Semi Hauling Excavator Hits Bridge over I-10 in New Mexico

[pegarrett]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/10-west-near-lordsburg-closed-183814891.html

100% loss of prestressing strands in 3 of the beams. 40 strands per beam.

Apparently the semi was going 75mph at the time of impact.

 

[hacksaw]

Oversized loads require at least two chasers and one lead, involved with the current clearance of all overpasses.

 

[CWB1]

Typically excavators are overwidth, not height until you get up into the monster mining machines that require removing tracks and booms to haul separately. In some areas they'll have a single escort but not a pole car, and typically just flags and an oversized banner. Judging from the rail gear (4'8" standard gauge) and proportions of the house that machine's fairly small, prob only ~8' wide.

The one that amazes me is that FMVSS hasnt mandated a lockout system for vehicle hydraulics. Every year multiple dump truck/trailer beds accidentally raise on the highway and strike bridges. There are also many accidents caused by snowplows dropping onto roadways at high speeds. As someone who is generally skeptical of regulation, its common sense IMHO for them to do so.

 

[IRstuff]

I see at least one chain on the excavator wreakage. Didn't see on on the other side, but it might have gotten cleared away with the truck wreakage.

 

[LionelHutz]

The one that amazes me is that FMVSS hasnt mandated a lockout system for vehicle hydraulics.

Not a surprising to me at all. It's rather impossible to spread the load while rolling if you can't raise the box in motion.

 

[CWB1]

Not at all. Trucks with a factory PTO have had PTO limiters since the 70s. The issue isnt lack of technology, its that they're commonly bypassed or not installed by upfitters and owners bc its not illegal to do so. Growing up on the farm, we never bypassed them on dumps to prevent damaging PTOs/pumps (as intended) by accidentally engaging while moving. The only difference in operation is that you have to begin from a stopped or neutral position depending on transmission. Hold the clutch and brake, engage the PTO, raise the dump, and start driving when material slides. Stop and lower afterward.

Even if low-speed operation was allowed (easy with electronics), there's no reason they shouldnt be required over 10 mph.

 

[waross]

Most raised box incidents occur when the driver forgets to lower the box.
There are alarms available.
Alarms are not always installed.
Alarms are bypassed.

 

[LittleInch]

Just because someone can avoid it / ignore it or bypass it doesn't mean its not a good idea or that it shouldn't be done.

One incident whereby the driver and owners get stung badly for causing damage to public property and where his insurance won't cough up because he disabled or ignred or didn't maintain a legal requirement to have these fitted, working and tested and it will stop pretty fast.

 

[spsalso]

Looking at the photos of the excavator, I do think that this piece of equipment was NOT railroad related.

While there are indeed railroad wheels present, the tracks appear to me to extend far below the level of the bottom of the wheel. This would make it useless on railroad track, because the excavator track will be sitting on the railroad ties before the wheels contact the rail.

I suspect this equipment was designed to be able to travel on "non-railroad" track. This would allow the operator to travel along the track without having to "steer" the excavator. The track was probably only a couple hundred yards long, if that.


spsalso

 

[waross]

the excavator track will be sitting on the railroad ties before the wheels contact the rail.

Possibly the wheels were mechanically manipulated by the modern magic of hydraulics when running on thr rails.
Your converse is that it may be difficult to execute turns on the tracks if the wheels are extended below the tracks.
Working on pavement may also be problematic with the wheels down.

 

[MintJulep]

 

[FacEngrPE]

Designs in orbit has some videos showing tracked equipment working on the Clinchfield Railroad.

Here is one.

 

[Garbage1]

Quick observations from the Part 4 Railroad Recycling video.

1. Railroads appear to recycle beyond imagination, by reusing and literally raising washed out tracks, and forcing fill under remains of tracks, Without first removing track, inorder to grade, fill and compact to tight specifications in preparation for re-laying of tracks.
It appears track tolerances have to be large to allow this approach?
It would appear additional touch up required after actually running first trains across refloated track?

2. Government Regulations, EPA, and all the 3-letter bureaucracy don't get in the way of the railroads.

 

[IRstuff]

Modern railroad tracks are thermite welded, so cutting and rewelding is much less desirable.

 

[FacEngrPE]

I suspect that after the track is in place, it will have a much slower speed limit than previously, until it is machine tamped several times

Tamping Machine Wikipedia
and then measured with a geometry car.

The better the track geometry the faster the allowed maximum speed limit. Other things play into speed limit also. This may provide some ideas. FRA Track and Rail & Infrastructure Integrity Compliance Manual