Cascades Train Derailment - 07/02/17

[AmtrakBlue]

No deaths, just some injuries.

https://twitter.com/GigHarborPolice/status/881635266569490432

http://www.king5.com/news/local/train-derails-in-steilacoom/453728069

https://www.facebook.com/Allaboardwashington/posts/10155241470224892

 

[CHamilton]

This is in the area south of Tacoma that will soon no longer see passenger trains, when the Point Defiance Bypass opens in a couple of months. The train involved appears to be Cascades 507. Correction: 506.

 

[CHamilton]

More info at

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article159353354.html

 

[gswager]

That's pretty close tipping over into the water! Looks like it's low speed derailment.

 

[KnightRail]

467-Mt. Jefferson(cab car trailing)-470

One of the newer Talgo sets with a loco at each end.

 

[Dutchrailnut]

from one picture it appears that split rail derail did its job.

 

[Train2104]

Data collected from Track-A-Train

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1IBMHIR35p2_N3N-i8wQqXv2q-AY&usp=sharing

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

One of the pictures show a switch type machine. (Side of tip over.). Another picture show no track switch but on the other track what might be a derailed. It does look like this bridge can go up to allow marine traffic to past.

Since the track apparently intact. The arm chair quarterback would be a derailer was in place and it did its job. Of course now we have to ask what was the signal showing, and did the derailer fail to clear.

Anyways glad nobody has bad injuries. Not a pretty derailment. Could of been much worse.

Got beaten to the punch and with better terminology too.

 

[Ronbo]

from one picture it appears that split rail derail did its job.

Can you be more specific about what you mean? Was the actual derailment intentional for some reason?

 

[Triley]

An employee posted this on one of our employee groups on Facebook. No idea on credits, other than one of them is from the Seattle Post.

Glad to hear my fellow peers and passengers are uninjured. Has me thinking though, since I hope to be out there working on that equipment by next year. I'll have my dangers no matter where I head, though.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Moveable bridges are expensive. To protect the bridge a derailer is place ahead of the bridge. The derailer sends any equipment heading towards the bridge off the track before it hits a bridge in the open position. This would a intentional derailment.

In this case the question is what position was the bridge? (Open or Closed)

What aspect was the signal show?

(Stop or a signal that allow forward movement?)

Was the derailer in the correct position for the aspect of the signal?

(Open or Closed)

What when wrong and why did it fail?

(Safety measures should of drop the signal to red if something is not working correctly.)

The locomotive could going past a stop signal and over the derailer. The derailer would doing it's job, and stop the equipment from hitting the bridge, by sending the train off the tracks.

Of course the derailer might of failed, but the system should of show an issues, and display a stop signal. Did the dispatch override the signal and send the train forward to inspect?

Was the bridge staff? Did the staff notice a issue and override a alarm? Not understanding what was wrong.

The bridge was near salt water did something short out?

Something did go wrong. We will find out, just not today.

.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Also the second track is opened. Limited speed going past, but it is open to traffic.

Hope there pictures on how there get the Talgo set out of there. One of those question I have about the Talgo equipment. The other was on how well they do during a derailment.

 

[Blackwolf]

In regards to the fate of that particular Talgo set, what are the capabilities of the current maintenance facility to fix (potentially heavy) wreck damage? Are there many spare cars available? And what about insurance impound keeping the damaged vehicles in limbo for potentially many months before being released for repair?

Just a few thoughts running through my mind in regard to the Talgos.

And yes, to my untrained eye the derailer looks mighty suspect.

 

[John Bobinyec]

Derails are not there to protect the bridge. They're there to keep the train from going into the water. There was a famous accident where a CNJ passenger train went through a stop signal and off the Lower Bay bridge when there were no derails there. After that, derails were installed virtually everywhere.

jb

 

[fairviewroad]

Derails are not there to protect the bridge. They're there to keep the train from going into the water. There was a famous accident where a CNJ passenger train went through a stop signal and off the Lower Bay bridge when there were no details there. After that, derails were installed virtually everywhere.

jb

Yes, thank you for that important clarification! Lives are infinitely more valuable than equipment. As a passenger, I'd much rather take my chances with a land-based derailment than having my entire train going underwater. Whether or not the bridge is "protected" is a much lower priority.

