A track derailment in MO
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This is bad. Train hit a dump truck at a crossing. The train was extremely crowded.
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/cm/entire-amtrak-train-topples-over-192027234.html
@Mik said in A track derailment in MO:
Train hit a dump truck at a crossing.
The last known speed of the Southwest Chief was 90.6 mph.
The train was extremely crowded.
243 pax on board. I've read anywhere from 2-6 fatalities.
As I posted elsewhere, the only way to prevent this stuff is to improve crossing security.
Just horrible.
And just to be nit-picky, it's not just a "derailment." It's a collision caused by a truck being where it shouldn't be.
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Wow! Not much left of the dump truck.
@George-K at the crossing like the one here (where I think there were no gates or lights, maybe just a sign?), is the train supposed to blow its horn or what type of warning is supposed to be given?
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Wow! Not much left of the dump truck.
@George-K at the crossing like the one here (where I think there were no gates or lights, maybe just a sign?), is the train supposed to blow its horn or what type of warning is supposed to be given?
@taiwan_girl said in A track derailment in MO:
@George-K at the crossing like the one here (where I think there were no gates or lights, maybe just a sign?), is the train supposed to blow its horn or what type of warning is supposed to be given?
All grade crossings in the United States are marked with a distinctive "cross buck" type of sign indicating that the roadway intersects with the tracks.
It is a federal regulation that a train, when approaching a crossing sound its horn in a distinctive manner meant to indicate that it's approaching such crossing. The patter consists of four blasts of the horn - two long blasts, one short one, and one final long blast. The long blast is to be started 15 to 20 seconds before entering the crossing, but if the train is traveling more than 60 mph, the engineer will start sounding the horn within ¼ mile of the crossing. The volume level is to be between 96 and 100 dB. Supposedly, the last blast of the horn is to be sounded when the train enters the crossing.
Remember, the Southwest Chief was going about 90 mph when it hit that truck. That's 132 feet per second. He would travel a quarter of a mile in about 15 seconds.
There are exceptions to this - so-called "quiet zones" which are usually in residential areas where the horn is not sounded, particularly at night. These zones are supposed to have barrirers installed to prevent someone from going around the gates.
Locomotives are supposed to have at least 3 lights, one high on the locomotive and two down low ("ditch lights") to enhance visibility. The are on at all times.
Here is the location of the incident. If the truck was headed North, the train would have been headed to Chicago from the Southwest, and the driver would have to have turned his head far to the left to see if a train was approaching. This is a busy section of track, and I read that there are about 60 trains that pass this location daily.
One thing I didn't know was that the couplers used to connect the cars are call "tight lock couplers." These couplers lock into position when they are pushed (like in a sudden deceleration) and prevent the railcars from jackknifing. THat's why you see almost the entire consist lying on its side, rather than a bunch of cars at odd angles. That coupler probably saved a lot of lives.
More than you wanted to know.
Oh, here's a street view of a crossing in a "quiet zone." Notice the median which was installed to prevent drivers from going around the descended gates.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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Some of the reports say that the crossing was inherently dangerous because of the steep approach of the road to the crossing, It was a rise of 9 feet from road to crossing, making it difficult to see in either direction. Also, there's been a problem with overgrown brush obscuring the view. Finally, a rumor that the truck got stuck on the tracks because of the steep approach (it bottomed out).
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@taiwan_girl said in A track derailment in MO:
@George-K at the crossing like the one here (where I think there were no gates or lights, maybe just a sign?), is the train supposed to blow its horn or what type of warning is supposed to be given?
All grade crossings in the United States are marked with a distinctive "cross buck" type of sign indicating that the roadway intersects with the tracks.
It is a federal regulation that a train, when approaching a crossing sound its horn in a distinctive manner meant to indicate that it's approaching such crossing. The patter consists of four blasts of the horn - two long blasts, one short one, and one final long blast. The long blast is to be started 15 to 20 seconds before entering the crossing, but if the train is traveling more than 60 mph, the engineer will start sounding the horn within ¼ mile of the crossing. The volume level is to be between 96 and 100 dB. Supposedly, the last blast of the horn is to be sounded when the train enters the crossing.
Remember, the Southwest Chief was going about 90 mph when it hit that truck. That's 132 feet per second. He would travel a quarter of a mile in about 15 seconds.
