I agree with Jarrett; Ed Burkhardt (CEO of MMA) throwing the engineer under the bus immediately is really a red flag. It may be that the engineer failed, but the declaration reeks of panic. The engineer’s gonna have a nice court case and settlement, along with the families.
See this detailed graphic and engineering simulation from the national Post at http://wpmedia.news.nationalpost.com/2013/07/na0713_lac-magentic_c-rjweb2400e.jpg
This seems to provide details on several questions raised in comments on earlier News Wire post on this accident. Curiuos what those of you who really know trains think about this presntation
At this point lots of people are theorizing what and who caused this accident, but nobody really knows any answers. Throwing the engineer under the bus without a proper investigation first reflects poorly on railroad management. If the air brakes had been properly applied in Nantes, and there is no reason yet to believe that they were not, shutting off the engine is irrelevant. Even if the compressor was not running, the air in the train line would have to leak off (which it will) followed by the air in the car reservoirs also then leaking off before the air brakes would release. That would normally take hours or even longer, not a few minutes. There would seem to be a big unknown as to how the air brakes came to be released in such a short time.
Of course, even if the air brakes did release the hand brakes, provided a sufficient number had been applied, should have held the train.
Somehow I think that in the end there will be a lot more to this than the engineer failing to set enough hand brakes, if that in fact occurred. One thing for sure, this event will not help the railroads to retain this booming traffic. The pipeline people must be salivating over it.
Good luck on making railroads report to any municipalities any hazardous material being moved through their community. Grain can easily explode in the right concentration so any movement of grain or flour would have to be reported. There is very few products that are not dangerous in one form or another in either the right concentrations or around other products.
The very idea of a one man crew is bad in and of itself. Save a nickel to likely put yourself out of business. I’m guessing the lawsuits will finish off the MM&A.
Thank you for the input, insight & link. It seems the US media isn’t interested.
Then I will keep my comments to myself, as Mr. Gordon Clark from Vt must be a truck driver…
WAY too many railfans and NOT enough experts posting comments on here about what they think happened, or making up their own senerios about what happened. Makes me laugh, this is not a model train set boys…go home and watch the one under the tree and please don’t post your finding on here…
To the webmaster or editor for News Wire Comments,Please do something about these double posts(same comment word for word from the sane person),the are annoying and take up space for other comments and inflate the comment count.
Thank You.
As far as what happened,there has been a release from Trans Safety Board see news wire 7/15/13 saying it is most likely a chain of events,but not releasing any details,as investigators can only work 15 Min at a time due to due the Heat and Benzine Fumes, as for details we will just have to wait for the investigators to finish their work and make their report on what happened and why,speculating and second guessing isn’t going to help,nor will as has been said the engineer being thrown under the bus by a cutthroat “Pointy Haired Manager”(From Dilbert comic strip) or maybe a Pupil of Darth Cheney(lol),
It sound likes that Railroad is being run by Elmer Fud and Mr. Magoo any bets?
I feel for the Victims and their Family’s and the Survivors of this accident and those who have lost their homes or have been displaced while they wait for the all clear so that they can return home if they still have one to return to.
All in all it could have been worse if all the tank cars had been involved and ruptured and possibly taken out half the town or more in the subsequent explosion and fire and cloud of Toxic Fumes if as has been said that the engineer or someone in a Track mobile pulled the other tank cars away from the wreck before they could be engulfed in the fire and add to it.
That is Bravery and Quick Thinking in preventing a worst disaster from happening.
One person crews on road freights: ALWAYS A BAD IDEA! What if the engineer/conductor had a medical situation while operating their train? The discussion would be different, the end result the same.
Working in the railroad industry for 56 years and seeing this derailment is plain sickening. It has set back the industry for many years to come. The railroads don’t have any friends that sick up for them. I do, living here I am on the radio all the time when the talk show host insults the railroad industry for something they didn’t do. I speak up and raise hell with these uneducated idiots. Yes I believe this wreck was caused by negligence by someone and this is where I come into play. I was a Training officer on a few class ones and I found that training was needed for operating crews un ending. Today training is as the FRA said not existent at a wreck we had here in SA and I agree with them. I am old retired but still working teaching engineers how to do it. I am sorry for ED Burkhart as he is a fine man but I dont know how he will stay where he is with all the dislike from the public for the railroad industry. I tried many times on the railroad I worked on to open the facilities to the public and I was chastised for making the suggestion. So today all I can do is HELP THE INDUSTRY THAT I LOVE JUST TO MAKE IT.
I thought everyone around RR equiptment knew instinctively that no self-respecting engineer just walks away from a unit without tying down its brakes, at least every other car. What did he think those hand brake wheels were for?
What a damn shame that this happened. This railroad? is penny wise but very pound foolish. Having just one person as chief, cook and bottle washer has prooved to be dangerous situation. If anything, we railfans can be of great service in helping out. Alot of us are quite knowledgeable in certain ways. However, I would have to not include me in any form of help as I am not knowledgeable in these subjects. Good luck.
It is always amazing to me , how in the begining the people know and can teell you just what happened, and then long after, when the actuall investigation is complete it is no longer newswworthy. I worked for a firm that was nationwide. A bridge failed in the other end of the country. Big News story about local engineering firm associated with bridge failure, page 1 headkine. A year later the failure was attributed to failure to maintain bridge. when local partnwer asked whty the paper did not publish the facts – no longer newsworthy. It will take a long long time to sort this one out!!! Wait for the facts before drawing conclusions.
I worked on the RR for almost 40 years (engineer at the end) and when the requirements for hand brakes said “11 hand brakes” I always added a few more!
I wonder if the crewman put on a few hand brakes and then “bottled the air” when he cut away from his train?
Why are Spring Park Brakes not mandatory.
Why are Spring Park Brakes not mandatory.
Why are Spring Park Brakes not mandatory.
Why are Spring Park Brakes not mandatory.
As a railfan I have often wondered why the federal government has not offered rail companies money to build track circumventing the heart of cities especially when it is well known that the line transports hazardous materials regularly. If such a go around track had existed this accident would have been an environmental disaster but not a fatal accident.