UP coal train derailment in West Allis, WI

[Ajsik]

With the blockage, what is the status of the traffic that the Milwaukee sub would normally be seeing?  Are they using any other paths to divert or are trains waiting somewhere upstream?

[CMStPnP]

Ajsik

With the blockage, what is the status of the traffic that the Milwaukee sub would normally be seeing?  Are they using any other paths to divert or are trains waiting somewhere upstream?

If I am not mistaken that is part of their belt line around the city core.    So if it is blocked they will have issues getting to Butler yard.   They might be able to get to the Twin Cities mainline over CP rail to WSOR via North Milwaukee as well as the Sheboygan line but not 100% sure on the latter.

They used to have an old passenger train switch connecting the very Northern Part of their Chicago lines just South of the Amtrak depot (which used to be joint Milwaukee Road / C&NW depot) around where CP Rail used to branch off to Jones Island.   I thought they took that out of service but I am not sure on that either.

UP and CP Rail again connect at that huge Power Plant South of Milwaukee they have a huge coal train loop track that connects both mainlines.   Not sure if they can use it for detours though.

[zardoz]

CMStPnP

 

 

Ajsik

With the blockage, what is the status of the traffic that the Milwaukee sub would normally be seeing?  Are they using any other paths to divert or are trains waiting somewhere upstream?

 

 

 

If I am not mistaken that is part of their belt line around the city core.    So if it is blocked they will have issues getting to Butler yard.   They might be able to get to the Twin Cities mainline over CP rail to WSOR via North Milwaukee as well as the Sheboygan line but not 100% sure on the latter.

They used to have an old passenger train switch connecting the very Northern Part of their Chicago lines just South of the Amtrak depot (which used to be joint Milwaukee Road / C&NW depot) around where CP Rail used to branch off to Jones Island.   I thought they took that out of service but I am not sure on that either.

UP and CP Rail again connect at that huge Power Plant South of Milwaukee they have a huge coal train loop track that connects both mainlines.   Not sure if they can use it for detours though.

 

Pretty quiet along the Milwaukee sub (at least thru Kenosha/Pleasant Prairie). 

The passenger switch refered to was removed a few years ago.

The power plant connect refered to is the Pleasant Prairie plant. And there is a huge loop track which can hold an entire train; however the tracks leading into the facility both have facing-point (for northbounds) switches. The only way for that to work would be if the UP trains headed into the power plant in order to run thru the facility (not likely to be approved by WE Energies), then out to the CP main at WEPCO, where the crew would have to run around their train (not really doable due to traffic frequency on the CP).

It was quite warm the day of the derailment (90+). 

Part of the train was still around Belton (you could see the switch in the news video). It is a very sharp curve with a permanent 30mph speed limit.

Belton is (was) a junction that split between heading north to Butler, or west to Waukesha (now) and beyond to Madison (many moons ago). 

Some photos on the WITI-TV channel 6 web page.

http://fox6now.com/2017/07/06/officials-on-scene-of-massive-train-derailment-in-west-allis/

 

[CMStPnP]

zardoz

The passenger switch refered to was removed a few years ago.

OK, well if that is gone there is no way the UP can reach CP tracks that I am aware of.    Back when the Amtrak Depot was a joint Milwaukee Road / C&NW facility and they had removed the former C&NW lake depot trackage, the C&NW Passenger trains used that old switch to reach the depot then would head take the Milwaukee Road line into Ozaukee County to connect with their Twin Cities mainline as well as the airline to Fond Du Lac (now gone).    I have an old map that shows the old passenger connection still in place between WSOR (ex-Milw North Line to Green Bay) and UP (ex-C&NW) but it could have been removed as well.

Very sad they let the former C&NW Airline get ripped up, that was the fastest and most direct route to the Fox River Valley from Milwaukee.

I am still curious what the status is of the line from Brookfield, WI to the Junction with CN North of Waukesha.    Rails are still in place under all that grass.   It was officially at one point rail banked but not sure if it still is.    Would also be nice if that line was brought back to life again and Brookfield become an interchange  point again.    Long time ago when WSOR was financially weak and just starting WSOR wanted to reactivate the line but some of the Brookfield residents filed a class action lawsuit to stop it.     What I find interesting is the rails and steel bridges are still in place and you would have thought if it was trully abandoned someone would have removed those.    That Brookfield line was the original Milwaukee Road to the Mississippi at Prarie Du Chien.

