# Freight Derailment - Grand Rapids, MI 2/20/18



## KleShreen (Feb 20, 2018)

I don't want to get ahead of things, because I wasn't sure any Amtrak would be going through there at this time of evening, but there are rumors that it is an Amtrak train. Maybe someone can verify from the photo?

https://twitter.com/ReporterBartonD/status/966155324234321922

Edit: Well, "bullet dodged" I suppose. Not an Amtrak, thank goodness. Not that any train derailment is good news, but Amtrak sure could stay out of the news for a while! http://woodtv.com/2018/02/20/train-derails-near-28th-street-in-wyoming/


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## Scuba_Steve (Feb 20, 2018)

That's definitely a freight train.


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## tim49424 (Feb 20, 2018)

KleShreen said:


> I don't want to get ahead of things, because I wasn't sure any Amtrak would be going through there at this time of evening, but there are rumors that it is an Amtrak train. Maybe someone can verify from the photo?
> 
> https://twitter.com/ReporterBartonD/status/966155324234321922


Amtrak doesn’t go through that area at all and as was stated above, that clearly is a freight.

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## KleShreen (Feb 20, 2018)

tim49424 said:


> KleShreen said:
> 
> 
> > I don't want to get ahead of things, because I wasn't sure any Amtrak would be going through there at this time of evening, but there are rumors that it is an Amtrak train. Maybe someone can verify from the photo?
> ...


That's what I thought, but someone on Twitter said it was "reported" as being Amtrak from one of the local TV stations. So I figured I'd come to the experts


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## tim49424 (Feb 20, 2018)

KleShreen said:


> tim49424 said:
> 
> 
> > KleShreen said:
> ...


28th Street is south of where the Pere Marquette terminates....the station is on Century near Market. You might want to inform that person of that on Twitter.

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## KleShreen (Feb 20, 2018)

tim49424 said:


> KleShreen said:
> 
> 
> > tim49424 said:
> ...


Hold on I'm confused. The station is north of this location, and the Pere Marquette leaves the station and goes south down this line, does it not? And comes back on this line from Chicago? So wouldn't this be just prior to the end of the return route? I don't know how all the train traffic works =)


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## Pere Flyer (Feb 21, 2018)

Definitely a freight, based on the Twitter photo.

The GRR Amtrak station is a stub on Century and Wealthy. It opened around 2013.

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## Lonestar648 (Feb 21, 2018)

The fact that a local TV station immediately concluded and reported Amtrak being involved is troublesome.


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## Pere Flyer (Feb 21, 2018)

Lonestar648 said:


> The fact that a local TV station immediately concluded and reported Amtrak being involved is troublesome.


We don’t know that. Post #4 says “someone on Twitter said it was reported by a local TV station” (not Wood TV 8 from the first post). Without the TV station’s words, it is nothing more useful than a game of telephone [emoji846]

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## niemi24s (Feb 21, 2018)

Why not just look at a map to see where the derailment occurred?




Based on the Twitter and TV station descriptions, it's well away from the Amtrak route according to the FRA map, above.


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## KleShreen (Feb 21, 2018)

Sorry. Thanks for clearing that up. I was under the impression the amtrak train went down this red arrow route. I wasn't aware it went down the green arrow route. The red one is the one that goes to where this accident was. Thanks!


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## niemi24s (Feb 21, 2018)

The route ID'd by the red arrow in the previous post goes Southward to Kalamazoo, according to the FRA map. But at least your map shows the correct location of GRR. I guess the dot on the FRA map in Post #10 is the location of the old station. I modified my previous map to show where GRR _really_ is:




Other FRA base maps show the correct location of the station (provided you zoom in close enough) but not the stub track leading to it. It's been more than three years since the new station was put into service - FRA map wheels must turn sloooowly. Guess I'll have to verify any conclusions based on the FRA map with Google Earth from now on. <sigh>


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