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://www.gastongazette.com/articles/acid-74115-phosphoric-possibl...

Train derailment causes evacuations, hazmat response

August 06, 2012 4:45 PM

Police closed roads, and residents took to the streets when a train derailed in Cramerton Monday around 4:29 p.m.

Despite evacuations of several blocks due to the possibility of a hazardous chemical spill, people living right down from the wreckage stood in the street, taking pictures and talking about the derailment.

A slew of emergency workers flocked to the scene, setting up a command post within sight of the snarled freight cars at 278 Eighth Ave.

A secondary command center was put in place in the parking lot of Food Lion on Market Street in Cramerton.

Only a portion of the Norfolk Southern train lay overturned and twisted, several hundred feet away from the remainder of the train that sat upright on the tracks.

Emergency crews suited up in emergency gear just in case material on the wrecked train cars proved to be hazardous.

No one was injured in the incident.

“We’re erring on the side of caution,” Maj. Clyde Cantrell with Gaston County Emergency Medical Services said shortly after the investigation began.

Residents in several blocks of Eighth Avenue and Mayflower Street were evacuated from their homes. The railroad track lies between those two parallel streets.

Joey Clinton, who lives nearby on Washington Street, said he didn’t know what had happened when the train left its tracks.

Clinton was outside mowing his lawn when he saw a spray of gravel and smoke. He walked near the track to check it out and saw the wreckage.

Steve Lingerfelt and his brother-in-law, Larry Rick, heard a commotion but didn’t know what had happened until they saw it on the news.

The two Cramerton men live next door to each other on Woodlawn Avenue. Rick, who has lived in the same area since childhood, said the incident reminded him of a serious derailment in the 1950s.

Rick said that time chemicals flowed down the street following the derailment.

“I was just a young boy back then, but I can still remember,” said Rick.

While some Mayflower Street residents were told to seek shelter at First Baptist Church on 10th Street, others brought out lawn chairs, cameras, dogs and children to watch police, fire and medical workers look over the damage.

The evacuation ended just before 7 p.m.

There were three locomotives and 121 cars. At least 12 cars derailed and 10 of them were tanker cars, according to The Gazette’s news partner, WSOC-TV. There were four tanker cars containing LP gas (liquid petroleum) among the derailed, but no leaking was detected. WSOC-TV reported that one of the wrecked tanker cars had a large gash that was visible from the station’s helicopter.

Rick was among the spectators along Mayflower Street and said he was glad the incident didn’t seem too serious.

“I don’t know what was in those cars, but I think we’re very fortunate,” he said.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/argentine-commuter...

Argentine commuter train derails, injuring 31, as subway strike adds to traffic chaos

Emergency medical director Alberto Crescenti said 25 were treated for shock at the scene and six were others were hospitalized.

The wreck happened shortly after the city mobilized 500 buses to carry subway riders for free while the subway strike continues.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.kbzk.com/news/train-derailment-causes-explosions-in-east...

Train derailment causes explosions In Eastern Montana town

Posted: Aug 5, 2012 9:21 PM by KTVQ
Updated: Aug 5, 2012 10:07 PM

 

A train derailment 2 miles west of the small town of Plevna, Montana has caused several explosions and has kept emergency crews busy throughout Sunday in Fallon County.

Fallon County Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator Chuck Lee says around 3p.m. on Sunday, eight cars from a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train derailed-causing multiple explosions.

The rail company did respond to the scene along with Fallon County and several emergency crews from across the region to battle several wildfires which sparked from the explosions.

It is believed the explosions are being caused by denatured alcohol, which was one of the cargo items from the derailed cars.

Currently, no evacuation orders have been issued for Plevna or the nearby town of Baker, but people are asked to stay one-half mile away from the train line.

Highway 12 has been blocked off at either end of the derailment as a precautionary measure.

Lee says the plan for now is to allow the fire to burn itself out before clean-up can begin.

Crews will remain at the site for the remainder of the evening

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.thenortheastgeorgian.com/view/full_story_free/19655962/a...

Train derails in Mt. Airy, clean-up ongoing

Wreckage from a train derailment in Mt. Airy. The wreck occurred at approximately 3:20 p.m. Wednesday.

