Tornados vs Trains - Art and Reality

[stationmaster]

Back in 1999, I created my first 3d railroad scene using Bryce 4. It depicted a tornado and a train in a rendering I titled "Racing the Wind".
http://www.railwaystation.com/images/racewind.jpg

More recently, I found this scene from a 1993 photo by Brian F. Jewett:
http://redrock.ncsa.uiuc.edu/~jewett/CD/img/07.gif

Have tornados ever hit moving trains? Yes.
For a list, of encouters, stories and pics, check out:

http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/history/tornadotrains.htm

To me, the most interesting was the May 27, 1931 derailment of the "Empire Builder" in Minnesota by a F3 tornado.

Ron
http://www.railwaystation.com

[jac_murphy]

Somewhere out there is an audio recording from a late 60's - early 70's-era recording of an F5 tornado that hit Xenia, OH, taking a Penn Central freight with it. There are several spots during the clip where you can hear the train's whistle over the roar of the tornado - it's pretty spooky. I don't know why it wasn't mentioned in your list...

Jacques

[stationmaster]

I've heard that recording. It was from the April, 1974 Superoutbreak - A very terrible night that still gives me nightmares. I was in Huntsville, AL then and had a uncomfortably close encounter with a large tornaado that came through town. One of the many structures destroyed was the Redstone Model Railroad Club.

Ron
http://www.railwaystation.com

[krafter123]

Does anyone have this recording?
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http://www.ironhorse129.com/Prototype/MasonBogie/Graphics/NPC/nwp_logo2.gif
http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/6686/newbitmapimage24rm.png
Eric Kraft, UP Roseville Sub mile post 105.5

[DinkKaDink]

http://www.xeniatornado.com/ has information and the mentioned video clip.

[krafter123]

Thanks for the link Brock!
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http://www.ironhorse129.com/Prototype/MasonBogie/Graphics/NPC/nwp_logo2.gif
http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/6686/newbitmapimage24rm.png
Eric Kraft, UP Roseville Sub mile post 105.5

[stationmaster]

http://www.philsp.com/data/images/r/railroad_stories_193511.jpg

Ron
http://www.railwaystation.com

[bradhig]

The recent storms in July were downburst winds but they pushed some tankers off the end of a siding and reportly derailed a UP train crossing the MacArthur Bridge. There have been cars derailed and blowen off the tracks by tornadoes around here in years pass.

[SCL-A-Line]

I have had 3 close encounters in my semi in Kansas,OK, and MO

I am a certified Storm Spotter/Chaser and worked as an EMS dispatcher during the Florida Outbreak in 1998 (3 F-3's)

This year is Going to be a big one I think, so i got the video camera ready

[plainsman]

Actually, about 10 days ago a tornado hit a train out between Kearney and Odessa, Nebraska. Some freight cars were derailed and overturned. I did not see the details, as we have been out of town.
I have seen a lot of tornados, fortunately all from a safe distance so far. We had a tornado come through Omaha on Sunday morning (June 8), about 2:30-3:00 in the morning. We had just arrived back in town a couple of hours before that. We live a few miles away, just outside Omaha.

[maddog_2020]

One of my co-workers has a pic he took while stopped at Atkins, AR earlier this year. The tornado was a EF4 and it crossed the tracks in front of him.

[steamgeek]

Pretty crazy stuff! In my opinion, the EF (Enhanced Fujita) Scale is rather silly, so I read what the wind speeds of the recent tornadoes were, and I figure it out on the original Fujita Scale.