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Trains News Wire FLASH: Vandalism suspected in Oklahoma derailment
Lots of possibilities and questions…
During crew changes, we left the train brakes applied by the inbound crew until they were released by the outbound engr. upon departure. how come the brakes permitted the rear end to roll away?
If it was a vandal, and if the rear end could roll away, there’s implied an ascending grade, of probably a little over .2%, where the train stops. It’s likely the train was pulled, train brakes applied, to the spot where the outbound crew awaited, making a “drop the (wheelbarrow) handles” stop by just closing the throttle. Train thus stretched, would make pulling the pin to cut-off a rear portion unlikely.
DPU’s could explain slack bunched in the middle of the train, but DPU’s make it even more critical to leave the train brakes applied until departure. We called it a “Continuity test” " cause if there was a radio failure, shutting down a remote controlled engine consist required a big brake pipe pressure reduction, and if it wasn’t sensed, the remote would keep-on, keeping-on until they ran out of fuel or until they timed out.
I never knew why the phrase was used or its derivation, but to attribute this to a vandal, not sabotage, well…“something’s fishy here.”
It sounds like it was vandles that caused this wreck. But that is just me. I have been around railroads and trains all of my life and my great grand pa worked for frisco and uncle worked for santa fe and my other grand pa worked for mkt and soon to be with union pacific.Things dont do things for any reasons by themselfs.
come on Fran - grab your Funk & Wagnall. Vandals were a Germanic group who “vandalized” the countryside ( rape, pillage and plunder), Sabot (age) is the Dutch Clog that was thrown into the wooden gears of the wind-mills rather than go out on strike, and I think we all know how “fishy” just plain stinks, especially after a couple days out in the warm California sun.
For the uninitiated, The Vandles is one of those Mexican polka bands from East Milwaukee, attempting to imitate the Cleveland style, except they always get the beat turned around backwards.
Take a typing/keyboarding course (available on-line), if they include basic English. I realize you are from Texas, but… If you have less than ten fingers, I apologize.
I am glad to see rail officials blame vandalism as the cause. I worked with railroaders and police quite a few years ago who felt it was not a good idea to say so even when confirmed for fear of being chastised by politicians and others or because they felt it might incite more vandalism. Or in fear they would not be taken seriously appearing to deflect blame or cause on anyone other than the railroad or its employees. I also don’t think the railroad people wanted to face media questioning…they were not attuned to doing so.
Probably made some graffiti vandals mad by interrupting their work. After all, these guys have wide open and unchallenged access to the rails.
Humbly, let me draw this distinction: my Merriam-Webster 939 page word catalog implies that vandalism is random acts of mayhem, while suggesting that sabotage is mayhem, but planned mayhem intended to disrupt or destroy with a specific reason.
By laying out the preventive procedures that practices and rule compliance would prohibit the rear end of the train from rolling away, I was saying this was not accidental and because of the rule and procedures in place, this was intentional, not a random event.
In the interim, wassail everyone, but don’t drive.
Call BNSF Police directly at 1-800-832-5452 if you see trespassers on BNSF train tracks, to prevent something like this. In my personal experience, have found that sometimes, local 9-1-1 operators don’t understand why trespassers on the train tracks would be an emergency call, but BNSF operators do and they can also radio the train crews to watch for them.
The newspaper said someone removed a coupler from one of the train cars. “Vandalism” is perhaps too mild a word.
Call BNSF Police directly at 1-800-832-5452 if you see trespassers on BNSF train tracks, to prevent something like this. Have found that sometimes, local 9-1-1 operators don’t understand why trespassers on the train tracks would be an emergency call, but BNSF operators do and they can also radio the train crews to watch for them.
Sounds to me like someone closed the angle cocks half way thru the train and pulled the pin, thus bottling the air. When the new crew hopped on, the rear would still look good and not require a “set & release” just for a crew change. When they pulled, the rear half of the train took off. This would obviously lead them to realize vandalism very quickly. They also mentioned that “it had to be someone who had knowledge of how train brakes work” (possibly a former employee ???)
Clicked on 3, Nothing, Clicked on 2, Nothing. Stays on page 1.
Guse is right on. Johnny Vadnal was the Slovenian Polka King of Cleveland in the 1950s.
Robert Drake & others. Look at the number digits (page numbers) below the comments. Click on the page number, other than one that you want to see.
Robert Drake & others. Look at the number digits (page numbers) below the comments. Click on the page number, other than one that you want to see.
Correct Drew, I am thinking theexact same thing, no certain pedestrian would know how to cut air and all.
CANT GET BEYOND PAGE1 OF THE COMMENTS.Not very good with the internet.What’s wrong
Apparently no fatalities/serious injuries. Guardian Angels ridin’ the rails that night?