Leave it to the military to not crash a train

Funny that steam locomotive just would not jump the tracks.Only the cars after the locomotive.Come to think of it I saw my o gauge trains do something like this.There was a gap in the tracks.It would make alot of noise.So I stoped the train and saw the gap in the tracks.So I fixed it.It funny how they tryed to derail the train.Wow thanks for posting this.

They should have studied Burt Reynolds Lancaster techniques in The Train.

Scotie

 

(never post when you're tired)

I think you meant to type Burt Lancaster.

 

Stuart

 

Thought it was Burt Lancaster. Good movie.

Indeed a great film.

Old film, I wonder what conclusions were drawn as the testing continued.

Just a guess: I would not be surprised if the gap had to be as long as the wheel base of the drivers.

They should have tried Sherman's neckties.

That poor locomotive having to go through all of that.  Part of the reason it took so much to derail it was they kept the rails lined up.  If after making the gap they shifted one end that train would of come off at a very small gap.

That film was very important to people dropping behind enemy lines to train resistance fighters in the best ways to cause a derailment. Generally, US Army soldiers rarely ever did this to other equipment, but it was also vital to know how someone could knock out their lines, too.

Those derailments were essential training tools for the engineer sections in how to recover damaged rolling stock and track...

quote:

That poor locomotive having to go through all of that.  Part of the reason it took so much to derail it was they kept the rails lined up.  If after making the gap they shifted one end that train would of come off at a very small gap.

 

How would a commando move the rails apart?

 

Let's not publish ideas for idiots.  911 / WTC happened after a structural engineer spoke about what was wrong with the first attack. Makes me a little paranoid.  Sorry.

Uhh...yea...sure seems like a "How to for Isis" video.

 

Hey, I'm all for free speech, but one also has the right to not speak.

 

Conversely, I pondered whether removing the spikes (allowing the rails to spread) would have been quieter, easier, and equally disabling.

 

I'm funcused!

They could probably get the similar ideas from Lawrence of Arabia and Bridge on the River Kwai...

 

Rusty

That was an N&W Class G 2-8-0.

Or the 1995 Sunset Limited crash. I would also say the 1939 wreck of the City of San Francisco, which at the time was assumed to be sabotage, but enough info has now come to light to question if this wasn't a simple accident from heat-kinked rail and a strong desire for the SP to claim sabotage to cover their own backsides...

Same way they removed a section, with the tools at hand.

Interesting video, thanks for the link!

 

jim

I also thought is was a interesting view.

Larry

Saw this video a few years ago. It was inspiration for some loads.

Don

If they're trying to replicate German railways, they should have tried it with two-axle wagons, either captured ones or stand-in cars built from scratch.  I imagine they would have a much lower tolerance to track damage than cars on trucks.

When they filmed this, there were no 'captured' cars to use. That early in the war there wasn't much rolling stock left to liberate as well as very little deck space to waste on a liberty ship or LST bringing back anything like that.

Keep in mind, US forces wouldn't have had the chance to even see European rolling stock until well into the war as in Africa they didn't encounter much at all and we didn't get into Sicily until much later.

There was plenty of captured German railroad equipment in the US after the war ended, most of which was sent to Ft Eustis, including several locomotives, which were all scrapped years later (as were many examples of combat wheeled/tracked vehicles at Aberdeen Proving Ground, much to the dismay of future historians).

This all checks out, interesting story....

Gary

Cheers from The Detroit and Mackinac Railway