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Post by kentuckysouthernrwy on Oct 21, 2012 20:50:22 GMT -8
A Chicago to Detroit Amtrak train derailed E of Niles today, no serious injuries.
Amtrak has a minimalist for a spokeman:
"Amtrak Train 350 left Chicago Sunday morning, and derailed two miles east of Niles. It makes stops in Niles, Dowagiac, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, with its final destination in Pontiac.
Magliari said two of the locomotives and coaches lost "contact with the track."
Thge track this happened on is Amtrak owned and part of the segment that trains can run 110 mph on. Photos on one of the Grand Rapids TV stations show a possible collision with some hopper cars, ballast cars maybe.
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Post by rhpd42002 on Oct 22, 2012 14:00:35 GMT -8
Karl, I caught a brief news blurb on one of the Chicago news stations this evening. They had some footage of the derailment scene, but not enough to see any ballast hoppers. One of the talking heads did say that some passengers said they believed the train was on the wrong track prior to the collision. Not sure how they could know, unless told afterwards, but I don't have a lot of faith in most "news" outlets, be they on-line, TV/Radio or print.  |
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Post by spookyac47 on Oct 22, 2012 18:13:51 GMT -8
Karl, I caught a brief news blurb on one of the Chicago news stations this evening. They had some footage of the derailment scene, but not enough to see any ballast hoppers. One of the talking heads did say that some passengers said they believed the train was on the wrong track prior to the collision. Not sure how they could know, unless told afterwards, but I don't have a lot of faith in most "news" outlets, be they on-line, TV/Radio or print. Could be the ones that said it was on the wrong track might be regular riders and that the train wasn't on the track they are used to it being on during previous trips . . . |
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Post by kentuckysouthernrwy on Oct 22, 2012 19:17:00 GMT -8
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Post by Paul Cutler III on Oct 23, 2012 7:40:43 GMT -8
Looking at the news reports, it's apparent that someone left a switch thrown from the mainline into a maintanence-of-way storage yard. The train wasn't travelling at top speed because it had just left the station and was still accelerating. Still, the speed was too great for the track geometry and the train derailed on the yard ladder. The lead engine stopped within 15 to 20 feet of a standing cut of ballast hoppers.
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Post by kentuckysouthernrwy on Oct 23, 2012 16:44:44 GMT -8
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Post by edwardsutorik on Oct 23, 2012 18:08:47 GMT -8
Certainly possible. There's a signal about 450 feet before the switch. That signal was reported to have been green. It could be seen for at least 3/4 of a mile. The switch should have been interlocked with the signal. If the switch was thrown off the main, the signal color should not have been green. So the vandals or terrorists would have had to unlock the switch, throw it, and rewire the detection circuit. The last element tends to leave out casual vandalism. In addition, for track rated for these speeds, the switch SHOULD have had an electric lock, such that no one could throw it without the dispatcher's permission. And, if it were thrown, that fact would show up on the dispatcher's board. But, again, see "rewire detection circuit". Also needing to be looked at is the possibility that the switch was "legally" thrown but that it had not been thrown back. And that the signal showed yellow, but that the engineer missed it. There are comments in the news that there was supposed to be some automated control system (ITCS) on the locomotive. That apparently failed, also. If, indeed, it was supposed to have actually stopped the train under these particular circumstances. Ed |
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