That would make a great tender. Half a dozen linked up would be awesome. Anybody think to ask?
34,500 gallons of water is what a standard tank car holds.
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Trying not to get off topic, and maybe we could start a new thread in General Discussion, but it seems like you could set up a foam system on that and really make the best use out of it (especially for refineries, or pre-treating vegetation)
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That is considerately more than Tanker 944 and most likely cheaper as well… AND slower. But 2 tank cars could do wonders if the logistics work out, Whether it is for filling water tenders and engines, or actual fire suppression. Just my .02
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I guess it would be called a VTEND?
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The Union Pacific Fire Train is a consist of I believe 10 tank cars with onboard , diesel water pumps, nozzles on each car and is ready to go. It is stored on Atlantic St. in Roseville, CA… It is normally deployed only when there is a threat to the UP mainline or right of way, and related structures or property of Union Pacific. The LNU Complex was one possible threat to the Martinez subdivision, and the Irwin fire on the Canyon (Feather River) subdivision. If the FROS is moderate or faster the train is not agile enough to perform direct attack, and can only pre-treat ahead of the fire. While it could be used in place of a water tender, there has only been a few instances for that purpose.
Union Pacific Fire Train Search URL:
https:/www.google.com/search?q=union+pacific+fire+train&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS876US876&oq=union+pacific+fire+&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l7.9513j1j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
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While I understand it is not the most agile or quickly deployed piece of equipment, and it is very limited in its placement, I do see the benefit of its use where it can be deployed. And UP could obviously make money and help with the fight at the same time. Just 2 cars, 70,000 gallons of H2O could go a heck of a long way, especially where water is at a premium
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Nice YouTube video on the UP Fire Train.
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I saw that monster on the Little Deer fire in SKU 2014 protecting the tracks on the south side of Highway 97. Impressive to say the least !!!
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Was this your crew?
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Got me !!! LOL I had a division along the highway and we had a spot across the highway and that monster just showed up, we had a dozer line around and hoselay around it so they never deployed…
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UP Fire Train working the FRC (Feather River Canyon) this afternoon 8/26/20. In locations like the FRC, access to the tracks is extremely limited, and may not be accessible to fire engines. Another option, would be to have the train pull up to the grade crossings, and have the Water Tenders reload from the train. Currently the only time you can access a stalled or derailed train
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Back in the 70’s we had several big tank cars and a small pumper truck with Southern Pacific RR on a spur track in Jacumba. The RR ran from San Diego to El Centro via Campo thru northern Baja, Mexico.
There was two freight trains daily, and seemed to cause small fires weekly. SP RR crew always brought the tanks and pumper to use with a Tug.
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