Nobody seems to be sensationalizing or getting hysterical about this. This is a good thing. We should all be thankful that no one was seriously hurt.
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/11/freight-train-derails-in-north-suburb.html
You beat me to it by @2 minutes. It was a CP train operating on the UP Milwaukee Sub (ex Newline).
CC
Had you both beat by nearly an hour, over in the lounge. Thanks for the link, though, Ken!
The article mentions a “railcar known as a ‘Vulture’”. I’ll bet they meant “Hulcher’s Vultures”, as they are known to lots of railroaders. In which case, of course, they aren’t railcars. I hope the grain is cleaned up before we get any significant weather.
How interesting that a 70 year old driver under the overpass is now an expert on overpass renovation. These reporters cannot interview anyone with any knowledge so they ask a driver who went under the tracks. Again, no one was injured and there was no damage beyond the tracks. Somehow two “large” propane tanks were threatened. First, these are not “large” propane tanks, they are the same size as the one in my backyard. Second, there is no threat to the tanks who are clear of the track and wreckage. Does someone expect the rail cars to come to life (too much watching Thomas the Tank Engine) and jump down on the tanks?
Over reaction, that is how our money is spent.
It looks like some traffic is being detoured because of the derailment. Coming home from Clinton this evening I heard the dispatcher talking to a train west of Boone. He said they were going to reroute it north. I saw that a Sheboygan coal train is going north via the Twin Cities instead of via Proviso. I imangine that was the train being talked to.
Jeff
That makes sense. Might work for Oak Creek, or even Waukegan, coal trains as well.
What would really be exciting is if the Roadrailer trains (ZCHEM/ZEMCH) get rerouted via Nevada and the main line.
The propane tanks have been drained as a safety precaution. It would be possible for the wreckage to shift from where it has settled, and it would be even more likely to damage the tanks if the buzzard–I mean, the “vulture” --somehow had a problem.
The link that Ken provided was updated this morning. I vaguely remembered another wreck near there, and they confirmed it: 35 years ago the Shermer Road viaduct had to be rebuilt after a CNW freight derailed on it. I didn’t see any actual collapse of bridge here this time. It appears that the derailment began somewhat northeast of the bridge, so the switches at Shermer could have been involved. In fact, it looks like a signal bungalow was moved by the derailed cars.
Am I correct in my assumption the CP is routing their trains to Milwaukee and north east out of Bensonville via the ex-MILW Metra line to reach their Chicago-Milwaukee main?
I’d guess that they have more trains to re-route than the UP.
Checking aroun a bit, it looks to like the UP may no good options to get into Milwaukee but to go via Minneapolis. Connections with the CP near Bensonville and in Milwuakee don’t appear to be very good for unit trains. Maybe Janesville then WSOR? That would really be desparate.
Jay, I’ve heard nothing definite about reroutings (beyond what Jeff has mentioned), but my guess is that you’re probably right on all counts. We might even hold the manifest traffic (though that doesn’t sound too pleasant for me doing my job come Wednesday).
The North line up late last night was showing an Oak Creek coal, plus a MPRSS.
In addition to those detours going north, there have been a number of detours going south to KC via Des Moines than normally go via Marysville. I’m guessing those are weather related. Coal, stack, even a manifest and Z have or may go that way.
Jeff
This evening a news helicopter report shows that the cars have been cleared from the roadbed. At least some of the track should be able to be restored relatively soon.
On the subject of the Roadrailer trains, eastbound trains appear to be operating over their normal route. The first one should arrive Chicago tomorrow morning, so it would seem that they expect a track to be open by then.
Darn, I missed seeing the Vulture!
Hope the report that the bridge is partially collapsed on one end is incorrect.
Watching the video, it looks clear that the side with the wrecked track might be missing some width- look at the way those rails spread down to the road below. I know there’s a certain amount of track shift in this type of derailment (as with most), but looking at the amount of room between the good track and that edge of the bridge and comparing the amount of space between the two tracks, it certainly looks heavily damaged.
So I know that it was the UP tracks and the CP was running on them, but who is going to pay for this? If they figure it was track related would the UP pay for and If it was train related would the CP then pay for it?
Thanks
Justind
That seems logical. I asked a similar question over in the Trackside Lounge about this, and Mudchicken suggests that the original trackage rights agreement might need to be looked at to know for sure.
My suspicions are the track, because it appears to have happened on the crossover switches.
Sheesh some of the comments are right out of the 60’s. One lady saying that the roadbed now is worse than Penn Central days. I dont know if people are truly paying attention.Nut thanks for hte link.
Twice in the 70’s there were derailments at the same spot. Both times the overpass over Shermer was knocked down. The second time it happened was thesame day the first mayor Daley died.