Palmetto 89 Incident in Chester, Pa. (4/3/16)

[Just-Thinking-51]

I was under the impression the train and backhoe were on the same track.

Will have to wait to be certain. NTSB report will make it clear.

 

[CCC1007]

I was under the impression the train and backhoe were on the same track.

Will have to wait to be certain. NTSB report will make it clear.

The photos of the damage seem to indicate that the train did not hit the main portion of the backhoe, and that would not preclude the backhoe being in the vicinity of tracks 3 or 4.

 

[jis]

According NTSB the backhoe was on track 3. Can we at least stop speculating about things that NTSB has already clarified please?

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

Was the backhoe clipped, T-Boned, broadsided, etc?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Was the backhoe clipped, T-Boned, broadsided, etc?

Hit from the rear, it seems

 

[afigg]

The NTSB has released a preliminary report on the #89 collision: NTSB accident report webpage which has a link to the 2 page PDF report. Gist of the initial report:

At the time of the accident, roadway workers were performing maintenance on main track 2 at the accident site over a planned 55-hour window, beginning on April 1, 2016, at 10:00 p.m. and extending to 5:00 a.m. on April 4, 2016. The work included ballast cleaning and remediating fouled ballast (mud spots) on main track 2. 2 During the maintenance window, main track 2 was removed from service and intermittent foul time was granted on main tracks 1, 3, and 4 to protect the backhoe as it was used to assist in cutting away the fouled ballast.3 NTSB investigators are confirming what roadway worker protections were in place at the time of the accident.

USA Today has an article on the preliminary report: Report: Track was closed morning of Amtrak crash.

 

[jis]

The title of the article appears to be a bit misleading. Doesn't seem to contain much new information. Track 2 was closed, and so was track 4 possibly. The status of track 3 is what matters and the article basically says they are trying to figure out what its foul status was.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

The title of the article appears to be a bit misleading. Doesn't seem to contain much new information. Track 2 was closed, and so was track 4 possibly. The status of track 3 is what matters and the article basically says they are trying to figure out what its foul status was.

Especially since most readers probably don't remember which track the train was on (I vaguely thought it was 3), so to them this reads like the train was at fault.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Track 2 was closed, track 3 had the train on it that hit the backhoe.

The NTSB report is a simple recap. No real data. The engineer saw something, hit brakes. The MOW forces have been fowling one or all the tracks for limited times, for the backhoe to work.

If this was printed on paper, the report would not be worth the paper it's written on.

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

Is it yet known who was to blame for the accident?

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Nope, it will be multi-point failure however. Not one person, or one event leading up to this. A chain of events, link together cause this accident.

 

[John Bobinyec]

Is it yet known who was to blame for the accident?

No. The NTSB won't issue the official report for at least a year.

jb

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

Is it yet known who was to blame for the accident?

No. The NTSB won't issue the official report for at least a year.

jb

Any kind of reason why just about any accident takes that long to officially report?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Is it yet known who was to blame for the accident?

No. The NTSB won't issue the official report for at least a year.

jb

Any kind of reason why just about any accident takes that long to officially report?

Because they like to do a thorough job.

 

[warrenwarner]

Any new sightings of the locomotive? I want to know if it wil be repaired or junked.

 

[Dutchrailnut]

any locomotive involved in such accident, gets impounded by NTSB - FRA - and legal dept, till all investigations are over and all legal matter is done, including lawsuits.

anyone doing anything to locomotive including damage assessment would jeopardise legal resolve.

 

[jis]

Any new sightings of the locomotive? I want to know if it wil be repaired or junked.

Come back and ask that question in late 2017 or in 2018.

 

[jebr]

Stop the bickering back and forth. If there's a problem with a post, simply use the report feature on the board and the moderators will discuss and address as appropriate.

 

[leemell]

Is it yet known who was to blame for the accident?

No. The NTSB won't issue the official report for at least a year.

jb

Any kind of reason why just about any accident takes that long to officially report?

Reason are that they must get statements from everyone involved, collect all physical evidence and submit this evidence to lab analysis. That analysis can take a long time. (months) Then the whole thing has to be stepped through in time order and that analyzed for conclusions. It is painstaking work requiring engineering, chemical and mechanical expertise in forensics work.

 

[pennyk]

There was a report filed regarding the alleged bullying/sniping/sarcasm by a couple of our members. A few posts have been hidden pending further review by staff. Again, please keep your comments civil and on topic. If you happen to be an "expert" on "all things train," please try to be tolerant of those who do not possess your breadth of knowledge. Maybe you could share your knowledge without extraneous comments. Thanks.

 

[Ryan]

Is it yet known who was to blame for the accident?

No. The NTSB won't issue the official report for at least a year.

jb

Any kind of reason why just about any accident takes that long to officially report?

I'd recommend reading a handful of them. Once you have, and see the amount of work that goes into them, you'll learn why they take a long time to assemble.

 

[Acela150]

Is it yet known who was to blame for the accident?

No. The NTSB won't issue the official report for at least a year.

jb

Any kind of reason why just about any accident takes that long to officially report?

I'd recommend reading a handful of them. Once you have, and see the amount of work that goes into them, you'll learn why they take a long time to assemble.

This is actually a good suggestion. My Dad used to get them in the mail. They are a very detailed read. But they do take some time to get a full report.

 

[keelhauled]

The Wall Street Journal has an article about NTSB information recently released. For those who don't have a WSJ subscription, the new part is that the night and day foremen gave contradicting accounts to investigators; the night foreman says he asked the day foreman about releasing the foul on the track and subsequently did so, while the day foreman denied any knowledge of a foul having been released.

 

[jis]

Here is the Philly.com article for those that don't delve in Wall Street related publications :

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/Chester-train-crash-files-released-today.html

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Interest story, the comment section was a waste of time.

In short failure to follow policy, add a sprinkle of poor equipment (radios).