There are exceptions to this - so-called "quiet zones" which are usually in residential areas where the horn is not sounded, particularly at night. These zones are supposed to have barrirers installed to prevent someone from going around the gates.
Locomotives are supposed to have at least 3 lights, one high on the locomotive and two down low ("ditch lights") to enhance visibility. The are on at all times.
Here is the location of the incident. If the truck was headed North, the train would have been headed to Chicago from the Southwest, and the driver would have to have turned his head far to the left to see if a train was approaching. This is a busy section of track, and I read that there are about 60 trains that pass this location daily.
One thing I didn't know was that the couplers used to connect the cars are call "tight lock couplers." These couplers lock into position when they are pushed (like in a sudden deceleration) and prevent the railcars from jackknifing. THat's why you see almost the entire consist lying on its side, rather than a bunch of cars at odd angles. That coupler probably saved a lot of lives.
More than you wanted to know.
Oh, here's a street view of a crossing in a "quiet zone." Notice the median which was installed to prevent drivers from going around the descended gates.
@George-K said in A track derailment in MO:
@taiwan_girl said in A track derailment in MO:
@George-K at the crossing like the one here (where I think there were no gates or lights, maybe just a sign?), is the train supposed to blow its horn or what type of warning is supposed to be given?
All grade crossings in the United States are marked with a distinctive "cross buck" type of sign indicating that the roadway intersects with the tracks.
It is a federal regulation that a train, when approaching a crossing sound its horn in a distinctive manner meant to indicate that it's approaching such crossing. The patter consists of four blasts of the horn - two long blasts, one short one, and one final long blast. The long blast is to be started 15 to 20 seconds before entering the crossing, but if the train is traveling more than 60 mph, the engineer will start sounding the horn within ¼ mile of the crossing. The volume level is to be between 96 and 100 dB. Supposedly, the last blast of the horn is to be sounded when the train enters the crossing.
Remember, the Southwest Chief was going about 90 mph when it hit that truck. That's 132 feet per second. He would travel a quarter of a mile in about 15 seconds.
There are exceptions to this - so-called "quiet zones" which are usually in residential areas where the horn is not sounded, particularly at night. These zones are supposed to have barrirers installed to prevent someone from going around the gates.
Locomotives are supposed to have at least 3 lights, one high on the locomotive and two down low ("ditch lights") to enhance visibility. The are on at all times.
Here is the location of the incident. If the truck was headed North, the train would have been headed to Chicago from the Southwest, and the driver would have to have turned his head far to the left to see if a train was approaching. This is a busy section of track, and I read that there are about 60 trains that pass this location daily.
One thing I didn't know was that the couplers used to connect the cars are call "tight lock couplers." These couplers lock into position when they are pushed (like in a sudden deceleration) and prevent the railcars from jackknifing. THat's why you see almost the entire consist lying on its side, rather than a bunch of cars at odd angles. That coupler probably saved a lot of lives.
More than you wanted to know.
Oh, here's a street view of a crossing in a "quiet zone." Notice the median which was installed to prevent drivers from going around the descended gates.
Could have stalled. If you've driven a gravel truck, you know gravel or rock is heavy. On a grade, you've got to twist its tail early and stay after it. I don't know if the guy was loaded or not, but sometimes you can stall one out as you're topping out and shifting gears.
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@George-K said in A track derailment in MO:
@taiwan_girl said in A track derailment in MO:
@George-K at the crossing like the one here (where I think there were no gates or lights, maybe just a sign?), is the train supposed to blow its horn or what type of warning is supposed to be given?
All grade crossings in the United States are marked with a distinctive "cross buck" type of sign indicating that the roadway intersects with the tracks.
It is a federal regulation that a train, when approaching a crossing sound its horn in a distinctive manner meant to indicate that it's approaching such crossing. The patter consists of four blasts of the horn - two long blasts, one short one, and one final long blast. The long blast is to be started 15 to 20 seconds before entering the crossing, but if the train is traveling more than 60 mph, the engineer will start sounding the horn within ¼ mile of the crossing. The volume level is to be between 96 and 100 dB. Supposedly, the last blast of the horn is to be sounded when the train enters the crossing.
Remember, the Southwest Chief was going about 90 mph when it hit that truck. That's 132 feet per second. He would travel a quarter of a mile in about 15 seconds.
