Train derailments

[Starr DiGiacomo]

Spain Experiences its Worst Train Accident in 40 Years An increase in train derailments was one of the first symptoms of the approach of Planet X to become noticeable, being expressed even before Planet X entered the inner solar system in 2003. Planet X was described as affecting the Earth from afar, like tugging on the edge of a spider web where the effects are felt elsewhere on the web; in this way there has been an increase in earthquakes and unpredictable weather going back years, even before Planet X entered the solar system, due to the increased swirling of the Earth’s core. It is therefore logical that an increase in train derailments would accompany any increase in seismic activity – train tracks need to be straight and even the slightest shift to the side of a section of track would cause a train to derail. The area most affected by train derailments is the stretch zone.  Stretch zone quakes are silent, and people are generally unaware anything is happening, although signs such as booms and trumpet sounds can occur. This zone stretches from Western Europe across the Eurasian Plate, and also includes the South-East United States, the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Red Sea and the African Rift. In other parts of the world, shifting ground is more associated with earthquakes that people are aware of, such as the Pacific which is compressing, so authorities inspect railway tracks after any seismic activity, reducing the likelihood of accidents. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some Examples (click on pictures for link):

[KM]

http://stream.wsj.com/story/latest-headlines/SS-2-63399/SS-2-415803/

Fire Erupts After Two Trains Derail in North Dakota

Some 10 Railcars Ablaze After Crude-Oil Train Accident

Some 10 railcars were engulfed in flames after two BNSF Railway Co. trains derailed on Monday about 25 miles west of Fargo, N.D., a local official said.

By Betsy Morris

Some 10 railcars were engulfed in flames after two BNSF Railway Co. trains derailed on Monday about 25 miles west of Fargo, N.D., a local official said. At least one of the trains was carrying oil, the railroad said.

Fire and hazardous materials team are battling the fire, which is about a mile west of Casselton, N.D., said Sgt. Tara Morris of the Cass County Sherrif’s office. She added that all people and animals within a 10-mile radius of the town should find shelter and avoid going outside until the area is deemed safe.

No injuries have been reported, local officials said.

The Fort Worth, Tex.-based railroad said one train derailed on a track around 2:10 p.m. Central Time and “impacted” a second train on another track, causing it to derail.

A spokesman for BNSF confirmed its trains were involved and at least one of the trains was carrying oil. He said railroad employees were on their way to the accident.

BNSF, a unit of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., told its customers it couldn’ t estimate when the main tracks would reopen, but warned customers they might experience delays of 24 to 48 hours on shipments through the corridor.

This is the latest in a series of derailments of crude-oil trains this year. In July, 47 people were killed in a crude-oil train derailment that wiped out much of the Quebec town of Lac-Mégantic. In November, a train carrying crude oil derailed in a rural area of Alabama.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.bdtonline.com/breakingnews/x1186896779/Train-derails-in-...

December 27, 2013

Train derails in McDowell County, tanker car crashes into Elkhorn R...

Seventeen cars from a train have derailed this morning in McDowell County, including a tanker car that is in the Elkhorn River, emergency officials said.

The derailment occurred near Kimball between the Vivian and Landgraff communities, according to John Sidote, a public information officer with the McDowell County 911 Emergency Communications Center.

At least 17 cars are involved in the derailment, including two tankers. One of the two tankers is in the Elkhorn Creek.

No evacuations have been ordered at this time, and U.S. Route 52 has not been closed at this time. Sidote said officials do not know what type of liquid the tanker car is carrying.

Regional hazardous material crews have been contacted, and are responding, including a team from Charleston, a Norfolk Southern team and a hazmat crew with the Welch Fire Department, along with the Kimball Volunteer Fire Department.

The tanker car in the Elkhorn River is believed to have a leak. Robin Chapman, a spokesman for Norfolk Southern, said the tanker leaking fluid into the Elkhorn Creek contained asphalt. Chapman said NS has hazmat teams on the way.

