HYNDMAN, Pa. — Firefighters are battling a blaze from a derailed CSX Transportation freight train early Wednesday morning. An eastbound CSX Transportation freight train derailed just west Hyndman, between Bedford, Pa., and Cumberland, Md., ea…
http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2017/08/02-csx-derailment-and-fire
178 cars, 10,600 feet, 18,200 tons, 5 engines 3 dead in tow. key train…
Probably trying to get a place to sort the cars out.
Was the train decending the g rade? Do Dynamics work even if the prime mover is shut down?
No - prime mover has to be running to provide cooling air to disapate the heat that gets generated by dynamic braking.
Hyndman is the bottom of the East slope of Sand Patch grade.
No assertions yet that this was a runaway.
What is a Chicago to Selkirk train doing SE of Pittsburg on the old B&O ???
My sources indicate the train was Q388 - in my working days it was Chicago to Selkirk, via Willard, Cumberland, Baltimore & Philadelphia.
Here is some raw video:
I had heard that Mr. Harrison was studying running some NY trains on the ex-B&O to see if the Water Level Route could be single tracked, but you seem to be indicating that CSX was already running trains over Sand Patch to Selkirk. Why would CSX have taken such a long and hilly route, when they already had the Water Level Route?
To allot more space for Intermodal’s on the Water Level Route
Why not? The train doesn’t carry Selkirk blocks out of Chicago, so why is there an issue with the routing?
Are we to understand that the train only had 2 operating locos and 3 dead locos going down sand patch ? Balt what is the equivalent axel limit for dynamics going down Sand Patch ? If some of the dead could have been on line just for dynamics ? ? ? Another penny wise pound foolish example ?
Oh wait — Operator error ? Nuts.
Not sure about today, but at one time there were two Chicago - Selkirk trains so it would make sense that one would handle Selkirk blocks (Albany and Boston) while the other would be a long manifest with multiple drops and pickups and it ends in Selkirk with Cumberland, Philly, and other traffic.
Ed
Since EHH’s operating practices pronouncements I don’t know what is actually being done. When I was working, if the head end power did not have sufficient Dynamic Braking ability - either the rear end helper that assisted the train from Connellsville to Sand Patch would stay on the train down to Hyndman for additional braking power; or a helper headuqarted at Cumberland, after assisting at train from Hyndman to Sand Patch would attach to the Eastbound train needing additional braking and assist the train back down the grade to Hyndman. When necessary both the strategys could be used on the same train if necessary.
Selkirk traffic runs on two trains out of Chicago. Q392 carries the traffic out of the BRC, while Q368 carries it out of Barr. Q388 does not pick up a Selkirk block until the train reaches Lordstown, Oh.
I have read that EHH is intent on eliminating the use of helpers. Based on the train data above -
178 cars, 10,600 feet, 18,200 tons, 5 engines 3 dead in tow. key train…
Is there any news or evidence indicating that this train was running away when it derailed?
Here are the rules for going over the Sand Patch from the CSX Cumberland Division Employees Timetable. MP 188 through 204 is the area in question. See Section 36 to the end.
Keystone Subdivision Special Instructions relating to operations on grades.
[quote user=“CSX Baltimore Division Time Table - April 1, 2015”]
4466 PLACING EMPTY CARS IN TRAINS
Empty Car Placement Train Classification Instructions
for Manifest Trains:
Empty cars 80 feet and longer (other than a box car) must
be placed in the train in such a location that the trailing
tonnage behind these empty cars does not exceed the
amount listed below. In territory where helper locomotives
are used on the rear of the train, their tonnage rating should
be subtracted to the trailing tonnage listed below when
determining the location for the restricted car(s):
Between Direction Tonnage
Hyndman &
Sand Patch
Westward 3,500Between Direction Tonnage
Connellsville
& Sand
Patch
Eastward 5,100
Connellsville
& New
Castle
Eastward &
Westward
13,300
Empty Car Pla
Who is responsible for calculating the appropriate power and braking requirements for a specific train and if the engineer, is he given the time and information needed to make them? Or is he told to take what he is given and go? I would like to think that they are knowlegabe of these rules and would be able to apply them but is the climate such that they are afraid to say “NO” to authority? EHH has fired a lot of middle managers that had operating knowledge and if the new hires have no knowledge of the reasons some of those rules exist, I have fears that they may be issuing orders that ignore the rules. As has been said, the rules are written in the blood from past mistakes.