From that photo I have a question? Its probably a dumb one but I figured I would ask it. If they came up to that ice couldn't they just nugg it off the tracks with the locomotive??? It seems to me like it would be alot less work and alot quicker.

-Eric

Well, how much explaining does the crew want to do at the terminal, about the dented pilot or bent cut lever or grab irons that could result from "nudging" the ice. And, that stuff can be unpredictable--- a chunk could get under a traction motor frame and lift the whole unit up (and off). The stuff doesn't always move the way you want it to. Not a nice spot to have to rerail a six-axle unit, in that cut. Seems to me NYSW dumped a C-430 over on its side and down a bank as a result of going over a grade crossing with ice-packed flangeways at 25 mph--- crew probably thought, "Ah, she'll ride right through". And, the following winter, another C-430 down the same bank at the same crossing. Different crew, though, I think! Ice does amazing things.

Yeah true I should have thought about that. I know about the flanges thing.

Eric

Steamtown's Canadian Pacific no. 2317 was laid up for the 2001 and most of 2002 season after splitting a switch whose flangeway was packed with ice. The Pony truck derailed, pulling the rest of the engine with it. She was re-railed in about an hour, but the damage of the weight falling on the pony truck cracked the frame, leading to a long repair, which wound up including more than just a truck frame welding. She was in much better shape, afterward, and went through some upgrades to be in line with part 230 (correct me if I'm wrong) regulations.
This happened near the locomotive shop, at a negligible speed, under 5 mph. Going faster would not have helped in this matter.

Just a minor correction regarding the NYSW rolling 2 C-430's HP. I'm afraid that the NYSW rolled both locomotives within a 2 week period during the same year. They did not learn after the first incident so it was only after the second event that the NYSW finally issued a bulletin order to limit the speed over snow covered crossings to 10mph much to the dismay of the local railfan population.