The county’s Emergency Services Office has opened, and is coordinating the response to the derailment.

[Yvonne Lawson]

Kenya cargo train derails in Nairobi slum, six injured

A cargo train derailed in a sprawling Nairobi slum on Sunday, injuring at least six people as it crashed into makeshift homes where people are feared still trapped, rescuers and residents said.

Transport Minister Michael Kamau, who was at the scene, told journalists that six injured had so far been taken to hospital.

"We have rescued six people, most of them were crying out from the structures that were crushed and they couldn't move, but we managed to dig out and rescue them," said Johnson Maina of the fire service department.

Local people suggested casualties may be lower than initially feared as most of those whose houses were destroyed appear not to have been at home when the accident happened, having either left for church or gone back to their villages for the Christmas holidays.

"Because of the time of year and the time of day a lot of people were not at hone," a local chief who identified himself as Patrick told AFP.

"The initial report is that people are feared trapped, but so far we have not received reports of any actual missing persons," a Red Cross emergency officer at the scene told AFP.

The Red Cross had earlier said that "scores were feared trapped".

"We are thankful for the swift effort in rescuing people, it is by luck that it did not happen at night when people are sleeping. We could have a huge disaster here," said Mercline Akelo who sells fish just next to the rail line.

"I was about to open my business, I had gone for stock and heard about it on my way back, I don't know what could have happened if the accident had occurred when I was selling my fish," she went on.

"The rescue efforts are underway, we cannot talk of the number of those injured at the moment," Nairobi Police chief Benson Kibue told AFP.

One of Africa's largest slums, Kibera's tin-roofed shacks are home to an estimated quarter of a million people, according to an NGO that carried out a population study there.

Kamau said the government has long warned the residents of Kibera not to put up houses right next to the railway, which crosses the settlement.

"We have always warned people against encroaching on the line," he said. So they must move, we cannot continue having such disasters," he went on.

Source: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/cargo-train-derails-nairobi-slum-scores-fe...

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x429883529/Freight-trai...

Tuesday, Dec 10 2013 08:55 AM

Freight train derails west of Tehachapi

1. 
   Crews inspect the wreckage where a Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight train derailed about 3 miles west of Tehachapi. Seven cars left the tracks and the accident could be seen from the eastbound lanes of Highway 58.

   A Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight train has derailed about four miles west of Tehachapi. Special Agent Lee Henning of Union Pacific said seven cars left the tracks sometime between 6 and 6:15 a.m. Tuesday.

   The train appeared to be westbound and the engine of the train had emerged from one tunnel while the end of the train was through another tunnel to the east and three railcars were sideways across the track while another had fallen completely off the track.

   Train tracks in the area hug the side of the mountain just south of the Highway 58 through the Tehachapi Pass. The area of the derailment was about eight miles east of the famous Tehachapi Loop.

   Henning said about 200 feet of track was damaged in the derailment. About a 70-foot length of track was lying mangled down the side of the mountain below the railbed.

   Kern County Sheriff and Fire Department personnel responded to the derailment but had left the scene by about 7:45 a.m. A number of railroad officials were on scene inspecting the damage.

   The cause of the derailment is not yet known. Henning said no hazardous materials were on the train.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.twoharborsmn.com/event/article/id/25741/

Train derails in Two Harbors

An ore train derailed in Two Harbors early Thursday afternoon and two injuries were reported, Lake County Sheriff Carey Johnson told the News Tribune. - 

A Canadian National Railway train filled with iron ore pellets from the Iron Range derailed in Two Harbors early Thursday afternoon and two injuries were reported, Lake County Sheriff Carey Johnson said.

According to the Two Harbors Police Department, at 1:14 p.m. the THPD, Lake County Sheriff's Office, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Enforcement Division, Two Harbors Fire Department, Lake County Ambulance Service and Lake County Search & Rescue responded to the accident.

