Quarry diving

[rockhound]

I have been told of a small 1/2 train with two boxcars running off into an old rock quarry. The boxcars were carrying 1920's pattern bone China. The quarry is about 200 feet deep. I don't know if it would be feasible to salvage or not. The train would probably not be salvagable, so the only worth would be the bone China. It could have been broken or at least some of it may have been broken. If so, there would not be complete stes. Also, I don't know what the China would be worth, as I haven't had time to look up the value of it, if they are in good shape. The water shoudn't have nay effect on the China, but if it were warpped in paper or stacked on cardboard, it could have deterioarted some. I have talked to a certified diver to determine what would be needed to dive down there and check it out and he said he would be concerned about obstacles down below the natural water light level. Many unknowns as there is also some railroad ties floating on top, which indicates that the tracks have rusted or are in a state of deterioration and could be really unstable. Also, at that depth, it would be very cold, which could cause more problems. I will have to think about this more to detrmine if it is feasible to try and salvage it or not. Good Luck. rockhound

 

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[ropesfish]

Salvage diving at 200 foot depths requires a dive team with expertise and experience working at those depths. Recreational diving limits are generally 100-120 feet. Diving deeper than recreational depths is now called technical diving and requires much more training, experience and planning. Add to that the possibility of needing to enter the cars to retrieve the china piece by piece. If you plan to pursue this salvage, please make sure your dive team is capable of diving those depths safely as well as entering and exiting the wrecked cars. This is well beyond the average recreational diver's training. (Dive safety rant concluded).
The lack of light is not a big issue but the debris in the water might prove to be a challenge. I would think that a sidescan sonar survey to map the entire quarry would be the place to start, then drop a CCTV camera or small ROV to get a look at the condition of the cars. The RR cars in the 1920's would have been mostly wooden which likely will have rotted to pieces so cutting into the cars should not be a big problem.
With that said...boxcars full of near 100 year old china is pretty interesting. If there was water in the quarry at the time of the accident there is a chance that some remains intact. If not and if there was a significant drop to the bottom of the quarry...pottery shards might be all that remains.
It still sounds like a fun project.
Good luck and tell us what happens.

 

[rockhound]

Thanks for the information. I had already talked to some divers and pretty much knew what would be involved. I first had thought maybe it would be feasible to raise the cars by floatation, if they could be uncoupled from the engine. The quarry was evidently, at least partially filled when the train ran in there. This was the reason it was abandonded as a quarry site. And it didn't rollover in there, but supposedly only slid down the tracks into the quarry. If this is what happened, then I would think the pottery should mostly be intact, knowing how they would have packed it to prevent breakage while shipping. Although trains don't stop and start suddenly, they do sway from side to side when moving, making it necessary to pack and secure cargo to prevent shifting. Still much to consider before making a decision. I will need to find the owner before going any further to determine its validity and feasibilty of salvage. Good Luck. rockhound

 

[Au_Dreamers]

Cool story- me likes china!
GL with it.

 

[niffler]

Sounds like a job for an ROV...This seems like an exciting lead, you never know what else is down there. Good luck! Niffler

 

[rockhound]

The owner won't allow us to dive in the quarry. He is afraid of someone drowning and he has no insurance on it. rockhound

 

[Jason in Enid]

Yep, this is the answer for most water-filled quarries.

Could be time for a little "bass fishing" with a SSS, and decide from there.

 

[john434]

I dive and anything over 120 ft is more for commercial divers. This risk isnt worth the rewards not for some broken dishes.

 

[divermark]

this could be done with Nitrox, Trimix or with a rebreather, all the info here:

Dive-Tech: TDI Nitrox, Helitrox, Trimix and technical diver training courses with instructor Mark Powell

 

[divermark]

Or use this rig and do about 100 hours of DECO