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):

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://kplr11.com/2014/01/22/train-derails-in-south-st-louis/

Roads will close to clear train derailment in south St. Louis

Posted on: 8:30 am, January 22, 2014

ST. LOUIS, MO (KPLR) – St. Louis police will close several streets while crews try to clear a train derailment in south St. Louis.

Several cars jumped the tracks on a trestle near Interstate 44 and Wellington Road near the rail yard in the Ellendale neighborhood.

St. Louis police will close the roadway at Ellendale and Wellington and at Wabash andTholozon in both directions.

The closure could last from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.   Railroad recovery crash teams are on the scene surveying the damage and have moved equipment into the area to help get the train cars back on the tracks.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.csnchicago.com/article/train-derails-bridge

Train Derails on Bridge January 20, 2014, 1:10 am

A train from Chicago derailed early Monday morning in Philadelphia, leaving a tanker car and a boxcar leaning off a city bridge. Seven cars of the 101-car freight train derailed on the Schuylkill Arsenal Railroad Bridge where it crosses over the Schuylkill River, according to CSX spokesman Gary Sease. Six cars carried crude oil, but no leaking was reported. Another car contained sand, he said. No injuries were reported. The U.S. Coast Guard brought in a 25-foot response boat from its Philadelphia station to enforce a safety zone in the river just south of the bridge. Local police firefighters and emergency personnel also responded to the scene. "CSX would like to thank Philadelphia emergency first responders who arrived at the scene quickly and took prompt precautionary action," said a statement from CSX. Both directions of the Schuylkill Expressway were closed shortly after the derailment as crews worked to stabilize the cars. By 2:30 a.m. traffic began to move eastbound. It took another hour for the westbound lanes to open. There was no information as of 7 a.m. as to what caused the derailment. The bridge was built around the turn of the 20th Century and has since carried rail traffic for more than a century.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.cbs58.com/news/local-news/Train-derails-on-overpass-in-C...

Train derails on overpass in Caledonia

CALEDONIA-- A train derailed in Caledonia Sunday morning just east of the intersection of 5 Mile Road and Nicholson Road. It happened around 6 a.m.

Authorities said that 19 cars had derailed and that  there was some concern that some of them could fall off the overpass at that location.

For safety reason, the roads in that area have been shut down as officials respond to the situation.

The train is a Union Pacific freight train. It had 3 locomotives and 135 cars loaded with coal.

There have been no injuries reported.

The train was heading from Wyoming to Sheboygan.

Union Pacific is sending heavy equipment to get the cars back on the track.

The cause of the derailment is still under investigation.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S3287340.shtml?cat=504#.UtnDVdIo4nI

Train derails, spills fuel near Vaughn

Updated: 01/17/2014 3:50 PM | Created: 01/17/2014 1:26 PM 
By: Elizabeth Reed, KOB.com

VAUGHN, N.M. -- Hazmat crews have responded to the scene of a train derailment near Vaughn due to a fuel spill Friday morning.

The incident took place around 6:30 a.m. when two rear locomotives and ten cars derailed near Highway 285, according to a spokesman for Union Pacific. He said only the conductor and engineer were on board at the time of the incident.

Vaughn Police Chief Philip Holmes said the engineer was injured and taken to a local hospital.

The area is declared a hazmat scene because of the spill, according to Chief Holmes.

[sourabh kale]

Train derails in north Edmonton

jan 15 2014

Fire and emergency crews are at the scene of a train derailment in north Edmonton.

An Edmonton Fire Rescue spokesperson confirmed that three engines derailed in the area around Yellowhead Trail and 72nd Street.

The call came in at 10:34 a.m. The spokesperson said one engine is leaking diesel fuel. There have been no injuries

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Train+derails+north+Edmonton/9390320...

[sourabh kale]

Train derails in Burnaby, B.C., spilling coal into creek

Jan. 11 2014,

A Canadian Pacific Railway train operated by a CN Rail crew derailed in Burnaby, B.C., sending seven cars off the tracks and spilling coal into a creek that feeds into a lake.

Emily Hamer, a spokeswoman for CN, said the train went off the tracks Saturday morning and that three of the cars were lying on their sides while four remained upright.

Hamer said she could not say how much of the coal went into the water near Burnaby Lake.

She said she also did not know whether CP or CN, which owns the tracks, is responsible for the derailment of the train with a total of 152 cars.

