Ernesto in Modesto Wrote:
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> Bob's bathtub Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I don't think locomotives had anything to do
> with
> > the derailment. It was bad train handling back
> in
> > the day. SP often ran underpowered, and over
> > length.
>
> No. WAF is right. Either 6 axle power was bad or
> the engines slipped maybe on a greaser. I read it
> somewhere recently. Maybe I recall the GP60s on
> the PCX trains, I don't know. I'm old, don't
> recall much but think WAF is right. DRGWs train
> makeup rules did not help the situation though.
>
>
> ERNIE
The cause, whether the DRGW liked it or not, was poor train blocking based on DRGW makeup rules. There was 5 empties, then the loaded tank car, many more empties and on the rear was a block of heavy covered hoppers. Those heavy loads, a bad 6 axle not loading properly, along with no helper to help handle the train, got the train down to a crawl approaching Cantara. The SD dropped its load and then came back in a surge of power, string lining the head end of the train on the curve. It could be possible that the bad unit hit the greaser at the same time it came back on line.