Western Railroad Discussion > BNSF Derailment north of Plattsmouth NE.

A BNSF coal train spilled a reported 25 cars just off of Highway 75, south of the Platte River. Cars derailed into a home's propane tanks. House is reported to be on fire.

Anyone know the status of Amtrak #5?

I made contact with my source at Amtrak, and she said they are still stopping at Creston and Omaha with no busses. There for, Amtrak will probably be coming North from Pacific Junction into Council Bluffs, going by Wal-Mart (Lake Manawa area), then over by the Rails West museum area, around the UP Pool yard, and crossing into Omaha.

Latest word is two houses involved... Fire's still burning.


UPP209 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A BNSF coal train spilled a reported 25 cars just
> off of Highway 75, south of the Platte River. Cars
> derailed into a home's propane tanks. House is
> reported to be on fire.
>
> Anyone know the status of Amtrak #5?

Local TV report says 10 cars of an empty WB coal train involved.
No injuries reported. Says fire in the one home is out but that the Fire Chief pulled his crews back to let the propane burn itself out. I suspect the propane involved was from switch heater tanks which sit between the dirt road and the house(s) involved. There are two propane tanks, side by side, for this crossover and about 50 yards west another tank for the main 1 to 2 crossover. Derailment blocks all traffic on the Creston and Omaha subs as this is their intersecting point.

Here's some more of this instant gratification that we like to call internet goodness:

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u_pg=1636&u_sid=976766

BNSF is detouring Amtraks and higher priority trains via the Council Bluffs sub. Amtk #5 lost about 90 minutes making the trip.

Derailment was in the plant at Oreopolis, both mains blocked, as it the diamond, connection to the Omaha line, etc.

Several coal trains are detouring out of (Galesburg?) on the Blessed Santa Fe Transcon to Kansas City. . .so, here's your chance to listen to Mr. Chili DS weave the zippers around the .4 hpt coal drags (but knowing this is the transcon, they're probably all getting power to boost them up to 3.5 hpt, so they don't impact the operation).

haven't heard word on a reopening, though scads of MW folks from throughout the Omaha-Lincoln area are descending on Oreopolis to put it back together.