I posted this a way back in the Trains Magazine forum. I still think about it and laugh, so I figured I’d post it here. Possibly an idea to model? It was an article in the Newark (NJ) Star Ledger. …
"A tanker truck carrying 3100 gallons of sulfuric acid was struck by a slow moving freight train yesterday afternoon in Newark, forcing the closure of Doremus Avenue …
"… the tanker truck was pulling out of General Chemical, a sulfuric acid manufacturing plant in Newark’s eastern industrial district.
"… a southbound train crashed into it, jackknifing the vehicle and puncturing the acid-filled tank.
“The tanker was hit by a Conrail freight train believed to be carrying processed sewage from the Passaic Valley Sewage Commission to Conrail’s Oak Island yard. The sewage train runs once a day, though other trains run constantly along the tracks.”
Newark, New Jersey … a nice place to visit (NOT), but I wouldn’t want to live there. [xx(]
Wow, that’s got to smell awful! I don’t understand how you can get hit by a freight train, much less a slow moving freight train, somebody obviously wasn’t paying attention!
Could be wrong but I thought hazardous materials trucks had to stop at RR crossings, just like a school bus.
Another idiot not paying attention lets even MORE toxic material into the ground. Wonder how much this is gonna cost to clean up?
Well, I know the area around Doremus Ave. fairly well, and the facilities on the east side of Doremus (there are about 5-6 chem plants, plus a new prison on the west side) have lots of driveways which cross the railroad to reach the Avenue. According to Google, General Chemical is on the east side of Doremus (a little south of the new prison), and it is most likely that the truck just exited the driveway without stopping (it is private land after all, but probably should be covered by some CDL rule). What bugs me is the train hauling ‘sewage’ was heading south at that point - Passiac Valley actually has a huge facility on Doremus South of Wilson and North of Oak Island, but as far as I know this is not rail served anymore (it used to take Chlorine Tankcars up to a few years ago, and the rail rack is still quite visible off Doremus) - so this trail would have come from Brill’s Yard, and I’m not exactly sure where it originated before that [?]