(Source: Railway Track & Structures, September 9, 2020)
NEW YORK — The western wildfires are wreaking havoc on the West Coast and several inland locations. Western railroads throughout history have built “water trains” to be on standby in this region in case a fire broke out due to sparks from a locomotive or other causes. Union Pacific is employing a modern water train that consists of two rail cars that hold 12,500 gallons of water each, along with a pumping device to disperse the water, much like a fire truck does, to fight wildfires approaching their lines.
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