Auto train derailment south of Deland 3/26

[OBS]

apparently I can’t read. It said use a crane to DETACH that one car.. must be weary from all this working from home. Going stir crazy from not leaving the house!

Once a car has derailed, you can't just rerail it and send on its way. It needs to be inspected and I think the wheels have to be changed out....

 

[Anderson]

Are you getting to work Cliff or are you " @ Leisure" like so many of us right now??

It's mostly leisure when you get down to it. This is a trip that was mostly planned a few months back.

I worked with some folks to come up with a distancing protocol that would work on the train (basically, go into my room and shut the door; only incidental contact with the Conductor [ticket check] and SCA [on boarding]).

 

[pennyk]

It's mostly leisure when you get down to it. This is a trip that was mostly planned a few months back.

I worked with some folks to come up with a distancing protocol that would work on the train (basically, go into my room and shut the door; only incidental contact with the Conductor [ticket check] and SCA [on boarding]).

Please stay away from Orange County and Orlando. We have "Stay at Home" orders. Thank you.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...quYsQo7jIELzV8jKf1S2rwsksrE77FirbRVJuzbpFSRb-

 

[erinch13]

The amtrak alerts twitter feed only says that the auto train is delayed by unexpected track work. No where on the site does it mention that there happened to be a derailment. I wonder how many folks will have their cars when they arrive.

 

[user 14106]

Once a car has derailed, you can't just rerail it and send on its way. It needs to be inspected and I think the wheels have to be changed out....

I am sure you are correct - I am no expert in wrecks I completely read it wrong not sure how I missed that - totally my bad!

 

[RailRide]

There were TWO freight derailments on the Horseshoe Curve west of Altoona PA last year. In both cases there were multiple empty car haulers (in this case open, not closed like the AutoTrain's) near the front of the consist.

The cars that derailed on Horseshoe Curve were empty lumber flatcars.

As for the Auto-Train, aren't the cars strapped to the decks by their wheels, or do they just use chocks? I've seen photos of overturned autoracks where the vehicles within were still secured to the decks and not touching any other part of the interior.

---PCJ

 

[RichieRich]

The snowbirds are headed home. Ridership NB heavy every day. This also means likely very few empty Auto racks since the heavier ridership is NB...

But all the trucks were broken off those cars! And probably a lot of other damage from falling over. Bet those auto-carriers will be out-of-service for a long time.
The Village snowbirds will prove to all be senile w/dementia if they plan to go back to NY/NJ.

 

[JoeBas]

In another week, FL will be in the same boat. Wouldn't at all be surprised at some point to see people in places still ahead of the apex traveling to places behind it to try and bypass their own personal apex.

 

[Qapla]

According to this article:

The passenger portion of the train did not derail and none of the 294 passengers aboard were injured, said Volusia County Fire Acting Division Chief Bill Medlin.
A problem with the track apparently caused the derailment about 4:15 p.m. after the train had left Sanford.
One of the 23 crew members aboard the train suffered a foot injury and was transported to a hospital, Medlin said.
The nine derailed cars were hauling 179 vehicles, Medlin said. One of the vehicle cars is on its side but still attached to the train.
A crane is expected to arrive about 8:30 p.m. to lift that vehicle car up and then crews will detach it from the train. Once that is done, the passenger portion of the train will continue north to its ultimate destination in Virginia, Medlin said.

 

[PeeweeTM]

Auto Rack are tall and long they are not the best railcars due to there center of gravity to begin with. When pulling a long train you group the empty cars to the rear. This way the engines will not “torque” the empty cars off the rail. Pulling power, a string of empty, followed by loaded railcars creates bad physics on curves. Can and does flip railcars into the ditch. There are rules for how trains are to be set up, just to avoid this issue.

Well, I would think, that you're hauling mostly air, unloaded or loaded, with auto racks. Automobiles are not as compact as, for example, iron ore.
So only mixing loaded and unloaded auto racks (as in the Auto Train) wouldn't make the same difference as mixing loaded/empty auto racks with high density cargo would (as could very well be a cause in those Horse Shoe Curve derailments.
Or am I mistaken?

What do racks in the US weigh, loaded vs. unloaded? https://www.bnsf.com/ship-with-bnsf/ways-of-shipping/equipment/pdf/Bi-Level-Specs.pdf gives a 1 - 0.8 light-load weight ratio.
Open hopper cars (https://www.bnsf.com/ship-with-bnsf/ways-of-shipping/equipment/pdf/Open.pdf) do more than three times their own weight at 1 - 3.3.

