UP derailment in Missouri

[Anonymous]

I live near Pacific, where it happened, and if anyone would like information about it, ask me a question.

[Anonymous]

What derailment? Haven't heard a thing.

[Anonymous]

An Eastbound UP loaded coal train was stopped at a red signal just East of Pacific. When another coal train slammed into it from behind. Before word could get out, a westbound emty coal train plowed into the wreckage on the other track. 6 engines and 76 cars derailed and the double tracked, 38 trains a day, including Amtrak, mainline was blocked under a heaping pile of coal and diesel feul. The engines were 2 SD 90 Macs, both totaled, 1 AC 6000, and 3 AC 4400s - one totaled. The lead unit on the first colliding coal train was an SD 90 Mac. It looks like it was put in a shreader. It's in about 5 dozen pieces with half the body sitting on the feul tank, and the traction motors and everything else in lying in a ditch in front of it. If possible try to get to see it. Once in a lifetime experience.

[Anonymous]

UP was running several southbound trains on the usually northbound UP main thru Hoxie Ark. on Saturday. I am sure they were detours.

[Anonymous]

Brian
Do you have any pictures you could send me? I would really like to see the locomotive carnage. News of the wreck came, but not much information. My email is [e-mail]
Thanks
Don L.

[BRAKIE]

I do hope no one was hurt or worst! At least I pry no one was hurt.

[Anonymous]

Brian,
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO HAVE SOME PICTURES TOO:
MY E-MAIL ADDRESS IS [e-mail]
THANKS RUSSELL

[Anonymous]

i looked at all the news sites and could only find it mentioned once. it stated that 2 were seriously injured and taken to the hospital, 4 more were treated at the scene. i would love some pictures. my email is: [e-mail]

[Anonymous]

If you guys want to know about crew, here is the lowdown. Conductor was pulled out, injuries not to severe. Engineer was trapped in cab for some time and had to be cut out. As previously stated, not much public news was available about this incident. Pictures would say alot as to extent of damage. I hear the UP 90mac in the rear DP position on the coal train that was rear ended will be scapped. The lead unit and trailing unit (GE and another 90mac) are heavily damaged. GE will see scapper. Don't know about other 90mac. Off to Jenks maybe??

[Anonymous]

Brian i deleted some e mail by mistake dont know if you sent pictures please resend.Hoyle sd90mac@
aol.com

[Anonymous]

I'll try to get pictures to all of you. It may take a week or two. I haven't sent any pictures yet. The three totaled locomotives were the two on the point of the first colliding train and the first on the point of the second colliding train.
There was no DP unit on the parked train. If you have any other questions, e mail me at:

[e-mail]

[Anonymous]

I hope Union Pacific had insurance on all these new locomotives...A lot of money lost

[Anonymous]

At least 10 million lost just in engine damage/destrudtion. add the 76 coal cars involved and it will be a pretty big number. Up has had a lot of derailments on the Jefferson City Sub, most of them big. One outside of St. Louis spilled coal into people's front yards, and nocked down a signal bridge as well as ground signals and a crossing. Another at Labadie, ten miles west from Pacific, which was carrying a special load behind the engine with a long freight behind it, derailed spilling mail, pepsi, dog food, automotive parts, and Campbell's Soup, as well as the special load.This one was in the middle of nowhere on a high fill above a creek valley. The car carying the special load derailed and drug for 3 miles until it caught on the switch off to UP's 11 largest customer destroying it, two more switches, and taking 5 signals with it. Last year, a broken rail at the same spot, derailed a coal train going onto the busy spur, and spilled coal off a high bridge, covering a road and filling the creek. Amazingly, no one was killed in any one of these accidents.