The two CN employees were transported from the scene via ambulance. Patrick Waldron, a spokesman for CN, said the injuries appear to be minor. The two other employees on the train were uninjured.

The accident occurred just after 1 p.m. on a bend in the tracks between Northshore Manufacturing and Two Harbors Lumber on Fourth Avenue, Johnson said. Waldron said the area is considered the CN train yard.

Uwe Kausch, a sales manager at Northshore Manufacturing, said the rail cars were everywhere, “stacked up like cord wood,” with some pointing up vertically.

A typical ore train has just over 100 cars and Kausch said it looked like most of them were affected by the derailment. Waldron said there were 107 cars but said it hadn’t been determined how many were damaged or upended.

LeRoy Veness, who owns a repair shop about 100 yards from the rail line, said he heard the derailment.

“Our whole building was rumbling,” Veness said.

Andy Johnson of Two Harbors was at the recycling center next to the repair shop and saw the accident take place.

“It was a rush,” Johnson said. He saw taconite pellets fly into the air and said it made a “loud rushing noise.”

Johnson said he immediately knew it was a derailment.

Waldron said a CN crew is on the scene investigating.

http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/news/local/Train-derailment-sen...

Train derailment sends two to the hospital in Two Harbors

December 5, 2013Updated Dec 5, 2013 at 6:56 PM CST

Two Harbors, MN (NNCNOW.com) --- Authorities are investigating what caused a train to derail just south of Two Harbors, Minnesota Thursday afternoon.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office, along with Two Harbors Police, the Minnesota DNR and rescue squads were called to the incident around 1:15pm.

The 107 car CN train that was carrying iron ore pellets derailed next to the lumber yard. Between 20-50 cars came off the track.

Two crew members were hurt and were taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries. Two other crew members on the train were not hurt.

Patrick Waldron the CN Regional Public Relations Director spoke with the Northland's NewsCenter this afternoon saying they have not received an update on the conditions of the crew members that were hurt.

Waldron also said he was unsure if the National Transportation Safety Administration would send investigators to the scene.

Authorities continue to clean up the incident.

http://www.wvec.com/my-city/norfolk/Train-derails-in-Norfolk-234635...

Train derails in Norfolk causing traffic to be re-routed

Posted on December 5, 2013 at 3:04 PM

Updated today at 5:59 PM

Gallery

SEE ALL 3 PHOTOS »

Norfolk Train Derailment

Map Data

UPDATE 4:24 p.m.:  Crews on the scene tell WVEC.com the road has reopened to traffic. 

UPDATE 3:34 p.m.: Chief Williamson told 13News Now the train was hauling cement. Crews from Norfolk Southern are on scene working to get the train back on the track. 

NORFOLK -- A Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad train derailed while changing tracks at East Princess Anne and Ingleside roads in Norfolk Thursday afternoon causing traffic to be re-directed.

City of Norfolk spokeswomen Karen Parker-Chesson said emergency communications received word around 2:30 p.m. 

Parker-Chesson says no injuries have been reported. 

Robin Chapman with Norfolk Southern told 13News Now that a Norfolk Portsmouth Belt Line train was on a Norfolk Southern track. The train was about to get on a Bay Coast Railroad track when it derailed. The Norfolk Southern Princess Anne line is now blocked by the derailment.

Chief Williamson with the Norfolk Fire Department said no evacuations were issued and they are currently investigating what the train was hauling.  Hazmat crews are on the scene as a precaution. 

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/hazmat-spill-freight-train...

Freight train derails, triggers hazmat spill next to New Jersey Turnpike

Emergency workers were still trying to clean a noxious, flammable material from the scene where a freight train derailed early Thursday. No injuries were reported.

BY JOE KEMP / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013, 6:48 AM

Officials said the train was carrying a noxious, flammable material

A train carrying hazardous materials derailed near New Jersey highway early Thursday, officials said.

