Empire Builder derails in Chicago

[Superliner Diner]

This is from other internet sources:

The Thursday outbound Empire Builder got only as far as Randolph Street before a sleeper and the diner derailed. Only one track is available on the north side of CUS. Metra Milwaukee West, North and the North Central Service will be delayed at least an hour. The plan for Amtrak's Empire Builder is to take the cars not derailed and send them on the way after at least a three hour delay. The train was carrying only 56 passengers out of Chicago.

I am sure more details will be forthcoming.

 

[Steve4031]

That is all we need, another sleeper and another diner damaged.

 

[Amfleet]

Bump, crash here we go again. Doesn't sound to bad. The sleeper and diner should be on there feet tommorrow if no truck or under carrige work is needed.

 

[Viewliner]

This doesn't sound too serious, it just sounds like a case of the wheels slipping, keep in mind, a derailment can mean anywhere from a tragedy to just a wheel or two derailing.

 

[Superliner Diner]

This link is to breaking news, so it may not work beyond tonight. You have to register for free to be able to read articles on the Chicago Tribune website.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/c...hi%2Dnews%2Dhed

A quote of some of the text to give you a few more details:

...None of the 157 passengers was injured, Amtrak spokeswoman Kathleen Cantillon said.

The tracks are used by Amtrak trains heading north to Milwaukee, the Twin Cities and the Pacific Northwest.

Audrey Renteria, a spokeswoman for Metra, which also uses those tracks, said the mishap blocked tracks used by commuter trains of the Milwaukee District North line to Fox Lake, West line to Elgin, and the North Central line to Antioch, leaving just one track open. Trains were departing from the north side of the station, but riders should expect significant delays into the early evening, as workers attempt to repair the tracks....

And the article goes on to say that they expect the problem to be cleared up by the Friday morning rush. Another source has said that the Empire Builder did proceed onward, albeit three hours late, of course leaving the two derailed cars behind. Might be a rough trip without one of the sleepers or the diner.

 

[Steve4031]

So where do the passengers eat, the lounge car? Damn, I hate to be in a sleeper on this train.

 

[Amtrak Watcher]

How much damage or abuse can rail cars take? I recall two separate trips on the Empire Builder where there was a tremendous amount of “banging around” for hours on the tracks in eastern North Dakota. It felt like we were running over big rocks or something, and seemed the wheels would come off. Upon asking the conductor if I should be concerned, he replied something like “No problem; the equipment can take lots of abuse before we have to be worried.”

 

[Viewliner]

So where do the passengers eat, the lounge car? Damn, I hate to be in a sleeper on this train.

What happened to the passengers in the derailed sleeper?

Couldn't they have had cars ready and just added them, since the derailed cars probably have little or no damage.

Steve, then you'd hate the Three Rivers, no diner.

 

[Amtrak Watcher]

I’m confused. How do things derail? I’m not technical, but it seems something would have to go seriously wrong for something to fall off the tracks. First, something would have to “jump off” the tracks. In sharp contrast to my experiences with air travel where everything is as light and flimsy as possible, even the most minor part on a train seems massive and heavy. Even things that could function well if much lighter are extremely heavy and sturdy. Second, a rail would have to break or the two become further apart from each other. How can this happen without some kind of catastrophic failure, which would, it seems, be relatively easy to see coming with regular inspections. Finally, even with all the de-railings I hear about in the news, recovery seems rather fast to me – as if nothing were all that bad after all: people walk way from the incident, and things are up and running again in hours rather than days: a remarkable achievement given the enormous weight of the cars and the effort required just to pick them up and put them on the tracks again.

 

[Superliner Diner]

The latest report I have from a friend in suburban Chicago is that #7(10) left Chicago six hours late, after they scrounged up a substitute sleeper and diner to replace what had derailed.

 

[AlanB]

Amtrak Watcher,

I've started a new topic for your question on derailments, simply because my reply is quite lengthy. You can view my reply by clicking here.