I'm not saying string-lining wasn't the cause of this Auto Train derailment, just armchairing a bit...

 

[fixj]

Track a train is showing 53 approaching Gainesville, Fl (Waldo) at 5PM eastern This is rare mileage for the Auto Train. I guess this is to get around the Deland derail from yesterday. How will they finally get to Sanford?

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

A derailment to the rear of the train would be a suspect track defect. The front of the train can get over the defect, as more cars travel over it the defect it get worse. At some point the train drops off the rails and in this case rolls over.

Not always a railroad fault. The SWC derail and roll over due a truck hitting the rail and cause a kink. Look like a heat kink, had same effect, but was a farm truck that roll away, across a road into the track structure.

Having the empty racks to the rear is just good practice. Not necessarily the cause of the derailment.

 

[Thirdrail7]

It'll stay on the old Wildwood subdivision until it gets to Lakeland and heads north on 92's route on the Lakeland subdivision until it joins the A-line to SFA.

 

[pennyk]

Track a train is showing 53 approaching Gainesville, Fl (Waldo) at 5PM eastern This is rare mileage for the Auto Train. I guess this is to get around the Deland derail from yesterday. How will they finally get to Sanford?

WOW. A friend told me that it may go all the way down near Lakeland/Dade City to get to the main line. I live in Orlando, and would love to see it pass, however, I think I will be asleep.

 

[RichieRich]

Track a train is showing 53 approaching Gainesville, Fl (Waldo) at 5PM eastern This is rare mileage for the Auto Train. I guess this is to get around the Deland derail from yesterday. How will they finally get to Sanford?

That is really odd. When I went to Train Status on Amtrak.com...it says 52 & 53 are cancelled BOTH DIRECTIONS ?!?!?

 

[Thirdrail7]

That is really odd. When I went to Train Status on Amtrak.com...it says 52 & 53 are cancelled BOTH DIRECTIONS ?!?!?

52(27) and 53(27) are canceled. This shouldn't be a surprise as they tend to knock both trips out when they need to balance out the sets.

WOW. A friend told me that it may go all the way down near Lakeland/Dade City to get to the main line. I live in Orlando, and would love to see it pass, however, I think I will be asleep.

When is the next time you'll get a chance to see the northbound Auto train passing through your backyard? It may not happen again for years. It may be worth setting an alarm and grabbing some shots.

 

[cocojacoby]

I was watching it approach Gainsville and then it disappeared.

 

[pennyk]

52(27) and 53(27) are canceled. This shouldn't be a surprise as they tend to knock both trips out when they need to balance out the sets.




When is the next time you'll get a chance to see the northbound Auto train passing through your backyard? It may not happen again for years. It may be worth setting an alarm and grabbing some shots.

I live less than a mile from the tracks, however, we have a curfew starting at 11pm and cannot leave home between 11pm and 5am. Although my window faces west, the direction of the tracks, my apartment is not high enough for me to see the tracks. I can usually hear trains, so that may be what I do. Can you guess what time the train will pass through Orlando crossing SR 50? I live between ORL and WPK.

 

[west point]

If this train derailed south of Deland wouldn't that mean it was on Sun Rail tracks ?

 

[pennyk]

If this train derailed south of Deland wouldn't that mean it was on Sun Rail tracks ?

SunRail (Florida DOT) tracks go as far as Debary, I think. DeLand is northeast of Debary.

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

SunRail (Florida DOT) tracks go as far as Debary, I think. DeLand is northeast of Debary.

The tracks are owned by FDOT as far north as DeLand, but SunRail only operates as far as DeBary.

 

[Thirdrail7]

Can you guess what time the train will pass through Orlando crossing SR 50? I live between ORL and WPK.

It is south of DDE so I estimate LKL around 915ish. Assuming it has a clear shot, it would hopefully hit your area around 11p.

 

[pennyk]

It is south of DLD so I estimate LKL around 915ish. Assuming it has a clear shot, it would hopefully hit your area around 11p.

I am unable to follow it on Track a Train now, so do not know if it will get here before the curfew.

 

[Qapla]

I wish I would have known .... I could have watched it pass when it went thru Waldo

It doesn't go thru Gainesville, it heads south out of Waldo and the tracks go thru Ocala

 

[Thirdrail7]

It just went by KIS. You have a shot. I'm monitoring.