Preliminary reports that Strasburg lost a coach at speed due to drawbar failure.

They say Mr. Murphy comes in three's and this is number 2....

A 12:59 PM April 21, 2023 Twitter post with two pictures:
Coupler snapped off at strasburg. No one was hurt

That's interesting and potentially a bit ominous. While it's hard to tell from the pictured angle, it looks as if the coupler head broke off at the shank, not as a failed drawbar, which indicates to me that there may have been a long-term stress raising and cracking in the 'invisible' part of the coupler shank, as undetected as the critical component in an Allied Full Cushion truck...

This is why we make chain. Just another interesting day on the railroad.

(Like button)

Safety chains work in live steam to keep a train together, but probably wouldn't hold a full-size car, unless you mean using a chain to tow it back to the shop, which probably would work? Also, this is the sort of occurrence that Mr. Westinghouse's brakes were designed to deal with. Train separates, including air hoses, air goes down, and the whole thing comes to a stop, hopefully without the separated cars on the rear crashing into the head end of the train.

Wells some of the older wood cars say 1903 vintage had safety chains to be hooked up to the next car. Mid Continents "Duluth" now has safety chains once again. I put them on. MC does not use them on the rare occasions those old wood coaches go for a spin that I am aware of, but the point I make is yes at one time there were chains. I believe they were original to the cars and not added on? Open to corrections.

Glad no one was hurt or serious damage. Another reason to do running brake checks, make sure your air brakes are working properly should you disconnect. Regards, John.

Also should bail off the engine and work it a little in case the hind end of the train is in danger of running into the head end.

Frisco is correct. On one of our HICO steam excursions we had a separation caused by a " high/low" action as we went over a road crossing between the 14th. and 15th. car in the 18 car long train.

Thankfully we had a very experienced hogger running who immediately bailed off the engine brake, applied emergency sanders and full throttle so that the head end stopped about 15 car lengths ahead of where the hind end did.

VERY fortunately no one was crossing between those 2 cars as they came apart.

Of all the trips we ran that was the only time we suffered a separation. Thankfully !!!

Ross Rowland

I don't think Dave was referring to safety chains, as on trailers.

I think he meant "back up, chain the loose car up, and keep on a'runnin'...

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Brother Murphy (and most of his brothers) live on the railroad...

GME

Yes, and more installations of automated drawbar-pin-about-to-fall-out detector HELP DESKS, too...

They had better, because if they can't, the mandatory car inspections every trip are going to involve checking the drawbar and knuckle attachments, using the same inspectors they're going to check every inside roller bearing and seal at every carman's inspection.

Hey, at least in theory you could use the death ray and a portable Magnaflux outfit to check the pins after they're pulled for NDT. You'll never, ever get a carman to check every inside bearing, fit, and seal every time. But that is what the House and Senate bills describe...

Ex-Reading Company steel coaches on the New Hope & Ivyland RR had chains with hooks, and some of the fittings for them survived after some were converted to electric MU cars.