Steam Trains In The Water

Gives new meaning to "your trains are on the water".

Certainly a challenge of railroading. The Shay picture is photoshopped though. 

Says a lot about brute-force, doesn't it.

Interesting. It would be nice to know when and where these photos were taken.

I imagine the was lots of wheel sleep considering how much can come from just a little rain. 

That certainly can't be good for the bearings.

Back in the mid 1960's, flooded waters covered the rails of the CB&Q in Savannah Ill, if I remember correctly. The Q used their excursion engine, 2-8-2 4960, to pull both freight and passenger trains through the water.  They could not use diesels because the water was too deep for the traction motors. 

Somewhere there are photos of this, as it  was covered in Trains Mag. I think the passenger train might have been the combined TC Zephyr/Empire Bldr/North Coast Ltd.

RAY

As long as the water stayed out of the cylinders and below the fire box, they could keep moving I guess.   

As for washed out track, the crews probably went very slowly and prayed a lot!

...and then the water reached the firebox.

RickO posted:

That certainly can't be good for the bearings.

Bearings are the least of a flooded railroad's worry.  Generally, flood waters aren't good for anything on the railroad.

Rusty

Just WOW !!!

Here's some more steam trains in the water.

Steam submarine chaser???

Water is close to the firebox of this engine.

As far as the track, I can guarantee that no crew operated through long stretches of water substantially over the top of the rail without someone from Maintenance of Way okaying it.  Okay, there were probably a few isolated cases where a renegade Engineer charged right in, but most, who wanted to stay employed, did not take it upon themselves.

Things for Maintenance of Way to consider:

• Was the water flowing or just rising?
• What is the condition of the ballast, sub grade, and ties?
• How long has it been under water?

Probably some poor Trackman in a pair of hip-waders was sent to walk the track before a train was okayed to pass.

That Shay may be photoshopped, but track on a W. Va. logging road was laid right THROUGH a shallow creek, and photos exist of logging power nonchalantly fording the creek as water flows over the rails.  I am wondering how l can model that.

Reminds me of a video I stumbled upon at the local library 20 years ago.  Steam engines were headed to the scrappers en masse, so some lines decided to have parties and stage head-on steam engine collisions before they were salvaged.  Almost like a snuff film for steam engines.  Very odd.

David

colorado hirailer posted:

That Shay may be photoshopped, but track on a W. Va. logging road was laid right THROUGH a shallow creek, and photos exist of logging power nonchalantly fording the creek as water flows over the rails.  I am wondering how l can model that.

battery power and real water ?

Rusty Traque posted:

Bearings are the least of a flooded railroad's worry.  Generally, flood waters aren't good for anything on the railroad.

Rusty

A few of those look like they could use a boat anchor before they float away.

Maybe a hopper or gondola? Sure.

A refer? Maybe

But,  I never thought I'd see a floatin boxcar let alone a few.  (How do you model THAT lol)  

Ray of sunshine posted:

Back in the mid 1960's, flooded waters covered the rails of the CB&Q in Savannah Ill, if I remember correctly. The Q used their excursion engine, 2-8-2 4960, to pull both freight and passenger trains through the water.  They could not use diesels because the water was too deep for the traction motors. 

This was also the plot of a Donald Duck comic book.  Uncle Scrooge's fancy new streamliner was trapped in a flash flood with the traction motors submerged,  but Donald,  driving an old steam engine slated for scrapping,  pushed it free and saved the day...   

Mitch 

I fished out W.E. Warden's "West Virginia Logging Railroads" book which has several photos of Elk River Coal and Lumber geared locos splashing through several fords on the Lilly Fork.  ERC&L had an aversion to bridges as well as the usual logging roads' avoidance of ballast or tie-plates.  I thought l might use the clear plastic pourable "stream" material, and cover the track to just below the rail tops, to model a ford a train could pass through, keeping a slot for flanges inside the outside rails 

That's why the Chicago & NorthWestern Railroad named their 4-6-4  "Hudson's" Baltics.

The level of the fire is a little higher than you might think...

The picture of shay 11 at Cass is photoshopped. 

I forgot to mention that the Elk River did not just lay track through and across creeks; it also lald them down streambeds, running trains with or against the flow of water, as also shown in photos.   I am not going to try to model that.  It doesn't mention if washouts were a problem.