Western Railroad Discussion > BNSF Red Rock Sub Derailment

For those interested, at 10:40 this morning, a BNSF loaded southbound (railroad west) grain train derailed 32 cars at Norman, OK on the Red Rcok subdivision (former ATSF). Lots of grain everywhere and plenty of cars nicely accordion-ed or rolled into big balls. Hulcher has three units on the scene and BSFF track crews are laying ballast and panel tracks for a shoo-fly arouns the mess. The Red Rock sub is closed right now and BNSF expects to reopen by 10:00 am Wednesday.

Tonight's Amtrak Heartland Flyer 822 from FTW was a bus trip and tomorrow's southbound 821 will likely be a bus trip as well.

billywa

Intresting that they are shoo-flying around it rather than use a big cat to push the pile off the roadbed. You don't hear them shoo-flying around wrecks all that often. Thanks for the photo and report.

Ted Curphey
funnelfan@icehouse.net

Wow, can that circular thing in the foreground actually be rail?

funnelfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Intresting that they are shoo-flying around it
> rather than use a big cat to push the pile off the
> roadbed. You don't hear them shoo-flying around
> wrecks all that often. Thanks for the photo and
> report.
>
> Ted Curphey
> funnelfan@icehouse.net


Im sure the majority of those 32 cars are gonna be too heavy to easily Cat around. Not to mention all the vaccum activities needed to pick up/transfer most of the grain. Its gotta be easier and faster to shoo-fly, and given the planned cycle times for the other grain cars on those other trains waiting for open track, the route is probably needed badly, which justifies the approach.

PasadenaSub Wrote:
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> Wow, can that circular thing in the foreground
> actually be rail?

Yup! Kinda gives new meaning to the term ribbon rail!

As for the route frequency, the Red Rock sees about 25-30 trains a day, including several Z WSPALT and Z KCKALT trains and return trips. It's also a major grain route down to the Texas coast.

billywa

The signal seems to be OK.

Birken

By 1:00am 10/1/03 all but 3 cars were off the track and new rail was going in.
I have more photos at http://photosbygreg.us/norman.htm

gwl
http://photosbygreg.us

Shoofly? I doubt it. They don't do it anymore. The cats will shove and drag all that out of the way and the will build track back where it belongs.

Too heavy to move around? Come on...... Watch them work sometime. They drag them around or push them as they need too. Have you never seen these guys get four CATS, pick up a locomotive and walk away with it? All of this equipment is now considered junk as far as the BNSF is concerned vs getting a busy line like this open. Picking up the grain is probably on the bottom of the 'worry list' and the cars will be scrapped nearly on site by a contractor.

obviously no injuries or you would have mentioned it earlier...is there anything in the Daily Oklahoman newspaper??

Great pics, Greg

Goofey
The pic I posted was off the Daily OK page @

www.newsok.com

btw, track reopened at 8:30 a.m. this morning with a big long slow order through the area, though the siding turnout at the scene remained out of service.

billywa

I commend your thorough work, it seems to gives a good sense of what the scene was like. Thanks for taking the effort and sharing.