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]

Derailment may imperil residents

Authorities close road near Ruston

 

12:14 AM, Sep. 19, 2011  | 

The Lincoln Parish Sheriff's Office evacuated an area in the vicinity of U.S. 80 near Sims Road in Lincoln Parish because of the derailment of a Kansas City Southern train.

Officials said Sunday night residents were being asked to leave as a precaution until law enforcement can determine what's in the derailed cars.

U.S. 80 near Sims Road is closed.

Officials said the derailment was first reported about 7 p.m.

State Police said around 8:30 p.m. they had no reports of injuries.

The derailment is between Choudrant and Ruston.

In November 2007 many residents in the area were evacuated and several roads closed when 11 railcars of a westbound Kansas City Southern train left the track just west of a trestle near Sims Road in Lincoln Parish.

Among the derailed cars were five tankers carrying butadiene, a highly flammable, butane-like substance.

Additional information relating to Sunday's derailment was not available.

http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20110919/NEWS01/109190311

[Starr DiGiacomo]

Derailed train causes road closure in Northeast Austin

A derailed Capital Metro train near the intersection of Daffan Lane and Johnny Morris Road in Northeast Austin will have westbound Daffan Lane closed for another couple hours, authorities said.

Capital Metro spokesman Adam Shaivitz said the derailment was, “Not something I would describe as major.”

“It’s not a situation with cars on their sides, just off the track,” Shaivitz said.

The “nine or 10” empty rail cars that derailed around 6:30 p.m. Friday were moving Westbound in an area Shaivitz said trains do not usually exceed 10 mph.

Shaivitz said Capital Metro has brought in a re-railing crew and it’s possible the whole situation would not be cleaned up until the early morning hours. Any rail cars in blocking traffic would likely be cleared within a couple hours, he said.

He was not able to say why the train derailed, but said crews will inspect the tracks to determine

whether they could have caused the derailment.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/blot...

[Starr DiGiacomo]

Published: September 18, 2011 2:27 PM EST
Updated: September 18, 2011 2:27 PM EST

Crews work to repair tracks after train derailment in Erie (Updated: 2:25 p.m.)

CSX crews were working today to repair train tracks after Saturday's derailment in downtown Erie.

 

No word was available yet on what caused seven of the eastbound freight train's cars to leave the tracks just south of 14th Street near State Street. Local and corporate CSX officials couldn't be reached for comment on what happened Saturday or today's repairs.

 

No one was injured in the derailment, which happened Saturday at about 1:20 p.m.

 

Crews today were clearing debris and putting down new tracks this afternoon between State and Peach streets.

 

Trains were moving today on the northernmost set of tracks in that area while crews worked on a center set that had been damaged.

 

Several derailed cars remained near trees on the north side of the tracks.

 

One of the cars that left the tracks was a tanker carrying propane but it wasn't believed to be leaking and no evacuation was ordered.

http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110918/NEWS02/30...

[Starr DiGiacomo]

An interesting article...

Officials: Train derailment frequency ‘troublesome’

 

GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas—The frequency at which cargo trains roll off tracks and overturn along a stretch of highway from Hitchcock to Santa Fe has one official concerned.

The latest derailment involving BNSF Railway track happened about 8 p.m. Tuesday and prompted the brief, precautionary evacuation of 14 residents from Freddiesville. No injuries were reported.

Firefighters and law enforcement officers ordered the roughly two-hour evacuation as a precaution until the railway could ascertain the nature of an Ethanol leak, Hitchcock Volunteer Fire Department Chief Bill Scott said.

Tuesday’s derailment marked the second one this year on the BNSF track between Santa Fe and Hitchcock and the fourth since 2009.

”We’re all concerned about it,” said Santa Fe Mayor Ralph Stenzel. “With so many derailments in such a short amount of time, it’s troublesome. There must be something wrong.  If it’s not the speed, it must be with the tracks.”

Stenzel said the crashes started happening after trains began moving 55 mph instead of 45 mph.  (NONSENSE)

The track passes in front of a school and through other small communities.

“Up until a few years ago we haven’t had any derailments,” said Stanzel, worried that someone’s eventually going to get hurt.

The company that maintains the rails says the latest crash is under investigation. BNSF also says crews inspect the rails routinely.

Meanwhile, area leaders say they will keep asking questions until they figure out what’s causing the trouble on the tracks.

http://www.khou.com/news/local/Officials-Train-derailment-frequency...

[Starr DiGiacomo]

Train derails in Telford

A load of rubber pellets needed some help to bounce back after the railroad car in which they were being carried derailed Thursday afternoon in Telford.

The train derailed a little before reaching Washington Avenue at East Broad Street, Telford Borough Police Sgt. James Minninger said.

“The train crew tried to pull the car forward and re-right the car and get it back on track,” Minninger said.

They only got as far as Washington Avenue before getting stuck.

“It did not want to go forward or back,” Minninger said. “Here it sat.”

Repair crews were called in about 1:30 p.m., about an hour after the derailment, he said.



The crews worked through the afternoon before getting the train back on track about 5:30 p.m.

Neighbor Randy Pforter, who arrived home in time to see the last couple hours of the work, said the train rocked and appeared to almost fall at one point during efforts to get it back on track.

“A heavy rail car like that, you’re using wooden blocks instead of getting a crane in here of some type,” Pforter said as he watched the work continue. “It’s ridiculous. It’s absolutely ridiculous.

The derailed train included an engine marked East Penn Railways 3153 and a freight car.

