C&O Steam Loco 1309 Emergency Stop in Brunswick, MD

whoops!

ouch!

Peter

Does take a while--and some distance--to stop a train, doesn't it?  Fortunately, though, no spills of that steamer.

How did the crossing gate fall anyway?

A highway truck was trying to turn around there, and knocked it over just prior to the train arriving. Thus, no time for anyone to pull the parts out of the way, especially since the Engineer stated to the Dispatcher that he would NOT be able to stop.

That vide shows an excellent view of why most railroads began specifying snow plow pilots on all their new locomotives, back in the 1970s.

Thanks

I'm familiar with that crossing and the truck driver must have taken a wrong turn since I can think of no reason for him to be over there and there isn't much room to make a turn around as evidenced by what he did to the gate.

Not sure that I would have been standing in that position shooting the impending accident given how far pieces of the gate might have flown after the collision.  That's just me, I guess.

Poppyl

I deal with Truckers all day long: "But, the GPS told me to go this way!!"

Cool video......

I watched the YT Video, very cool with the piggy back steam power & the gate issue.

Side Bar • I am still having chaos when I embed YT Videos. No Mo-Joe....

Just remember they are "Professional Drivers"!

not all of us are nut jobs like the one who did this

I drove for 15 years and never did anything like this

Glad no one got hurt, and that 1309 is ok and still on its way!

She did indeed make it to the WMSRR shop this afternoon and was unloaded.

Thanks to CSX and TTX for free shipping and use of flatcars.

Lots of photos on the WMSR facebook page.

Ed

I think I missed something.  Is the intent to put C&O 1309 into tourist service on the WMSR, along with (or instead of) their current H-9 Consolidation?

Ted

In late May the Ford's Colony Model Railroad Club (Williamsburg, VA) visited the WMSR and had a shop tour and briefing by General Superintendent Mike Gresham. Our timing was fortuitous as only 2 weeks before our trip to Cumberland the agreement between the WMSR and the B&O Railroad Museum for the loan of 1309 was made.  According to Mike "H9" 734 will haul the heavy Fri/Sat/Sun trains assisted by GP30 501 while 1309 is being overhauled. To stretch out 734's availability diesels (usually WM GP30 501) will be used to haul weekday trains.  When 1309 is ready (expected in 2016) 734 will go in the shops for it's required boiler work.  One operational saving the railroad looks forward to is that they won't need to operate two locomotives on heavy trains when the 2-6-6-2 is on the point. How they'll operate weekday trains when two steam locomotives are available wasn't addressed. 

   Concurrent with rebuilding 1309 the WMSR is restoring WM business car 204 for service on the line.  I'd like to see our club return to the WMSR in the 2016 time frame to ride "business class" in 204 while being hauled up the mountain by 1309.  

 Steam rail fanning is looking up for those in our region. Our 2015 club trip hopefully will include visiting the O. Winston Link Museum and riding 611 out of Roanoke.

Ed Rappe

I assume the Turntable at Frostburg, MD will handle the additional weight and length.

Of course. Besides, that C&O H-6 isn't as long as folks think.

Hot Water is of course correct. The 1309 is just a bit shorter than the 100' table at

Frostburg.

What will have to be done, since the 1309 will be able to handle a longer train, is to increase the "run around track" length at Frostburg, which can only handle about eight cars.

Longer trains are no problem now with a diesel helper, which is at the end of the train going up to Frostburg, and can lead returning to Cumberland. In most situations, with the more powerful 1309, a longer train with no helper required will be possible.

Ed

Are those the new style crossing gates, designed to hold the train back and allow vehicular traffic to use the crossing?

So the tool that recorded this scene with his PHONE could not call CSX with the "phone number" mounted on the crossing gates to let them know a gate was hit? I would have hooked my tow strap to it and pulled it off the line..... NOT recorded the scene.

And you would have then been in BIG trouble for trespassing, plus you probably would have been hit by the oncoming train too!

Also, don't forget the live electrical wires!  As long as the person recording it was using a long telephoto lens, they did nothing wrong.

I love how people think that just because someone drives a truck that they know every inch of every road in America.

I also love how people think they know everything that went on behind the scenes before, during, and after that whopping 1 minute and 10 seconds of video.

Jeez, listen to the Audio.  Both the engineer and dispatcher already knew about the downed signal.

Most Truckers are ok, but there's a significant percentage that scare the He!! out of me.