Just for the record, as I said above I APPRECIATE PRSL's suggestions and observations. In the case of the air wand, I respectfully disagree that it is the weapon of the devil or something sinister. My take is that "yes it could be dangerous", but also there are ways to safeguard personel so that certain jobs can be accomplished efficiently without sacrifice of saftey. I have cleaned the crossing Jerry Huck mentioned a bunch of time years back with pick, bar, scoop shovel and broom. It could take 2 guys 2 hours to clean it to the bottom of the flangeways. One guy spends a lot of time spotting traffic because vehicles turn off the highway onto this gravel road at a pretty good speed and I have more concern over being struck by a vehicle than of the flying debris from the air wand. It was one of those things that after a 10 hour day on the crew the "priveledged few" at SVRy would go do while the other volunteers were kicking back. A track maintenace forman from CORP over on the west side of the state suggested this job could be done more efficently with compressed air and he gave a brief description of how to make one. I supprised our Roadmaster the following Spring, when he asked me to make one and I told him I already had and it was hanging in the tool car. I had observed UP crews cleaning crossings in this way in the past, so all in all it seemed like a good idea and I have to assume they were following saftey protocols.
As far as PRSL is concerned I believe very strongly in the following words to live by: "Saftey First", and "Work Safely, Go Home Alive". A lot of us on this board are involved hands on with either restoration of historic rr equipment and many in acutal operation, so I think it is not out of line to consider here the unsafe situations which we observe or have experienced, and what procedures can be followed to perform our tasks safely. At SVRR/SVRy, I can be proud that we do take saftey very seriously. Each year we have a required Saftey Weekend for our volunteers where they receive orientation and take part in discussion of the safest ways to accomplish our operations/onsite tasks.
Our Saftey Officer (we have someone appointed in this position) sent out an email citing a fatality where a grinding disk on a small angle grinder exploded, with the flying fragments killing the user. In our hobby/profession and the mechanical trades in general there are a great many situations that can turn ugly, that we may take for granted. I was thinking about using an angle grinder inside a firebox. It would be bad enough to have a wheel explode, but you would have pieces ricocheting all over the place.
Mr.PRSL, please continue to post your observatons, I for one take them seriously to consider.
