Good news: It was normal day in Sharon Springs , KS, when a Union Pacific crew boarded a loaded coal train for the long trek to Salina .
The Bad news: Just a few miles into the trip a wheel bearing became overheated and melted, letting a metal support drop down and grind on the rail, creating white hot molten metal droppings spewing down to the rail.
The Good news: A very alert crew noticed smoke about halfway back in the train and immediately stopped the train in compliance with the rules.
The Bad news: The train stopped with the hot wheel over a wooden bridge with creosote ties and trusses.
The crew tried to explain to higher-ups but were instructed not to move the train!
They were instructed The Rules prohibit moving the train when a part is defective!
RULES IS RULES!
(Don't let common sense get in the way of a good disaster!)
*I am since advised by a reliable source that " The bridge will not be built of wooden bridge timbers this time around. It will be constructed of steel girders and cement and the span will be shortened considerably."
So it ends in mid-air this time round? BUT AT LEAST IT'S FIREPROOF!
Thanks Doc!
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5 comments:
I shouldn't laugh should I but I am.
The trouble with rules is that they over rule common sense sometimes!
Unfortunately this sort of madness is not uncommmon! Thanks for the invite, I shall have fun finding items for this venerable space.
Of course you should laugh, C.J! As long as no one was hurt, this is the funniest thing in yonks!
Gettin' proverbs mixed up here . . like - "Don't cross your bridges before you've burned them" Or something.
Kath . . Welcome to the Best Little Bloghouse in Britain..
Welcome Kath - nice to see a new face amongst all these grizzled varmints!
Well I reckon it was done deliberately to claim on the insurance and get a new bridge which needs less maintenance.
Things never are as they seem. The world is run by accountants and lawyers and you'd be amazed at what they get up to...unofficially of course. Things these days are not always as they appear.
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