IC&E derailment pics near guttenburg, IA

[CPRguy]

Here is what happens when a boulder the size of two minivans lets loose and rolls down a cliff above the track along the Mississippi. The crew on the train are VERY lucky to be alive.
 
The engines went down a 25' high embankment and the lead unit was over 100' into the river. Also lucky was it was back water and not the main channel.

Don't know who the guy is in the pic.  I zoomed in on his shirt and it said Iowa DNR.

Enjoy!
 
 

[Modelcar]

....More good photos of a nasty happening.  Looks like a wrecking crew have their work cut out to get that power and rolling stock out of the river and back up to the ROW.....Appears the crew was really lucky to survive that hit....!

[Murphy Siding]

     I once knew a guy who had a rustic cabin somewhere along the river in Iowa.  He went there one weekend to find it had been flattened by a boulder.  I can't imagine one hitting a train.

[blhanel]

From what I understand, the boulder didn't actually hit the train (or vice-versa for that matter).  It came crashing down a couple of hours before the southbound IC&E showed up, ripping the track apart.

[Awesome!]

What type of locomotive?

[edblysard]

Looks like it was a SD40-2....

[Boyd]

That boulder might weigh as much as a locomotive.

[Los Angeles Rams Guy]

Wow, some really nice pix there; only 20-some odd miles from my hometown of Edgewood.  "My mainline" has endured a couple of nasty incidents in virtually the same area in the span of just a few months.   

[caldreamer]

That crew should send a thank you letter to EMD.  Do not see any damage to the engines.  They sure build them tough.

[CGW]

Does anysome know the status of this line?  Is it up and running again?  It is good to know the crew made it out OK.  They must have went for one hell of a ride.

Jeff

[CShaveRR]

You had four units in (or close to) the drink there; I believe they were all SD40-2s.

Brian, I can accept the fact that the rock landed there first, but how do they know how long before?  If somebody knew it was there and didn't warn the railroad, I'd be a little upset.

This is dark territory, I take it.

[Los Angeles Rams Guy]

Yes, it's dark territory between Samoa (Sabula) and River Jct. (La Crescent).  The bad thing about the location is that it's in somewhat of a secluded area and it's simply very possible that nothing could have been done to prevent it. 

[trainfan1221]

I am glad the crew wasn't seriously hurt.   We can file this one under the thread on what it takes to derail a train from a while back.

[joegreen]

I was told the units were ICE 6417, DME 6053, DME 6077, DME 6079. That would be 3 SD40-3s and a SD40-2.

[spokyone]

July 17th, 2008  --  Crews pull the last of four locomotives from the Mississippi near Guttenberg, Iowa.
They plunged into the river July 9th after a landslide tore up a section of track and caused a derailment.
The engines leaked oil and fuel into the river.
An environmental team continues to help with the cleanup.

 

[WCfan]

I was told the units were ICE 6417, DME 6053, DME 6077, DME 6079. That would be 3 SD40-3s and a SD40-2.

Oh man not 6417. That was a snoot nose ICE SD40-2, I liked that one.

[coborn35]

Yikes! My friend just got hired by the IC&E out of Mason City. Hope no boulders get him!

[blhanel]

Brian, I can accept the fact that the rock landed there first, but how do they know how long before?  If somebody knew it was there and didn't warn the railroad, I'd be a little upset.

The local media interviewed a few folks who were camping on the bluff above that location- they heard the rock fall, and then the noise of the train derailing, but did not know what had actually happened until they were told about it the next morning (one of those "what the heck was that" moments on a stormy night).

[Murphy Siding]

From what I understand, the boulder didn't actually hit the train (or vice-versa for that matter).  It came crashing down a couple of hours before the southbound IC&E showed up, ripping the track apart.

Either one would make the train crew say OH.......dear!!!

     How does the information that a train has derailed get relayed to the dispatcher?

[Chris30]

I have a feeling that the crew said a little bit more than "oh" and "dear". Glad to see the crew made it through ok. Once the crew noticed a problem ahead they probably put the train into an emergency stop and then the engineer radioed the dispatcher screaming over the brakes with the engine number in EMERGENCY at MP whatever with a quick description of the issue. I don't know if they hit the floor or not.

CC

[blhanel]

IIRC from the news accounts, one of the crew members was able to walk out and get help, and the other one was stuck on top of one of the partially submerged engines until that help arrived a few hours later.  His most serious health issue was hypothermia.  The location of the derailment may have prevented a good radio link with the dispatcher.  BTW, the engines may look OK physically, but one e-mail I've been privy to describes them as a total loss.

[xtcnxs]

Local news continued to report on the enviromental affect of the derailment.  They reported diesel fuel and "transmission oil" leaking into the Mississippi River.  As an old
CGW Electrician, I never realized a diesel-electric locomotive had a TRANSMISSION.

 

 

[corwinda]

Not surprising considering they ended up in the river.

[sr4501]

Ouch

[ex ICE engineer]

as the engineer of this big mess I can assure you that nobody knew the boulder was there, a northbound train passed that spot so it came down after him.we had a rolling meet with him and continued south up to where the boulder mud slide was in a curve we had a 4 second view prior to impact 

i dumped the air and dumped the EOT hit the floor and braced for impact no time for a radio transmission 13,000 tons at 25 mph we were lucky it was july and not december and we ended up in the river not piled up into the bluff 

hope this sheds light on a very disastrous event