Caboose Car Stops Arrived

Our yellow caboose car stops just arrived, strapped to a wood pallet in a big truck. One of
the formal recommendations of our Civil Engineer on how to secure WP668 from moving in an
earthquake was to use car stops. (See my blog entry of

9 Feb 2007 for two examples of the minimal effect of earthquakes on trains.)
A car stop is a fancy bolt-on steel wedge that secures the wheel to the
rail without damaging either. It is a semi-permanent wheel chock. We bought
our pair from
Aldon. This set weighs in at 248 pounds. In train museums, we have seen
simple chains and wooden wedges used to prevent rolling stock from unauthorized
excursions. What we just bought is the official version, suitable for approval
by the city building inspector.