Initial run of new route through Tacoma Dome Station derails just South of the station, shutting down I 5 at DuPont, Wa.
Watching it on the traffic camera now…
An “S” curve on a high speed line. Good thinking, Amtrak. (My opinion only). Probably truck failure since the track was all new.
Right where the RR crosses I 5.
I thought the Talgos were being pushed by the P42 with a cab car…which made me think pushing Talgos is maybe not a great idea. HOWEVER, the aerial view shows a brand new Siemens Charger on the asphalt that must have been the first to jump. http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/train-derailment-ht-14-jpo-171218_16x9_992.jpg
Apparently the Sounder commuter rail is already using the track, so I’m not sure I would blame the curve just yet.
If train has the one loco as shown, it appears to have been in push mode! Like model trains, asking for trouble, especially entering an “S” curve at higher speeds.
-Ted
The train was traveling a tenth more than 81 MPH when it went into the curve. According to news on TV, the speed limit for that curve is 35 MPH.
Yes that loco on the freeway was the lead engine. CNN played the 911 call the conductor placed. All he said was “I’m on the ground”.
Was that lead engine, now parked on the freeway, powered, or just a cab?
Close up picture of it from a helo showed cooling fans, and other stuff that is on the roof of an engine, so it must be powered.
Hell of a ride for the engineer, down the hill and onto the freeway. From 80 MPH to 0 in about 200 feet. When they recover the black box there will be cab forward video of the event.
This is all new track, upgraded for passenger on an old freight route. The new track has been tested and tested and tested. This was the first revenue train to run the route. They did run a “ribbon cutting” special over it on Friday with the same type train. The speed limit on the curve is 30mph. So, I think this will just need to play out as to what happened. I would imagine the recorders on the loco will confirm speed. There has also been a lot of politics involved with this new Amtrak route. The local communities that it travels through have fought it from the beginning because of the high speed grade crossings.
Steve Featherkile said:
Was that lead engine, now parked on the freeway, powered, or just a cab?
After I asked the question, the news guys said the lead loco was a Siemans and the trailing loco was unpowered.
All things come to he who waits.
That photo right below my Google Earth pic, you can see the swathe the loco cut through the woods on its way to the freeway.
Looks like it might have left the tracks just feet before the curve. The gouge in the dirt starts just about a half way down the right side of the trailing loco.
That might rule out a curve derailment. It would have gone off a little further down the tracks
due to it’s momentum if the curve threw it off.
Looks like the trees totaled the loco.
Let me clear up some confusion.
1st. The 81 mph speed was reported from an Amtrak tracking app known to run 2-4 minutes slow from real time. Take from that what you will.
2nd The lead cab car was an unpowered “charger” with a P42 on the rear end shoving. This push pull set up has been in use for years.
3rd. The new crash worthyness of the charger is being proven. The crew climbed out. Engineer running it has minor injuries, training or qualifying engineer also has minor injuries. That says something.
4th no PTC on this line
5th 2 years ago this line was all jointed rail, 10mph. Its now been upgraded to high speed. This was not the first run, rather the first revenue run for Amtrak.
6th. Sounders (local heavy rail commuter) doesn’t run all the way down to this bridge. They stop in Lakewood to the north.
7th NTSB will figure out the cause, in 2 years and everyone will have forgotten…
8th the curve is a 30 mph curve.
John Bouck said:
Looks like the trees totaled the loco.
Looks pretty well intact to me. The crew climbed out of the door.
If per Craig there were two in the cab and they walked away, it is just a matter of time till we get their story. I just wish some of the news media would get the facts straight before speculating on TV. Like Craig, myself and some others on this forum live in the area . It has been on all the local stations all day.
Craig Townsend said:
Let me clear up some confusion.
1st…
2nd The lead cab car was an unpowered “charger” with a P42 on the rear end shoving. This push pull set up has been in use for years.
I know they have Talgo cab cars and F40PH NPCUs, but everything I read says the Chargers are tier 4 diesels. https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Rail/newlocomotives/default.htm This was locomotive #1402 on the ground.
Rocky Canyonero said:
Craig Townsend said:
Let me clear up some confusion.
1st…
2nd The lead cab car was an unpowered “charger” with a P42 on the rear end shoving. This push pull set up has been in use for years.
I know they have Talgo cab cars and F40PH NPCUs, but everything I read says the Chargers are tier 4 diesels. https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Rail/newlocomotives/default.htm
Initial reports said that the charger was not online and the P42 was shoving. Now reports are saying that it was online and pulling. I called it a cab car as it wasn’t under power when I read the in information. What makes it even more confusing is that the charger might have been the lead locomotive on the track bulletins and what the DS used to ID the train, but it still could have been in idle mode.
The important lesson here is: Don’t trust Amtrak or any Chicken who is an Amtrak Fan