My apologies in advance if this was already posted. Earlier this week, UP derailed 11 cars of a loaded coal train on the bridge at Clinton. The stories from local newspaper and TV stations said that the river was closed to barge traffic as a result. It look about 48 hrs to re-open the first main line and a few hrs more for the 2nd main line.
Did anyone see photos of the derailment? I was wondering if it occurred on the swing span or the approaches.
I have pictures a friend and fellow employee, also a rail-fan, e-mailed to me. Some of the cars derailed on the swing span. It happened Tuesday, Aug 7th about 430AM. When I first heard of it the report was cars in the river, but that turned out to be false. There was no major damage done to the bridge itself. They were lucky this time.
A few weeks ago there was a minor derailment on or near the bridge complex. A work train coming out of East Clinton yard on the Illinois side dropped a couple of wheels off the rail. On the east side there is a bridge, a small island, then the bridge with the swing span. Not sure exactly where this first one happened or if it is connected in anyway with the larger derailment.
Part of the equipment used to clean up the spilled coal sucked. But what you dumped above, Max, is juvenile and illogical.[:o)]
UP is supposed to leave a railine blocked from early Tuesday morning until you chime in on Saturday??? [D)]
Which part of COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC is difficult to comprehend? If coal trains & river barges are standing still - it costs consumers on the receiving end MORE $$$.
I went over there and took a peek. It took place on the swing side… from Iowa to Illinois. I guess there was a broken rail and a red signal… it had been extremely hot and humid that day… you would have thought that the dispatcher would have denied movement… but UP isn’t CNW… safety, and maintained rail are second to delivery. Anyway… the crew got on in Clinton and derailed the train 10 min later over the bridge. The crew didn’t realize the train derailed I guess, as they pulled all the derailed cars around the curve (where broken rail was) past the signals (which they ripped through) and onto the bridge. Since the train was only going a few MPH… I don’t know how the crew did not notice the cars off the track… many of which were burried in the ground up past the wheels and couplers.
Anyway, the UP (usually parked) is notorious in this area for east-bound bridge accidents. This is the most recent, yet unshocking event. They derailed a few coal cars into the Rock River in Nelson/Sterling, they derailed and in effect Ripped the Elk Horn Creek bridge off its foundation in Sterling, and now this. So… beware when traveling in a car under the UP in this area. Route 30 east of Clinton, Route 40 in Sterling. Maybe it will be easier to replace bridges when they come through to replace the westbound track.