Union Pacific Incident at Iris, CA today

[Anonymous]

Anyone hear about a UP derailment or collision at Iris, CA today?

Iris is on the Sunset Route, just east of Salton Sea (approx 40 miles S. of Palm Springs).

Short bit that I heard was it was a 2 train collision w/ at least five people involved. [:(]

[jeaton]

Early news report at http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20041210-1207-ca-freighttraincollision.html

It was a head-collision, westbound Chicago-LA, eastbound LA Dallas. One serious injury, others minor.

Jay

[Anonymous]

Thanks Jeaton - fortunately no fatalities. The rest Hulcher can clean up.

The Sunset Route is going to be snarled and congested for a week now following this wreck. They've got 45-50 trains a day packed onto that line ... maxed out.

[oskar]

well now there is going to be alot of traffic on BNSF




kevin
Lynx 0 Pride 3

[CSXrules4eva]

This is a shame really. At least no one was hurt in the collision. I wonder what power was heading up these trains??// This is a really interesting mix up too. Just a few months ago CSX had a head on collision somewere close to Chciago.

[Anonymous]

Post on trainorders says 1 killed (conductor) in the head on.

[Anonymous]

i would not worry what power was involved, lets just hope noone was seriously hurt.

[Anonymous]

Will BNSF make any extra money for the traffic being shifted on it?

[ChuckCobleigh]

From the Imperial Valley Press Sunday edition, the report is one 44-year-old crewman fatally injured in this collision, two others treated and released at Pioneers Memorial in Brawley, one flown from PMH to San Diego and no details on the fifth crew member. The local report was dense fog in the morning, which a lot of low-lying California areas had this morning. The collision was near the Iris passing track, which is five or six miles east of Niland, where there are two long passing tracks north of the wye for the line down to Calexico.

According the the IV Press, the main had been cleared and repaired by Saturday morning (about 400 feet of track) with the rest of the mess expected to be cleaned up in about ten days.

BTW, the UP dumped 21 cars with a hazmat response required in September at Calipatria, which is the next town south of Niland on the line to Calexico. That was a collision also.

[richardy]

Was the section where the collision occurred under CTC?

[ericsp]

QUOTE: Originally posted by richardy

Was the section where the collision occurred under CTC?

It was in 1989, so it probably still is.

[espeefoamer]

Friday's Union Tribune claims the most serious injury was a broken leg. The Sunday IV Press claims one fatality.Which one is correct?I'm hoping the San Diego paper got it right.

[dehusman]

One fatality.