Going very slowly...lots of trains, little time

[Mookie]

Mookie's Monday Musings are going to be in bits and pieces. I don't want my questions to get lost in all the wars and wheat from the weekend!

We had an alcohol spill here on Friday in our hump, reclassification yard. I know no details and no one is talking, other than they closed down the west 1/4 of Lincoln for most of Friday. There is a by-pass bridge over the spill and they closed that until the mop up could be done.

So many questions! A tank car was sent down the wrong rails, and was punctured and leaked alcohol all over the ground. I thought closing the entire bridge structure for about 8 hours was a little overkill, but nevertheless, what could have been involved in puncturing a hole in a tank car? I can't come up with anything that would stick out like that and the news media isn't talking.

So anyone have a plausible scenario. We may never know what really happened, but best case scenario would be appreciated. I know we don't want alcohol in our ground water, hence the massive cleanup. And does this mean a permanent furlough for someone?

[Mookie]

And the tee-hee of this all - the television coverage talked about a tank car, hauling alcohol and the whole time, they showed a full-loaded coal train! Never once did they show a tank car... At least they got the BNSF which was right - usually, they show a still of NS....

[Modelcar]

....Along those lines Jen....our news outlets over the weekend expounding on something of two freight trains in the news were showing a picture of an Amtrak engine.
On your account of saying the news media not saying anything...Perhaps better they just left it alone...Hard to say what they might have said for a tank car being punctured.

[richardy]

I am in the media and most of the time they try to get it right. They are also news hungry, if the news did not report then the officials that knew the story were not talking, I'm sure the news media tried very hard to get a bite.

The pictures and graphics used during the news cast are not chosen by the news department. The broadcast producer and production staff choose these items, I work with these people and to them a train is a train. I do my best to help them but they don't like listening to an engineer.

Another station in town always uses a graphic of a UP locomotive no matter what the story is and this is a BNSF city. The same station once covered a story about a tractor-trailer wreck on the highway, the graphic used behind the newscaster was of a big green John Deere tractor!

Richard

[CShaveRR]

Jen, on that tiny hump you have there (not meant in a derogatory sense), I'm surprised that speeds could get high enough to produce a tank-car-puncturing impact. If the incident happened in the vicinity of the hump itself, the most likely scenario would be a car derailing at a switch and a following car hitting it somewhere along the side. I wouldn't be too quick to fire somebody over that, as it sounds like either a car failure or a switch failure (I'm assuming that the switch has protection devices that prevent it from being thrown under a car).

At our hump, we're required to stop after a tank car containing hazardous materials is cut off, giving the car time to clear the lead before the next one is cut loose. That would make a derailment such as this (the scenario I described, mind you, not necessarily what happened in Lincoln) much less likely.

[mvlandsw]

There are numerous ways to puncture a tank car. A sideswipe at a switch, a by-passed coupler, tank failure from a hard coupling or derailment, valve leakage, etc.

[CShaveRR]

Tank cars used for transportation of hazardous commodities have reinforced head shields to prevent puncture of the ends by bypassed couplers. Given Mookie's report, a valve failure is unlikely unless it was caused by the derailment. And methanol in large quantities is a fairly recent development; the cars used in methanol service are, for the most part, less than 20 years old, and unlikely to suffer from structural fatigue.

Unfortunatly, for those of us with the morbid curiosity, we probably won't be privy to much more info about this derailment from any competent sources, since we really don't "need to know".

[JoeKoh]

Mookie
maybe the officials didnt talk to the media because it would create some to panic.
just a thought
stay safe
Joe

[Mookie]

Points to ponder - Our local paper usually does pretty good on reporting. Our local TV station is too busy doing Mr. Food to get much else reported on. But sometimes they do surprise even cynical me! I read a lot of Lincoln news in the.......dah dah - Omaha World Herald.

We just had an experience on that same bridge overpass in about the same place this last summer - closed for hours - thought a truck had dynamite on it and it jackknifed. It didn't and it wasn't a hazard, just a traffic stopper, but this particular place is a necessary traffic way, since we have grown to the west so rapidly. Actually, we are busting out in all directions. But this time was really an inconvenience of major proportions and to close it for so very long. But I am sure it is rather safe than sorry and I figure we can be inconvenienced - I think. The "incident" was in the yard, not on the overpass - way overhead.....I am still thinking.......

And - the only thing said on the news was "someone" put the tank car down the wrong track and it was punctured. Leaves room for lots of speculation and a new topic for the forum!

[edblysard]

Three things come to mind...
Sideswipe/cornering, car hangs up on the switch or derails there, and the next one rear ends it at a angle...

or it was humped against a shifted load, as in pipe or construction I beams that had shifted, and were sticking out over the end of the car, and banged a hole in the tank.....

or the next car into the track behind the tank was a shiftable load, (see above) and it slid forward and poked a hole in the tank...

( I have left a few little, itty bitty round marks on a tank car or two that way)

Ed[:D]

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by JoeKoh

Mookie
maybe the officials didnt talk to the media because it would create some to panic.
just a thought
stay safe
Joe

Well, since we have no football team anymore - a little panic would be at least exciting!

[jeaton]

Hmmm... Alcohol! We wouldn't want Chevrolet Flambeau or Fords Jubilee now, would we?

Jay[:D][:D]

[tree68]

From the ERG:
Methanol (UN 1230) and toxic alcohols (UN 1986) are guide 131.
Alcohol (not otherwise specified) (UN 1987) is guide 127.

In general, you'll find a downwind evacuation/shelter in place ranging from 1000' to 3000'. As any amateur chemists can tell you, alcohol will burn...

[ericsp]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie

We had an alcohol spill here on Friday in our hump, reclassification yard. I know no details and no one is talking.

I always thought alcohol loosened lips.

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jeaton

Hmmm... Alcohol! We wouldn't want Chevrolet Flambeau or Fords Jubilee now, would we?

Jay[:D][:D]

Ah - Mookie asleep on that one! Of course! Thanx Jay! Brilliant!

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tree68

From the ERG:
Methanol (UN 1230) and toxic alcohols (UN 1986) are guide 131.
Alcohol (not otherwise specified) (UN 1987) is guide 127.

In general, you'll find a downwind evacuation/shelter in place ranging from 1000' to 3000'. As any amateur chemists can tell you, alcohol will burn...

[#wstupid] Mookie is incredibly humbled...She should know better, but didn't do well in her chemisty class - in fact - transferred out. But as a mother, she should know this! She knew about it making your lips loose................

[Mookie]

Mookie has been exonerated!!!!! Driver sez the bridge (40 feet over the tracks) and the surrounding area was closed to keep the people of Lincoln from running out to the alcohol spill with straws! See why I like him?