 

[CHamilton]

Engine 467 removed from causeway

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article159429499.html#storylink=rss

 

[Triley]

Derails are not there to protect the bridge. They're there to keep the train from going into the water. There was a famous accident where a CNJ passenger train went through a stop signal and off the Lower Bay bridge when there were no details there. After that, derails were installed virtually everywhere.

jb

Yes, thank you for that important clarification! Lives are infinitely more valuable than equipment. As a passenger, I'd much rather take my chances with a land-based derailment than having my entire train going underwater. Whether or not the bridge is "protected" is a much lower priority.

Think the Sunset Limited... What a real shame that was.

 

[Northwest Railfan]

In regards to the fate of that particular Talgo set, what are the capabilities of the current maintenance facility to fix (potentially heavy) wreck damage? Are there many spare cars available? And what about insurance impound keeping the damaged vehicles in limbo for potentially many months before being released for repair?

Just a few thoughts running through my mind in regard to the Talgos.

And yes, to my untrained eye the derailer looks mighty suspect.

While there are a limited number of spares for the original Talgo sets, I don't believe any exsist for the Talgo 8 sets.

I wonder if the bridge had a mechanical issue. I occasionally listen to the BNSF Seattle Sub scanner, and I've heard slow orders over the bridge many times as well as possible mechanical issues.

 

[chakk]

No mention yet here of whether the engineer might have missed a stop signal further back from the bridge?

 

[KnightRail]

In regards to the fate of that particular Talgo set, what are the capabilities of the current maintenance facility to fix (potentially heavy) wreck damage? Are there many spare cars available? And what about insurance impound keeping the damaged vehicles in limbo for potentially many months before being released for repair?

Just a few thoughts running through my mind in regard to the Talgos.

And yes, to my untrained eye the derailer looks mighty suspect.

While there are a limited number of spares for the original Talgo sets, I don't believe any exsist for the Talgo 8 sets. I wonder if the bridge had a mechanical issue. I occasionally listen to the BNSF Seattle Sub scanner, and I've heard slow orders over the bridge many times as well as possible mechanical issues.

There are three spare Talgo 8 units, but they are with the ex-WI red sets at Beech Grove. They can be seen in this video at the 0:54 mark right behind the P42s:

 

[TrackWalker]

No mention yet here of whether the engineer might have missed a stop signal further back from the bridge?

There are signals at each end of the of the bridge at the switch point style derails on both mains.

In the derail position they will derail a train away from the other track. (worked as intended)

 

[chakk]

But there must be another signal designed to display well before the derails themselves. Say, at least a half-mile further back, so that upon seeing a signal displaying "stop", any engineer would have adequate time and distance to stop the train BEFORE reaching the derail.

So the issue here will undoubtedly involve why that did not occur. To wit: why did the engineer not stop the train BEFORE reaching the derail?

 

[Northwest Railfan]

In regards to the fate of that particular Talgo set, what are the capabilities of the current maintenance facility to fix (potentially heavy) wreck damage? Are there many spare cars available? And what about insurance impound keeping the damaged vehicles in limbo for potentially many months before being released for repair?

Just a few thoughts running through my mind in regard to the Talgos.

And yes, to my untrained eye the derailer looks mighty suspect.

While there are a limited number of spares for the original Talgo sets, I don't believe any exsist for the Talgo 8 sets. I wonder if the bridge had a mechanical issue. I occasionally listen to the BNSF Seattle Sub scanner, and I've heard slow orders over the bridge many times as well as possible mechanical issues.

There are three spare Talgo 8 units, but they are with the ex-WI red sets at Beech Grove. They can be seen in this video at the 0:54 mark right behind the P42s:

Thanks for the info. Interesting that Oregon didn't order any spare cars. I assume we'll see a set of Superliner cars in use for a while.

 

[CHamilton]

Sunday’s passenger train derailment near the Chambers Bay drawbridge south of Tacoma remains under investigation. Officials say it was first time since Cascades service began in 1999 that railcars toppled with passengers aboard.

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/did-last-resort-switch-push-amtrak-train-off-course/

 

[Railroad Bill]

Sunday’s passenger train derailment near the Chambers Bay drawbridge south of Tacoma remains under investigation. Officials say it was first time since Cascades service began in 1999 that railcars toppled with passengers aboard.

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/did-last-resort-switch-push-amtrak-train-off-course/

A very informative article Charlie. Thanks for the link