http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2019/05/12-rail-groups-charter-cut-short-by-derailment
Brian Schmidt, Editor, Classic Trains magazine
Every RR museums nighmare. Thank goodness no injuries.
I was on the train. It was a slow speed derailment since we were still in yard limits. Hate to think what might have happened if we were in the canyon on a downward grade.
Thats amazing you were there. Do you know the cause? Have you heard anything?
MiningmanThats amazing you were there. Do you know the cause? Have you heard anything?
With my 20/20 eyesight from 2K miles away - sounds like poor tie condition that permitted rail to turn over and lose gauge integrity. This is the cause of the vast majority of low speed derailment. The ties can't hold the spikes and the side thrust that happens at the wheel/rail interface is sufficient to turn the rail and the spikes can't hold it down on the tie plate. This doesn't happen where only a single tie is bad, but where a consecutive number of ties are bad there isn't enough spike resistance to keep the rail upright.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
The story I got from a NRHS charter train official who was on the ground, was that it might have been that the engine (trailing truck?) picked the derail switch point as it left the yard. A fan who had the cab ride said the engine was jumping pretty good. At first they brought in a couple of front end loaders to put it back on track, but apparently that didn't work out. After 2 hours they annuled the train. I heard yesterday while we were still in Salt Lake City, thet Heber Valley cancelled all this week's trains.
In addition to track repairs, if the locomotive dropped down hard and dragged on the rail or ground it likely sustained traction motor damage.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
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