The freight car was carrying rubber pellets for manufacturing, Minninger said. The pellets were not a hazardous substance and there was no danger of leaks, he said.

http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2011/09/15/souderton_indepen...

[Starr DiGiacomo]

Commuter chaos as train derails

BEVAN SHIELDS

16 Sep, 2011 09:10 AM

There are major delays in both directions on the Illawarra, South Coast and Eastern Suburbs lines this morning.

The network is in chaos after a private freight train derailed near Tempe.

Commuters should expect delays of at least 40 minutes, with the possibility of reduced service frequency and longer journey times.

A RailCorp spokesman said it appears the train derailed at around 3.45 am between Tempe and Arncliffe.

‘‘Evidence suggests a wagon derailed and caused damage to the track and point switches,’’ the spokesman said.

‘‘The train appears to have managed to re-rail itself when it came to a stop at Tempe.’’

RailCorp staff and civil engineers are on site inspecting the damage and working to repair the track

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/local/news/general/commuter...

[Starr DiGiacomo]

Train derails near Adams

 

2:10 PM, Sep. 15, 2011  |  

Several cars derailed in Guthrie, Ky. overnight near the Robertson County line.

A train derailed early Thursday morning near Robertson County in the city of Guthrie, Ky., shutting down train traffic in the area.

Approximately 10-20 cars derailed from a 64-car train at approximately 5:30 a.m. near Adams, according to Tim Pulley of the Todd County Emergency Management.

Pulley said several of the train cars were folded up “accordion style.”

“I’ve seen cars off the tracks before, but this is the first time I have ever seen this accordion effect,” Pulley said.

The train was traveling southbound hauling freight at the time of the derailment. The train was not hauling hazardous materials and no one was injured in the incident, Pulley said.

The track was severely damaged in the derailment. All train traffic is halted through the area, according to Pulley.

The cause of the derailment is unknown at this time.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110915/ROBERTSON01/309210008/Tr...

[Starr DiGiacomo]

San Jose: VTA train in minor derailment in downtown

  

In what officials describe as an "unusual incident," wheels on a Valley Transportation Authority light rail train went off the tracks early this morning in downtown San Jose.

None of the six passengers riding on the southbound train were injured, according to VTA spokeswoman Brandi Childress.

The train was heading south on the Alum Rock/Santa Teresa line went it went off the tracks just north of the Children's Discovery Museum platform at about 2 a.m., Childress said. Because it was the last passenger train of the night, there were no impacts to service.

VTA officials sent a relay train to pick up the stranded six passengers and take them to their stations.

VTA workers needed about 21/2 hours to get the train back on track and towed to the yard.

Today crews are checking the rails where the train went off the tracks and making minor repairs. Crews are also checking out the train to try and determine why the derailment occurred.

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_18902097?source=rss

[Starr DiGiacomo]

VARANASI:

Two coaches of Mumbai-bound Mahanagari Express derailed at Cantonment railway station on Wednesday. Though, no person was injured in the incident, it brought the railway authorities on their toes. It also caused departure of the train by at least two hours.

As per additional station superintendent, Cantt, Javed, the derailment occurred when the train was being brought to the washing yard of the station before leaving for Mumbai. The two empty coaches of the train derailed from the track which delayed its departure, he added.

The security staff, including RPF and GRP, also rushed to the spot after the derailment. Later, the maintenance and technical staff deployed at the station were also called.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/Two-coaches-of-Mah...

[Starr DiGiacomo]

CHITHERI: Nine persons were killed and 100 others injured when a speeding passenger train rammed into a stationary train here, leading to derailment of five coaches.

The Chennai Beach-Vellore Cantonment Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit (MEMU) train rammed into the Arakkonam-Katpadi passenger from behind as it was waiting for a signal at Chitheri station, about 90 kms from Chennai, around 9.40pm on Tuesday night, police and railway officials said.

Of the nine killed, bodies of seven have been recovered and efforts were on to retrieve the other two buried under the mangled bogies, IG North Zone Shailendra Babu said.

He said nearly 100 people including the driver of the MEMU train were injured and of them 83 were admitted to nearby Arakkonam Government hospital. Later, 25 injured were

shifted to Chennai for treatment, he said, adding "all of them are out of danger".

Southern Railway general manager Deepak Krishnan said the MEMU driver had apparently ignored the signal and speed restrictions.

The Arakonam-Katpadi passenger was waiting for the signal. Being an automatic signalling territory, trains move one after another in this section, he said.

"Normally the previous signal would be danger (red). But apparently the MEMU train driver has not adhered to the signal," he said.

Officials said the last bogie of the stationary passenger train bore the brunt under the impact of the collision.

This is the third major accident in two months. On July 10, 70 people were killed when the Howrah-Kalka Mail derailed near Kanpur and three weeks later some coaches of Guwahati -Bangalore Express derailed in West Bengal's Malda district and were hit by another train leaving three dead.

The impact of the collision could be gauged from the heap of mangled metal and derailed bogies which the rescue workers are trying to clear.

Personnel of Tamil Nadu Commando police, special police and National Disaster Response Force besides Naval personnel from the nearby INS Rajali base have been deployed for rescue and relief works, which were initially hampered by heavy rains and poor light.

Passengers' bags and other belongings and metal parts of the train were seen strewn around the site which become slushy because of heavy overnight rains.

The accident disrupted running of several trains to Coimbatore and Bangalore in the Chennai-Katpadi section and both the up and down track were expected to be restored by around 6 PM today, they said.

Tamil Nadu health minister Dr V S Vijay visited the accident spot last night along with district officials and reviewed the relief measures

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Train-accident-in-Tamil-Na...