Western Railroad Discussion > That 30 tons of missing ammonium nitrate

The paper today says the car left
"a manufacturing site in Cheyenne"
and arrived empty at Saltdale (NE
of Mojave). So was it really only 30 tons
that disappeared?
 

hopper door left ajar?

dan Wrote:
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> hopper door left ajar?

30 tons would be about 1 bay's worth in a 3-bay 100-ton car. If it was that simple, why all the fuss?

The diary was updated to emphasize that the shipment was intact upon arrival in Saltdale, California. If true, it would not have been a 1000-mile start to finish but a 3-mile journey. The mystery deepens.

finally read an article on it

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/5/21/2170530/-Thirty-tons-of-explosive-ammonium-nitrate-have-gone-missing-from-a-rail-car?fbclid=IwAR35RE-w-yjwjczw5r0o_2gcI-KF02i1rdfOHij5cQ48thBQZzt75v0ImvA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/22/23 12:29 by dan.

Saltdale is a  siding/spur off the UP Lone Pine branch, the ammonian nitrate is used by a local "industry" and
is kept pretty quiet. Saltdale is so remote that you could take the whole car between passes by the LOP82.

Out 

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,5680137

I always wondered why there were hopper cars out in the middle of nowhere , good place to store them. When I passed there last Friday there was the most cars I’ve ever seen parked.

CPR_4000 Wrote:
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> dan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > hopper door left ajar?
>
> 30 tons would be about 1 bay's worth in a 3-bay
> 100-ton car. If it was that simple, why all the
> fuss?

Just a mystery to someone!  One day I was out shooting the coal train to the Colorado Springs, CO, Nixon power plant.  One car between the swing remotes and the rear remote had dumped about one half of its 100 ton laod of coal.  What a mess that could have been if the trurcks behind didn't track through the pile of coal.  Those radpid discharge cars and dump and entier 100 ton load is about 20 seconds, it is fast as all one can imagine.  I got to stand over some emptying cars one day and it was amazing to see.  I gave the palnt a call describing the approximate location of the car in the train, and they thanked me for the "heads up" on the defect.  Just doing my job as a railfan.  Pay sometimes stinks, but someone has to do it!

RR

dan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The diary was updated to emphasize that the
> shipment was intact upon arrival in Saltdale,
> California. If true, it would not have been a
> 1000-mile start to finish but a 3-mile journey.
> The mystery deepens.


Long ago, there was a BN local crew working with guys in two feed stores. The crew would leave a car of grain. The inside man would leave 20ish tons in the car. The local crew would stop at the second feed store on the way back home where the inside man would unload the rest. The second feed store guy paid the crew. They shared it with the inside guy at the other store. One morning, we had some nice folks from FBI asking about whether any of us had anything to do with it or what we knew. They were told how 'works extra 0700 until 1900' works and how he were in control but had no idea where they were or what they were doing. We were told to not communicate with them the rest of the day, after which the whole shebang was rounded up and hauled off to hoosegow (not passing go).

TAW

I went looking for the Saltdale location and just WOW for the lack of security.  It looks like all the equipment is already in place to unload a car if needed.  No fence, nobody around, and a potentially dangerous load in the middle of nowhere just waiting to be stolen.




 

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

---

As I said in my post, you could dismantle the whole car in the time between passes of the Local.

Out 

webmaster Wrote:
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> I went looking for the Saltake location and just
> WOW for the lack of security.  It looks like all
> the equipment is already in place to unload a car
> if needed.  No fence, nobody around, and a
> potentially dangerous load in the middle of
> nowhere just waiting to be stolen.

Todd, compliments to you on your investigative reporting. You have put the professionals to shame.

i believe it slowly leaked out thur a defective or damaged door,  after all 1000 miles and 2 weeks i transit, kicking covered hoppers, many times you see product in between the rails, within a day or so, deer, skunks, crows,  and other animals show up, its lunch time. early in my railroad employment, i was a company wittiness, senior man, got hurt mounting a car, slipped and fell, in the hearing i was asked if i approved of the accident report, never precipitated in investigation, asked for a copy, i noted it lacked details, i mentioned contamination in the ballast, grain, plastic pellets, fuel, oil, creosote, etc. company hearing officer very angrily objected, didn't want to hear or discuss on the record, a factor that may have led to a man loosing his footing, utu rep calmly responded i was their witness, every yard, branch and maim line is contaminated, with everything we haul. 

dan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The diary was updated to emphasize that the
> shipment was intact upon arrival in Saltdale,
> California. If true, it would not have been a
> 1000-mile start to finish but a 3-mile journey.
> The mystery deepens.

I seriously doubt anyone knows that the load was intact in Saltdate.  UP doesn't have anyone climbing up and looking inside upon arrival and the condition of the gate seal proves nothing.  The hopper could have moved empty, or it could have leaked enroute, or the product could have been stolen.  A leak check on the hopper will prove or eliminate one of the possibilites, but I don't know how you'd prove the hopper was loaded when it left the plant.
 

i agree it was probably just checked off a list , maybe a visual to see if a seal is still there but it could be cut and still be there and not noticed, if really pillferized reapplied