There were no injuries in a train derailment earlier today in Mt. Airy.

According to Mt. Airy Police Chief Corey Allen, it will take Norfolk Southern crews several days to clean up the area and the public is asked to avoid the area.

The accident happened at approximately 3:20 p.m. Wednesday near the intersection of Dicks Hill Parkway and Sunlit Hollow.

Allen said Dicks Hill Parkway remains closed between Highway 197 and Lake Russell Road as of 9:20 p.m.

"The good news is there were no injuries; nobody's hurt," Allen said. "There was no property damage other than to railroad property."

Initial dispatch calls indicated there could be potential hazardous materials on board but that wasn't the case, he said.

"There was nothing spilled; the worst thing they had on there was peanut oil," Allen said.

One freight car landed on a Norfolk Southern-owned propane tank located adjacent to the track. Precautions were taken, and according to Allen, there is no danger to homes nearby.

"Luckily, it just rolled it over," he said. He said crews remain on scene working to clear the area.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/train-derails-east-of-poplar-point-1.897638

Last Updated Monday, Jul. 30, 2012 9:42AM CST

Canadian Pacific Rail officials are investigating the cause of a train derailment that sent 12 railcars off the tracks near Poplar Point Sunday.

Around 6:30 p.m. an intermodal train was driving westbound just east of Poplar Point when a portion of it derailed.

CP officials said 12 of the 56 cars derailed. No one was injured in the derailment, and CP officials said there was no risk to any people living in the area.

The train was carrying consumer and business products at the time of the derailment.

As of Monday morning the tracks were still blocked and railcars remained off of the tracks in the area. CP officials said crews were working to clear the area but did not have an estimate on when they would be able to restore the track.

CP officials said they are currently rerouting trains around the area and continue to investigate what caused the derailment. 

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.saljournal.com/news/story/Train-Derailment-7-30

Train derailment

7/30/2012
By GARY DEMUTH Salina Journal

BAVARIA -- An estimated 26 coal cars formed a twisted pyramid of wreckage as a Union Pacific Railroad train derailed Sunday near Bavaria.

The wreck took place about 2:30 p.m. Sunday about six miles west of Salina, along tracks just east of Kansas Highway 140 near the intersection of Muir Road.

The train was eastbound and heading toward Salina when the tracks buckled, said Deputy Eric Appel of the Saline County Sheriff's Office.

Railroad ties were split down the middle, and a series of coal cars separated from the main engine about halfway down the line of more than 100 cars.

As the tracks buckled and split, coal cars plunged to their sides in a wheat field running alongside the tracks, spilling tons of coal and starting a fire in about 30 acres of wheat stubble east of the tracks.

During the wreck, more than a dozen coal cars piled on top of each other, forming a pyramid of twisted steel at the center of the tracks.

In the adjoining wheat field, spilled coal mixed with shattered track and twisted metal and wheels from the cars' undercarriages. Steel bolts shot from both sides of the tracks landed in the field among shattered and split wooden tracks.

Shortly after the coal cars were separated from the main engine, three more coal cars at the end of the first half of the train separated and derailed, collapsing on their sides east of the K-140-Muir intersection.

Firefighters from Saline County Rural Fire District No. 3 responded to the fire. Although the fire was burning along 30 acres, it was contained in about 30 minutes, said Scott Abker, District 3 fire chief.

When firefighters first arrived on the scene, Abker said, it looked like they had their work cut out for them.

"The cars were peeled into each other pretty bad, and there was about a mile of track and railroad scattered around," he said. "We were concerned the tracks were so torn up that we couldn't get across to the field."

But the tracks intersecting Muir Road, although damaged, weren't impassable, Abker said.

"We got enough trucks out there and got a pretty good jump on the fire," he said.

No injuries were reported from the wreck, Appel said.

Union Pacific workers were on the scene but declined to comment as to the possible cause of the wreck. Appel said he was told heat may have been a factor causing the tracks to buckle but the official cause will be under investigation by Union Pacific officials.

