Western Railroad Discussion > Mosier derailment update?

Best I can find at the moment...

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2016/06/04/Train-carrying-crude-oil-derails-in-Oregon-sparks-massive-fire/4091465043259/

 

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSKCN0YQ0KN?il=0

The fire is reported to be out, evacuations to end today.

Posted from iPhone

Local (Portland) TV news this morning showed MOW crews restoring the line. Interviewed UP guy who apologized for the wreck. Mostly interviewed enviros saying "We told you so."
This will not help the cause of the proposed Vancouver port.
Bill Pyper
Salem, OR
 

wjpyper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mostly interviewed
> enviros saying "We told you so."
> This will not help the cause of the proposed
> Vancouver port.
> Bill Pyper
> Salem, OR

The "told you so's" have their anti-crude oil by rail stance (which is really just an anti-fossil fuels stance in general) cloaked in saying oil trains are unsafe.  Thats how they get the general public all riled up.  If you told them how many oil trains, since 2012, have begun and ended their journey without incident they won't listen or believe you.  I have tried...

The POV proposal has been dead in the water for awhile.  IMHO it wasn't going to be approved even without the derailment.  And even if it was approved the NRDC would file a lawsuit to try and stop it.


Allen

The news media keeps refering to the oil in this derailed train, as Bakken crude.  As far as I've been told by several UP employees, these trains are from Hardisty, Alberta which would be tar sands oil, and NOT Bakken crude, as from North Dakota.  Does anybody on this forum know if there are any CP/UP unit trains of oil, from anywhere other than Hardisty, Alberta ?  All I've seen, have the 1267 placards on them, but I can't see them all.  I might have to buy a bigger water pump and a longer hose.  Or move.

Craig Hanson
Vay, Idaho

hawkinsun Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The news media keeps refering to the oil in this
> derailed train, as Bakken crude.  As far as I've
> been told by several UP employees, these trains
> are from Hardisty, Alberta which would be tar
> sands oil, and NOT Bakken crude, as from North
> Dakota.  Does anybody on this forum know if there

UP officials are saying it is Bakken oil! As a former reporter and PR guy, one thing you do NOT do is lie in a situation like this. I think with the kind of financial resources UP has, they have good PR advice and are being honest about where the oil came from! Bakken oil is much more volatile than the oil sands crude.

 

Will MacKenzie
Dundas, ON

hawkinsun Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The news media keeps refering to the oil in this
> derailed train, as Bakken crude.  As far as I've
> been told by several UP employees, these trains
> are from Hardisty, Alberta which would be tar
> sands oil, and NOT Bakken crude, as from North
> Dakota.  Does anybody on this forum know if there
> are any CP/UP unit trains of oil, from anywhere
> other than Hardisty, Alberta ?  All I've seen,
> have the 1267 placards on them, but I can't see
> them all.  I might have to buy a bigger water
> pump and a longer hose.  Or move.
>
> Craig Hanson
> Vay, Idaho

The ABC article on the main thread said it was a UP train from Eastport ID. That would be consistent with a Canadian crude train.  It would also be consistent with a 1232 compliant tank car (111 cars are no longer permitted to haul crude in Canada).

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> hawkinsun Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The news media keeps refering to the oil in
> this
> > derailed train, as Bakken crude.  As far as
> I've
> > been told by several UP employees, these trains
> > are from Hardisty, Alberta which would be tar
> > sands oil, and NOT Bakken crude, as from North
> > Dakota.  Does anybody on this forum know if
> there
> > are any CP/UP unit trains of oil, from anywhere
> > other than Hardisty, Alberta ?  All I've seen,
> > have the 1267 placards on them, but I can't see
> > them all.  I might have to buy a bigger water
> > pump and a longer hose.  Or move.
> >
> > Craig Hanson
> > Vay, Idaho
>
> The ABC article on the main thread said it was a
> UP train from Eastport ID. That would be
> consistent with a Canadian crude train.  It would
> also be consistent with a 1232 compliant tank car
> (111 cars are no longer permitted to haul crude in
> Canada).

Still could very well be Bakken oil loaded on CP in North Dakota, routed up through Canada, then turned over to UP at Eastport ID.

Today's ZBRG1 out of Brooklyn with 8809 leading is headed towards Lake Yard at the time of this post, indicating a detour along BNSF's Fallbridge Sub.