There are exceptions to this - so-called "quiet zones" which are usually in residential areas where the horn is not sounded, particularly at night. These zones are supposed to have barrirers installed to prevent someone from going around the gates.
Locomotives are supposed to have at least 3 lights, one high on the locomotive and two down low ("ditch lights") to enhance visibility. The are on at all times.
Here is the location of the incident. If the truck was headed North, the train would have been headed to Chicago from the Southwest, and the driver would have to have turned his head far to the left to see if a train was approaching. This is a busy section of track, and I read that there are about 60 trains that pass this location daily.
One thing I didn't know was that the couplers used to connect the cars are call "tight lock couplers." These couplers lock into position when they are pushed (like in a sudden deceleration) and prevent the railcars from jackknifing. THat's why you see almost the entire consist lying on its side, rather than a bunch of cars at odd angles. That coupler probably saved a lot of lives.
More than you wanted to know.
Oh, here's a street view of a crossing in a "quiet zone." Notice the median which was installed to prevent drivers from going around the descended gates.
Could have stalled. If you've driven a gravel truck, you know gravel or rock is heavy. On a grade, you've got to twist its tail early and stay after it. I don't know if the guy was loaded or not, but sometimes you can stall one out as you're topping out and shifting gears.
@Jolly as you know, there are lots of unprotected crossings in Louisiana. On our first trip to New Orleans, we were surprised (?) at how often the engineer sounded the horn. It was almost twice a minute. It gets to be a bid distracting at night, particularly when you're only 85 feet behind the locomotive.
I commented to our sleeping car attendant, and he told us that, after many complaints from passengers, Amtrak got a waiver for sounding the horn at night. Guess what happened? Yup - a steep rise in crossing incidents. They rescinded the waiver.
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Amtrak and BNSF Railway sue dump truck owner after fatal Missouri train crash
Amtrak and BNSF Railway have filed a federal lawsuit claiming a Missouri company's negligence led to a train crash and derailment Monday that killed four people, including the company's dump truck driver.
The Southwest Chief train, headed from Los Angeles to Chicago with 275 passengers and 12 crew members, plowed into the back of a dump truck near the town of Mendon, Mo., northwest of Columbia, at a railway crossing that wasn't marked by electronic signals or crossing arms.
Amtrak and BNSF's lawsuit, which was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, names MS Contracting as the defendant.
The dump truck driver, 53-year-old Billy Barton II, was delivering rocks "for and on behalf of MS Contracting" in a truck owned by the company on the day of the crash, according to the lawsuit.
He tried to cross the railroad intersection "despite the fact that it was unsafe, careless and reckless to do so because of the clearly visible approaching Amtrak train," court documents stated.
Widow of dump truck driver in Amtrak crash files wrongful death lawsuit
The lawsuit filed Wednesday by Erin Barton of Brookfield, Missouri, says the crossing where Billy Barton II died had a steep incline, poor visibility because of its angle and overgrown brush and no active devices to warn drivers. The petition filed in Chariton County court says Billy Barton didn't hear or see the train coming.
The lawsuit names Mariano Rodriguez of Higginsville, Missouri, a manager for Burlington Northern Santa Fe, the railroad company that's responsible for the tracks. It claims Rodriguez had a duty to implement safety improvements at the crossing.
The crossing at Porche Prairie Avenue near Mendon has a reputation among some locals as being a dangerous one. National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said at a news conference Wednesday that the crossing had a steep grade, which could have contributed to the crash, though investigators don't yet know for sure.
BNSF responded to ABC 17 News's request for comment on the lawsuit and they replied they do not comment on pending litigation.
The lawsuit also claims the Chariton County Road Authority was negligent in not improving the crossing.
The Amtrak train -- the Southwest Chief No. 4 -- was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when the crash happened early Monday afternoon. The train slammed into the right rear side of the truck at 87 mph, Homendy said. The crossing did not have lights or bells to warn drivers of oncoming trains.
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Amtrak and BNSF Railway sue dump truck owner after fatal Missouri train crash
Amtrak and BNSF Railway have filed a federal lawsuit claiming a Missouri company's negligence led to a train crash and derailment Monday that killed four people, including the company's dump truck driver.
The Southwest Chief train, headed from Los Angeles to Chicago with 275 passengers and 12 crew members, plowed into the back of a dump truck near the town of Mendon, Mo., northwest of Columbia, at a railway crossing that wasn't marked by electronic signals or crossing arms.
