Think you could??
- Fred in Skirts
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Think you could??
It is or was the Louisville and Wadley RR in Georgia USA. The owner has since died and the line abandoned. They did a good business with pulpwood and furniture. They connected with the Southern RR.
(0) Yes the track is as bad as it looks and in some areas it is worse.
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"It is better to be hated for what you are than be loved for what you are not" Andre Gide: 1869 - 1951
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Re: Think you could??
Not to... derail this thread... but yesterday a train went by and it looked like it was carrying steel beams spanning two cars. Was this an optical illusion?
Also, WOW - those tracks are crazy.
Also, WOW - those tracks are crazy.
- crfriend
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Re: Think you could??
Possibly not, depending on the dimensions of the beams. Note that "ribbon-rail" (welded rail) is transported in several-hundred-foot-long segments that span many several rail-cars. Steel is more flexible than most folks think.
I took one look at that and got motion sickness from the thought of trying to take even a light locomotive over them nevermind a train.Also, WOW - those tracks are crazy.
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Re: Think you could??
Thanks! That was it - google images corresponded to what I saw.
- moonshadow
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Re: Think you could??
We now have an active image we can call up whenever a thread...
.... runs off the rails...
.... runs off the rails...
-Andrea
The old hillbilly from the coal fields of the Appalachian mountains currently living like there's no tomorrow on the west coast.
The old hillbilly from the coal fields of the Appalachian mountains currently living like there's no tomorrow on the west coast.
Re: Think you could??
An amazing photo. Usually it would be extreme heat that could buckle tracks to that extent, but looking at the conifers in the landscape, It can't be all that hot there. Earth tremors! Subsidence?
I never drove a train, so I don't know what particular skills would be required. Luck, perhaps?
Tom
I never drove a train, so I don't know what particular skills would be required. Luck, perhaps?
Tom
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Re: Think you could??
With the track looking like that, the only way to drive would be VERY slowly and with a lot of LUCK.
It's worth remembering that the sleepers (ties) are there to keep the rails together - the weight tends to push them apart. Once the track goes wide to gauge, then there is very little to stop the loco/rolling stock dropping to 'Mother Earth'!!
It's worth remembering that the sleepers (ties) are there to keep the rails together - the weight tends to push them apart. Once the track goes wide to gauge, then there is very little to stop the loco/rolling stock dropping to 'Mother Earth'!!
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Re: Think you could??
How to you drive bad trackage? very carefully, found a youtube clip or two, here is one (Note it starts of sped up, then drops to normal as the train gets close
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X2A2f6E5DI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X2A2f6E5DI
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Re: Think you could??
The store I work at overlooks the rail line through the center of the city. A few times, they have had wind turbine blades parked there for a while. Those also span more than one rail car, but are NOT flexible! Big suckers, and I'm pretty sure they were not half as big as they can get.Coder wrote: ↑Tue Apr 07, 2020 12:19 amThanks! That was it - google images corresponded to what I saw.
- beachlion
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Re: Think you could??
Easy peasy.partlyscot wrote: ↑Tue Apr 07, 2020 5:25 pm..... The store I work at overlooks the rail line through the center of the city. A few times, they have had wind turbine blades parked there for a while. Those also span more than one rail car, but are NOT flexible! Big suckers, and I'm pretty sure they were not half as big as they can get.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-vlG7jRKSQ
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- Fred in Skirts
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Re: Think you could??
This line has had minimal maintenance for almost it's entire life. The cross ties (sleepers to you Brits) have rotted away in some areas and the only thing holding the rails up is the Georgia red clay. The ground in wet weather is very mushy. I have helped him to replace some of the ties. We would put them about 6 to 8 feet apart hoping that it would help. Most of the ties were used and had been donated by Southern Railway from their upgrades when he could get them. So most of them were already well used up. But it kept the line operating and gave employment to himself and two others. It was operational up until his death and there after it was abandoned altogether.
I really enjoyed going down there to have a day or two running the train and working on the railroad. In the summer it was very hot work with temps reaching in the upper 90s F. But when you are having fun it does not worry you.
I've been working on the railroad all the live long day.
I really enjoyed going down there to have a day or two running the train and working on the railroad. In the summer it was very hot work with temps reaching in the upper 90s F. But when you are having fun it does not worry you.
I've been working on the railroad all the live long day.
"It is better to be hated for what you are than be loved for what you are not" Andre Gide: 1869 - 1951
Always be yourself because the people that matter don’t mind and the ones that mind don’t matter.
Always be yourself because the people that matter don’t mind and the ones that mind don’t matter.
- crfriend
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Re: Think you could??
They'd pretty much have to be at least slightly flexible else they'd be very vulnerable to bad weather. Too, so long as there's enough side-to-side motion available for one end or the other (and a pivot at the other end) that'll take care of the matter so long as the curvature of the track doesn't put part of a blade outside the loading gauge (and there's something there to interfere with it).partlyscot wrote: ↑Tue Apr 07, 2020 5:25 pmThe store I work at overlooks the rail line through the center of the city. A few times, they have had wind turbine blades parked there for a while. Those also span more than one rail car, but are NOT flexible! Big suckers, and I'm pretty sure they were not half as big as they can get.
The blades in the video that BL posted were also oriented in the direction of that limited flex. Even aircraft propellors flex a bit under different amounts of load.
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- beachlion
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Re: Think you could??
The windmill blades on the train are placed in a sort of cradle inside those steel constructions. It looks like there some amount of pivotting possible.
I have seen videos of road transport where one end was on a truck and the other end on a sort of dolly with steerable wheels. They had to take very wide turns and the middle of the blade was hanging over quite a lot. That transport went way below the max speed limit.
All progress takes place outside the comfort zone - M J Bobak