“The incident is under investigation at this time,” she said. “CN and CP are on site, and environmental crews have been mobilized to assess the impact and implement an appropriate response plan.”

Earlier this week, a CN freight train jumped the tracks and caught fire near the village of Plaster Rock, N.B., where 150 people were forced to leave their homes.

The company has said 17 of the train’s 122 cars derailed, and some of them were carrying crude oil and propane.

read more at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/cn-train-derai...

[sourabh kale]

http://www.whig.com/story/24440324/train-derails-along-bonasinga-dr...

Train derails along Bonansinga Drive in Quincy

Jan 14, 2014

Workers were on the scene Tuesday morning after five railcars derailed Monday night along the Burlington Junction Railway shortline along Bonansinga Drive in Quincy, just north of the Pier restaurant.

The cars, which belong to BNSF Railway, left the tracks about 8 p.m. Monday, blocking traffic for about 90 minutes at Front and Broadway, according to the Quincy Police Department. One of the five cars rolled onto its side, spilling its load, while another had its wheels ripped off. One car was loaded with soybeans, a second with cattle feed and the rest were empty, according BNSF Railway Public Affairs Director Andy Williams.

No cause for the derailment was announced. The incident remains under investigation by BNSF.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.kxlh.com/news/train-derails-northwest-of-helena-no-injur...

Train derails northwest of Helena, no injuries reported

HELENA - Gusty winds are not being ruled out in a train derailment that happened near Austin, where 25 train cars were derailed.

Wind gusts of up to 75 mph were reported in the area with sustained winds around 45 mph.

The derailment wad reported around 5 a.m. on Monday, and is only affecting the east side tracks.

It was reported that most of the cars which were double-stacked were empty; no hazardous material was reported in the ones that were.

Train traffic was able to continue with use of the other tracks but is very slow due to gusty winds.

There are no reports of injuries.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.pardaphash.com/news/train-carrying-kerosene-derails-in-u...

The rail route to Delhi was also affected and efforts were on to normalise traffic, railway officials said. 

Train carrying 'Kerosene' derails in UP

^{Published on: Tue, 07 Jan 2014 at 12:05 IST}

Lucknow: Rail traffic on the Gorakhpur section of North Eastern Railway in Uttar Pradesh was hit on Tuesday when two wagons of a goods train transporting kerosene derailed between Gonda and Gorakhpur, officials said.
No one was injured in the incident.
The train was headed to Gorakhpur when the derailment took place. The contents of the wagons spilled all over, forcing railway authorities to shut down the section for all up and down trains.
"We are trying to normalise traffic on the sector as soon as possible. For now, some trains are stranded," an official said.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/wapske-derailed-train-o...

Emergency crews have blocked off roads leading to the scene of a train derailment in northwestern New Brunswick. (wagmtv.com)

Wapske derailed train on fire, carrying propane, crude oil

Witness saw 'big cloud of orange smoke'

CBC News Posted: Jan 07, 2014 8:22 PM AT Last Updated: Jan 07, 2014 10:59 PM AT

A CN Rail train carrying dangerous goods has derailed and caught fire in northwest New Brunswick, not far from the U.S. border.

Jim Feeny, director of public and government affairs for CN Rail, said the train derailment happened just after 7 p.m. AT about five kilometres outside of Plaster Rock in Wapske, N.B. He said the train was coming from central Canada and was heading to Moncton.

He said the train was carrying dangerous goods. 

“The number of derailed cars has not yet been confirmed. We do know that there are dangerous goods cars on the train and that they are in the derailment area these include cars carrying LPG — which is propane — and crude oil but we cannot confirm if those cars are actually derailed at this point. We know they’re in the immediate area,” said Feeny.  

He also confirmed there was a fire at the site, but said it's unclear what is fuelling the fire. 

A train that caught fire in Wapske, N.B., was carrying propane and crude oil at the time of the derailment. (Google)

RCMP Cpl. Marty Van Dijk said emergency crews are working with the train's conductor to identify the cars and determine whether they contain hazardous materials. 

“Our emergencyresponders are just beginning to arrive, the local fire department is also on site,” he said.

Feeny said it's too early to determine what caused the derailment. 

He said none of the train's crew was injured. There's been no word of other injuries at this time.