Amtrak and BNSF's lawsuit, which was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, names MS Contracting as the defendant.
The dump truck driver, 53-year-old Billy Barton II, was delivering rocks "for and on behalf of MS Contracting" in a truck owned by the company on the day of the crash, according to the lawsuit.
He tried to cross the railroad intersection "despite the fact that it was unsafe, careless and reckless to do so because of the clearly visible approaching Amtrak train," court documents stated.
Widow of dump truck driver in Amtrak crash files wrongful death lawsuit
The lawsuit filed Wednesday by Erin Barton of Brookfield, Missouri, says the crossing where Billy Barton II died had a steep incline, poor visibility because of its angle and overgrown brush and no active devices to warn drivers. The petition filed in Chariton County court says Billy Barton didn't hear or see the train coming.
The lawsuit names Mariano Rodriguez of Higginsville, Missouri, a manager for Burlington Northern Santa Fe, the railroad company that's responsible for the tracks. It claims Rodriguez had a duty to implement safety improvements at the crossing.
The crossing at Porche Prairie Avenue near Mendon has a reputation among some locals as being a dangerous one. National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said at a news conference Wednesday that the crossing had a steep grade, which could have contributed to the crash, though investigators don't yet know for sure.
BNSF responded to ABC 17 News's request for comment on the lawsuit and they replied they do not comment on pending litigation.
The lawsuit also claims the Chariton County Road Authority was negligent in not improving the crossing.
The Amtrak train -- the Southwest Chief No. 4 -- was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when the crash happened early Monday afternoon. The train slammed into the right rear side of the truck at 87 mph, Homendy said. The crossing did not have lights or bells to warn drivers of oncoming trains.
@George-K The American way. LOL
And if they happen not already, most of the passengers will probably be suing everybody they can.
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@George-K The American way. LOL
And if they happen not already, most of the passengers will probably be suing everybody they can.
@taiwan_girl said in A track derailment in MO:
And if they happen not already, most of the passengers will probably be suing everybody they can.
In a federal lawsuit filed Friday, surviving passenger Janet Williams of Dubuque, Iowa, named Amtrak, BNSF Railway Co. and MS Contracting LLC, the employer of the dump truck driver whose vehicle was struck by the train. The complaint alleges negligent design of the railroad crossing near the town of Mendon, and says the train was packed with too many riders, creating “cattle car conditions.”
Williams’ lawsuit said she “sustained significant and life-altering injuries” when she was suddenly thrown from her seat, struck by luggage and crushed by other passengers as her train car flipped onto its side. One of her attorneys, Robert J. Mongeluzzi, said in a statement that Amtrak and BNSF “failed to use basic railroad crossing safety devices such as warning lights and crossing gates.”
Ms. Williams has probably never flown.
On the Amtrak Forum:
As a retired lawyer, in a case such as this everyone will sue everyone else and there will end up with a settlement putting a pot of money on the table, irrespective of who was actually at fault.
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@taiwan_girl said in A track derailment in MO:
And if they happen not already, most of the passengers will probably be suing everybody they can.
In a federal lawsuit filed Friday, surviving passenger Janet Williams of Dubuque, Iowa, named Amtrak, BNSF Railway Co. and MS Contracting LLC, the employer of the dump truck driver whose vehicle was struck by the train. The complaint alleges negligent design of the railroad crossing near the town of Mendon, and says the train was packed with too many riders, creating “cattle car conditions.”
Williams’ lawsuit said she “sustained significant and life-altering injuries” when she was suddenly thrown from her seat, struck by luggage and crushed by other passengers as her train car flipped onto its side. One of her attorneys, Robert J. Mongeluzzi, said in a statement that Amtrak and BNSF “failed to use basic railroad crossing safety devices such as warning lights and crossing gates.”
Ms. Williams has probably never flown.
On the Amtrak Forum:
As a retired lawyer, in a case such as this everyone will sue everyone else and there will end up with a settlement putting a pot of money on the table, irrespective of who was actually at fault.
@George-K Goofy statement by her about too many people. I only did one long distance trip by Amtrak and that was in a sleeper car (thanks again George for all of your advice and help on that trip!!!
) but I do not think that they allow "standers" on the train, right?And maybe the amount of passengers helped cushion her as she bounced around. LOL
