On Wed, Jan 13, 2021 at 07:59 PM, Schuyler Larrabee wrote:
Of course, we are likely all aware of what happened when the ERIE got that large class of Russian Decapods.
The Frisco had them too, and one ended up at the Illinois Railway Museum, where it runs on weekends during the summer. I was well acquainted with the gentleman, Dave Shore, who was the "messenger" (attendant) when it was moved to the museum. Dave related a story where, on learning the train was to pull into a yard before the Decapod was to be switched out, asking the conductor if there were any self guarding frogs in the yard. "No" was the response. Dave said about a minute later there was a loud BANG and the engine looked like it jumped up in the air. About a minute later it did it again. Dave pulled the air. Turns out the whole ladder was self guarding frogs, and the wide driver tires had actually broken the guard flanges off the two frogs it ran through. The train sat there until a switcher came in behind it and gingerly pulled the engine back out to the main and took it somewhere where there weren't any self guarding frogs.
