Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1890-10-09
THE wRxcKrNa TRAIN.


Accidents will happen occasionally on
the best managed railroads, and some.
times bad wrecks happen, the cause Of
which frequently is mystery, and tho
tracks are blockaded for hours. For
every minute the track remains blocked
money and time are lost, and passenger
and freight traffic is interrupted. So the
railroads are always prepared, and with.
in thirty minutes after wreck has hap.
pened wrecking train is on the way
with trained crew of men, and if the
telegram announcing the wreck says thai
passengers or employees are injured the
wrecking train comes along with its
physicians, bandages and cots. A
wrecking train is about the homeliest
thing owned by railroad company, but
when they are needed they are needed
badly.
The wrecking cars are kept at the end
of a division, and are directly under the
control of the superintendent of that
division. The wrecking train is com.
posed of three cars and powerful loco.
motive, and all the cars are fitted with
air brakes. The first car ia what is
known as the truck car. The body Of
the car is very low, and upon it are car
ried 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 a mere platform, but arising from
the centre is a powerful derrick with
| 28-foot boom. With this powerful con-
trivance trucks, cars and locomotives are
swung about The covered portion of
the car resembles inside the store-roo
of ship, as there are so many cables
hanging around.
In one end of the car are two closets,
one containing the food for the crew.
The locker is always well filed, for there
is no telling when the wrecking train
may be called into service. The other
closet or locker contains medicines,
bandages, and portable telegraph out
fit, with several coils Of wire If the
wreck is 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 telegraph office is
established The car carries rope Of
every size and kind up to three inches in
diameter, hydraulic jacks for raising en-
gines and cars, levers, pulleys and der
rick tackle of all kinds On the Louis
vile and Nashville first division wreck
ing cars there are carried 300 feet of
manila three-inch rope for putting en-
gines on the track, 800 feet of two-inch
full line for pulling purposes, 275 feet
| 1a-inch rope for the derrick, two sixty
foot sections of three-inch switch rope
for pulling on cars, $40 feet 2t-inch rope
for the same purpose, and $50 feet Of
| three-inch rope for putting on trucks,
and 500 feet for guy lines. The next
car is the "block car" containing short
blocks of wood of every size for block.
ing up cars and locomotives.
At every wreck cars are generally
tumbled about in confusion, and the
wrecking crew begin on these. Tho
shattered ones are pushed off the track,
and those left in little better condi.
ton 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 are attached to
the disabled locomotive, and live one
at the other end of the rope generally
by hard work pulls the disabled loco
motive back on the track. When the
track is clear the wrecking train picks
up all the iron and trucks and comes
back to town.-[Courier- Journal