The Dafter Geep
In late March 1987 401 was the third unit back in a three unit consist on Lake States train 11 heading for Soo Yard when a wheel busted and started coming apart just after he's went over the west switch at Dafter. He bumped along on the ties thru the trailing point east switch and for about a half mile then tore up the facing point switch into the unused Algoma Tube Division plant and they were able to get stopped just before the M28 crossing without derailing anything except 401's number 2 axle. It could have been quite a pile up but the old geep stayed pretty straight the whole time. Damage amounted to the 401's number 2 axle, about a thousand cut ties and the Algoma Tube Switch which was just removed at that point as the plant had been closed since the early 80's.Here is 401 on April 3, 1987 still at Dafter but now in the siding after a crane had been used to replace the front truck. The unit was moved to Shoreham for further work a few days later but spent a couple weeks sitting in Dafter. The coil steel cars behind were stored at Dafter due to slow business at the time.
The Dafter Geep
In late March 1987 401 was the third unit back in a three unit consist on Lake States train 11 heading for Soo Yard when a wheel busted and started coming apart just after he's went over the west switch at Dafter. He bumped along on the ties thru the trailing point east switch and for about a half mile then tore up the facing point switch into the unused Algoma Tube Division plant and they were able to get stopped just before the M28 crossing without derailing anything except 401's number 2 axle. It could have been quite a pile up but the old geep stayed pretty straight the whole time. Damage amounted to the 401's number 2 axle, about a thousand cut ties and the Algoma Tube Switch which was just removed at that point as the plant had been closed since the early 80's.Here is 401 on April 3, 1987 still at Dafter but now in the siding after a crane had been used to replace the front truck. The unit was moved to Shoreham for further work a few days later but spent a couple weeks sitting in Dafter. The coil steel cars behind were stored at Dafter due to slow business at the time.