Need help to find this.fire barrel platform for wooden tresslie. TS2012
- Thread starter Sorebutt
- Start date
MeowRailroad
CKRail
So that's what those are for! I have always wondered what those barrels on trestles do. They are for fighting fires, right?
The idea is that if a Train or *Happened* to be running across the bridge and it *Happened* to be on fire at the time, they could use the barrels to extinguish it.... In practice I don't think it ever really worked very well.... One little barrel of water isn't gonna do much against a Trestle Fire (Hence you don't see alot of Trestles with them). I think possibly at one time there may have been greater risk from fires being started by sparks or Hot Ash or something from the locomotive, but still....
Also I do know some railroads at sometimes would actually hire people to walk their R.O.W.s looking for fires to extinguish, but this was usually "Don't forget your shovel & Pickax otw out the door" kinds of deals. The MLW through Montana was notorious for this in the early 20th Century for example.
-Falcus
Hay guys I am building about 2 miles of the old King Horn Sub, The trestle is at Pass Lake Ont, the trestle is now abandoned. I found a trestle and supports on DLS but can not find any fire barrel platforms. One guy said try this. (Plate Girder Bridge Platform) Its wrong kind. So iam going to try to build it from scratch. I will try to post a jpg hear when i get it done. Thanks
Some railroads take trackside fires very seriously.
When I rode the Durango & Silverton (some years ago) each train was followed a half mile or so by a speeder pulling a little car with a water tank on it. The two men riding the speeder watched for fires caused by sparks from the loco. That in addition to the fact the loco had some sort of water/mist spray gadget on top of the stack and a boxcar directly behind the tender with a 500 gallon water tank to supply it. They are not allowed to run if it isn't working. I took the shop tour and asked the gent about it. He said they didn't get many but it did happen now and then and it would just take one to totally screw things up for a tourist/scenic railroad (not to mention ticking the forestry department in Colorado off to no end).
An interesting thing about that boxcar is campers/hikers, etc. can buy a ticket and the train will drop[ them off in a few locations. They can stay as long as they like of course and when done flag the train down to return to Durango. The boxcar carries their camping equipment. Rather nice of the D&S I think even if they do make a bit of $$$ out of it.
On the lighter side I always wondered about those water barrels. If you have ever seen a photo of a trestle on fire the amount of water in those barrels would like peeing into ocean and saying "I'm filling it up".:hehe:
The platforms do allow work crews to get out of the way on long trestles when a train goes by.
Ben
When I rode the Durango & Silverton (some years ago) each train was followed a half mile or so by a speeder pulling a little car with a water tank on it. The two men riding the speeder watched for fires caused by sparks from the loco. That in addition to the fact the loco had some sort of water/mist spray gadget on top of the stack and a boxcar directly behind the tender with a 500 gallon water tank to supply it. They are not allowed to run if it isn't working. I took the shop tour and asked the gent about it. He said they didn't get many but it did happen now and then and it would just take one to totally screw things up for a tourist/scenic railroad (not to mention ticking the forestry department in Colorado off to no end).
An interesting thing about that boxcar is campers/hikers, etc. can buy a ticket and the train will drop[ them off in a few locations. They can stay as long as they like of course and when done flag the train down to return to Durango. The boxcar carries their camping equipment. Rather nice of the D&S I think even if they do make a bit of $$$ out of it.
On the lighter side I always wondered about those water barrels. If you have ever seen a photo of a trestle on fire the amount of water in those barrels would like peeing into ocean and saying "I'm filling it up".:hehe:
The platforms do allow work crews to get out of the way on long trestles when a train goes by.
Ben
Hi Ben. I rode the cn passenger train to Toronto before it was name Via across this trestle at Pass Lake Ont, And now it is abandoned. I have a jpg of fire platform i made. put when i try to put it on the trestle the fences all joint together. I have seen some of your work. is it possible for you to make this item
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Possibly but the photo (or whatever it was) doesn't appear.
Most of my trestles have platforms but they are built-in as opposed to being a separate item. Tie size and spacing would be a factor on ay platform made as a separate item. I always use the same dimensions but on most railroads those dimensions varied a bit.
