Steam & Excursion > The good, bad and ugly

Clean as can be and with a clear smoke stack T&P 2-10-4 #601 leads a eastward freight past Dallas Union Station. Later in life it suffers a serious derailment north of Jefferson Tx in Nov 1946. The wreck killed the fireman and critically injured the engineer. No word on the head brakeman. Cause: Heavy rains had weakened the stability of the track and the engine pushed the track out on the curve into mud. Note the engine is about 30% buried.

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A shot from the air of the wreck and another picture at the sight.

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I am so tired of seeing overspeed derailments with the remains piled up on the outside of the curve.....

Who said overspeed caused this, I read the post as being track conditions were the cause.

railstiesballast Wrote:
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> I am so tired of seeing overspeed derailments with
> the remains piled up on the outside of the
> curve.....

Posted from Android

Well, if he was going slower it wouldn't have happened.

"Pushed the track out on the curve..." means too much lateral force.
It all relates to the ratio of lateral (centrifugal) force to the vertical (weight) force.
This ratio defines when one of three things happen:
1. The flange climbs the rail
2. The rail tips over
3. The rail slides on the tie or in this case the tie slides on the ballast.
Item 3 is the friction force, more weight means more force as it is proportional to the vertical load.
Remember the lateral force is proportional to the square of the speed.
Supporting evidence for suspecting excess speed is the number of cars piled up.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/19/17 08:05 by railstiesballast.

Pretty wild that one (and only one) boxcar ended up 50' ahead of the locomotive.

Yes, but if a slow order had not been issued and the train was not exceeding the bulletined maximum authorized speeds for both the train and track then it it is not an over speed derailment, it is a track defect caused derailment.

Overspeed is blaming the crew.

SD45X Wrote:
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> Well, if he was going slower it wouldn't have
> happened.

Posted from Android

Was this engine renumbered to 661 by the time of the Jefferson derailment? I ask as I've seen reference elsewhere that it was engine 661 that was involved there.

Thanks for sharing the photos with us here.

You heard the same thing I did. I did not look close enough at the from the air picture. It wasn't until I got the "on the ground" pictures of the wreck that I could tell it was the 601. Note that a class I-1r engine 601 has a different look than the class I1-dr which would be 661. 601 has a straight smoke stack, a chambers front throttle, and a 2nd sand dome that is rectangular close to the shape of the front sand dome. The first 10 2-10-4's were like that except some got the 2nd dome and others did not. 661 has a flanged smokestack, american multiple throttle and its 2nd sand dome is oblong.

I have had conversations with the son of the fireman who was killed in this wreck and he thought it was 661 but the pictures I showed him now led him to believe he had just forgotten the correct number. The only other thing that might change some of this would be another wreck at the same location. That would be amazing. He confirmed the location of the wreck for his father was correct.