wheel slippage- rail slippage?

[NW Mailing List]

If you're interested, get the video "Runnin' That New River Train".  Might 
help get some perspective on slipping . . .

EdKing
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 10:43 PM
Subject: Re: wheel slippage- rail slippage?



> My wife's grandfather, when he was the roadmaster here in Lynchburg (late 

> 60's), was called to a little siding called Ito on the old main line down 

> in town. Seems the crew reported rail theivery. The crew had actually spun 

> the rail out from under the diesels....

> Charlie Long

>

> -----Original Message-----

>>From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

>>Sent: Dec 10, 2007 8:40 PM

>>To: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

>>Subject: Re: wheel slippage

>>

>>This is little tale about wheel slippage that was told to me by some 

>>unknown N&W employee in the early 1950's (He seemed to be some sort of 

>>official.  I wish I had kept notes of such things back then so as to know 

>>who he was.).  I was riding the observation car of the Powhatan Arrow when 

>>this man struck up a conversation with me and told this tale.  He told me 

>>about a steam locomotive on an eastbound tonnage train that entered the 

>>old, tight Elkhorn Tunnel at a very slow speed.  The tunnel and locomotive 

>>cab soon filled with smoke, and the only way that the crew knew they were 

>>moving was by the motion of the locomotive.  After awhile the crew 

>>realized that they should have exited the tunnel, but because of the smoke 

>>(and maybe it was at night) they could see nothing ahead.  Suddenly there 

>>was a jar as though the locomotive had dropped.  The engineer shut off 

>>steam and the crew got down to investigate, and found the locomotive 

>>wheels had burned completely through the rails, a

> nd the wheels were in the ballast.  Apparently, the train had stalled, but 

> the locomotive wheels kept turning at a constant rate, making the crew 

> think that they were moving ahead.

>>

>>I can't vouch for the accuracy of this tail, but I did not have the 

>>impression at the time that the fellow was pulling my leg.

>>

>>Gordon Hamilton

>>  ----- Original Message ----- 

>>  From: NW Mailing List

>>  To: NW-Mailing-List at nwhs.org

>>  Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2007 11:55 PM

>>  Subject: wheel slippage

>>

>>

>>  How damaging was it for a steam locomotive to "slip". I notice that in 

>> Winston Link's recordings and in the Pocahontas Glory videos series, 

>> there are several instances of locos slipping. Was this damaging to the 

>> wheels or the rails?

>>

>>

>>

>>  Mike Weeks

>>

>>  Charlotte

>>

>>

>>

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