Western Railroad Discussion > Union Pacific derailment on KC high line bridge

Westbound this morning approaching the Kansas River bridge.

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https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,5104340

Wow, a little bit worse than I had imagined! I've NO doubt the boys in the cab puckered right up when their chariot gave up all equilibrium with the track it was on. A train crew's nightmare, for sure! One of many such perils the average train dances around with every day...

Thanks for posting the pic, John!

Lance/199 

In the virtual Railfan cam..you can see a rail pop up, just before the units got to it...then the screeching started..

tried to see the rail pop up, but could not
 

Hulcher is sure gonna have fun with this one!!! 

Txtrainman60 Wrote:
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> Hulcher is sure gonna have fun with this one!!! 

They'll need a heavy duty crane that can get there by rail (oh, wait....).

TAW

There's rails all over the place at Santa Fe Junction...
 

I believe there is one on the High Line.  Fixed boom truck crane that can travel on the rails.  

TAW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Txtrainman60 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Hulcher is sure gonna have fun with this
> one!!! 
>
> They'll need a heavy duty crane that can get there
> by rail (oh, wait....).
>
> TAW

Don't think that bridge could handle the combined load of a 250 ton derrick and a 220 ton locomotive.
You're going to need something that can reach from the ground.

PHall Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> TAW Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Txtrainman60 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Hulcher is sure gonna have fun with this
> > one!!! 
> >
> > They'll need a heavy duty crane that can get
> there
> > by rail (oh, wait....).
> >
> > TAW
>
> Don't think that bridge could handle the combined
> load of a 250 ton derrick and a 220 ton
> locomotive.
> You're going to need something that can reach from
> the ground.

It’s a double track bridge built in the steam days, of course it could handle that weight. It has that amount of weight on it now with the 2 derailed engines

Posted from iPhone

Does anyone know if this is a "ballast-deck bridge", or one with the rails and ties simply attached directly to the bridge structure?

This seems really, really, really unusual, as bridge decks are usually the most stable parts of rail infrastructure.

Pull apart??

Trainman41 Wrote:
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> In the virtual Railfan cam..you can see a rail pop
> up, just before the units got to it...then the
> screeching started..

dan Wrote:
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> tried to see the rail pop up, but could not

I think Trainman41 is referring to a section of material (looks like a rail folding over on itself) that is visible as the lead engine approaches the signal at 22 seconds on the recording at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oyMx-ta_sY
This event is right as the engine goes over the second concrete pylon from the left.

But the derailment appears to have actually started at about 13 seconds, as the lead engine approaches the first steel bridge support at the left. That's when the noise starts and the engines start an odd motion and then twisting relative to the center frame axis.

Start the recording at the above link and advance very slowly by using the "k" key to quickly pause - release, pause. You can step the video that way and more clearly see what happened.

Scary, scary. I have been to this junction many times, and watching this video was shocking. Lots of good fortune here for all of the railroads that push traffic through the junction. It could have been much worse. But good fortune especially for the crew. A prayer of thanks for their apparent safety. And a prayer too for the safety of everyone who will work this wreck cleanup. It's going to be a challenging one.

MC
 

coach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does anyone know if this is a "ballast-deck
> bridge", or one with the rails and ties simply
> attached directly to the bridge structure?
>
> This seems really, really, really unusual, as
> bridge decks are usually the most stable parts of
> rail infrastructure.
>
> Pull apart??


It’s a ballast deck

Posted from iPhone

> I think Trainman41 is referring to a section of
> material (looks like a rail folding over on
> itself) that is visible as the lead engine
> approaches the signal at 22 seconds on the
> recording at this link:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oyMx-ta_sY
> This event is right as the engine goes over the
> second concrete pylon from the left.
>
> But the derailment appears to have actually
> started at about 13 seconds, as the lead engine
> approaches the first steel bridge support at the
> left. That's when the noise starts and the engines
> start an odd motion and then twisting relative to
> the center frame axis.
>
> Start the recording at the above link and advance
> very slowly by using the "k" key to quickly pause
> - release, pause. You can step the video that way
> and more clearly see what happened.
Thanks i can see the the action at 22 sec, looks like a switch rail to me, the action like you say started so much earlier,  during the day you can the displaced straight  rail along side the autoracks , thought he was referring to that.

But thanks MC aka ironmtn  for the "k" lesson!!
Lead engine is now up right in a cranes craddle (rear) front of it  with  a crane on the other side of the bridge , and side booms standing by in front, wonder if they will put some panel track under it or swing it off  315am or walk it forward  cam 2 for the closeup

scrolled back to 2140 to see an autorack fly

413am415 a sideboom moves the lead loco up an engine length  or so on cam 2



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/20 03:23 by dan


 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/20 02:29 by dan.

While all the "armchair wreckmasters" slug it out with each other let me get attention to your photograph back on track. Congrats on getting the IOTD nod!!! As far as I can tell, you're now batting 1.000. In my 9+ years aboard TO this is the ONLY photo I've ever seen you post, and BINGO: IOTD! (Of course, from here on I'll be expecting your subsequent offerings to make IOTD as well... ;^)

Lance 

If you look at the area on google maps there is a crossover just before you get to the signals. By looking at the video of the train derailing it would appear that the train started to derail just before or on the crossover. I doesn't appear that the train was going through the crossover though. I Watched the cleanup pretty much through the night on Virtual Railfan. That cam is one of the free cam's right now. It's mostly cleaned up now except for track work. Wonder if they will replace the crossover? only cars left are the 2 auto racks that they lifted to the ground. Does anyone know if the auto racks were loaded ? There is a video on youtube you can rewind and watch the whole operation through the night.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/20 14:08 by santafesteve.

Your figures are a bit iffy. The “Big Hooks” were named for their lifting capacity, 250 tons for example. That was not the weight of the machine itself.

Posted from iPhone

I was thinking split point derail.  Not knowing track there but if a crossover splitting the switch would do same thing.

Reportedly the auto racks were loaded...

santafesteve Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you look at the area on google maps there is a
> crossover just before you get to the signals. By
> looking at the video of the train derailing it
> would appear that the train started to derail just
> before or on the crossover. I doesn't appear that
> the train was going through the crossover though.
> I Watched the cleanup pretty much through the
> night on Virtual Railfan. That cam is one of the
> free cam's right now. It's mostly cleaned up now
> except for track work. Wonder if they will replace
> the crossover? only cars left are the 2 auto racks
> that they lifted to the ground. Does anyone know
> if the auto racks were loaded ? There is a video
> on youtube you can rewind and watch the whole
> operation through the night.

Posted from iPhone