La Trochita blown over

[EddieB]

I notice from other sites that there's a report (in Spanish) http://www.losandes.com.ar/notas/2011/4/23/descarrilo-la-trochita-esquel-hubo-turistas-heridos-564043.asp that a tourist train travelling between Nahuel Pan and Esquel in Argentine Patagonia was blown over by high winds. Photos show Baldwin 2-8-2 no. 16 on its side. There's also an English summary (and discussion) here http://railways.national-preservation.com/showthread.php/30707-Wind-derails-train-in-Patagonia?p=409176

 

Of 150 passengers, around 20 were treated for minor injuries.

 

Now, I know it gets very windy in Patagonia, but I didn't realise it was that strong!

[dave1905]

Having worked with wind blowover processes for railroads, I am suspicious that the wind could blow over a steam engine. We have had tornadoes hit trains with winds over 100 mph and not blow over engines.

[trisonic]

The wind gust quoted was 120kph or about 75mph which is minimum hurricane force.

Last Winter we had gusts as high as 78mph along the Hudson River (measured close to White Plains). I notice that either NS or CSX used a full coal train as a windbreak on at least one bridge otherwise they have problems with their double decker container trains.

 

I'm sure wind gusts in Scotland are easily as high as this.

 

Best, Pete.

[Leicester Thumper]

The wind gust quoted was 120kph or about 75mph which is minimum hurricane force.

Last Winter we had gusts as high as 78mph along the Hudson River (measured close to White Plains). I notice that either NS or CSX used a full coal train as a windbreak on at least one bridge otherwise they have problems with their double decker container trains.

 

I'm sure wind gusts in Scotland are easily as high as this.

 

Best, Pete.

 

yeah particularly in the more Northern parts of Scotland

[EddieB]

Having worked with wind blowover processes for railroads, I am suspicious that the wind could blow over a steam engine. We have had tornadoes hit trains with winds over 100 mph and not blow over engines.

 

The other factor to remember is that the Esquel line is 750mm gauge - just over half of standard. With carriage bodies of relatively higher and wider proportions in relation to track gauge, there is potentially a greater degree of instability on such narrow gauge routes. My guess is that the carriages, being lighter and having a higher centre of gravity, were the first to overturn, taking the Baldwin over with them (the large cab side probably didn't help either).

[EddieB]

The wind gust quoted was 120kph or about 75mph which is minimum hurricane force.

Last Winter we had gusts as high as 78mph along the Hudson River (measured close to White Plains). I notice that either NS or CSX used a full coal train as a windbreak on at least one bridge otherwise they have problems with their double decker container trains.

 

I'm sure wind gusts in Scotland are easily as high as this.

 

Best, Pete.

 

Not just in Scotland - to the eternal bemusement of a weather man called Michael Fish!

 

For what its worth, the world record wind speed was recorded at the top of Mount Washington (before the measuring apparatus broke), but I doubt that the famous Cog Railway was running at the time!

 

Of course, there's always the famous account of a tank loco being spun around on the turntable at Garsdale on the Settle & Carlisle by the Helm wind, which led to the building of a stockade around it. B)

[caradoc]

On the Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway, in 1925, the coaches of a passenger train were blown off the Owencarrow Viaduct by a gale, sadly resulting in 4 fatalities. The loco appears to have been unaffected, however.

[EddieB]

Oooof!

 

Here are a couple of photos taken shortly afterward by Fabrice Lanoue, who was in a party chasing the train.

 

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=362497&nseq=1

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=362616&nseq=8

 

For those not following discussions elsewhere, the local press reported a 72mph wind (presumably gusting higher).

[APOLLO]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azV5bC2br-Q

 

 

 

 

 

[bingley hall]

Oooof!

 

Here are a couple of photos taken shortly afterward by Fabrice Lanoue, who was in a party chasing the train.

 

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=362497&nseq=1

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=362616&nseq=8

 

For those not following discussions elsewhere, the local press reported a 72mph wind (presumably gusting higher).

Some of more of his pictures HERE

[John_Hughes]

There were certainly cases man years ago of Ffestiniog Railway coaches being blown off their bogies along the Cob in Porthmadog; the bodies sat on spherical mounts and weren't actually fastened down. That west wind off the Irish Sea can be quite something!

 

Also I have strong suspicions that the proximate cause (as the lawyers would say) of the Tay Bridge Disaster was the entire train being picked up by what was undoubtedly a hurricane and flung bodily against the High Girders, bringing that whole part of the structure down. But poor Tom Bouch the engineer made a good scapegoat, so got blamed.