I Never Knew About Fire Trains

The Southern Pacific had them also, back in the steam days. The locomotive was specially outfitted with steam driven water pumps and large water spray nozzles, with a number of water filled tank cars hauled & hooked-up behind the locomotive.

Now that's one cool train!

Here's  an HO model of an SP Fire train by Bob Wirthlin. 

Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) & Austrian Federal Railways (OBB) also have these firefighting trains with capability to fight fire in tunnels & tow stranded trains. They also have sealed life-support chambers for the rescued passengers. They are manufactured by Windhoff who have been exhibiting them at the biannual Innotrans train fair in Germany for the last few times. Here are some images I found on Flickr.

Swiss firefighting train

These are just my opinion,

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

boin106 posted:

Here's  an HO model of an SP Fire train by Bob Wirthlin. 

I seem to recall that the four SP steam locomotives that were modified for their "Fire Train Service" were all 4-6-0 "T Class" locomotives. I wasn't aware the SP had any 2-6-0 "Fire Train Service" locomotives.

These trains are also useful for dust suppression and watering trees.

Kent Loudon posted:

These trains are also useful for dust suppression and watering trees.

Really?????   I never realized that the Southern Pacific ever dispatched any of their "Fire Trains" just to water any of those evergreens in the mountains of California and/or Oregon.

Hot Water posted:

Kent Loudon posted:

These trains are also useful for dust suppression and watering trees.

Really?????   I never realized that the Southern Pacific ever dispatched any of their "Fire Trains" just to water any of those evergreens in the mountains of California and/or Oregon.

And how did you think they stayed so green???

Hot Water posted:

boin106 posted:

Here's  an HO model of an SP Fire train by Bob Wirthlin. 

I seem to recall that the four SP steam locomotives that were modified for their "Fire Train Service" were all 4-6-0 "T Class" locomotives. I wasn't aware the SP had any 2-6-0 "Fire Train Service" locomotives.

That's the fire train Lionel should have produced in the 1950's!

>>These trains are also useful for dust suppression and watering trees.

I was referring to what they appeared to be doing in the BNSF video!

FEMA should buy several sets those now outdated TankTrain cars and use them for all those fires out west in CA, NM, az, etc.

I wonder if the Durango and Silverton and the Cumbres and Toltec, and their D&RGW predecessor, had fire trains?  The first time I tried to ride the C&T nothing was running because of forest fire potential.  And that is just the narrow gauge...how about Rio Grande standard gauge?  Who else had fire trains?  There are/were  railroads through a lot of trees out there, and droughts have been sporadic if not cyclical.  Seems like the California fires on the nightly nooze have been going on for a  while,  with SoPac having them in steam since ???