Steam & Excursion > WARNING to 3751 chasers: VERY HOT Barstow to Needles

This is for all those who will be chasing the 3751 this week: PLEASE - be CAREFUL out there in the extremely high heat. It can kill you! The high in Needles today (Wed., Aug. 14) was 115 deg. F, and it was 108 degrees F at 9 pm!.

Here is the URL of one site with info about heatstroke (Adobe Acrobat):

http://www.osha-slc.gov/Publications/osha3154.pdf

I am not going to chase her that far. Temperatures that high are more than I can handle.

Pray for the weather in the Barstow - Needles area to be significantly cooler next week.

Margaret

From weather.com this morning. Bring gatorade and water... lots of it!

Today Chance of Precip.
Aug 15 Sunny 113°/86° 0 %
Fri
Aug 16 Sunny 112°/83° 0 %
Sat
Aug 17 Mostly Sunny 111°/83° 0 %
Sun
Aug 18 Sunny 109°/81° 0 %
Mon
Aug 19 Mostly Sunny 106°/82° 0 %
Tue
Aug 20 Mostly Sunny 106°/82° 0 %

If you are used to the heat, and plan ahead, it\'s not that bad. Just bring plenty of water. You\'ll be sweating and won\'t even feel it. I\'ll be out there.

rustedflange wrote:

> If you are used to the heat, and plan ahead, it\'s not that
> bad. Just bring plenty of water. You\'ll be sweating and won\'t
> even feel it. I\'ll be out there.

If your car doesn\'t break down.

We lived 28 years in Barstow..didn\'t bother us. Lowest was 9f to twelve days of 113-118. You\'ll get used to it. Never had a cold or the sniffles,, either. 1967 to 1995.

What about the folks in the cab of 3751? It\'ll have to be a zillion degrees in there.

larryb wrote:

> What about the folks in the cab of 3751? It\'ll have to be a
> zillion degrees in there.
>

Air temperature in a steam locomotive cab is around 30 degrees HOTTER than outside air temp.
115 + 30 = 145 degrees F!!

I forgot to say that I know very well what living in very hot weather is like: I lived in Sa\'udi Arabia for 5 years: 1950 - 1955. My mother told me that my father often came home from work with the entire back of his khaki shirt WHITE from the salt in his sweat! HE also drank ONE GALLON of water every day. !! And the highs were around 120

PLEASE: !!! BE CAREFUL out there if you are going to chase the 3751 anywhere Victorville - Needles.
YOU MAY be used to the heat, but, as "wabash2000" said, replying to "rustedflange", who said:

"If you are used to the heat, and plan ahead, it\'s not that bad. Just bring plenty of water. You\'ll be sweating and won\'t even feel it. I\'ll be out there."

"If your car doesn\'t break down." !!!

Please: !! PLAN AHEAD!! It is IMPOSSIBLE to bring TOO MUCH water, when planning to be in areas where it is very hot.

Be careful: high air temperature CAN KILL YOU!!!


Margaret

While I echo the sentiments expressed here, I wanted to add a little.

1.5 - 2 gallons of water per person would not be out of the realm of realism. Those who do not live in this kind of heat might prepare and bring a little more.

While it is a lonely place along the route, it is certainly not entirely desolate either, so if you get a little low on liquids you can stop and get more. There are some long stretches of highway with no store or mini mart to stop at, but Barstow, Ludlow, Fenner, and Needles have places to get additional water. The entire run (BAR-NEED), without stopping for the trains, is barely 2.5 hours at track speed, uhh the speed limit, so 2 gals should do.

Should you break down, don\'t despair, the locals out here have always stopped to check on me when I\'ve been waiting for a train (IE look like I\'m broke down). They seem keenly aware of the potential danger and will help out if you get in a bind. The road is traveled well enough that I don\'t suspect you\'d go much more than 20 minutes without seeing somebody, especially on a day like that with all of the extra foamer traffic.

The Boy Scout motto applies "Be Prepared" and you should have an enjoyable time.

Brett, Las Vegas, 110+ today

Keep in mind that temp readings are made in the shade and that being out in the sun will be even HOTTER. The timing of this trip is unfortunate. I am not going to hurt myself to see this one.

3751 looked magnificent when she ran in late December of \'91; she displayed copious amount of steam, especially as snow was falling in Tehachapi.

Also remember the electrolytes. The mention of Gatorade, or similar type drink was a good idea. Too much water all at once can actually do harm by diluting your salts/electrolytes. Keep well hydrated at a steady pace rather than waiting till you feel thirsty and you should be fine.

DaveE

PS Remember the sunscreen too.

Yep, that desert heat\'s a killer. Please avoid the Needles Subdivision altogether.

Stay on the Cajon Sub with balmy skies and horrible light, or on the Metrolink San Gabriel Sub with all that plus fences and the unwashed masses (east of Cucamonga anyway).

Sta away from the Needles Subdivision, I tell ya! There\'s no air conditioning out there!

Ignore the blazing heat and beautiful afternoon sun you\'ll experience between Danby and Goffs, or the killer early evening light you should have ast the 3751 splits the signals at Klinefelter on the last lap into Needles.

Come to think of it, it\'s all too dangerous. Stay home!

You\'re right, Alco. I\'m going to stay home now...





See you out there! :)

Stay Home???? No way, there are home invasion bandits that will want to have their way with me not to mention the radon gas and the possible asteroid that might hit my house. I think the safest place to be is on the tracks in front of the train (the only place there will be no railfans) where I can get that great close up shot of the headlight!

Actually, thank you Margaret for reminding everyone about the environment. As a long time desert camper and native Californian, it never surprises me how this state can kill so many people. One thing no one talked about is how cold the nights can be!!!! Many people go out during the day dehydrated only to find their shorts and light shirts not enough to keep them warm at night.

Cheers

You all be safe out there. We don\'t want a new reality show called ``When Railfans Go Berserk.\'\'
Since I don\'t have any money I will stay in Pueblo where it is only 100, wondering why it takes so long for the Rock N Rail to go north.

Even if you do have some tolerance to the heat, it\'s not something to mess with.

Many of these Mexican folks have tolerance, and they still die walking across the border.

You forgot the shadow people and the Chubacabara...

And the aliens are coming too, they shot out comet spacecraft in half earlier this week. They are picking up superdave and taking him back home.



> No way, there are home invasion bandits that
> will want to have their way with me not to mention the radon
> gas and the possible asteroid that might hit my house.