industry that hadn't ordered any cars for a few years and there literally was a tree growing in between the rails.

Posted from iPhone

If the tracks receive regular traffic yes, the trees are usually maintained. Train crews are good about reporting what they deem a hinderance in the performance of their duties.
If on customer tracks, it's their responsiblity if they want service provided or a missed switch by train crews.

Posted from Android

On tracks like these, with the tree in the rail area, for example, does the railroad make an evaluation of the ties, etc before it pushes in, etc?

 

They take care of anything on there right of way as needed doesnt take much for a person to determin that in person. Anything beyond it that can cause problems can be removed at the property line without notice.
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> On tracks like these, with the tree in the rail
> area, for example, does the railroad make an
> evaluation of the ties, etc before it pushes in,
> etc?
>
>  

BAB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> They take care of anything on there right of way
> as needed doesnt take much for a person to
> determin that in person. Anything beyond it that
> can cause problems can be removed at the property
> line without notice.
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > On tracks like these, with the tree in the rail
> > area, for example, does the railroad make an
> > evaluation of the ties, etc before it pushes
> in,
> > etc?
> >
> >  

Thanks. I didn't know if a track foreman etc had to sign off on using a long disused track, or whether the C&E would make that determination on the scene.

SoCalConductor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We once had to spot some cars at an industry that
> hadn't ordered any cars for a few years and there
> literally was a tree growing in between the rails.

I sent an engine to one of the ex-NP branches (can't remember which one) around Orting to pull a bunch of stored cars so that the line could be taken up. The only power light enough for the branch was an SW1. It was just 50 or so empty flats, so that should have been just fine.

The crew tied on but couldn't walk the cut. Behind the first couple of cars, the rest were completely covered in blackberry vines. It was night, so they couldn't see the extent of the entanglement, but after kicking off the binders on the head two cars, they couldn't budge the track at all. They gave up and called me. I sent them back to Tacoma to tie up and sent gandys to cut blackberries in the morning.

It turns out that the blackberries were not the biggest problem. There were trees growing right through several of the cars.

TAW

Mother Nature takes back her own.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/16 11:48 by ddkid.