Ore cart off the rails again.

[Chris142]

A few years ago I built this mine with ore cart in my yard for yard art. Occasionally I would find the cart flipped off the rails.

I finally filled it up with rocks and it's been fine..... until today. We came home from church and there sits my ore cart. Flipped on its side,all the rocks spilled out.

Does not look like the rocks were unloaded then it was pushed over. It appeared to have fallen over with the rocks in it!

I dont know how much it weighs with rocks but the cart alone weighs a couple hundred pounds. I would guess that there is at least 500 lbs of rocks in it. Maybe more.

This time I chained the wheels to the rails.

 

[MrMoody]

Freak wind? Vandals? Large critter??

 

[ls1mike]

That is crazy! I would think a person would have to do that. Do you get earthquakes there?

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted by ls1mike
That is crazy! I would think a person would have to do that. Do you get earthquakes there?

We are 25 miles from the San Andreas fault. Wind or a quake would have been recorded. I didn't see any tracks in the weeds. I dont think just 1 or 2 people could push it over. I'm pretty far off the beaten path and no cars were here while we were gone.

 

[Kestas]

Teed off bison?

 

[MrMoody]

You have bears there? Maybe one wanted to see what was in the cart.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted by MrMoody
You have bears there? Maybe one wanted to see what was in the cart.

I have never seen a bear here in the desert. LoL

 

[JLTD]

Put a camera on it to see the pranksters.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

It's the hairy monster from JACK LINKS beef jerky.

 

[Lyman]

A Jackolope must have run into it and knocked it over.

 

[oldhp]

Weld it to the rails. Done.

 

[DoubleWasp]

Are you a part of that desert where the boulders move on their own?

Graboids?

Chupacabra?

 

[Oro_O]

Quote
A few years ago I built this mine with ore cart in my yard for yard art.


I'm desperately trying to think of a plausible non-human reason for that, but I can't.

So I'll say this: very cool you built that as environmentally/historically sensitive art. Kudos.

The other thing I think is that it's DEEPLY suspicious you came home today (Easter, when it was pretty reliably guessed you were at church, as you were) and it was tipped. Tends towards human...

 

[dlundblad]

Is this an actual antique ore cart or just a look-alike?

I'd see if the track is level and if so, do your best to evenly load up the rocks. Could have just been unbalanced.

 

[Kruse]

There are no human footprints around it?
Decades ago, I seem to remember what a few kids would do as a prank to an older gentleman who drove a VW beetle....
It's amazing how much strength a teenager can muster when he's trying to impress his friends with a joke.

 

[cjcride]

Aim a security or game camera at it.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted by dlundblad
Is this an actual antique ore cart or just a look-alike?

I'd see if the track is level and if so, do your best to evenly load up the rocks. Could have just been unbalanced.

It's a well made fake cart.

 

[Chris142]

The rocks in it are mostly this. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysocolla

 

[sloinker]

Rails spread causing it to tip over? Are they spiked to cross ties or just sitting on the ground?

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted by sloinker
Rails spread causing it to tip over? Are they spiked to cross ties or just sitting on the ground?

Spiked to cross ties just how I got the rails.