Another Derailment Outside Detroit

[jimm44]

https://www.foxnews.com/us/train-derails-outside-detroit-michigan-one-car-hazardous-materials

[Overmod]

This story is valuable and instructive in a number of respects.

The actual incident is, I think, typical of most of the "1000 to 1250" derailments per year in that it was almost incidental in terms of actual dangerous result.  But note the continued drumbeat of references to East Palestine in the story, including the gratuitous reference to congresspeople going to East Palestine for what I expect to be some sort of media opportunity.

There needs to be some differentiation between 'derailment' and 'catastrophic derailment'... which is complicated if many derailments 'could' become severe if the circumstances were only slightly different.  Note how quickly the 'Blast Zone' epidemic of oil-train fires stopped -- in the news -- once the feedstock started to be properly degassed before shipment.  You can't degas ethyl chloride.

[BaltACD]

The technology of all products both consumer and industrial in the 21st Century increasingly use a multitude of the HAZMAT commodities in their manufacture.  HAZMAT has to move between where it is manufactured and where it is used.  

[jeffhergert]

It's kind of confusing.  It says the train had a car of hazmat.  They make it sound like it was one ot the derailed cars, but then say it was upright and being moved away from the scene.  That to me says it wasn't actually derailed.  The cars pictured are coil steel cars and covered hoppers.  Covered hoppers can carry some kinds of hazmat, but I don't think those pictured were.

I know the big derailment in Ohio is now making the rounds on the conservative leaning media.  It seems to me there is a lot of politically motivated and slanted coverage.  Mainly to criticize the current Secretary of Transportation and Biden Administration.

While I'm no fan of either of them myself, I see a lot of political grandstanding posturing by some.*  Some of those criticizing the response of some agencies are the very same who would like to see those angencies reined in or outright eliminated.

Jeff

*I'm getting tired of hearing that Mayor Pete isn't qualified to be SecDOT.  While I find him an embarrassment on some of his positions on some items, he's qualifies as much as anyone else who would've gotten the job.  Cabinet level secretaries very rarely know much about the operations that the departments govern.  At best they were lawyers with experiences dealing with laws and regulations but not about the daily ins and outs of entities so governed.  They are political appointees who receive their position because the sitting President wants to pay back support they received, to get support from the area the appointee is from, or to keep the appointee from becoming a potential rival.

For example, the Secretary of Agriculture is Tom Vilsack.  His "qualification?"  He was a former Governor of Iowa, a farm state.  Being a lawyer, he may know a bit more, and can understand far more about laws and regulations for farmers.  But as far as actual day to day operations of farming, he probably doesn't know anymore than I do.

[tree68]

jeffhergert

Some of those criticizing the response of some agencies are the very same who would like to see those angencies reined in or outright eliminated.

Whichever gets them votes...  I'll be quiet on that now.

[BaltACD]

tree68

 

jeffhergert

Some of those criticizing the response of some agencies are the very same who would like to see those angencies reined in or outright eliminated. 

Whichever gets them votes...  I'll be quiet on that now.

When I was involved with Chessie/CSX computers - a lot of those I worked with thought 'backup' was wasted time and effort - right up to the time that for whatever the reason the system crashed and the last back up was the only place to start getting back to real time.