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Post by jonklein611 on Oct 24, 2015 12:51:07 GMT -8
gawker.com/freight-train-pushed-clear-off-tracks-in-insane-texas-f-1738448661  "A freight train traveling through flooding in Northern Texas derailed on Saturday morning after its tracks were almost completely washed away. The train, which belongs to Union Pacific Railroad, was carrying 64 cars and two operators, both of whom swam to safety after the incident, according to the Associated Press."
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Post by valenciajim on Oct 24, 2015 13:07:38 GMT -8
Wow-not to make light of things but that looks like it could be a model the way it was thrown around. The only giveaway that it is not a model is that the lights are on while the locomotive is off the tracks. With the remnants of Hurricane Patricia hitting Texas, I hope we don't see any more of these.
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Post by Christian on Oct 24, 2015 15:00:26 GMT -8
That looks to me like a long string of concrete hoppers laying in the water. If so salvage will be interesting.
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Post by sp8299 on Oct 24, 2015 15:01:22 GMT -8
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Post by sp8299 on Oct 24, 2015 15:01:50 GMT -8
That looks to me like a long string of concrete hoppers laying in the water. If so salvage will be interesting. Or possibly frac sand. Frac sand would be a soggy mess, but if it's cement, yeah...things will get interesting, depending upon how good the hatch and outlet seals are. |
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Post by fr8kar on Oct 24, 2015 18:35:02 GMT -8
There is a huge cement kiln near there, so it's certainly possible the train was carrying cement.
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Post by mowingman on Oct 24, 2015 19:15:10 GMT -8
Yes, the train was carrying cement from one of the plants at Midlothian,Texas.
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Post by mlehman on Oct 24, 2015 21:13:39 GMT -8
Proving once again it does pay to know how to swim...
Lived in Texas back in the 60s. Hurricanes can really dump inland, although I think this part affecting the UP in N. Texas wasn't directly part of the hurricane, but a system its circulation stalled out and intensified from what the wife was telling me. In any case, was waiting for the school bus one morning as one was headed inland. I looked up, saw the clouds seeming to part and the sky was green. After a little while longer, I went inside and told Mom I didn't think the bus was coming, which proved right. News traveled a little slower back then.
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Post by riogrande on Oct 26, 2015 5:51:43 GMT -8
Mike, I used to take it for granted that everyone learned how to swim since I was a kid. I've read in recent years there are many people still in the US who grow up never learning how to swim and was kind of shocked by that revelation.
I was born in San Antonio TX and moved back to Texas (this time Houston) in the mid-1980's and lived there for a couple years. They could really get some major downpours to the point roads sometimes looked like canals and cars would stall in them. I had difficulty getting to work a few times. Families I knew there who lived there for many years told me about floods they experienced in places like Friendswood - the bottom level of their two story homes got flooded with 4 or 5 feet of water! It was an interesting place.
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Post by mlehman on Oct 26, 2015 6:50:56 GMT -8
Mike, I used to take it for granted that everyone learned how to swim since I was a kid. I've read in recent years there are many people still in the US who grow up never learning how to swim and was kind of shocked by that revelation. SNIP Beautiful San Antonio. It's all changed and grown since we lived there, built all the way to Randolph AFB (where dad was stationed) on the east from the sat pics I've seen now. I think with our dads in the military we were just used to learning to swim. I know because we kids all had to go to the Red Cross swim classes at the O-club pool (and was that a cool place at Randolph!) Perhaps that was your experience, too, if mom or dad didn't cover it on their own, which they kind of did with us anyway. I suspect mom enjoyed the free "mom time" after dropping us off at the pool for lessons, though...  |
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Post by riogrande on Oct 26, 2015 7:16:42 GMT -8
I don't remember San Antonio at all because I was only there for the 1st 3 years of my life - no point of comparison if I ever went back. If I have any comparible experience, it's with California - lived there from age 7-24 and been back a few times since. It has changed that's for sure - like many places. I think my dad was stationed at Randolph also but it was Brook Army Hospital where I was born. As for swimming, it was standard fair for most kids when I was young - seemed like common sense for most American families in my experience - you either taught them yourself as parents (even on the farm in the local swimming hole) or sent them for swimming lessons at the community pool, but I didn't grow up in the inner city - I think those are the ones who often never learn from what I'm reading.
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Post by kentuckysouthernrwy on Oct 30, 2015 15:57:02 GMT -8
I saw roadways along the expressway in Texas SW of Dallas-Ft. Worth crossing small streams that had tall white posts with black lettering along the side of the road marked off up to about 20 feet most likely to tell approaching drivers the depth in flash floods.
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