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Texas hurricane flooding send UP train on its side w/VIDEO
Does the mighty UP think they are above Mother Nature, or that the area flooding wouldn’t dare flood their railroad? WTF were the maintenance crews thinking to allow this train to proceed thru the flood area without inspecting the rail bed prior to any train movement.
Hauling bulk cement it looks like. Those cars are 100% lost if the contents got wet. The cement will harden and they’ll never be able to salvage enough of the cars to even pay for the cleanup. It’ll be interesting to see what they use to lift those rail cars from the mud, if they do. Easiest thing to do is just leave them where they are or fill in around them.
Looks like they just made a new retaining wall.
It looks like somebody forgot to lock the top hatches and the cement poured right out. Have fun cleaning that mess up.
Well stated Lawrence. As a stockholder and third generation railroader, I find this unacceptable performance…I ,like most of America saw the weather forecasts that that made it clear what was going to happen in the next 24 hours. This would not of happened on John Kenefickt’s watch.
Well stated Lawrence. As stockholder and 3rd generation railroader, I find this performance unacceptable. Like
most of America I say the weather forecasts that gave 24 hour notice of what was ahead form south Texas. This would not have occurred on John Kenefick’s watch!
First, to say that no track inspection was being made is false. Local reports have the inspectors out and the crews operating under flood watch - restricted speeds in potentially flooded/flooding areas. The crew has reportedly stated that they saw the water coming up right in front of them.
To say that “This would not have occurred on John Kenefick’s watch!” is also totally false. I worked for UP and cleaned up similar derailments across the system during his term. Some examples include the UP Executive train caught in Nevada flooding with some upper management onboard in 1984, flooding in Oregon in 1985, floods in Arkansas in 1987, and a number of other locations. Floods happen, both when suspected and unsuspected. There have even been trains derailed while parked in yards during floods.
It happend to me when i worked on the BAR exept 1 car or the 4 car train derailed.
Barton, 46 cars and 2 locomotives on their sides…not my understanding of “restricted speed”.
I as well, sitting here in the dry warmth and comfort of my office two days later, concur that was totally and completely preventable. Now, if any out there want my reasons for the wins and losses of yesterdays football games, my hindsight goggles are all cleaned up and ready…
What none of you seem to realize and is not mentioned anywhere in this article, but can be found online is that the water rose much rapidly than anyone expected or predicted…the water rose and washed out the roadbed literally right in front of the train…that is something that no track inspector or weathercaster can predict. A rising river is totally at the whim of the location, amount and time of rainfall. The only way to have avoided this would have been to halt the train hours before…you can’t do that based on something that might.
I’m inclined to agree with Barton on the restricted speed. Looking at the photo and the video it appears that the cars simply rolled off their trucks, which would not happen had there been any speed involved. Its amazing that 46 of them would roll like that! I have stood on the track and watched it wash out in front of me before. It’s scary and fascinating at the same time, but mainly I was thinking " man look at the work ahead of us now!"
People that are speculating are certainly not helping the situation. Information on this is becoming public, including the comments from the crew. As they have reported, as well as reports from the investigators who are cold and wet and on site, the head end of the train derailed in the washout as the water was coming up. The grade then continued to wash and the water rose and the cars fell over like dominoes. In cases like this, unless a drawbar breaks or knuckles uncouple, one car falling over can bring other cars with it, or the reverse is also true. With these heavy and high loads, the track leaning just an inch or two is enough for one car to pull others onto their side.
Is it 100% preventable? No. Even shutting the trains down might not have prevented it. In the early 1990s, I wrote the federal report on the flooding along the upper Mississippi and the impact on the railroads. In that case, even where it wasn’t raining, trains derailed from flooding as they were parked. Crews and track employees were also lost as they drove to and from work, and even at home. I spent several weeks in the middle of the mess and can tell you that in many cases there is no right answer, you just try to keep traffic moving and employees above water.
Remember, under the operating rules, the train crew had the final say on the speed and operating conditions for the train. Reportedly, they were operating under restricted speed conditions, especially since a bridge with a flooding history was about 1/2 mile ahead. I’ve heard one comment from the area that the train should have kept moving because conditions were getting worse behind them, something not confirmed by any inspectors that I am aware of yet.
I find it interesting that the railroad is being criticized for trying to run trains while about 8 months ago, railroads were being criticized for not running trains during heavy snow. Unless you are in the middle of it, it is very easy to criticize, which is why I’m waiting
KENNETH PACKARD: in the third paragraph it states “They were able to evacuate the locomotive before it rolled on its side and swim to high ground.” My guess is they stopped the train first, about as restricted speed as you can get. I find it interesting that the lights are still operational in the film.
Gerald, You’re right. The only sure way to avoid the accident was to shut down before the floods. That is exactly what should have been done.
During the 1984 tour from Portland to the World’s Fair in New Orleans, ex-Southern Pacific Daylight No. 4449 made a side trip from Houston to Dallas. The locomotive and her long train in Daylight paint scheme ran on this segment of track. The entire excursion was on a bright dry Saturday in late May.
There are general “road-rules” on all Class 1’s to stop any trains, and do not proceed, in the event of: 1) tornadoes with 25 miles, and, 2) if water is over the top of the rails…what was the engineer & conductor thinking??
Some of you great arm chair railroad experts have got about as much sense as god gave a goose, and that’s probably why all your vast knowledge is not employed by the railroad industry.
Thank you Jeff Weatherford, I agree. Some just read the first paragraph, jump to a conclusion and put on the blinders. What part of ‘the train was stopped and they swam to dry ground’ do we not understand.