Agreed, Lincoln, I would not compare it to those you cited.

Thank you.

The lesson here for everyone, even at home, is to periodically inspect the place for flammables and see that they are stored properly and used properly. Make sure there
are no sources of ignition nearby. Make sure pathways to exits are kept open, lit and marked. Train people to check their surroundings before welding, cutting or grinding; sparks can fly a long way.

Make sure everyone is trained in fire extinguishers: Where they are, how they work, inspect them for full charge regularly and know what kind of extinguisher works best on what kind of fire. And how to use them.

And to call 911 after you get everyone out, not after you've fooled around trying to put the fire out and failed.

It's also not a bad idea to invite first responders to your facility once in a while, so they can learn their way around your shop, know where the worst stuff is, and even help train your people. Some things don't respond well to water, and they need to know if you have anything like that.

And if you're doing anything that hsa the chance of igniting a fire, designate someone to act as watchman and have the appropriate fire extinguisher at hand.

Having first responders visit your facility ought to be considered essential. Having knowledge of the materials they will encounter and the layout of your facilities will go a long way in keeping people safe and possibily minimize property damage. As previously mentioned, certain types of substances require special handling and not all engines are equally equipped. The community my parents live in is a residential airpark and the contract we have with the local fire agency stipulates that the engine that they maintain an engine equipped to deal with aircraft fires on call at all times. Anytime they get a callout to the airpark, they know which engine is to be sent as any fire may involve aircraft related substances.

Photo of the remains:

http://railpictures.net/photo/501834

The remains of the structure have been removed, the locos left in the place they were in the fire.

That is one of the most impressive clean up jobs I've ever seen. They left the place spotless, hard to tell there was ever an enginehouse there.

Having watched how fast they get large hardware and people on a site and start to clean up their customer's mess, this shouldn't be all surprising, just impressive.

Bob

This makes me think: how many of your facilities have an actual emergency plan for weather, fire and other emergencies?

If there were a fire at your facility while it's closed, would the fire department know who to call?
Should that happen, God forbid, could you get enough volunteers to get equipment away from the affected area? Obviously I don't mean sending anyone into burning buildings; I mean is there a plan for firing up a switcher to gather any equipment that might be in the fire department's way and put it somewhere safe?
In the case of something bad happening to a relatively large area with suitable warning (wildfire, slow-rising river flood, impending hurricane) do you know where you could get your stuff out of harm's way?
If there were a tornado warning, would you know where to send volunteers and guests to shelter?
Does your county Emergency Management Agency know who to contact in case of severe weather or other sudden crises?
Would a derailment with hazmat affect your facility? If so, could you get everyone out safely by a means that doesn't involve crossing the tracks? In other words, if there's a front gate facing the mainline and an old, mostly unused back way, does someone on the property know that the lock back there works and the key's in the gift shop?

Sorry to write a novel here, but preparation without panic or sensationalism is kinda one of my things :)

We have had an emergency contact number posted posted on our sign for years. We have also had numerous meetings with our local fire department as our rectifier not only powered the car barn but the overhead lines over the public streets that we ran on.

Unfortunately, some of our properties are more difficult to protect than others due to their location. The 18th Street bus yard has had at least two brushfires-one of which destroyed several coaches and several ambulances that were stored in a nearby yard. The second fire was only put out before any more vehicles were lost because I happened to be there and detected it. Tucson Fire Department determined that both fires were likely arson-most likely set by homeless vagrants traversing the wash that borders the west side of the yard.

When the UP train on the South Shore derailed, the train still moved several miles before stopping tearing up a lot of track, there was a HUGE outpour of help to fix that up...and in one day outage of service.

I wonder if they are going to rebuild the shop right where it was...

From AltoonaWorks.Info:

The location of the enginehouse is rather interesting, and says a lot about RJ Corman's operation of the former L&N Memphis Line.

Corman operates the former L&N railroad "Memphis Line" which ran from a point just south of Bowling Green, KY (Memphis Jct. in the timetables) to Memphis, TN.

The Memphis line crossed the L&N's "Henderson Subdivision" at Guthrie, KY. The Henderson line runs from Henderson, KY to Amqui, TN, just north of Nashville. The Henderson Sub is a busy line for CSX today.

In the photo of the cleaned up and demolished enginehouse, the Henderson Sub runs fron left to right in the background. The enginehouse is literally right in the middle of where the Memphis line would have crossed the Henderson line via a diamond. Corman operates the Memphis line past Guthrie to I think Clarksville, TN. It appears that the company does not operate through trains, and terminates and originates trains in the adjacent CSX yard, negating the need for the diamond crossing of CSX.