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Denison Iowa crossing incident 03/10/22.

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Posted by mudchicken on Monday, March 14, 2022 12:30 AM

Paving and the older siding with the old full depth rubber (Omni or similar Redhawk?) crossing would seem to indicate otherwise. Suspect undercutter skipped the crossing and crossing gang did that work. Vertical curves in the approaches  tell a pretty good story as well.(approaches have been historically low)

Drone video from another source would indicate the train struck the trailer in the area of the rear wheels an ramp. The load (blurry red blob) was dumped on the roadway in front of the gates and the trailer spun off to the northeast.

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
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Posted by Murphy Siding on Sunday, March 13, 2022 10:12 PM

tree68

I took a look at Street View - both the S Main St and S 15th St crossing look like they could high-center a lowboy.

Makes me wonder if such an elevation difference is the result of the RR simply dumping more and more ballast and the municipality simply raising the pavement as a result.  Both locations could handle a longer slope on the street, but the RR could also undercut a bit and make the crossings level again.

 

It looks like they could have gone a mile east or a half mile west and caught a street built over the top of the railroad tracks.

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

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Posted by Electroliner 1935 on Sunday, March 13, 2022 9:36 PM

Irresistable Force vs an Immovable Object. Somethings got to give. Glad no one died.

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Posted by Erik_Mag on Saturday, March 12, 2022 8:57 PM

jeffhergert

I heard the low-boy was carrying a 40 ton counter weight for one of the cranes on the railroad bridge project. 

!!!

Not sure if I want to laugh or cry.

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Posted by jeffhergert on Saturday, March 12, 2022 12:19 PM

Number two track opened around 9 or 10pm last night. Number one opened around 2 or 3am this morning.  They started calling trains around 8pm, both those tied down on line and those moving towards the subdivision.  I went to work around 1130pm and heard the dispatcher tell one train they weren't going to move for awhile.  At the time there was a 75 mile single track in effect.

We were delayed more after passing the derailment site.  Two trains with engine problems, another train went into emergency twice because of an air hose coming apart.  The first emergency recovered once the hose had been recoupled.  The second time broke two knuckles and pulled out a drawbar.  A wrong end drawbar.

The crossing is on a slight curve.  There are still containers and one trailer that is upside down.  The drone video on the TV news link is cut off before it shows the derailment of more containers and trailers.

I heard the low-boy was carrying a 40 ton counter weight for one of the cranes on the railroad bridge project. 

Jeff  

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Posted by zugmann on Saturday, March 12, 2022 12:00 PM

--

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any

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Posted by mudchicken on Saturday, March 12, 2022 11:45 AM

Last accidents on the crossing (recorded anyhow, both non fatal) appear to be in 1981

What I don't like is the approach grades on the road and the fact that this is a QZ* crossing. The diagnostics team  missed this on their evaluation.

FRA ought to remove the QZ and not reinstate it until they do it right. Whining about getting it right because it's in a superelevated light curve do no figure into getting the crossing geometry correct.

Question: was this really a lowboy (empty or load?) or just a conventional trailer with the jackstands not raised all the way?

190 991V MP 286.13

(*) giveaway is the chintzy plastic lane dividers in the approaches

(Had to stop and figure out where this was in relation to Cronk's (local institution))Dinner

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
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Posted by tree68 on Saturday, March 12, 2022 9:31 AM

I took a look at Street View - both the S Main St and S 15th St crossing look like they could high-center a lowboy.

Makes me wonder if such an elevation difference is the result of the RR simply dumping more and more ballast and the municipality simply raising the pavement as a result.  Both locations could handle a longer slope on the street, but the RR could also undercut a bit and make the crossings level again.

LarryWhistling
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Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
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There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...

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Posted by blhanel on Saturday, March 12, 2022 8:04 AM

Hey Jeff, has it been reopened yet?  Tried installing and bringing up ATCS for the Boone Sub, but the whole west end is inactive- either no one's hosting receivers out there or UP's converted it over.

EDIT:  Never mind, just read the info for the layout, E Mo Valley to Vail has been converted to ITCM as of Feb.  No longer monitorable... Sigh

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Posted by Overmod on Friday, March 11, 2022 6:17 PM

Check out the lead truck damage on the first unit -- I see only one wheel.  This looks to me as if it could have been much worse.

Be interested to see the onboard-camera video of the accident.

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Denison Iowa crossing incident 03/10/22.
Posted by jeffhergert on Friday, March 11, 2022 5:30 PM

A Z-train hit a low-boy semi trailer at Denison Iowa.  Some reports are that the semi became hi-centered on the crossing.  The engineer and conductor were taken to the local hospital, the engineer for a back injury, the conductor for cuts, etc.  I've heard, but can't confirm, that the engineer was moved to a hospital in Des Moines. 

I assume that the 3rd person reported hurt was the truck driver.  He was lucky that the tractor had cleared the track.  Track speed through there is 70 mph.  There is bridge work going on about 1/2 mile west of the crossing.  Sometimes the Form B foreman has a speed restriction, most of the times trains are allowed their maximum speed. 

It happened around 1pm and took out both mains.  I don't think any track has been reopened as I write this, but shouldn't be too much longer before they get at least one open.  At least I haven't seen anything called other than a few work trains.

 Train hits semi in Denison, IA, leaving at least 3 injured (ktiv.com)

Busy railway crossing closed in Denison after semi and train collide | KMEG (siouxlandnews.com)

The second link has some drone footage.  The actual footage is longer, but I've only seen it on Facebook listings.

Jeff 

 

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