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CSX crude oil train derails, explodes in West Virginia
Between poorly designed tank cars and railroad maintenance practices, these accidents keep making the case for pipeline proponents. Very frustrating.
If a man at the rear of the train could lessen these accidents by 25% it would be worth the cost. The head end crew does not typically see what’s happening behind them.
Mr. Ronn, you’re from Michigan…you may remember a certain crude pipeline that ruptured east of Kalamazoo a few years ago that dumped MILLIONS of gallons of crude into the Kalamazoo River. A that certain pipeline company, when they noticed a pressure drop they upped the pressure by increasing the pump rate? Ring a bell?
Mother of god, not another one. They’re showing the video of the explosion on CNN as this is being written.
Time will tell about the cause of the derailment and fire. I wonder just how these cars were classified on their placard, as they are supposed to have the explosive components removed prior to shipment by rail just as it is done before put in a pipeline. As a side comment, I found it interesting that one spectator close to the scene, said he heard an explosion before the fire started. I wonder if anyone will claim responsibility?
I guess the railroads would rather pay for lawsuits, medical bills, rebuilding homes and towns than either upgrade the tanker cars or buy new ones. Oh, yes. bad publicity as well.
My desire: TRAINS, get and post that video of the smoke, explosion and fireballs produced.
We, reader comrades, would be better equipped to discuss the event if we were impressed with what they, maybe you, and I saw.
Saying again what I said after the LacMegantic catastrophe, what was known as crude .did not blow-up; it barely burnt. A distillate of crude, diesel fuel…i dropped a lit cigarette into some…it was extinguished…
What blew was crude of a different nature, composition, or maybe some other volatile stuff?
Daniel Gless, on this issue you are right on, right on, raht owan.
maintaining perspective…YES…
One might recall back in the day when stick (jointed) rail was blamed for derailments. Now, the fact is that derailments are going to happen, that many rail lines were built along rivers for the advantages of grade, and that will result in tankers going for a dip.
The railroads are going to HAVE to get this tank car derailment problem under control. Like most of us reading this web site, I am sympathetic towards the railroads. But these massive fires and river pollution and the bad publicity that goes with it are going to bring re-regulation, or even the banning of tank trains. If the railroads have to spend billions of dollars, tough. As someone who loves railroads and invests in them, this is more than frustrating. Maybe some heads need to roll so that railroad management catches on that this has to cease.
There needs to be major money put into maintenance of way on all routes with oil transport. If the rail industry wants to keep this oil revenue coming and stop the keystone pipeline. They need to stop these accidents.
It is not the railroads that need to buy new tank cars (not tankers (ocean going vessels), but tank cars), but the owners of the fleets of tank cars. So far as I know, there has been no new design adopted which supposedly will absolutely prevent ruptures of the tanks. However, the owners of tank cars would like to buy cars that will be less likely to be ruptured in the case of a derailment or collisi0on.
I do not see how a man at the rear of a train can prevent the derailing of cars in the train.
Federal regulators should require better maintenance, for the good of the rail corporations and everybody else. The technology and the money are both there to greatly reduce derailments.
The track on this route and most major mainlines in the USA is maintained very well. Hence our freight system is the envy of the world. But things like landslides, defective railcars, etc can happen despite good track. Amtrak is the fastest train on this line and to my knowledge hasn’t derailed yet since 1970.
I just hope the people of Montgomery & the surrounding areas will be okay & there won’t be any fatalities with this. It’s probably going to interfere with Amtrak’s Cardinal not running at all(for awhile)
Chase, thanks for your timely and informative post about the derailment.
I don’t envy the management of CSX having to deal with delays and rerouting trains on this busy line.
As I understand it, the call for new, safer tank cars has been delayed because of the high capital cost for fleets of new, safer tank cars. Since most of the tank cars are not owned by the railroads, the owners are feeling little need to hasten the replacement of tank cars. Perhaps this latest incident with the transportation of Bakken oil will hasten the replacement of tank cars that travel daily on the rails of this country.
Heaven forbid that one of these trains should derail in a major metro area.
The train derailment was on CSX so I miss the point of having NS state that operations are shut down in that area due to snow. It came across to me as if you forgot which RR had the derailment. Why bring NS into the article at all?
Could the end cap of the entire tank car contain an inch or so of space filled with a fire suffocating foam under very high pressure? If the end of the tank was punched, the foam would first cover the car and spilled oil suppressing the development of any fire.
Garland Hicks…unless I missed something has the cause of the derailment been released? Was it a cracked rail or maybe a journal on one of the tank cars? The class I’s have been putting an enormous amount of capital into maintenance and infrastructure improvements. Not sure that is a fair statement!