High winds are not as much a problem in the east coast, but in the west, stopping stack trains for high winds is a common occurance. They regularly stop trains due to high straight line winds.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
High winds. I'll say it now, before the official report. Only because: A Couple years back a NS stack train got blown over/off the rails near the NY/PA state line into a farmers field. Started out that day with a snow storm, and the train was derailed later during a wind gust that was estimated to be about 60mph IIRC. Destroyed some grapes, and several shipping containers, and the NS old NKP main line was torn up, but no injuries. Well cars were re-railed or loaded onto flats and left via train. Lots of other storm related damages that day, But that was the one that caught my attention. But, point is, winds can and do derail stack trains. And it doesn't need to be a actual tornado, just a big gust of regular old wind, if it Hits it just right, or really, just wrong.....
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
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I suspect it was a combination of high winds pushing on the train just as it hit a soft spot in the track caused by water. I'd guess their weather in IL is like ours has been here in Minnesota - it's been raining (and/or snowing!) pretty much continually since last Thursday. A nearby pond is overflowing it's banks, and there's a lot of standing water - too much rain too fast to soak into the soil or drain off.
I'm familiar with two other wind related casualties. I'm pretty sure I saw where some double stacks on NS train 21T were blown into the Susquehanna River off the Rockville Bridge back in 2010.
http://www.gordon-elias.com/blog/2045/norfolk-southern-train-derails-in-harrisburg-pa/
and another incident where some Triple Crown cars were blown into Sandusky Bay in Ohio.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1HhIu0po3w
Lightweight cars equate to fuel savings... but at a price.
Take care, Ed
Straight-line winds approximately perpendicular to the rails can definitely dump cars on their sides. IIRC, a stack train was blown off a bridge in Western Canada some years ago. More recently, a DMU train was rolled over in Japan (fortunately, onto dry land. It had just crossed a bridge over a river and some wetlands.) There were injuries, but at least no one drowned.
The broad side of a loaded five well stack car is more sail area than most commercial windjammers ever spread. Ten wells and you've gone beyond all but a few of the really big tall ships (which routinely sailed at 20 knots with a fair breeze.)
Many years ago I saw a string of box cars that had taken tornado damage. They looked as if someone had played Kick-a da can with some 1930s era Lionel tinplate. They hadn't been moving, just stored on an otherwise unused siding in the boondocks.
Chuck (Native Noo Yawka modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Brent,
YAH!
Frank
zstripeOne of My Son's who is a ATM
Frank! your sons a Bank Machine? No wonder you're loaded.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
I's still all speculation, but it is believed that there were TOFC loaded flat cars, that the gusting high winds caused it. That was a loaded train, no empty's, lot of UPS, NOT AT LIBERTY to say anymore. Except maybe to say 70 mph,speed, coupled with heavy side winds. You can't see the trailers in the video. The force was so great, it moved the mainline next to it over.
angelob6660 I real railroader cries when seeing destroyed locomotives and freight cars
I real railroader cries when seeing destroyed locomotives and freight cars
The locomotives appear to be perfectly fine, they seem to still be on the rails. It was only the well cars that derailed. I think that the cars sitting in ditch didn't get damaged that much. The only equipment that was destroyed appears to be the containers.
Watching these videos makes sad looking at derailed/destroyed equipment. Looking the scene it was probably a tornado that caused it.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
I would spectulate that high winds pushed the double stacks (probaby empty) over and then the momentum caused them to pile up and the rest derailed. I suspect that locomotives where heavy enough to stay on the rails and not be pulled off like the empty well cars.
The Title says it all. Happened yesterday, Laura Il.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZAXvxMVFnc
One of My Son's who is a ATM at the UP Intermodal yard in Joilet IL. Says it's causing problem's with His yard, getting trains in and out.
Edit:
Quote:
Published on Apr 28, 2014
BNSF Railway westbound intermodal Z-WSPALT (Willow Springs, IL to Alliance, TX) was derailed just west of Laura, Illinois by possible straight-line winds (or even a tornado) from a severe thunderstorm about 4:45pm on April 28, 2014. Laura is located in the northwest corner of Peoria County on Rt. 78. Lead locomotive was C44-9W 5291.