Railroads are close to capacity and there is only so much that can be squeezed through a pipe. The result is insufficient equipment, longer trains, tighter schedules and of course the stretching of personnel. Now, imagine that as one of these freight trains, comprising among other things, chemical tankers and boxcars containing a variety of different materials (including hazardous materials) while crossing a river has the trestle collapse underneath it. Hundreds of thousands of pounds of steel, wood and of course the hazardous chemicals fall into the river, pollute the land and the river, and shut down a port. Farfetched? This paper will reveal the results of a unique thermographic inspection, the findings, the results and the protocols.
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