Hi folks, Lately, I've been spending lots of time at night feeding my daughter, and since TV is relatively boring nowadays, I have started to go back and watch my EL videos (that I've copied to DVD to increase their longevity, mercifully). One thing I'm noticing is that in most of the "West End" tapes, the EL freights would bounce and sway to a frightening degree. I would assume the greater number of tangents (and correspondingly, higher speeds) out west allowed this occurrence to happen with greater frequency than it would in the east with its curves and grades. Anyhoo, it's rather mind-boggling to see these hotshot piggyback trains racing over jointed rail with the cars bouncing rather violently, like rowboats caught in a huge storm. Does anyone know if EL had any wrecks related to such "harmonic oscillations" of cars on jointed rail? I assume this is seen due to less frequent trackwork in later EL years? - Paul P.S. If anyone wants to see these trains, I'm specifically referring to two videos - "The Erie Lackawanna Railroad" by Green Frog Productions, and "The West End" from Revelation Audio-Visuals. My next video to check is the two-volume set "Vignettes of the Erie Lackawanna" from Clear Block Productions, which is also primarily West End coverage. ------------------------------
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