Even though there is a mile of debris consisting of collapsed cars, spilled coal and shattered wood and metal, Abker said Union Pacific would be on the scene to take care of the damage in short order.

"They have such a great response team," he said. "They have great equipment and will have these trains off the tracks in no time."

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.wibw.com/home/headlines/Train-Derailment-Dumps-Coal-Spar...

Posted: Sun 7:28 PM, Jul 29, 2012

Train Derailment Dumps Coal, Sparks Grass Fire

(WIBW/KAKE) -- Railroad crews are working to clean up quite a mess after a train derailed in Saline County and lost part of its load. It happened just after 2:30 p.m. Sunday about six miles west of Salina at the intersection of Highway 140 and Cloud Street.

The Union Pacific train was made up of three engines and 109 cars. It was hauling a large amount of coal.

Officials say approximately 25 cars derailed and dumped their loads of coal. Sparks from the derailment started a small grass fire that burned about two acres. No injuries were reported and no structures were damaged.

Investigators say the derailment was likely caused by heat. They believe the prolonged triple-digit temperatures caused the tracks to expand and warp.

Crews are working to clean up the pile of coal. Officials say the train happened to separate at the intersection so vehicle traffic in the area has not been affected.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.kiiitv.com/story/19102647/hardin-county-train-derailment

Shelter in place lifted, cleanup continues on train derailment

Posted: Jul 24, 2012 5:57 PM ADT Updated: Jul 24, 2012 6:50 PM ADT

 

A shelter-in-place has been lifted as emergency crews from Hardin and Jefferson Counties continue to work to clean up a train derailment in Sour Lake.

The call came into dispatch just after 2:20 p.m. Tuesday. 

The derailment happened along Ataway Road east of FM 326.

The Department of Public Safety says approximately 8 train cars left the track.

A shelter in place was called as crews worked to see what material was in each car and if any hazardous substances were leaking.  The shelter-in-place was lifted once it was determined that no threat existed.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2012/07/amtrak-cascades-train-d...

July 18, 2012 at 8:17 PM

Amtrak Cascades train derails north of Vancouver, Wash.

The derailed Amtrak locomotive south of Kelso, Wash.  (Thomas M. Eckels)

At about 7 p.m., Amtrak Cascades 509 train derailed near Woodland, about 18 miles north of Vancouver, Wash., said Amtrak spokeswoman Danelle Hunter.

The wheels of the engine lost contact with the rails but the train remained upright and none of its 86 passengers were hurt, Hunter said. Passengers will be given alternate transportation options to arrive at their destinations.

The only train schedule affected is for tonight’s Cascades 509 train, which runs from Seattle to Eugene, Ore. Hunter said.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://local.stv.tv/edinburgh/111492-train-on-the-fife-circle-derai...

Train derails with 30 passengers on board after hitting landslide

By Cara Sulieman 18 July 2012 16:53 BST

Landslide: The train was derailed after hitting ten feet of mud across the tracks in Fife.SWNS Group

A train has derailed after hitting ten feet of mud that had washed across the tracks in a landslip in Fife.

Around 30 passengers and two crew members were on board the 2.17pm Newcraighall to Edinburgh service.

The front of two carriages came off the tracks between Rosyth and Dunfermline Town when it hit the landslip behind Pitreavie Industrial Estate in Dunfermline at 4.10pm.

No one was injured and everyone has been kept on board. Another train was dispatched to transfer the passengers, although the disruption is expected to continue, while replacement road transport is also expected to be used while the line remains closed.

A ScotRail spokeswoman said: "We are transferring passengers onto another train so that they can complete their journey to Edinburgh."

Meanwhile, all serviced between Inverkeithing and Glenrothes via Dunfermline have been cancelled. Buses are being brought in to operate the route and will be stopping at Rosyth, Dunfermline Town, Dunfermline Queen Margaret, Cowdenbeath, Lochgelly, Cardenden and Glenrothes with Thornton.

Emergency services attended the derailment to check over passengers and carriages.

A spokeswoman for Fife Fire and Rescue said: "Firefighters are in attendance of a train derailment at the back of Pitreavie Industrial Estate. We are currently carrying out checks on the train. So far no casualties have been reported."