#7(28) hits sprayer tractor

[AmtrakBlue]

I'm hearing the engineer was seriously injured. Not surprising seeing how bad the engine looks.

Train hits tractor

 

[Siegmund]

Beat me to the site by a few minutes!

Apparently happened late this morning, train shows as on time out of Williston, but didn't make it onto any of our news sites here in MT until an hour ago.

News is reporting 10 cars derailed - which is surprising for hitting a vehicle, to me - that has to be every car on the train including the engines (Builder's minimum length is 2 engines, 4 seattle cars, and 4 portland cars, and that's way more capacity than it needs right now.)

https://www.kpax.com/news/montana-a...er-collision-between-amtrak-train-and-tractor

 

[Qapla]

WOW!

https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/1-dead-several-injured-after-amtrak-collision-with-tractor
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-st...killed-when-hit-by-passenger-train-in-montana

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Beat me to the site by a few minutes!

Apparently happened late this morning, train shows as on time out of Williston, but didn't make it onto any of our news sites here in MT until an hour ago.

I was surprised that I was the first to post here. I'd seen several posts on FB but I was on my phone, so waited till I was on my computer to post

 

[jis]

I was surprised that I was the first to post here. I'd seen several posts on FB but I was on my phone, so waited till I was on my computer to post

That is because I depend on someone else to post here. The AU Facebook page takes a lot of time to keep in a sane state, what with exploding membership.

 

[Siegmund]

Some additional photos are now up on the Billings Gazette site: 1 dead, others injured in Amtrak train crash on Hi-Line in Montana

I don't imagine any of the equipment will require extensive repair except the nose of the lead unit.

 

[Qapla]

That article says the tractor was a John Deere 4940 - The John Deere 4940 Sprayer is powered by a 340 horsepower 9.0 Liter Diesel engine

It is not a small tractor and, if the farmer was moving it from one place to another (not spraying,) it may have been difficult for the driver to see the train

 

[Siegmund]

I've not seen anywhere post an exact location, but given the 'mile 653' comment in several of the articles, I gather the accident was likely on "Road 1013" some 6 miles west of Bainville and 4 miles west of where the branch to Plentywood and Redstone crosses US-2.

 

[Steve4031]

I was telling my dad about this because we did a rt on 7/8 at Christmas. He was wondering how the insurance worked in a situation like this. We both send condolences to all involved. Especially the farmer.

 

[stx]

... if the farmer was moving it from one place to another (not spraying,) it may have been difficult for the driver to see the train

That's understandable. How sad for everyone involved.

 

[stx]

The article that Siegmund posted mentions a fire resulting from the crash, and describes passengers who couldn't exit through their windows because of fire, and one who stomped out flames on the floor before she exited. It also mentions that all 64 passengers had minor injuries. I hadn't realized that a tractor could do so much damage. From the photos and description of a small, quickly-extinguished fire, I'm guessing that the fire resulted from ignition of whatever the tractor was spraying; does anyone have more insight into that?

 

[NativeSon5859]

The article that Siegmund posted mentions a fire resulting from the crash, and describes passengers who couldn't exit through their windows because of fire, and one who stomped out flames on the floor before she exited. It also mentions that all 64 passengers had minor injuries. I hadn't realized that a tractor could do so much damage. From the photos and description of a small, quickly-extinguished fire, I'm guessing that the fire resulted from ignition of whatever the tractor was spraying; does anyone have more insight into that?

Well the first car behind the locos was a sleeper. Likely wouldn’t have been an issue if the baggage car was behind the engines, followed by the passenger cars.

 

[Rasputin]

A series of photos from the Missoula newspaper:

https://missoulian.com/news/local/p..._b30da4b6-2023-5011-8313-3e4ab3ad8ade.html#11

 

[Devil's Advocate]

It is not a small tractor and, if the farmer was moving it from one place to another (not spraying,) it may have been difficult for the driver to see the train

In that case have a spotter with a clear view assist you over the tracks. If he can't think two moves ahead he doesn't belong at the controls of a commercial vehicle.

That's understandable. How sad for everyone involved.

The vast majority of grade crossing "accidents" are completely preventable with even minimal safety measures. It's doubtful that farmer's death sentence was written yesterday. He's probably made several half-blind crossings in the past and it only just now caught up to him.

 

[Qapla]

given the 'mile 653' comment in several of the articles, I gather the accident was likely on "Road 1013" some 6 miles west of Bainville

We have a few "crossings" near us that are more of a "driveway" than a "road" - and they do not have cross-arms. To describe just where they are someone may indeed use the "mile marker" of the US highway the track runs parallel to.

I'm guessing that the fire resulted from ignition of whatever the tractor was spraying;

I seriously doubt a farmer would be spraying anything flammable on crops - most agricultural sprays are water based

 

[Siegmund]

It is

In that case have a spotter with a clear view assist you over the tracks. If you can't think two moves ahead you don't belong in the drivers seat of a commercial vehicle.

I agree that'd be wise - but I can't say I've seen it done regularly with farm machinery. (And re the last bit - I am not aware of any jurisdiction that holds farmers to anything like commercial-vehicle standards for training and safety. In Montana and several other western states, operating a tractor and "temporarily driving it on a highway" does not even require a driver's license.)

It's doubtful that farmer's death sentence was written yesterday. He's probably made several half-blind crossings in the past and it only just now caught up to him.

Quite probably several hundred or several thousand of them.

Not sure if it was a factor in this case, but I have been very surprised how easily Amtrak can sneak up on me when I am out railfanning --- those engines often whisper almost like they are idling, going 70+ over level ground, compared to the sound of a freight engine working hard.

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

I can imagine what it's like hitting a 30+ ton tractor at 79 MPH!

Almost a week after the accident, I'm actually surprised they haven't released the victim's name yet. I would think they'd have released his name by now.

 

[Thirdrail7]

I can imagine what it's like hitting a 30+ ton tractor at 79 MPH!

Almost a week after the accident, I'm actually surprised they haven't released the victim's name yet. I would think they'd have released his name by now.

This article came out yesterday:

Man killed in Hi-Line train crash with Amtrak train ID'd

That was hard.

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

This article came out yesterday:

Man killed in Hi-Line train crash with Amtrak train ID'd

That was hard.

Gee, if he had been farming ever since 1974, who knows what he was thinking as he pulled into the train's path?