BNSF lost about 10 oil tank cars today near a small N.D. town.
Link to Rueters report here: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/oil-train-derails-in-north-dakota-small-town-evacuated/ar-BBjgZjG
This is a most fascinating thread with great news reporting from the press! So, it is somewhat bewildering that there is a lack of replies. There have been 203 views and 0 replies as of this post. The linked news item in itself should generate reply activity in light of the scary implication of it, but it hasn’t so far. Has the world ended? Somebody pinch me so I can make sure the world is still here!
The commentary on this incident has been mostly made on the “Oil Train” incident, interspaced by the ECP discussion. We’ve already discussed most factors in oil train accidents, so thete may not be anything new to discuss.
Sooo, then let’s start discussing it all over again. 
NorthWest (5-8):
I take it you are talking about the “Oil Train” thread, right?
Here in Southern California, Southern Pacific used to run a daily ‘oil train’ over Tehachapi and down to the Los Angeles area, often meeting its counterpart in Soledad Canyon, which I’m sure such place means little to you. So, when a southwestern railbuff hears ‘oil train’ in does not conjure up the disaster interest others may think of in the northern states.
If the “Oil Train” thread was renamed “Oil Train Disasters” or similar, it might attract more to the thread from the southwestern states. Look, “Oil Train” fooled me, who was aware of several California oil train wrecks, but NO fires …
Thanks for your thoughts,
K.P.
Yes. All of the oil train discussion has condensed there.
Actually, I have driven through Soledad Canyon a couple of times. It is remarkable that the SP had so much sucess with so few derailments, considering the challenging conditions that Tehachapi and the Coast Line pose. A lot has to do with the stability of the oil, with California oil being less volitile.
It is certainly a significant event, but this one and others recently are kind of like just a ticking time bomb leading up to the big one that is expected to do a lot of damage and possibly kill people in a small town such as Wayzata, MN.
They do seem to be proving out the statistical prediction of ten oil train wrecks per year. I don’t know what the geographic limits of that prediction are, but this is at least oil train wreck #5 in the U.S. and Canada this year. I would expect more wrecks in the winter than in the summer of the annual distribution. In addition to the oi
Everybody’s just fine along the Surrey cutoff. We have the surface transportation people crawling all over the place. One useful observation (by state people) is that this one didn’t explode, only burned. This is attributed to the new state standard requiring depressurizing of the oil that kicked in only May 1, I believe.
The new standard may prove more useful than all the other stuff about hardened cars, electric brakes, etc.
Ok, “pinch”.
[:D]