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    Forums    MythBusters    Ideas: Everything Else    Flipping a modern Diesel Locomotive over with wind

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Junior Member
Registered: 05-13-08
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I've heard RR engineers say that in "100 mph winds or better, such as near a tornado my locomotive didn't even rock. They can't be tipped." These behemoths are in the vicinity of 200 or more tons, but are 10' wide and standing on a 4'8" wide base. I say that with enough wind speed they'd tip.
Senior Member
Registered: 01-16-07
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with the number you have given, I'm getting ti would take 933,333.3 Ft Lb of torque applied to the wheels to get it to tip over.

Assuming the locomotive is 10 ft. tall, you would need to apply 186,667 or more Lb of force on the horizontal centerline to tip it.

I'm not sure how much wind that would take to create that much force, but The idea seams plausable to me.
Junior Member
Registered: 05-13-08
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Do you think that if the locomotive was moving the amount of force required to flip it would increase or decrease?
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    Forums    MythBusters    Ideas: Everything Else    Flipping a modern Diesel Locomotive over with wind

 
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