Cutting Through Wreck (wood) - How?

[diversteve]

Hypothetically this should work:

Go to Northerntool.com and search for Hydraulic Saw for details. $3400...

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Are you trying to say there's a reason that a lot of commercial work is done full face mask and surface supplied. Surface supplied air (edit: or hydraulic power) could also be used to power some serious cutting or drilling tools. All hypothetically, of course.

Yup.

 

[Rick Inman]

Yup.

You guys are funny!

I just spoke to a friend who tracks down historical railroad information as a hobby and he volunteered to do a little discrete investigation about the train. He thinks it’s a Burlington train and he has lots of info on their older lines and equipment. He wanted to know if the engine was running when it went into the water, because most steam locomotives of that era exploded rather violently when they hit the water and that was not uncommon. He said if it was running at full pressure when it went into that cold of water most of the main engine would have been turned to shrapnel and all that would be left would be the wheels, axles, and miscellaneous parts that blew off. Hopefully he’ll know a little more later this week and if you’d like to PM me with any other info that might be helpful we’ll see if we can find out more about your choo-choo.

Many states also have railroad historical groups that can help with more info and in some cases they will help fund recover efforts of some parts for their museums.

Excellent! Please let me know what you find out.

 

[Kriterian]

Not talking about bringing it up or destroying anything. Just cutting a hole underwater, just large enough for one person to swim into.

You know, there is lots of precedent for cutting entrances into wrecks.

And remember, we are talking HYPOTHETICAL.

You mentioned (or so I thought) that it was made of wood, which isn't very famous for surviving in water. I just meant that cutting it, or maybe even touching it, could cause it to fall to pieces. I wasn't implying that you were going to cut it up and bring it to the surface piece by piece, hehe.

 

[Rick Inman]

You mentioned (or so I thought) that it was made of wood, which isn't very famous for surviving in water. I just meant that cutting it, or maybe even touching it, could cause it to fall to pieces. I wasn't implying that you were going to cut it up and bring it to the surface piece by piece, hehe.

Maybe if we could get the engine started, we could just drive it out!

 

[Diver0001]

I found 2 box cars from a train wreck (1919) in about 110' of water (my post about it, HERE). The first car looks like a side loader that is mostly buried and closed. The second car is a top loader, is open and is easy to swim through.

It has been suggested to me that I find a way to cut into the top of the first car to see what's inside. So I have 2 questions:

#1. Not saying I'm going to do it, but, hypothetically, what is the best way to cut through the water-logged wood at 110'?

#2. (This is really just a troll ) Is it ethical to cut a hole into this historical dive artifact?

Use a small saw like the ones you have for camping. It's a hell-of-a-job and the saw won't work as well under water as you're used to on land. You'll need to plan several dives to finish the job. Inspect the other car carefully before you start to find a good place to make the hole.

Alternatively, you could use a hatchet (or something) to make a small hole in the side of the car so you can get your light inside and see if making a diveable hole is worth the effort.

R..

 

[TwoTanks]

A light sabre should cut through it in no time, hypothetically.

George Lucas has a bunch of them just lying around.

Anything that can cut it without a lot of work is going to be expensive and exertion can kill you at 110 feet.

If you can get a big hook like a manhole hook between the planks you may be able to break them by attaching a very big lift bag and pulling on the hook one plank at a time.

If there are spaces between the planks, the entire car is probably full of silt though.

Good Luck

TT

 

[Brian1968]

I think this is all a moot discussion, hypothetical or not.
Aren't you a bit old to be playing with trains?
:06:

 

[Sideband]

How about a hand drill/auger to drill a small hole? Maybe drill 2 holes. One for a light to shine in and one to look through. It's the least destructive and possibly the safest option so far, imo. A 1 inch hole should not cause excessive structural damage or asthetically alter the "wreck" should it prove to be empty or full of something useless like wet toilet paper.
Assuming one were to do this, that is.

Joe

 

[lackingcreativity]

How about a hand drill/auger to drill a small hole? Maybe drill 2 holes. One for a light to shine in and one to look through. It's the least destructive and possibly the safest option so far, imo. A 1 inch hole should not cause excessive structural damage or asthetically alter the "wreck" should it prove to be empty or full of something useless like wet toilet paper.
Assuming one were to do this, that is.

Joe

On a recent edition of deep sea detectives John Chatteron used an air powered drill to drill into a coral formation to see if the base of the formation was a rock, or it was all coral. AN underwater air powered drill would certanly be more exciting than hand cranking.