Al Crisp here; The bridge is not considered a low clearance at 14' 5". Anything below the national 13' 6" is considered a low clearance. Even that marking is normal practice a few inches higher then the posted in most jurisdictions, but not always. If a bridge is marked and is above the recognized standard it is more of a courtesy then a necessity. There are thousands of underpasses with no marks what so ever. As for requirements for escorts that will vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction as will almost everything from flag size and placement to the number of chains. It can be mind boggling. The book for North America is the size of a New York phone book if you can find either. I can remember stopping at a weigh station in Lower Tush Push Flyover to ask advise, prior to loading for placement of flags etc. and all I got was shrug from the officers.
Running with a police escort could be nerve racking. It always seemed the first question was how fast do you want to drive at. The motor cycle guys were the worst for speed, Toronto would assign them for big heavy stuff and they loved chasing cars out the way. I was King for a day!!
As for knocking down wires, any operator worth his salt puts boards bowed downward strapped at the front of the highest point to carry wires over the load if needed. Macho crap like that 'they will be tomorrow' leads to what happened to the little engine that can't anymore.

I wondered when someone was going to bring up 11'8".com. It can be very entertaining, if it's not your or your company's vehicle being can-opened. Mostly out-of-town moving vans and rental trucks; and it seems like the traffic light at the bridge serves as a yellow light challenge to beat it through, even if the huge "over-height, turn here" sign is flashing.

From the views on Google Earth, it appears that the speed limit for the section of road in question is 30 mph. I have some question as to the placement of the W12-2 signs, as the Indiana MUTCD Table 2C-4. Guidelines for Advance Placement of Warning Signs appears to list the distance at which a W12-2 sign should be placed from the low clearance as 100 feet (for 30 mph), since the condition is specific to the location of the bridge. Also, on the south side of the bridge is an intersection that should permit a tractor with oversize load to turn around. Now, I have to wonder what the actual speed of the tractor was when they hit the bridge.

That said, out where I am it is not uncommon for bridges up to 15' to have clearance signage. That is primarily due to the fact that over height loads are fairly common here-ever see a low boy trailer with a tire for a mine haul truck or other mining machinery?

It's been reported that EVERY truck rental place in a 30-mile or so radius has a special rider attached to ALL their rental contracts depicting the bridge's exact location on a map and stating the driver is expressly prohibited from driving that road/route.

It's also been reported that the "typical" crash driver at that bridge is neither a daily/weekend renter nor a professional; it's typically a non-CDL driver that occasionally drives a different truck or van and got complacent when assigned another truck for the week or whatever while the company van/truck is in the shop.

Read directions and follow them-what a novel idea. Chances are that if something is mentioned in the contract/instructions, it's there for an important reason.

Trains is now reporting that the pilot car made an error and directed the load down the wrong street.

At least peeling the roof serves to gradually decelerate the truck. I watched a guy do that with a loaded cement mixer, which most definitely did not peel, but dented the drum. Even though he had only accelerated the width of a street intersection before he hit the bridge, he broke the windshield with his head.

With a 15'-8" permit load, there was never any question if we'd fit under bridges; we knew we weren't going under any. And yes, we had "wire whippers" installed, but the roofs weren't smooth, and the wires would often snag something.

Looks like a few people on this site and others owe the driver an apology.....

http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/20 ... YhO0I53Ons

J.R. May

"Looks like a few people on this site and others owe the driver an apology....."

First reports are very often wrong.

I'm sure all involved in moving this unit where very cognizant of their role in a successful move.

Sadly some very necessary information did not arrive before it was needed.

I hope the owner can bring this unit back to life.

Don't know anything about "apologies", yet...

thank you to JR May for his added info to this story.

Here's contributing my [lowly] railfan opinion among all the scholars here:

The owner of the trashed locomotive has the option of displaying it as received.

It can/could be left all bashed up. It tells the engine's whole story right into the 21st century.

Fixing the locomotive back up becomes a cosmetic, clouded, whatever term is appropriate.

Forty-eight years from now... 72-years from now... what tells its best story?

John

Per the article JR linked to "A source from the Monon Historical Society board says that McHugh Brothers in Chicago will do the repairs and have quoted a price of $75,000".

Al Crisp here; I would not start making I am sorry speeches just yet. One of the reasons for heaving pilot vehicles is to WATCH and WARN the driver of anything questionable. I will not assign blame but there is little doubt in my mind that the pilot car had the GPS on. If that was the normal truck route thru town it would not make comment and say recalculate. Moving on In the case of running on multi lane roads they need to be aware of the traffic around the load. That means the lead tells all of up coming obstructions like guard rails ,vehicles on the shoulder and bridges etc. The following pilot must be ready to block the traffic from obstructing the truck from moving lanes and callout when the load is clear of an obstruction. That means everyone must be on the same radio frequency. Some prefer to stay on a CB and on 19 so they can warn others rigs of the big load. Some companies use there own radios. If a mistake is made on the route or even if you feel uncertain you STOP and look to see if you can clear. That is just so fundamental!!!. A good move is a boring move with no big tales to tell your grandchildren.
To Dennis ;these days it is normal practice to contact and have utility people to move wires, traffic lights etc. when traveling thru an urban area. You do not just show up and start blocking streets willy nilly. It is their property and Better safe then sorry in the litigious age we live in. The age we live in now with instant access to information and communication there is no excuse for negligence. Just a note about permits; they are assembled by brokers who do nothing but send the request of carriers to various state, local and provincial agencies. Some larger big load carriers do the permit ordering themselves. They then send them by fax or email to the driver or dispatch of the company who ordered them. You should read them and say yes or send them back for adjustment. Cheers AL

Gee, $75K sounds like a little much. I’ve seen entire locomotives priced cheaper than that.

Thomas

Thomas -

That $75K quote also includes the move of the locomotive out of Logansport to the McHugh Brothers shop and then the move back to Logansport once restored. It cost HVRM $15K to move their EL commuter car from Noblesville to the museum in North Judson, so the cost of the moves has to be taken into consideration when considering the total price.

Les

I think the good news here is that it IS going to be restored. I suspect the lead car driver is looking for work now too. . .
I volunteered as both lead and trailing car driver on one locomotive move, and I can tell you some stories about other vehicle drivers' antics. Folks out there are crazy and sometimes stuck in a rut ("I always drive here, what do you mean I have to wait?? GET OUT of my way!").