Eastern Railroad Discussion > CSXT Alexandria, VA wreck

Q415 climbing Franconia Hill with 167 cars. Many cars rolled into a pile on the NS line underneath.......one heck of a pile-up....."just saying"

Posted from Android



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/18 10:53 by mp208.

Does anyone have any photos to share? Thanks
John

Alexandria Fire Dept. photos, posted by media outlets at:

https://wtop.com/alexandria/2018/05/freight-train-derails-on-partially-collapsed-railway-in-alexandria-photos/slide/1/

http://www.fox5dc.com/news/local-news/freight-train-derails-in-alexandria

"There were no passengers aboard the 167 car train." Shortly after stating that it was a freight train. Glad they cleared that up.

I am hoping 'engineerinvirgina' will read this and respond. I'm no loco engineer. I know the area a bit. Franconia Hill is 0.80 percent I believe, same as the Philly Sub. Even with a long train like that (and no one has stated what part of the consist derailed, or speed of the train). BUt I do believe all of the train had to be over the crest of Franconia Hill, and the slack would have been bunched up. How could it be a " run in"?

I replied in a similar thread made this day. I am not remotely qualified on the RF&P, though I could possibly limp my way from Greendale to Doswell...having rode that way once with a pilot....but it looks like trains are squeaking by on one available track...we could absorb anything but double stacks on the C&O and we are not a bad route to reroute on, because we don't dawdle running our trains.

engineerinvirginia Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I replied in a similar thread made this day. I am
> not remotely qualified on the RF&P, though I could
> possibly limp my way from Greendale to
> Doswell...having rode that way once with a
> pilot....but it looks like trains are squeaking by
> on one available track...we could absorb anything
> but double stacks on the C&O and we are not a bad
> route to reroute on, because we don't dawdle
> running our trains.

I can attest to that the trains I have seen on the river are rolling

Question
What would you rather run the river or the mountain?

Gary

Posted from iPhone

mp208 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Q415 descending Franconia Hill with 167 cars
> approaching AF interlocking. Many cars rolled into
> a pile on the NS line underneath.......one heck of
> a run in....."just saying"
>
> Posted from Android


Train was going south not north.

AmtHog Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> mp208 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Q415 descending Franconia Hill with 167 cars
> > approaching AF interlocking. Many cars rolled
> into
> > a pile on the NS line underneath.......one heck
> of
> > a run in....."just saying"
> >
> > Posted from Android
>
>
> Train was going south not north.

B-b-b-b-but but but!

The elite Washington Post referred to the derailment as a "cargo train".

cinder Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The elite Washington Post referred to the
> derailment as a "cargo train".

Better than a "goods train" though.

Copy editors are officially extinct.

Posted from Android

mully Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> engineerinvirginia Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I replied in a similar thread made this day. I
> am
> > not remotely qualified on the RF&P, though I
> could
> > possibly limp my way from Greendale to
> > Doswell...having rode that way once with a
> > pilot....but it looks like trains are squeaking
> by
> > on one available track...we could absorb
> anything
> > but double stacks on the C&O and we are not a
> bad
> > route to reroute on, because we don't dawdle
> > running our trains.
>
> I can attest to that the trains I have seen on the
> river are rolling
>
> Question
> What would you rather run the river or the
> mountain?
>
> Gary
>
> Posted from iPhone

Depends on what I've got to haul....if river traffic is heavy, certainly the mountain. If the train is heavy, must do the river.

CSX is unsafe with the EHH slash and burn Libertarian corporate Fascist CN management cast off rejects running the company! Ugh.

OHR; not sure what you mean. No mention of what you did as a railroader. But if you are not management you should read what engineerinvirginia says. Give them the trains, and they will run them, and I think in his territory they run some of the heaviest trains in the country. I'm frankly middle railroad management retired. But one thing I have learned in 31 years of RR career and retirement is that the RR will run somehow regardless of who is in charge at any management level. Largely unsupervised people come to work every day on time, get their instructions, go to work and do their job. Of course they will take advantage of stupid rules or delays in their work, especially imposed by management. But the RR runs; every day, in all kinds of weather and dark and daytime. Like a former boss of mine that is a friend, and was an engineer on PC's Cleveland Div says and later got to be a Division supt, I asked how does the RR run with so little management. He said its 'FM', I said frequency modulation like in a radio? He said no; its fkng magic, it just runs.

I have always thought that the ex-C7O's James River Line should have been the double-stack route to the west; it would have been easier. But I have been shot down that too in the past.

We'd love to do double stack, but the billions of dollars in clearance work....well that money don't exist.