Not to long ago, my grandpa told me about a derailment that happened on the UP. It was a loaded auto train heading west. A bunch of cars came off the tracks, tipped over and spilled a bunch of brand new Cadillac’s. What does the railroad do from here? Does insurance cover it, or do they write GM a big hefty check and say sorry? And I am asking more so about all train wrecks, derailments in general…coal, grain, containers, chemicals/liquids, etc… Just wondering. thanks!
RR writes GM a nice check for the oops and purposely destroys the damaged autos (can’t even salvage parts!) In the bad old days, Chrysler used to donate some of the damaged cars to high schools for auto repair shop classes…Any more, the legal implications make sure the “defective” product never gets loose on the open market.
Worked a well known derailment at Palmer Lake in the '80’s that also caught fire with an auto rack involved. The gallon or so of fuel in each autos tank was enough to set off one heck of a bang as each auto joined the 'carbeque…
I Posted this in the You Wont Belive this Forum First But it still has to do with a wreck. Here in Neenah Wisconsin.
That isnot the stupidest thing I have heard. Here in Wisconsin a SOBER 37 year old man thought it would be cool to show his 14 year old son what happens when a switch is thrown. The Problem is He decided to do it while a train was using it. The train derailed killing him and taking out a fence, backyard playground for kids, and a kennle for a dog, along with several trees. His son thought it was a bad idea and so was over 50 feet away. Luckly there was no kids playing on the playground, so only the man and the dog where killed. I bet you the Father didn’t win any parent of the year awards.
Now many years ago , I live in a small town in Texas. My buddy and I, we were probably 8 or so, went do to the track (MKT as I recall) to squash some pennies. Laid them down on the rail and waited, and waited, and waited …nothing. Left the pennies went to buy a coke. When we came back in an hour or so, the train had derailed right there, RR workers and police all over the place…Since we had most assuredly caused with our pennies we took off. Swore to tell no one! Every time we saw the sheriff’s car we were certain he was coming for us. I don’t remeber wht the actual cause was, but for about a week I was an 8 year old train killing desperado on the run from the law…
That’s pretty funny! They probably did not know the cause of the wreck! They are still working on the tracks out here! It is pretty pathetic! But they are, once again, using the hell out of that track. Maybe they should think of upgrading it, or something like that.
wow, this is a old therad! id like to rise it from the Deepest parts of this forum!
anyways!
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Is there any videos of derailments happinging that ppl caught on tape? ON THE INTERNET!
oops! forgot my storie!
I have seen a derailmeant somewhat happen
It was a nice day, heading out to my uncles with my grandma driving (yes, im only 13) when we noticed a fast train on a brige…
SNAP, Crash, BOOM
I looked back to see 5 Coal Hoppers and the last helper loco slidding to a stop on the bridge (a three track truss). ouch! sadly we kept driving! i wanted to stay! but when we came home, CSX crews everywere! invadsion! but at least I can say I witnessed one.
In 1975 while working as a conductor on train kc-2 conway to kiski juct i just out of the blue decided to look my train over from the crummy window train was going around a curve and i was dumbfounded at what i saw about 25 cars ahead of the crummy i could see the tops of the loads of slag in some b&le hoppers dancing up and down,the cars were also jumping like they were on a trampoline then the cars started to pell off to the right i reached for the conductors and dumped the air.---- When i walked up to the scene 10 loaded hoppers were buried above the axles with a few on thier sides,# 1 track was destroyed for about 1000 ft,#2 track was pushed up aginst the hillside.— cause of the derailment was blamed on overloaded hoppers 120 tons in 75 ton cars along with poor track conditions,it’s amazing how much damage can be caused at 10mph,i had another main line derailment 2 yrs later and will write about it at a latter date.— At the time of these derailments i was still a rookie conductor i just got promoted 2 months before the first derailment,----The strange thing about derailments like that is everything looks like it is going in slow motion.
Many years ago, I saw the aftermath of that Amtrak wreck on the BN Chicago speedway that took out the bridge at Congress Park over the IHB. An open plug-door on a boxcar caused a freight to derail when it hit the bridge, fouling the adjacent track. The Amtrak train slammed into it and almost everything, including the bridge ended up on top of the IHB tracks below…
We heard about it on the radio after a night out and went over at around 1 a.m. It hadn’t been completely blocked off so we got a pretty close look and ended up serving coffee to the rescue workers until 7 a.m. I don’t remember if the lead engine made it across, but one of the engines ended up in the embankment and there were 2 or 3 Amtrak cars in a twisted mess at the bottom. Went back the next afternoon and couldn’t get anywhere near it.
They managed to re-open the line within a week by borrowing 2 bridge sections that were the right length from the Clyde-Chicago 4 track main which is elevated over all the Chicago streets, and if I remember right it was about 6 months before they got everything back to normal.
The Crescent City, IL explosion was in the 1970s (I think) as was one in Kingman, AZ. The Weyauwega, WI explosion was in 1996.
As for anyone seeing the aftermath of a derailment on a bridge, the Sunset Limited derailment on the bridge over the Bayou Canot(?) in 1993 was broadcast and in newspapers.
