Headliner: Stopping a Freight Train in Durango, Mexico
On Good Friday while returning from a mineral exploration project, consulting geologist and APGO member Ben Whiting made a different kind of discovery. He noticed that a grass and brush fire, which had been burning earlier in the week, had reignited and that it was burning along the railway line. Because his father had been a railway engineer, he knew that the tracks are usually not affected by grass fires, however, wooden railway bridges are vulnerable. He cut off the highway to assess the situation and found the bridge at El Chorro totally engulfed in flames. After snapping a quick photo for proof, he spun his truck around and raced for the nearest telephone to alert authorities. They said that they would stop the next freight train until the situation could be assessed. As the bridge was totally destroyed, Mr. Whiting´s early warning may well have saved a derailment and the lives of several people on the train.
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Field Notes is published by APGO and is edited by Wendy Diaz, P.Geo.
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Copyright 2004, Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario
(APGO)
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On Good Friday while returning from a mineral exploration project, consulting geologist and APGO member Ben Whiting made a different kind of discovery. He noticed that a grass and brush fire, which had been burning earlier in the week, had reignited and that it was burning along the railway line. Because his father had been a railway engineer, he knew that the tracks are usually not affected by grass fires, however, wooden railway bridges are vulnerable. He cut off the highway to assess the situation and found the bridge at El Chorro totally engulfed in flames. After snapping a quick photo for proof, he spun his truck around and raced for the nearest telephone to alert authorities. They said that they would stop the next freight train until the situation could be assessed. As the bridge was totally destroyed, Mr. Whiting´s early warning may well have saved a derailment and the lives of several people on the train.