Ben
Most of my trestles have platforms but they are built-in as opposed to being a separate item. Tie size and spacing would be a factor on ay platform made as a separate item. I always use the same dimensions but on most railroads those dimensions varied a bit.
Ben
Hi Mitch,
I'm sorry my find didn't help, but that's the breaks with Trainz content. You'll either find a gazillion of what you're looking for, or find that out of the gazillion items out there the one you need isn't there. That's why we have a gazillion things on the DLS and elsewhere.
To post a picture or screenshot on the forums you need to link from a photo hosting site. We recommend using Hostthenpost.org - www.hostthenpost.org .
You simply go to the website, upload the picture you want to host, even a bunch of pictures if you want to do that. After the pictures are uploaded, you then go to the bottom part of the screen and highlight the text in the forums box and copy.
Finally, you then paste the image link in the forums here and we can see them.
The process is a lot easier than I explained.
John
Printed the picture out.
Exactly how do you want this configured?
Platforms like this are usually supported by extra long ties so the tie spacing on the trestle matters (and varies RR to RR). Keep in mind tie spacing on bridges and trestles is usually closer then on roadbed.
The floor boards are usually 2 inches thick and anywhere from 4 to 8 inches wide.
The wood for the railings would not normally use a different texture since its almost always plain creosote treated lumber not in need of paint.
In this case I can make it so it just abuts the ends of the ties.
So Whatcha want in the way of dimensions (and do you want me to include a water barrel?
Ben
Exactly how do you want this configured?
Platforms like this are usually supported by extra long ties so the tie spacing on the trestle matters (and varies RR to RR). Keep in mind tie spacing on bridges and trestles is usually closer then on roadbed.
The floor boards are usually 2 inches thick and anywhere from 4 to 8 inches wide.
The wood for the railings would not normally use a different texture since its almost always plain creosote treated lumber not in need of paint.
In this case I can make it so it just abuts the ends of the ties.
So Whatcha want in the way of dimensions (and do you want me to include a water barrel?
Ben
cascaderailroad
New member
I don't think they were sticking out excessively longer than @ 8 foot from the rail
Ben,
I think these would best be made as a track object so they can snap on to existing bridges. You or someone else, if you don't want to be the one making these things, could make them in various widths to accommodate various bridge-types and track gauges. Being track objects, will also mean lining them up will be much easier as well.
John
I think these would best be made as a track object so they can snap on to existing bridges. You or someone else, if you don't want to be the one making these things, could make them in various widths to accommodate various bridge-types and track gauges. Being track objects, will also mean lining them up will be much easier as well.
John
cascaderailroad
New member
I really don't imagine the platform being 8 foot wide, by 9 foot long, just to provide an escapement and room for a 200 gallon water barrel, I would think the dimensions were a bit smaller, and there were usually many of them on long trestles ... IDK
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Cascade is correct in that they didn't stick out very far. Just enough so the train could clear someone on them (and/or the barrel).
He is also correct in that your dimensions are a bit (ok much) to big width-wise. 3 to 4 feet max I'd think. The barrel ain't that big.
Trestle width isn't the ruling criteria. Train width is and standard gauge equipment runs around 10 or so feet wide. So any part of the platform that sticks up above rail height must be a minimum of 6 feet from the center of the trestle.
Notice in Cascades photos how extended length ties are used as platform supports? This is pretty much standard practice as far as I know. None of my books on bridges and trestles show it done any other way.
Don't think I have ever made a track object before so in that respect you might be better off with someone who has. Doesn't mean I won't give it a try but will need some idea in the "how to set it up" department.
Ben
He is also correct in that your dimensions are a bit (ok much) to big width-wise. 3 to 4 feet max I'd think. The barrel ain't that big.
Trestle width isn't the ruling criteria. Train width is and standard gauge equipment runs around 10 or so feet wide. So any part of the platform that sticks up above rail height must be a minimum of 6 feet from the center of the trestle.
Notice in Cascades photos how extended length ties are used as platform supports? This is pretty much standard practice as far as I know. None of my books on bridges and trestles show it done any other way.
Don't think I have ever made a track object before so in that respect you might be better off with someone who has. Doesn't mean I won't give it a try but will need some idea in the "how to set it up" department.
Ben
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