The train was backing into a facility near Exit 12 of the New Jersey Turnpike in Carteret — across the border from Staten Island — when one car of the train flipped on its side about 1 a.m., authorities said.

Another car partially overturned in the wreck.

Investigators were still trying to determine what caused the train to derail.

RELATED: PHOTOS: METRO-NORTH ENGINEER MINUTES AFTER CRASH

It was not immediately clear how the train derailed, but no injuries were reported.

Officials said the train was carrying a noxious, flammable material, WABC-TV reported.

WABC

Emergency workers were still trying to clean the hazardous material from the scene after a freight train derailed in New Jersey early Thursday.

Hazmat crews were still working to clean the area hours later.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/hazmat-spill-freight-train...

[Tracie Crespo]

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/01/21702589-at-least-4-dead...

At least 4 dead, more than 60 injured after NY commuter train derails in Bronx

By Richard Esposito and Hasani Gittens, NBC News

A commuter rail line derailed in New York City Sunday morning, killing at least four people.

Officials said that at least 63 others were injured when the Metro-North train jumped the tracks as it was rounding a curve about 100 yards from a stop. Fire officials said as many as 11 of those injured were "critical."

AP / Craig Ruttle

First responders gather around the derailment of a Metro North passenger train in the Bronx borough of New York Dec. 1, 2013.

Metro-North said the seven-car 5:54 a.m. diesel train from Poughkeepsie derailed at 7:22 a.m., just feet from the water near the historic Spuyten Duyvil station in the Bronx, NBC New York reported. It was due at Grand Central at 7:43 a.m.

The locomotive was on the north end pushing the cars southward.

Joel Zaritsky said he was on his way to New York City for a dental convention. 

"I was asleep and I woke up when the car started rolling several times. Then I saw the gravel coming at me, and I heard people screaming. There was smoke everywhere and debris. People were thrown to the other side of the train," he said, holding his bloody right hand. 

At least four train cars were knocked completely on their side, and officials said it would be awhile to assess all of the damage and injuries involved. Early reports said that cars had gone into the Hudson river, but they narrowly avoided plunging into the frigid waters.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said the big curve where the derailment occurred is in a slow speed area approaching the station. 

NBC News

A commuter rail line derailed in New York City early Sunday morning, killing at least four people.

Dozens of firefighters were on the scene helping pull people from the wreckage. Many people were transported to area hospitals for treatment, said New York City Fire Department spokesman Michael Parrella. 

Speaking at the scene, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the train operator was among the injured.

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At first, he said, he didn't notice that the train had flipped over.

"I didn't realize it had been turned over until I saw a firefighter walking on the window," he said. 

Steve Kornacki reports on a train derailment on the Metro North Hudson Line in New York.

As a result of the crash, Metro-North Hudson line service was suspended in both directions, and Amtrak service was suspended be tween New York City and Albany, rail officials said. 

A senior Metro-North official told NBC News there was no evidence of criminality, but cautioned that it was still early in the investigation. National Transportation Safety Bureau officials confirmed a "go-team" is on their way to the area to launch an investigation.

In July, a CSX freight train hauling trash on the same line derailed near the the same area of the Bronx. No one was injured but questions were raised about the safety of the track design, which has a notoriously sharp turn right before the station.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.19actionnews.com/story/24080936/willard-hundreds-evacuat...

Willard: Hundreds evacuated after train derailment causes chemical spill

Posted: Nov 27, 2013 5:01 AM ESTUpdated: Nov 27, 2013 11:27 AM EST

 

Evacuees at high school, Willard

WILLARD, OH (WOIO) -

Police say 400 households were affected by a chemical spill on CSX train tracks in Huron County.

At 11:42 p.m. Tuesday, a caller notified police of a leaking train on North Main Street in Willard.

Upon arrival, police found that the 33,000 gallon railcar was leaking styrene monomer, a highly flammable substance, through a four inch hole.

