Radius

[doctorwayne]

Normally, I don't run a lot of trains up this hill, as it dead-ends just about where the loco stopped in the video. The train shown was probably exceeding the speed limit, but in normal operations, the operator walks alongside the train, making it easy to spot a minor derailment before it becomes serious. There have been only two derailments on this hill: one was a loaded coal train where one truck of one hopper derailed just before the lower end of the high bridge, (below) resulting in minor spillage of the "live" load:


Cause of the mishap was determined to be a split truck-mounting boss, resulting in excessive yaw in the carbody. The 8 ounce car weight probably exacerbated the problem, as total "tonnage" on the loco's drawbar was 100 ounces.

The other derailment was at the high end of the same bridge, resulting in several cars plunging to the riverbed below. A motorist on River Road narrowly missed being crushed by two of the boxcars, which came to rest on the road. Again, damage was minimal, with one roofwalk end snapped off, and the lead weights in one boxcar becoming dislodged.




The accident was attributed to restricted truck swing on one of the derailed cars due to improper clearances between the brake rods and the car's wheels. The excessive train weight (over 70 cars) probably contributed to the number of cars derailed, causing some both ahead of and behind the culprit car to stringline.

After repairs, the same train ascended the hill without incident several times (and also made several circuits of the entire layout). Motive power varied with each trip - steam, diesels, steam and diesels, all locos on the head end, pushers, and mid-train helpers, too.

The "lucky" 26 survived a 3' head-first drop to the concrete floor, from the track at lower left. The turnout is the only power-routing type on the layout, and some careless operator left it lined for the siding (lower level, nearest the aisle). While running a train elsewhere, the 26 and a sister Consolidation, along with their 100 oz. coal train (one can be seen on the siding in the picture below - this is the staging track for this particular train) approached the edge of the layout. The 26 plunged into the abyss, while the second loco had its front end hanging out into space. Luckily, the couplers held, allowing the heavy train to prevent further mayhem.


Once again, damage was relatively minor: a broken front coupler, broken drawbar pin on the tender, and the wires pulled from one of the electrical plugs. (All of these locos have since had the Bachmann wiring harnesses and plugs removed.) The lead investigator determined that "a person or persons unknown had left the switch improperly aligned", but was loath to incriminate any particular individual, declaring the case closed.
Here's the "Lucky 26" after repairs:


Wayne