Trains.com

Derailment in Fairmont MN

5155 views
20 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    September 2011
  • 6,449 posts
Posted by MidlandMike on Tuesday, November 2, 2021 8:07 PM

rdamon

 

 
Lithonia Operator

Would this be a front-burner item? It's in the yard at Northern Maine Junction. The PanAm part, I think. I can't believe no crew has seen this. The track is in use. I saw an engine go over it.

 

 

 

 

Of course .. there is a bolt missing Big Smile

 

It looks like the bolt is sitting in the ballast above the rail gap, and the nut is sitting by the right end of the joint bar.  I might guess the rail split off at that bolt hole, and there is no longer anything for the bolt to hold.

  • Member since
    July 2008
  • 2,325 posts
Posted by rdamon on Tuesday, November 2, 2021 10:24 AM

Lithonia Operator

Would this be a front-burner item? It's in the yard at Northern Maine Junction. The PanAm part, I think. I can't believe no crew has seen this. The track is in use. I saw an engine go over it.

 

 

Of course .. there is a bolt missing Big Smile

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Northern New York
  • 25,020 posts
Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, November 2, 2021 5:48 AM

I recall seeing a video of a section of stick rail that was not tied to the ties at all.

The video showed a train passing over it.  It was flopping up and down as the wheels rolled over it, but the tie bars to the adjacent rails were holding it gauge.

Interesting phenomenon...

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date
Come ride the rails with me!
There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: US
  • 25,292 posts
Posted by BaltACD on Monday, November 1, 2021 10:29 PM

Lithonia Operator
Would this be a front-burner item? It's in the yard at Northern Maine Junction. The PanAm part, I think. I can't believe no crew has seen this. The track is in use. I saw an engine go over it.

On a minimally used yard track - despite the gap between rail ends - both ends appear bolted in the angle bars. It is adequate to operate over.  If the track was going to be subjected to a high volume of traffic, it should be properly repaired.

While the video is from WW II and other than US equipment - it illustrates that derailing equipment is not a simple as many people believe.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

  • Member since
    December 2017
  • 2,671 posts
Posted by Lithonia Operator on Monday, November 1, 2021 9:53 PM

Would this be a front-burner item? It's in the yard at Northern Maine Junction. The PanAm part, I think. I can't believe no crew has seen this. The track is in use. I saw an engine go over it.

Still in training.


  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: US
  • 25,292 posts
Posted by BaltACD on Monday, November 1, 2021 12:44 PM

Murphy Siding
 
jeffhergert

It was a UP train.

As of this morning, Carlisle is still not open.  The rumor is that the spot had been reported by a crew a few days previous has being rough.  

Jeff 

I'm curious. If a train crew reports a spot as being rough, what happens then?

On CSX when I was working it was immediately reported to the Roadmaster (official in charge of the specific location) and it was upto the Roadmaster to have one of his Track Inspectors look at the location and issue speed restrictions or other actions to operations as he found necessary from his inspection - the Track Inspector does have the authority to take the track Out of Service pending repairs.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

  • Member since
    May 2005
  • From: S.E. South Dakota
  • 13,569 posts
Posted by Murphy Siding on Monday, November 1, 2021 12:26 PM

jeffhergert

It was a UP train.

As of this morning, Carlisle is still not open.  The rumor is that the spot had been reported by a crew a few days previous has being rough.  

Jeff

 

I'm curious. If a train crew reports a spot as being rough, what happens then?

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Central Iowa
  • 6,901 posts
Posted by jeffhergert on Monday, November 1, 2021 11:33 AM

It was a UP train.

As of this morning, Carlisle is still not open.  The rumor is that the spot had been reported by a crew a few days previous has being rough.  

Jeff

  • Member since
    March 2018
  • 145 posts
Posted by Ed Kyle on Sunday, October 31, 2021 7:10 PM

herdebu

The CP and UP both serve Fairmont MN who went on the ground?

 

Not sure who's train, but I believe this was on Union Pacific track (Fairmont Subdivision) near the fairgrounds on the west side of town.  I'm not certain, but I suspect that CP also has track rights through this stretch of track.  This is ex-C&NW.  At one time, Milwaukee Road also had a parallel track between Fairmount and Welcome, MN, but at some point between 1974 and 1976 this was abandoned between those points and connections were made to the C&NW.
 
