The broken axel (?) appears to be a very fortunate happening that the wreck is not worse.
However CSX issued to following service advisory.Does anyone note a glaring error ?
WebMaster CSX Customer Advisory – Maryville, Tenn. Derailment July 2, 2015 The derailment of a rail car in Maryville, Tenn., is affecting shipments on the main line between Nashville and Knoxville, Tenn. CSX
The derailment of a rail car in Maryville, Tenn., is affecting shipments on the main line between Nashville and Knoxville, Tenn. CSX personnel are on site and working with first responders to address the derailed car, which is on fire and has prompted evacuation of a two-mile radius. The extent of the delay to traffic on this route has not been determined.
The train was carrying liquid ashphault, petroleum and a tank car with 24000 gallons of acrylonitrile, which is used to make plastics. It is VERY nasty stuff. It can explode and if it burns it will give off hydrogen cyanide gas. Have not heard if one of the cars that derailed was the one carrying the acrylonitrile.
The glaring error is that there was no derailment. Of course, CSX probably made that statement after hearing some news report that the train “flew off the tracks” (I think NBC said that).
I was wondering about that point because I saw nothing in the photos that indicated a derailment; although the photos are not close enough to see if the car is on the rails. In any case, it seems that many, if not all, the news stories refer to a derailment. One eye-witness reports seeing the grade crossing signal mast come down in front of her. In lieu of a derailment, I wonder what caused the fire.
It appears from the photo that the car did not tip over. I copied the photo and put it through my grphics program, enlarged and sharpened it. Though hard to see due to the smoke it appears that the water stream is going over an upright car.
The photo of the torn up crossing, and the train stopped and burning in the background, shows about a mile in between. That would indicate that the tank car derailed and dragged for a mile or more (depending on how far the car dragged before reaching the crossing). I wonder why the train stopped and how fast it was moving prior to stopping.
Service finally restored. There is a backlog of traffic due to the Clinchfield route closed for its annual maintenance blitz.
WebMaster CSX Customer Advisory – Train Operations Resume on Maryville, Tenn., Line July 6, 2015 Operations have resumed on the tracks closed by the derailment of a rail car in Maryville, Tenn., late Wednesda
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Jul 6 at 5:54 PM
CSX Customer Advisory – Train Operations Resume on Maryville, Tenn., Line
July 6, 2015
Operations have resumed on the tracks closed by the derailment of a rail car in Maryville, Tenn., late Wednesday night. The line already was experiencing higher than usual volume due to the Maintenance Jamboree, which ends on Wednesday, July 8. Shipments on the derailment-impacted route will continue to be delayed 48 hours or more until the backlog of traffic is worked off. CSX personnel are working to safely and quickly resume fluid operation.