Dodge City times., 1890-10-17
THE wREcKlNo TRAIN.
Something About the OUTFIT Carried II
Its Caro- and Always In Readiness.
rFporn ha rouyi.v Iourna11

somsthing About the Outfit Carried ia
Its Carr and Always In Readiness.
From the Courier Journall
Accidents will happen occasionally
on the best managed railroads. and
sometimes bad wrecks happen, the
cause Of which frequently is . mystery
and the tracks are blocked for hours
For every minute the track remains
blocked money and time are lost, nd
passenger and freight traffic is inter
Fupted. So the railroads are always
prepared, and within thirty minutes
hitter . wreck has happened wrecking
train is on the way with trained crew
Of men, and if the telegram announc-
ing the wreck says that passengers or
employees are injured the wrecking
train comes along with its physicians,
bandages, and cots. A wrecking out
fit is about the homeliest thing owned
by railroad company, but when they
are needed they are needed badly.
The wrecking cars are kept ct the
end of . division, and are directly
under the control of the superintend-
ent Of that division. The wrecking
train is composed of three cars and
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. crosstiss, and spikes. for
sometimes the track is torn up in
wreck. The second car is the wreck
ing car. It il built of the heaviest
timber, and is mounted on two pairs Of
small, heavy trucks. Half the car is
covered over and the other half is .
mere platform, but arising from the
center is . powerful derrick with 2S-
foot boom. With this powerful con-
trivance trucks, cars, and locomotives
arc swung about. The covered por-i
ton Of the car resembles inside
store-room 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 medi-
cines, bandages, and . portable tele-
graph outfit, with several coils Of wire.
If the wreck is bad one the instru-
ment is brought into use. An operator
is picked up ct the first station along
the road, and whom the scene of the
accident is reached the wires are set,
and Q telegraph Office is established.
The car carries rope Of every size and
kind up to three inches in diameter,
hydraulic jacks for raising engines and
cars. levers, pulleys, and derrick tackle
of all kinds. On the Louisville and
Nashville first division wrecking
cars there are carried 300 feet Of
manila three-inch roTe for put
ting engines on the track, 300
feet of two-inch full line for pull
purposes, 275 feet 1s-inch rope for
the derrick, two sixty-foot sections of
three-inch switch rope for pulling on
cars, 240 feet 2a-inch rope for the same
purpose, and 23O feet of three-inch
rope for putting on trucks, and 500
feet of guy lines. The next car is tho
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 tbs
wrecking crew begin on these. The.
shattered one 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 car are attached
to the disabled locomotive, and live
one at the other end of the rope gem
orally by hard work pulls the disabled
locomotive back on the track. When
the track is clear, the wrecking train
picks up all the iron and trucks and
comes back to town.