At this time, no reroutes showing west of Granger, WY (through Utah) on the Overland Route. Couple of the Zs were parked yesterday, at Cascade Locks eb and Hinkle wb.

Hawkinsun asked 
"Does anybody on this forum know if there are any CP/UP unit trains of oil, from anywhere other than Hardisty, Alberta ?"

From an 8:30 a.m. update in The Oregonian
=16pxThe train originated in New Town, North Dakota, and was moving crude extracted from the Bakken formation to the U.S. Oil & Refining Co. refinery in Tacoma, said company spokeswoman Marcia Nielsen.
http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2016/06/oil_train_derails_near_hood_ri.html#incart_maj-story-1

Ted in OR

 

gobbl3gook Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> From an 8:30 a.m. update in The Oregonian
> =16pxThe train originated in New Town, North
> Dakota, and was moving crude extracted from the
> Bakken formation to the U.S. Oil & Refining Co.
> refinery in Tacoma, said company spokeswoman
> Marcia Nielsen.
> http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/i
> ndex.ssf/2016/06/oil_train_derails_near_hood_ri.ht
> ml#incart_maj-story-1
>
> Ted in OR
>
>  

That would explain the train symbol "ONETU 2" that HogheadMike mentioned in a post yesterday.  Newtown is a major CP loading facility for Bakken oil.

494 Wrote:
> Today's ZBRG1 out of Brooklyn with 8809 leading
> is headed towards Lake Yard at the time of this
> post, indicating a detour along BNSF's Fallbridge
> Sub.

Doing some further research, the ZBRG1 03 followed the BNSF all the way through the columbia river gorge to Villard Juntion, WA where it crossed the Columbia River and turned south through Wallula and Cold Springs into Hinkle where it rejoined its normal routing to Chicago.  Train was showing 6:43 minutes late when it interchanged back from the BNSF at Villard Junction.  Not a horrible loss in time, but clearly BNSF didnt give the hot Z the kind of priority it would be recieving on its own line.  

HogheadMike Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 494 Wrote:
> > Today's ZBRG1 out of Brooklyn with 8809 leading
> > is headed towards Lake Yard at the time of
> this
> > post, indicating a detour along BNSF's
> Fallbridge
> > Sub.
>
> Doing some further research, the ZBRG1 03 followed
> the BNSF all the way through the columbia river
> gorge to Villard Juntion, WA where it crossed the
> Columbia River and turned south through Wallula
> and Cold Springs into Hinkle where it rejoined its
> normal routing to Chicago.  Train was showing
> 6:43 minutes late when it interchanged back from
> the BNSF at Villard Junction.  Not a horrible
> loss in time, but clearly BNSF didnt give the hot
> Z the kind of priority it would be recieving on
> its own line.  

I wonder if the detour agreement has details on priority given to the "off-line" trains and where they stand in getting crews or pilots? 

I can see a situation where BNSF says "we'll take your train, but we won't have a crew/pilot for six hours" as we need them for our scheduled trains.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I wonder if the detour agreement has details on
> priority given to the "off-line" trains and where
> they stand in getting crews or pilots? 
>
> I can see a situation where BNSF says "we'll take
> your train, but we won't have a crew/pilot for six
> hours" as we need them for our scheduled trains.

I'm sure the unwritten agreement is, "I'll handle your Z like you did my Z in the last detour."  Either payback or "did our best".

mapboy

HogheadMike Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 494 Wrote:
> > Today's ZBRG1 out of Brooklyn with 8809 leading
> > is headed towards Lake Yard at the time of
> this
> > post, indicating a detour along BNSF's
> Fallbridge
> > Sub.
>
> Doing some further research, the ZBRG1 03 followed
> the BNSF all the way through the columbia river
> gorge to Villard Juntion, WA where it crossed the
> Columbia River and turned south through Wallula
> and Cold Springs into Hinkle where it rejoined its
> normal routing to Chicago.  Train was showing
> 6:43 minutes late when it interchanged back from
> the BNSF at Villard Junction.  Not a horrible
> loss in time, but clearly BNSF didnt give the hot
> Z the kind of priority it would be recieving on
> its own line.  

That's a bunch of additional miles, detours, and less than optional main line trackage that the Z train took, I'd say chances are that the BNSF handled it pretty well if it was ONLY 6 hours late.