500
Not to long ago, a little less than a month, I was coming home from school. As I was leaving, I was ‘stopped’ by a train. It was carrying about 65 cars, mostly tank cars and grain cars. Anyways, as I drove home I paced the train. It was moving about 35-40 MPH. As I was turning off I noticed dust kicking up from the back of the train. At first I thought a hatch on a grain car had come loose and was spilling the load. Boy was I wrong, pretty soon I saw several grain cars leaning over and eventually the string stopped. It was so loud! The dust was very heavy. As it started to settle, I saw the damage. All in all, 15 cars had left the tracks, 5 of them were completely on their sides. 10 of the 15 had broke off the original string, while the train dragged 5 cars that were off the rails. It completely destroyed the roadbed. Everything was a mess, but luckily all of the cars involved were empty grain cars. Even today, is is not completely restored, but I saw the ribbonrail train dump the rails at the site and got to see some heavy duty machinery working to set those cars back on the tracks. I was just wondering if anyone has been able to witness a derailment, wreck, etc. It is something that we don’t like to hear about, but I was wondering if anyone else has had this experience. Thanks.
-If anyone was wondering which railroad it was, it was the CN branch line running into Decatur, IL. Also the cause has not yet been determined. Sorry I left these important pieces of info out!
When I was 16 [back in '69], having just received my driver’s licence, my dad & I were out for a drive heading west on highway 20 in Racine approaching the C&NW overpass. Just as we passed the turnoff to go across the tracks at grade next to the overpass, we saw a southbound train go over the crossing and under the bridge. As we proceded up the overpass, we saw the train derail. It was going about 40mph. I saw a tank car do a backflip on to the car behind it, saw boxcars stacking on that, and so on. Luckily there were no hazmats involved.
But if we had been 1 or 2 seconds later, we would have turned on the side road to watch the train pass, as we both were railfans. When we turned around and went back to the site, the crossing we would have stopped at was completely buried in the wreck for about 50’ either side of the tracks. We would have been crushed.
To this day, if you visit the site, you can still see the gouge marks on one of the bridge support columns that a boxcar was wrapped around.
Two years later, when I went to work for the CNW, I found out that a Trainmaster had dropped a red signal in front of the train at the Waxdale interlocking (with the Milw. Rd). The engineer had a clear signal at the distant signal preceding the interlocking, then when he rounded the curve under the bridge, he saw the redeye and put the train in emergency, which caused a slack run-in around the curve which caused the derailment. Needless to say, the official that performed that ‘efficiency test’ was soon an ex-official. Or maybe he was promoted to president, I’m not sure 
the night JR was shot on Dallas a quaker state(empty) petroleum car got a hot bering and caused a derailment. It caused a flat car to go through a boxcar.Sliced it wide open and delmonte vegtables were everywhere. they used the john deere tractors on another flat car to help clean up the mess.the next morning we saw a 100 ton B&O heavy crane come and help lift the cars too.No one was hurt.I will never forget that night.
stay safe
joe
[:(] I have been witness to a rail accident. A CN frieght was approaching the Hyde Park siding when it hit the tunout into the siding and [:0] jumped [:0] the tracks causing damage to both mainlines and tearing up the siding. No one was killied but the engineer and brakeman in the lead engine had to be taken to Hospital as their locomotive fliped on to its side and the two trailing units crashed into it as well as the next 12 cars which were [B)]destroyed. There were three very large cranes on the site by the next day to help the clean-up of the wreck. The line was closed totaly for 20 hours and the wreck was completely removed in five days. Today the siding has been removed and the Hyde Park spur has been removed. It was a frightening scene and loud as the sound of crunching metal and accompanying noises as well as the sight of a SD60, an SD 40-2, and a GP 40 were all sent off the rails. They were all sent to the wrecker after the accident. The cause was a turnout was in the wrong position. [8D][8D]
Some years ago I saw a CNW GP7 at Proviso split a switch and derail. My vantage point was the Mannheim Road overpass and probable cause was carelessness. The switchman on the ground was starting to run to stay ahead of the locomotive and the locomotive got to the switch before the switchman finished moving the points.
Wow! If the Mookie had any hair on her arms, it would be standing straight up! What a dull life I lead - I get excited just seeing an engine and boxcars doing their thing! I can’t imagine seeing something like the above!
Mook
In the 1970s a wreck in a rare snowy Cajon Pass (California) was almost witnessed. A decision was made to change locations. A few minutes late a train was spotted and photographed. In immediately returning to the original location, it was found that the photographed train had pile up THERE. If only I had stayed! A safe, front row close-up view could have been had.
(Improper weight distribution [i.e., empty TOFC cars up front, boxcars in rear] was the derailment cause.)
In retrospect you should be thinking its good you DIDNT stay if you were right next to the tracks.
Ever seen what happens to a mouse that get hit by a semi while crossing the highway?
You probably wouldnt have had time to even run before the pileup would have been on top of you. If you were some distance away then, yes, you missed out on selling the photos to Trains Magazine or the local news.
I agree. I would rather see it after not while it was happening.My neighboors were out their back door as the derailment was happening across the street.
stay safe
Joe
Mookie:
At Pueblo, the AAR/TTC has a facility called “Rattlesnake Junction” complete with two “staged” derailments. Those of us there for emergency response trainining are run through at least one drill during the week of training and the fun goes out of it when they start playing games with the variables in the derailment scenario. Moral of story is that you can get real dead, real quick if you don’t know what you are doing. If you see a derailment, report it and get out of the way for the response teams. (Take a look at the photo for September 2003 on the 2003 trainining program schedule at www.hazmattraining.com which is the AAR/TTCI website for how real it gets.)
Been to enough derailments where the clean-up was more risky than the derailment itself, including crane boom failures, snapped cables, dropped loads and other unfun stuff. Get really annoyed with newspeople sneaking in unprotected and getting in the way of what we’re doing.
Old Dirty Bird