DeSoto times. (Hernando, Miss.) 1879-1898, 1890-10-16
The WRECKING TRAIN,



Accidents will happen occasionally on
the best managed railroads. and some
times bad wrecks happen, the cause of
which frequently is a mystery, and the
tracks are blocked for hours For every
minute the track remains blocked mon
ey and time are lost and passenger and
freight traffic are interrupted. So the
railroads are always prepared, and with
In Ohirty minutes after wreck has hap
pened a wrecking train is on the way
with trained crew of men, and if the
telegram announcing the wreck says
that passengers or employees are injured,
the wrecking train comes along with its
physicians, bandages and cots. A
wrecking outfit is about the homeliest
thing owned by railroad company,
but when it is needed is needed badly.
The wrecking cars are keptat the end
of division, and are directly under the
control of the uperintendent of that di-
vision. The wrecking train is composed
OF three cars and a powerful locomotive,
and all the cars are fitted with air
brakes. The first Car is what is known
as the truck car The body of the car
is very low, and upon it are carried two
extra pairs of trucks, rails, cross-ties,
and spikes, for sometimes the track is
torn up in wreck. The second car is
the wrecking car. 1t is built of the
heaviest timber, and is mounted on two
pairs of small, heavy trucks Half of
the car is covered over and the other
half is mere platform, but arising from
the center is powerful derrick with a
2S-foot beam. With this powerful con.
triVanCe, trucks cars and locomotives
ere swung about The covered portion
Of the car resembles the inside of a
storeroom of ship, as there are sc
many cablos hanging around.
In one end OF the car are two closets, one
containing the food for tho crew. The
locker is always we'll filed for there is
no telling whom tho wrecking train may
be called into service. The other closet
or locker contains medicines, bandages,
and portable telegraph outfit, with
several coils of wire. If the wreck is a
bad one the instrument is brought into
use An operator is picked up at the
first station along the road, and when
the scene of the accident is reached the
wires are set and a telegraph office is
establish. The car carries rope of every
size and kind up to three inches in di-
ameter. hydraulic jacks for raising en-.
gines and cars, levers pulleys and dor
rick tackle of all kinds. On the Louis
vile & Nashville first division wrecking
cars there are carried 800 feet of manila
three-inch rope for pulling engines on
the track, 800 feet of two-inch full line
for pulling purposes, 275 feet ~ Inch
rope for the derrick, two G0-foot sections
of three-inch switch rope for pulling on
cars, 240 feet 21g-inch rope for the same
purpose, and 230 feet of tbree-inch rope
for pulling on trucks, and 500 feet for
guy lines. The next car is the 'block
car" containing short blocks of wood
of every size for blocking up cars and
locomotives.
At every wreck cars are generally
tumbled about in confusion, and the
wrecking crew begin on these The
shattered ones are pushed off the track,
and those left in a little better condition
are put on the track and drawn away
After this is done there is one or more
disabled engines. The heavy cables on
the wrecking car are attached to the
disabled locomotive, and live one at
the other end of the rope generally, by
hard work, pulls the disabled locomo-
tive back on the track When the track
is clear, the wrecking train picks up all
the iron and trucks and comes back to
town. Boston Herald.