So what has happened here?

[tetters]

I found these on a friends Facebook profile gallery. He called it the "fail train" as he and a couple of comments seem to think that the train derailed. I say...if it had...then where is the CARNAGE???

In the above photo, one person called the small yellow rectangle bolted to the tracks a "track squeezer"??? This person explained that pulls the tracks together back into gauge...I say BS on this. Seeing at how it sits on top of the rail, it doesn't matter if it corrects the gauge, at a good rate of speed it will derail the train.

Paper work.

It seems odd to me, that the train would be left off the rails like this to prevent "theft". Would that even be possible. I also doubt that a loco would have a habit of rolling away when parked. So what gives. There are no gouges in the track work that I can see that would suggest it had derailed even at a slow speed.

So what gives?

Viewing this over all shot, it looks like a pair of new locos awaiting delivery. The fresh paint on the trucks and fuel tanks kinda gives it away for me. Plus the way they have been wrapped makes me wonder if they haven't been painted yet and are waiting for their road colours.

Some details...

 

[b28_82]

Looks like it's been a little while ago since the manufacture address of EMD is still LaGrange. I believe all their work is in London, ON now. By the shape i'd guess they're SD80s or 90s

 

[puddlejumper]

I think the thing on the rail is a chocking device. Looks like the loco was possibly derailed by said device. In a slow speed single wheel derail there may be no gouges or damage. It used to happen to me all the time while setting out cars on this crappy CSX trackage, we'd throw some blocks under the wheel, pull 'er back on, and try again.

Dave

 

[jbaakko]

Looks tends to like someone moved a unit w/o moving a chock... However, if it WAS a chock, it SHOULD be BLUE. It's probably a re-railer. Trains pop wheels all the time, sadly enough.

In any case, they're SD70ACe's. EMD is still "based" in La Grange. The plow, road number "4341(GMDX 1007)" and delivery location "... Australia" give them away as BHP units. BHP runs North American spec railway for ore hauling.

Here's what an uncovered unit would look like:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1097837

 

[N Gauger]

The yellow thingy is a De-Railer.. if you move a wheel into the de railer it nocks the wheel off the rails.. "Stopping a slowly rolling car without "carnage"... It's used to protect work areas in yards.

You couple to the train and "PULL" the car back into the de railer and as long as the wheel lines up with the "ramp" on the derailer.. the derailer will "push" the wheel back onto the rails.

The Museum uses them near their building so a car will derail and stop - before it crashes into the building.