Authorities decided to immediately evacuate residents within a one-half mile radius. Willard High School is being used as an emergency shelter.

CSX released the following statement on Wednesday:

CSX Transportation is working with first responders in Willard, Ohio, to assist residents who have evacuated their homes due to a tank car leak. The company is establishing a community outreach center at the Willard Town Hall, and securing hotel rooms for displaced residents. The leak from the tank car of styrene monomer, a flammable product used in the manufacture of plastics, has been stopped. The tank car was damaged in a derailment at the CSX Willard Yard. CSX thanks the first responders for their support, and pledges to work with them and the community to resolve this incident as safely and quickly as possible.

There is really not much of a health threat, but the clean up is the issue.  Any kind of spark could cause a serious explosion or fire.  

No word on when evacuees will be allowed to go back to their homes. 

http://www.sewardindependent.com/friend/news/article_abd4d7aa-56e4-...

BNSF train derails near Friend

Pictured are BNSF workers at the site of the derailment on Nov. 25.

Posted: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 5:00 am

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway workers were hard at work addressing a derailment that occurred at 2:55 a.m. on Nov. 25 near Friend. 

“The train derailed on the siding and was moving slowly when it derailed,” Andy Williams, BNSF public affairs director, said.

Out of the 75 cars, seven of them derailed and four fell on their sides.

“The main line in that area is open. That track has several trains a day, but it is not impacting customers because we can reroute the traffic,” Williams said.

Williams said that those working on the track hoped to have it up and running at approximately 5 p.m. on Nov. 25.

Damages to the track have yet not been determined, according to Williams.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=1225061&CategoryId=14090

Eight Die in Train Derailment in Brazil

SAO PAULO – Eight people died when a train derailed over the weekend in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state, officials said Monday.

The initial death toll was reported as six, but firefighters recovered two more bodies from the wreckage early Monday.

The derailment occurred Sunday night in the poor Jardin Conceicao neighborhood of Sao Jose do Rio Preto, a city located about 438 kilometers (272 miles) from Sao Paulo.

Nine cars loaded with corn went off the tracks and hit four dwellings, destroying the structures and killing eight people, including children ages 2 and 5, who were inside.

Six other people were hospitalized, with two of them listed in serious condition.

Railway operator America Latina Logistica, or ALL, released a statement in which it expressed its condolences to the victims’ families and offered assistance.

“The causes of the accident will be investigated in an administrative process,” ALL said.

Company spokesmen denied that the train was traveling at more than 40 kph (25 mph), the speed limit in urban areas.

Train speeds are controlled via satellite, preventing engineers from speeding, ALL said.

Two derailments occurred in Sao Jose do Rio Preto in 2002, but there were no injuries.

ALL was fined in 2009 for failing to comply with an agreement to prevent derailments.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://news.sky.com/story/1171293/chester-train-crashes-into-buffer...

Chester Train Crashes Into Buffers At Station

An investigation is under way after a Virgin Trains service from London to Chester partially derails and crashes into barriers.

3:10pm UK, Wednesday 20 November 2013

A train has derailed and smashed into the buffers at Chester railway station, leaving one man in hospital with back injuries.

Emergency services were called to the station shortly after midday following reports that the five-carriage train had partially derailed.

Among the passengers was Jake Pickering, who wrote on his Twitter page: "The @VirginTrains train I was on from London has just crashed at Chester station. I believe everyone is okay."

A Virgin Trains spokeswoman said: "We can confirm an incident took place earlier today at Chester Station.

"The incident took place at approximately 12.10pm and the train involved was the 10.10am Virgin Trains service from London Euston to Chester. No other train was involved.

"The emergency services have been called, but at this stage it is believed that there are no serious injuries."

A statement from British Transport Police said: "All coaches of the five-car train have remained upright.

"One man has been taken to a local hospital by North West Ambulance Service, with reported injuries to his back."

The statement said the crash was "being investigated to establish the full circumstances surrounding the derailment".