Re: 492 wood pilot beam

Did 492's come along after it hit the rock? I had thought 492 got a steel beam after getting stuck in the snow at Osier in 1952. 492 was on the flanger train sent out to find the missing 491. While bucking the drift at MP 318, across the valley from Osier, 492 (the trailing engine behind the flanger) had its front coupler pocket and drawhead ripped off while trying to get out of the drift.

492 was eventually taken back to Alamosa. There is a picture of it being hauled backwards on the rear of Rotary train at Big Horn, Its front coupler and pocket are missing.

The front coupler pocket bolts to the main frame extension through the wood beam, so the beam itself does not carry any load. However when shoving, the beam would compress as the pocket was pushed back by the engines force. I would guess the wood beam was getting a bit compromised and the hard shoving pushed the pocket into the beam, allowing the bolts to get loose. Continually, jockeying the engine back and forth trying to get out of the drift, caused the pocket to work back and forth on the ever-loosening bolts until they broke and pocket came off..

One of many small-scale disasters of the Winter of 1952.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2020 12:15PM by Earl.