[Ajsik]

Thanks for the clarifications...I'll have to use Google Earth to zoom in more closely on Pleasant Prairie and check out the track configuration there. 

There's one other aspect to the derailment that I've been wondering about. On Thursday evening, I was bicycling and happened to cross over the Adams sub on Pilgrim Road at about 6:20 as a loaded westbound coal train passed underneath.

Even though I hadn't yet heard about the derailment, I thought that the train seemed shorter than I usually would see on the Adams, and I thought it was odd that there was no Pusher on the end. As far as I know, the only coal trains that pass through there are headed for Wausau, so this sure sounds like the derailment train, except that it seems highly unlikely to me that it would be on its way, through the Butler Yard, and cleared onto the Adams an hour or so (depending upon which report you believe regarding the derailment time) after the incident.

Any theories on what I saw? Unfortunately, I didn't make note of the reporting marks on the hoppers, but I don't think I've seen anything other than WESX (Weston) on the Adams.

Thanks.

[Ajsik]

It looks like traffic started moving again some time on Saturday or early Sunday - at least on one track.

[zardoz]

Ajsik

There's one other aspect to the derailment that I've been wondering about. On Thursday evening, I was bicycling and happened to cross over the Adams sub on Pilgrim Road at about 6:20 as a loaded westbound coal train passed underneath.

Even though I hadn't yet heard about the derailment, I thought that the train seemed shorter than I usually would see on the Adams, and I thought it was odd that there was no Pusher on the end. As far as I know, the only coal trains that pass through there are headed for Wausau, so this sure sounds like the derailment train, except that it seems highly unlikely to me that it would be on its way, through the Butler Yard, and cleared onto the Adams an hour or so (depending upon which report you believe regarding the derailment time) after the incident.

Any theories on what I saw? Unfortunately, I didn't make note of the reporting marks on the hoppers, but I don't think I've seen anything other than WESX (Weston) on the Adams.

Thanks.

 

The derailment happened around 6pm Thursday evening. The train was 146 cars long, and some reports indicate a mid-train helper, other reports sound like rear helper. What you describe does indeed sound like what passed you was the head end of the train, although, again, reports seem to indicate that the derailment happened towards the front of the train. It seems unlikely that the UP could get its act together THAT quickly. In addition, the only coal trains on the UP thru Butler that I am aware of are destined for Sheboygan.

[Ajsik]

The derailed train had a helper at the rear...it was visible on the tracks west of 92nd Street through Saturday. I frequently see loaded coal trains with WESX reporting marks heading west on the Adams, and I'm almost certain that these are heading to the Wausau (Weston) plant. The Sheboygan cars are typically marked EDGX.(Edgewater).

[CShaveRR]

That should be WPSX reporting marks (formerly Wisconsin Public Service).  Yes, they'd have to go through there...I see the cars on "my" line, and they hang a left at Proviso and head north.  Not many places to get off UP before Butler!

Those WPSX trains have quite an assortment of cars, both gons and hoppers, and at least four different colors of rotary-coupler ends.  But one thing you can count on is a car somewhere in the train with two rotary-coupler ends, to keep everything dumpable with power attached (the rotary-coupler end has to be next to the power, and with power on both ends, arrangements need to be made.  (The EDGX trains may have power on both ends, but they must cut off one set, since they employ no double-rotary cars.) 

[Ajsik]

Carl,

Thanks for the interesting and educational post. I'm going to make a point of looking for the different couplers next time I get the chance.

You're correct about the reporting marks (shows what happens when I leave things to my memory).  It looks like my WESX is completely unrelated to coal...I could've sworn there was a tie in to Weston, the name of the plant near Wausau. The other mark we see up this way is WEPX (Wisconsin Electric Power), though I believe that they only make it as far as Oak Creek.

Andy

[mikeyuhas]

CShaveRR

  (The EDGX trains may have power on both ends, but they must cut off one set, since they employ no double-rotary cars.) 

Carl, Sheboygan trains generally do have power at both ends, but because of a lack of loop track at Edgewater, all trains are broken up (into 7 pieces, maybe?), and the power is tied up at the yard office while the cuts of cars are unloaded. So double-rotary isn't necessary.

In fact, prior to this I never even knew there was such a thing :-)