Meanwhile, Union Pacific for sure derailed a train in Carlisle, Iowa Friday night (10/30/21).
 
 - Ed Kyle
  • Member since
    December 2001
  • 67 posts
Posted by herdebu on Saturday, October 30, 2021 8:09 PM

The CP and UP both serve Fairmont MN who went on the ground?

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Northern New York
  • 25,020 posts
Posted by tree68 on Friday, October 29, 2021 9:41 AM

Murphy Siding

After the cars start to derail, tthe train starts to visibly slow down. Is that just the dragging cars doing their thing, or would the engineer feel something was wrong and hit the brakes?

Probably a little of both.  

I would opine that the brake line didn't part until the cars started to roll over, so there wouldn't have been an emergency application at that point.

The dragging cars would have caused two things - a physical slowing of the train (threw the anchor out, so to speak), and a rising ammeter in the locomotive, which would have suggested to the engineer that there was something amiss.

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date
Come ride the rails with me!
There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...

  • Member since
    May 2005
  • From: S.E. South Dakota
  • 13,569 posts
Posted by Murphy Siding on Friday, October 29, 2021 7:20 AM

After the cars start to derail, tthe train starts to visibly slow down. Is that just the dragging cars doing their thing, or would the engineer feel something was wrong and hit the brakes?

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Central Iowa
  • 6,901 posts
Posted by jeffhergert on Thursday, October 28, 2021 6:10 PM

Train was pulling out of the ethanol plant there.  When the video first starts, it looks like the cars are derailing at the extreme left of the frame.  It's too bad, but understandable, that he panned to the right.

It looks like there's a switch stand partially hidden by the train and crossing signal box. If it's the switch to the plant, from what little is shown it looks like the cars start derailing around the frog.

Jeff

  • Member since
    May 2005
  • From: S.E. South Dakota
  • 13,569 posts
Posted by Murphy Siding on Thursday, October 28, 2021 3:43 PM

     You know, for the first time ever, I watched that video and said "I know exactly where that crossing is!" So, I got that going for me, which is nice.

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: US
  • 25,292 posts
Posted by BaltACD on Thursday, October 28, 2021 3:30 PM

Train was on the ground before the video even started.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Northern New York
  • 25,020 posts
Posted by tree68 on Thursday, October 28, 2021 2:33 PM

Flintlock76
I wonder if that had something to do with it?

Based on a comment in the story and what I saw in the video, the cars were already on the ground when they got to the crossing.

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date
Come ride the rails with me!
There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...

  • Member since
    July 2008
  • 2,325 posts
Posted by rdamon on Thursday, October 28, 2021 1:53 PM

That looked like one of the grade crossing panels between the rail.

(I did not make the same connection, but I am glad you did!!)

  • Member since
    January 2019
  • From: Henrico, VA
  • 9,728 posts
Posted by Flintlock76 on Thursday, October 28, 2021 1:09 PM

Anyone notice that slab-like whatever-it-was that wound up on the grade crossing?

I wonder if that had something to do with it?

By the way, if I'd have gotten the hell out of there as soon as those cars did those rolls!  

Those cars in the weeds reminded me of something:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqClWdOcWog

 

  • Member since
    July 2008
  • 2,325 posts
Posted by rdamon on Thursday, October 28, 2021 12:04 PM

If they made the crossings like my HO set they would have re-railed!

 

Thinking I would have made a U-Turn and exited the area sooner.

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Northern New York
  • 25,020 posts
Posted by tree68 on Thursday, October 28, 2021 11:56 AM

Shelf couplers at work...

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date
Come ride the rails with me!
There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Mpls/St.Paul
  • 13,892 posts
Derailment in Fairmont MN
Posted by wjstix on Thursday, October 28, 2021 11:47 AM

Interesting video, appears the tank cars (carrying Ethanol) were derailed before getting to the crossing.

BTW Fairmont is where they used to make the 'speeders'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkcH2WP3mf0

Stix

Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

Search the Community

Newsletter Sign-Up

By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy