You can't see it in that version of the clip, but almost as soon as the train stops a guy in a bobcat - clearing the foreground parking lot of snow - drifts sideways into the picture, whirls and goes back about his business as if nothing happened.
I took this photo back in 2016 of the place where the derailment happened. The center beam lumber car hit the column on the far right, behind the end of the NS autorack. This was taken from the rail cam this morning showing the damage at the top.
I don't know. but doubt it. Paper mills in New England were relatively low profit operations. Woodchip transport was not high volume like coal and ore. Also, rotary dumpers were expensive compared to mills which were basic manual processes, no automation. IIRC, the chips were bottom dumped into a float tank below.
Few years ago, there was a derailment on top of the bridge at about same location. Fascinating to watch a time-lapse of the clean-up with multiple rail-based and ground-based cranes. It may be on YouTube, dunno.
I bet it was something like the DPU gone wild. Too much pushing. Those empty center beam cars jumped off the track and accordioned. And the rest of the train kept coming, even with the brakes in emergency with the brake line parted. That's my theory and I am sticking to it.
Wow... talk about an inconvenient place to have a derailment! There was some nice traffic going by before they started working on getting that wreckage cleared.
I'll bet you're right. I wonder if empty center beam cars are treated with special consideration? Some years ago, NS put several trains on the ground at Horseshoe Curve until they figured it out. I saw a railfan story of a fan standing trackside at Altoona. As a train approached to take on the mountain, a trainman leaned out the cab window with a grin and yelled "NO CENTERBEAMS!".
I've read that they need to be placed towards the end of a train. Unloaded, being light and long makes them susceptible to string-lining and buff action can cause the bogies to lose rail contact. I wonder if those trailing tank cars were loaded.
Always fascinating to watch skilled crane operators in action. A friend of mine was a crane operator in the reconstruction of the Mendota Bridge in the Twin Cities in 1992 - 1994. I wonder what code that snap track is and if Atlas made it. Doug
They're very well compensated for their skills. Despite computers handling the multitude of complex calculations involved in a lift, these guys have to know their stuff. I used to hire crane contractors in my work and learned to appreciate the contractors that could supply the proper equipment, transportation of associated booms, jibs and gear, and Operators that knew their business.
Is this on film or is it a digital filter? The lighting in this shot is really interesting, it reminds me of some early 2000's slides. Seeing an H2 leader is a bit rare these days, this whole photo has a ton of 'throwback' character.
Lately, I have been on a retro kick trying to simulate the "Kodachrome" look on digital images in photoshop. This image was taken in August of 2012.
A few carbon black hoppers hanging out in Cartersville last weekend. There is a Toyo Tire plant in White GA, just a few miles north of this yard so not that unusual for them to be there but they are usually not where I can shoot them.
