Posted on 12/19/2017 4:07:00 AM PST by servo1969
An Amtrak train that derailed Monday during its inaugural ride on a new line in Washington state was traveling at 80 mph in a 30 mph zone, the National Transportation Safety Board said, citing data recorder information.
Bella Dinh-Zarr, an NTSB board member, said at a news conference late Monday that information from the data recorder in the rear locomotive provided information about the train’s speed.
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A track chart prepared by the Washington State Department of Transportation shows the maximum speed drops from 79 mph to 30 mph for passenger trains just before the tracks curve to cross Interstate 5, which is where the train went off the tracks.
An Amtrak train derailed south of Seattle early Monday, causing "injuries and casualties," according to officials. (Washington State Patrol Trooper Brooke Bova) The chart, dated Feb. 7, was submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration in anticipation of the start of passenger service along a new bypass route that shaves off 10 minutes for the trip between Seattle and Portland, Ore.
Kimberly Reason with Sound Transit, the Seattle-area transit agency that owns the tracks, said speed signs are posted 2 miles before the speed zone changes and just before the speed zone approaching the curve.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
A bunch of tort lawyers are going to have a very enriching year.
“8^)
Govt. kinda slow to adopt “positive speed control”?
Affirmative action?
Mr. LABRAT’s grafitti tag is getting world wide exposure on pics of that overpass. He should be proud of himself.
High speed rail.
This particular project opted not to install a safety control system. I heard someone on the radio speaking about it during an interview.
Apparently it seems to be optional? But there is a safety mechanism system available that may have prevented this.
Who/what was paying the guy running the train?
A project that cost nine figures only saves 10 to 15 minutes of travel time, and that only when things are running perfectly. If the engineer was told to speed and acquiesced, my bet is that’s why: to avoid giving critics more cause.
Probably not. Federal railroad law establishes fixed maximum dollar amounts for claims from incidents like this.
And pols don’t want to pay for it. Which is why Amtrak needs to be privatized.
I think they call it a news “green-out”...
:-)
The Geniuses at Amtrak. Set up a “high speed” passenger train route, and DO it on low speed tracks still having speed-limiting curves. Spent a fortune laying brand new rails and ties, on a route that originally carried wood-burning puffer bellies. And didn’t bother EMPHASISING to the operators, that portions of the route were still low speed.
I recall an early article saying that this train had left Seattle 10-15 min. late. Maybe they were desperate to make up time and be reported as “on time” for arrival in Portland???
If so, bad place to try to make up time.....
The pictures don’t show any concrete on the tracks in the area behind the crash—but it is worth a second look by folks on the scene.
I would not trust NTSB or the media to report honestly on this.
You can see in the overhead picture of the track that it is a tight radius curve coming off of the bridge.
Late leaving and losing time along the way. 30 minutes late, or would have been if they had arrived. That was the last figure I saw, anyway. I wonder if the guy picked to run the train was picked less for his expertise than his willingness to do what he was told.
Why should they talk about terrorism when there’s no indication this was terrorism?
Don’t know for sure. Could be AMTRAK directly if it was their crew, could also be BNSF under AMTRAK contract to operate the trains, or could be another AMTRAK contractor paid to operate the trains.
Thanks! FWIW, I think the entity that signs that guy’s paychecks is going to be in a world of financial hurt if he’s responsible for this.
Ballad Of Casey Jones
The Ballad Of Casey Jones
T. Lawrence Seibert, Wallace Saunders & Eddie Newton.
Well-Known Seibert-Newton version:
Come all you rounders if you want to hear the story about a brave engineer.
Casey Jones was the roller’s name. On six feet of wheels across he won his fame.
The caller called about Casey about a half past four.
He kissed his wife at the station door.
Climbed in the cabin with his orders in his hand.
Said “This is my trip to the promised land.”
Casey Jones climbed in the cabin. Casey Jones, orders in his hands.
Casey Jones, leanin’ out the window. Takin’ the trip to the promised land.
Cruising at the Memphis yards on a fly. Rain been a-falling and the water was high.
Everybody knew by the engine moan that the man at the throttle was Casey Jones.
Jones said, “Fireman, now, don’t you fret. Sam, well, Sam I ain’t giving up yet.
Eight hours late with the southbound mail,
We’ll be on time or we’ll leaving the rail.”
Dead on the rails was a passenger train. Blood was filling up Casey’s brain.
Casey said, “Hey, now, look ahead! Jump, Sam, jump or we’ll all be dead!’
With a hand on the whistle and a hand on the brake,
North Mississippi was wide awake.
“I see,” a railroad official said, “He’s a good engineer to be a-laying dead.”
Headaches and heartaches and all kind of pain; all a part of a railroad train.
The sweat and the toil the good and the ground, part of a life of a railroad man.
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