Check out this WWII OSS video. Derailing a train is hard work.
The problem is, they were trying to derail it. They should have invited visitors to see how smoothly the railroad operates. THAT would ensure plenty of derailments! 
Fabulous site, Steve!
Those OSS experiments are the best argument I’ve seen for adding weight to G-scale cars to help avoid derailments.
I don 't feel so bad about my occasional 3/8" gap between rails now. Cool film.
Later,
K
Wonder what would have happened if they had blown out a portion of the outside rail on a descending curve. 
It always looked easier on Hogan’s Heros. :lol:
From my experience at the Botanic Garden, they needed a toad.
That’s pretty amazing. Whos going to model it?
Tom Ruby said:
From my experience at the Botanic Garden, they needed a toad.That’s pretty amazing. Whos going to model it?
Kinda messy, ain’t it? Using explosives is much more elegant.
Do it like Burt Lancaster did it in “The Train” just loosen a full length of rail
Wow–that was very cool–thanks for posting that. Amazing how hard it was to derail.
Also in interesting to see OSS training guys in derailing trains.
Ray nailed it–they should have just invited the neighbors in to see how well it ran.
Com’on …everyone knows you just blow a lenth of the outside rail on a curve, the weight inertia of the train pushes it right off the rails, or blow the points on a switch spitting it. or wait and blow the track under the engine, damaging the engine and making unoperable…
(http://www.loeser.us/examples/himages/resist9.jpg)
Vic, the former “La Resistance” member in a past life…
It certainly seemed easy for Hogan’s Heros! :lol:
If you ever want to learn about a seriously devious act of sabatoge, study the 1939 wreck of the “City of San Francisco” that was a seriously demented act of terrorism.
Victor Smith said:Thanks for that, Vic. I'd never heard of this train wreck.
If you ever want to learn about a seriously devious act of sabatoge, study the 1939 wreck of the "City of San Francisco"
The handful of web references I came across (e.g., http://www.elkorose.com/harney.html), suggest no cause for the wreck was ever conclusively proven, although sabotage seems to be the front runner in the search for an explanation.
Dave Healy said:Victor Smith said:Thanks for that, Vic. I'd never heard of this train wreck.
If you ever want to learn about a seriously devious act of sabatoge, study the 1939 wreck of the "City of San Francisco"The handful of web references I came across (e.g., http://www.elkorose.com/harney.html), suggest no cause for the wreck was ever conclusively proven, although sabotage seems to be the front runner in the search for an explanation.
I read an article about it some years ago with stuff about the investigation and it seemed conclusive that it was sabotage and the a disgrunteled former employee was the culprit. But it couldn’t be proven that he was the one that did it. Very good article about a terrible wreck that didn’t have to happen. Can’t recall what book it was in. Not mine. I was reading it at a friend’s house.
It happened on a curve, too, didn’t it?
Probably a training exercise for Hogan’s Heros before they went overseas. :lol:
Yep, on the curve in front of a bridge, the train left the tracks, hit the bridge then slammed into the opposing buttress, the lead engine was virtually demolished as were several cars, who ever did it covered there tracks amazingly well, a full tool bag was found in a nearby pond, to this day it still looks like more than one person was involved in it, as the ties on the outside rail was removed, and one end of the track was offset at an angle and respiked down, all while a cable attached to the rail ends prevented the automatic signalling system from detecting any break in the circuit. Someone knew how the get around the system…BTW no I wasnt there, I found a published report on the disaster back in college at the library, made for an interesting if disturbing read. I suspect one reason its not well known is that there’s been those who don’t want what essentially is a terrorist handbook on how to derail trains getting published again. But its one of the great “who dunnit” mysteries in railroadania.