Watch a Team Rerail a Huge 200-Ton Steam Locomotive

A lot of manual labor and grit were needed to pull the train back on its tracks.

How does one rerail a massive steam locomotive? Watch what a team did in Fort Wayne, Indiana when it went off the tracks. As the video notes, even with regular maintenance and inspections, sometimes derailments cannot be prevented.

The train derailed at a very unfavorable spot and required a number of volunteers to get it back on track. Given the locomotive weighed 200 tons, it's no wonder that it was no easy task.

Initially, slabs of wood were placed under the locomotive to try and redirect the wheels onto the tracks, but unsuccessfully. 

A lot of patience and a lot of oil were required during the rerailing attempts. At one point, one of the wheels mounted back up onto the rails, raising the workers' hopes, only to fall onto the outside of the rails.

Needless to say, the pouring rain did no favors in keeping the workers' morale up. 

Finally, one of the attempts worked. Bringing in the use of a small, yet powerful, crane did the trick. Chained to the locomotive, and with the assistance of wooden planks directing the wheels in the right direction, and a lot of lubricating oil, it managed to hoist the 200-ton locomotive back up onto the rails.

See for yourself how the team used their ingenious engineering ideas to place this massive locomotive back in place. 

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