Van Dijk said a HAZMAT team is en route. He said a two-kilometre radius is being cleared and evacuated around the site. Most of the residents within that radius have been moved out.  

There were 122 cars on the train. It's still not clear how many derailed. 

'I saw a great big cloud of orange smoke'

J.D. Saddler and his girlfriend were at her grandmother's house, next to the train tracks in Plaster Rock. 

"After we left her house, we were driving across the river over to Wapske and that’s where the train derailed. And as we were driving to Wapske, I saw a great big cloud of orange smoke and the flames were really high in the air, the smoke was really high in the air," he said. 

Saddler said they went home. About an hour later, he drove back and the route was blocked off. People were being evacuated from the area.

“I think probably a lot of people are scrambling right now,” he said.

Saddler's father owns a sawmill located not far from where the train derailed happened.

“We were a little concerned because our place of business is located half a mile from where the [derailment] happened but our place wasn’t affected,” he said.

"There’s about 10 or 12 homes along the road where the train derailed.“

A woman who lives in nearby Wapske said she was asked to evacuate her home, located about two kilometres away. She said she can't see any fire from her house.  She said there are about eight homes located near the site.

Not the first CN derailment in Plaster Rock

A CBC investigation into rail safety revealed that CN Rail did not report to authorities more than 1,800 derailments and accidents, including 44 on key rail arteries.

One of those derailments occurred in Plaster Rock which was one of two incidents that prompted the Transportation Safety Board to seek a summons ordering CN to turn over all accident records.

[Tracie Crespo]

An update from KM's earlier post.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/30/22113442-residents-of-nd...

Residents of ND town urged to evacuate after train collision sets oil tankers ablaze

Bruce Crummy / AP

A fireball erupts at the site of an oil train derailment, on Monday, in Casselton, N.D.

By Daniella Silva, NBC News

Authorities urged residents to evacuate a small North Dakota town late Monday after a mile-long train carrying crude oil derailed nearby after colliding with another train.

The Cass County Sheriff's Office said Monday night it is "strongly recommending" that people in the town of Casselton and anyone living 5 miles to the south and east evacuate to shelters set up in Fargo, which is about 25 miles away. Casselton has about 2,400 residents. 

The sheriff's office said the National Weather Service was forecasting a shift in the winds that would push the plume of smoke down, possibly posing a health risk. Earlier, authorities had advised nearby residents to shelter inside their homes.

The freight train carrying crude oil hit another train hauling grain that had derailed on Monday afternoon, triggering an explosion and sending flames shooting more than 100 feet into the air. No injuries were immediately reported.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office said deputies and local emergency crews responded to reports of a derailment near the city of Casselton, N.D., and discovered the oil train burning, with up to 10 cars fully engulfed, said sheriff’s Sgt. Tara Morris.

“There was an explosion, where a car let loose and there was a giant fireball, hundreds of feet in the air,” said Assistant Chief Gary Lorenz of the City of Fargo Fire Department, who was in touch with a crew on the scene.

“It’s burning very strong right now,” he said. “You can see the plume of smoke for 25 miles.”

The collision occurred at a street intersection just before 2:20 p.m., when a westbound BNSF train carrying grain derailed and was then hit by an eastbound train carrying oil, Cecily Fong,  a public information officer with North Dakota Emergency Services, told NBCChicago.com.  Both trains were owned by BNSF, she said.

Amy McBeth, a spokeswoman for BNSF Railway, confirmed the collision but said she could provide no additional details.

Fong said the train carrying grain was approximately 111 cars long and crews were able to get the unaffected cars separated from the burning wreckage and moved out of the way. 

Michael Vosburg / Forum News Service via Reuters

Smoke rises from a derailed train near Casselton, N.D., on Monday.

Fong said the Federal Aviation Administration  was putting flight restrictions in place over the area due to the smoke.

NBC affiliate KVLY in Fargo, N.D., reported that the train emitted a cloud of toxic smoke but that prevailing winds were blowing the smoke away from Casselton.

Kevin Thompson, a Federal Railroad Administration spokesman, told NBC News that the agency was sending investigators to the scene. 

"The Federal Railroad Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration have investigative teams en route to North Dakota and will work in concert with the National Transportation Safety Board, the lead investigator, to ascertain all the relevant facts that may have contributed to the accident," he said. "FRA's goal in all investigations is to determine the facts and learn how we can minimize risk to prevent a similar incident in the future."