10/6/2004: Train t-bones car carrier
 

http://cellar.org/2004/356crash1.jpg

Thanks to Design Monkey for sending this along.

When a freight train hits a vehicle at a crossway, it's a really bad thing. When it hits a car carrier, it's a really, really bad thing. And when it hits a car carrier carrying five mint restored vintage sports cars, including three vintage Porsche 356 Speedsters, a T-6 and a 911 well, it's simply unfathomable.

(note: the guy in the shot there is not a victim, he's examining something.)

http://cellar.org/2004/356crash2.jpg

And here's the other side of the train.

http://cellar.org/2004/356crash3.jpg

It left a big piece of carrier stuck right in the undercarriage. They had to call in welders.

So what happened? Apparently, the train got hung up on the tracks while crossing them, because it didn't have enough clearance. The authorities called to stop all train traffic, but it wasn't in time to stop this train. And it all happened one block away from the vintage auto show where the cars had just been shown in their top condition.

Ironically, part of the train's freight was... cars.

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IT HURTS ME.

The also had to re-rail the train - notice it's off the track?

BTW Notice how LITTLE damage was done to the train - if it's a tie, you lose

I'm going to show this to a friend of mine, just to watch him have a heart attack. He's married to the notion of restored vintage cars. I'm such a bad person. :blush:

They restored them once, they can restore them again.

Hope they were insured as vintage vehicles!

I had a friend who was doing a complete restoration of a 1956 Mercedes 190 SL convertable. It was 90% done when during one night the voltage coil shorted out and caused a fire that charred the whole thing. Luckily he had it insured for $25,000 and made his claim and was reimbursed within a week to start the restoration over. Don't know what that did to his rate but I bet it went up!

Actually insuring old cars for a pre-agreed value, even a high value , is way cheaper than regular car insurance. :)

That is enough to make a grown man cry !!!!!!

I couldn't live with myself if i was that train operator. Even more so if it was carrying Shelby Cobras

Then I guess you can't be a train operator - One the average, a train engineer hits at least one PERSON during their work life. Yep - as in kills. Comes with the job

It's typically not the engineer's fault, though. Those things don't stop on a dime.

Suicide by train is moderately popular amongst the extremely serious, although I do know one paraplegic and one double (arm) amputee who were unsuccessful.

A friend of mine drives trains for (a major rail company in the area). He had his first suicide about 3 or 4 years ago ... he'd been on the job for about 7 years that point. A lot of this old-timer coworkers were wondering when his streak would end. It fucked him up for a while, but he worked through it. (I did a little bit o' work with him on it. His employer "offered" some counselling, but it's one of those things that if you go for it, you reduce your chances of significant promotion ...)

Oh so true...... People should look at Operation Lifesaver

Wish your friend well. Some of the Railroads have gotten around that the same way some police departments have gotten around the stigma of going for counselling after a shooting - they make it MANDITORY - even if you feel you don't need it - you have to go

As you might be able to tell, I'm a railfan - I feel for the Engineers. It a horrible spot to be put in. There is NOTHING they can do except hit the brake, and ride it out, and pick up the pieces after

I'm trying to imagine a reason to hit the brakes other than to stop for the paperwork.

three words...hit and run.

:greenface