Eastern Railroad Discussion > NS Derailment near Philly

A NS train derailment occured early this morning on the former PRR Trenton cutoff between Plymouth Twp and Fort Washington, PA.  Local helicopter views showing around 6-8 tanks, a few covered hoppers and several flats with 20' containers off the rails.  Fire crews are walking the site are seen without HazMat gear.  One tank has JBS lettering, which typically is food grade liquids.

Update:   Train was the CSX Woodbourne-Lansdale Turn (symbol??) that was involved.

Train is CSX LO42 that runs Woodbourne to Ford on NS (Morrisville Line) then via their own line (Stoney Creek Branch) from Norristown to Lansdale. 15 derailed cars.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/17/23 04:10 by lne655.

Enormous amount of rain in the Philadelphia area this weekend.

Posted from Android

Wow!   They're using the Stoney Creek Branch again......

pdt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wow!   They're using the Stoney Creek Branch
> again......
Hi Beth.  I am under the impression that the branch sees regular service.  CSX once delivered cars to Lansdale from their South Phila yard using a SEPTA routing (from Newtown Jct through Jenkintown to Lansdale) after hours but that probably ended at some point.  An unusual move took place on the Stoney Creek Branch recently (April 14) with a long out of service Alco RS-1 (#57 once owned by Washington Terminal Co) that had been on East Penn RR property in the Quakertown area.  Two SEPTA SW models moved the engine and a box car from the Telford PA interchange destined for the Allentown & Auburn RR over the Stoney Creek to Norfolk Southern in Norristown for final delivery to Topton PA.

The Stony Creek Branch went OOS under Conrail. After about ten years, early in the 2000s it was returned to service to allow high boxcars to deliver paper to a couple warehouses and modern reefers to move to a cold storage facility. Low bridges and catenary prevented high cars from being delivered to Lansdale via the Septa Mainline (Former Reading Bethlehem Branch). Initially the CSX trains originated in Greenwich Yard in South Philly and used the Former PRR High Line and the former Reading Main Line to Abrams Yard where they reversed to enter the Stony Creek Branch. When no high cars were involved they ran straight up the Septa Mainline.
Some years ago the origin of the train was moved to Woodbourne Yard and they now use the NS Morrisville Line to Norristown. All freight in and out of Lansdale use the Stony Creek Branch now.
 I have a great video of a run down the Branch to Norristown, reversing ends on the pull-pull train to run the NS Mainline and over the Highline into Greenwich Yard. This was a nighttime run. The  now dearly departed videographer msut have gotten sleepy as he only shot video long enough to block swap the train and move out of the yard. He also left me a video of a Lansdale to Ivyland run when that was still a CSX job.
Gonut
 

Where is the business that ueses the plastic in their product?

ABC TV reports the train may have encountered a sink hole in the recent rains.

Posted from Android

Is this the video you speak of?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqRpYxgaVIk
(this is the last in a series on a night run in and out of philadelphia. This one ends with them heading up the CSX Trenton Line, perhaps to follow SEPTA past Newtown Jct.

cgbspender,
That is one of the videos I was speaking of. I see a mutual friend posted the video as knowing the original videographer would not have uploaded it. He would however share photos and video with friends.
The current wreck occurred on the later established route using the Morrisville Line so is not on these videos.
There was the other video of the Doyestown and Ivyland turns.
He and I had an officially approved cab ride from Center City to Lancaster and return in the cab of a Silverliner. Passengers were handled as far west as far as Parkesburg. With the crossovers and tower at Parkesburg unmanned, the Septa train would run deadhead to Lancaster. It would layover there until the eastbound Broadway Limited made its station stop and then follow the Broadway back to Philly. This deadhead "rare mileage" run was our interest. We both made video of that full run. 

​Gonut

Jet Plastica the former maker of K-NEX was a major user of plastic pellets but I don't know if they are stilll in business. There is a manufacturer in Telford that receives pellets and possibly one in Quakertown. I haven't been in the area lately to confirm. A lot of tank car loads go to a detergent manufacturer in Lansdale. As for the containers, I believe there is a car repair firm in Q'town that repairs or maintains the flat cars but I didn't think they handled contaners. Someone closer can probably fill in the blanks.
go

Thanks Gonut1

Pumbaamd
Good to hear from you! Really!!
I rarely get to Lansdale these days, usually only to see specialists at the Jefferson Health Center, the "New" now old, North Penn Hospital! Wow! It is no longer the Lansdale I lived in from 1977 to 1988. The big shocker is the Madison Parking Lot is GONE! Replaced by Condo/Apartment things. The station parking lot is a high rise parking garage and there is an enclosed walk bridge across the tracks just north of the slightly extended end of catenary on the Bethlehem Branch (the square H Beam structure that was the original end of catenary and captured in so many photos). Too strange when I very ocassionnaly drive through there.
 Until Covid upset the world I drove to North Wales daily. Since then I think I've made the trip maybe 6-7 times? (Tomorrow for my wife's cataract surgery follow-up from today.) Working from home made my job nice as the 2 hours a day commute was just awful. I like my job and the dismissal of the commute has me still working at 77 years of age. As long as my health permits I'll shoot for 80, 90 or beyond. Retirement is just not that interesting to me, I need to keep the gray matter rubbing cells together!
Be well,
Gonut

Gonut,
I retired 2 years ago after 40 years in the Maryland horse racing as a commssion official. Living now in Luray VA and happy to be away from the hustle in MD.
Thanks for your update and keep on keeping on!
Rick

Any word on what officially happened.  Ground giving way due to excessive rain/flooding sounds good.  I wonder what the cars were hauling.  All the news says is "white stuff" and the lock down the area.
Then there is never any follow up.  Sure locatlly, but nothing on a national level.
Thanks
 

Not much locally either. The white stuff was plastic pellets. Tank cars were carrying a variety of generally non-hazardous liquids. There are no chemical manufacturing firms or users of hazardous materials on the "Lansdale Cluster", as Conrail termed it.
 It was said it was a sinkhole that gave way, I'm guessing after the locos made it across. The track runs across reasonably flat land there, so it wasn't a washout. The area is riddled with underground rivers and limestone caves. That particular area isn't prone to sinkholes but it was obvious from one of the helicopter shots, that there was one there. Only a few miles south at King of Prussia, along the same limestone geologic ridge, PennDOT is working one large sinkhole for the third time in less than a week closing the  4 lane US202. KofP is in an area very apt to sinkholes.
Corrections welcomed.
Gonut