[Anonymous]

Here is what happened:
5:48 AM- The crew falls asleep before entering the town of Pacific, Missouri, with a loaded coal train.
5:49 AM- The train runs the red block and enters the town without whistling at the 4 crossings.
5:50 AM- It slams into the other loaded coal train at 44 miles per hour. The engine event recorder showed no signs of braking attempts before the impact. The stopped train was waiting at a double red signal at Dozier crossover, just east of Pacific.
5:51 AM- A westbound empty coal train on the other track collides into the wreckage close to 50 MPH, after appliing the emergency brake.
5:52 AM- Twisted aluminum, steel, coal, diesel feul, and engine shreads lay in a silent heap, blocking route 66, both mainlines, and a silica mine. The neighboring BNSF Cuba Sub had coal mixed in with its ballast, but nothing to slow a train for.
6:00 AM- the local news. Emergency vehicles arrive, as does the press.

The mainline was opened the next day after 3 engines were totally destroyed and 3 others damaged. with 76 mixed coal cars in twisted heaps being torched up and hauled away in simi trucks.
Yeah, I got pictures.

[Anonymous]

Wait, it turns out that only the conductor was asleep. the female engineer was KNITTING!!! Needless to say, both are now unemployed

[Anonymous]

We have a mainline similiar to that by me in Pennsylvania I'll have to ask my Uncle from MO if he was near it, so how is the crew and do they know why the train plowed into the back of the stopped one?

[Anonymous]

Well I personally think your full of it, I got an Aunt and Uncle that live there and they didn't hear a thing about it and they got a friend there that works for BNSF and he did not say a thing. And that was pretty late in the evening no way they coulda got a mess that big cleaned up. If you show me pictures I will believe you but till then, no, sorry!

CSXRailFan

[Anonymous]

You can't possibly be serious! this was major! I was talking about Pacific, Missouri. it's kind of funny that they live there and never heard obout it. And a BNSF worker said what? C'mon! The BNSF knows about it because a little bit of coal spilled onto their passing siding near the crash, which now has a crossover being built betwen it and the UP's track. How did they not hear the bang that early in the morning, like the other people in town? With all the lights they put around it at night, it was nearly impossible not to nitice it. Not to mention the closing of Highway 66 and the torching of several coal cars, which continued for weeks after. I even found it hard to believe that the engineer was knitting, but when I found out it was true, I could hardly believe it myself! You don't have to believe me, but, the next time you go to visit your Aunt and Uncle, see for yourself.

[Anonymous]

Well as a just retired UP switchman I guarantee you it was one heck of a wreck. 7 million dollars and counting.

[Anonymous]

Just looking at the damage, I would have to estimate about 11 to 12 million dollars when it's all done. Most of the excitment is gone now, however, last I saw, Sunday, the engines were still there.

[Anonymous]

Well for one reason I don't believe you I have e-mailed you for pictures and you never replied to any of them with not even a text reply!

CSXRailFan

[Anonymous]

By the way I said BNSF did not tell my Aunt and Uncle about it and what I meant by that is that guy lets my Uncle know all the news about trains and he knows just more than BNSF even though he only works for them.

CSXRailFan

[Anonymous]

Also buddy PM is in the evening not the morning! ( you said morning ) Thanks a lot for gettin me made like a fool because I told all my friends this happened. No way ever a wreck this large could have been cleaned up by the next day! Also we always here about derailments here in Pennsylvania even if they are all the way over in California! I want some pictures buddy!

CSXRailFan

[Anonymous]

Oh, sorry! Where did you get the idea that it took just one day to clean up? How long have you been watching trains? Even after the retired worker confirmed the derailment and every detail in the description. Admit it!

[Anonymous]

Never got any E-mail either.

[Anonymous]

I DID

[Anonymous]

Brian
did you see what the did with the locomotive carnage? Were any units cut up on site??

[Anonymous]

Sorry I owe you an apology this did happen but I did not realize this post was from last year, my uncle found it in the St. Louis news archives.

CSXRailFan

[Anonymous]

One thing, why wasn't this news on trains.com?

[Anonymous]

Trains.com news wire — Thursday December 13, 2001

Above is the header I copied from the newswire archives. It was listed in the Newswire of Trains.com on December 13th... It was quite a wreck. I live in St. Louis and it was all over the news and in the Post Dispatch the next day.