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Bolder hits Amtrak train

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  • Member since
    December 2007
  • From: Georgia USA SW of Atlanta
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Bolder hits Amtrak train
Posted by blue streak 1 on Saturday, January 18, 2020 1:57 PM

STL - Kansas City train has loose bolder hit top of Amfleet car.  Before anyone gets hyper there were no bridges near incident but a ledge was on the route.  Vibration of train caused bolder to come loose ? 

https://fox4kc.com/2020/01/17/amtrak-riders-headed-to-kansas-city-stranded-after-boulder-crashes-through-train/ 

 

  • Member since
    June 2009
  • From: Dallas, TX
  • 6,952 posts
Posted by CMStPnP on Saturday, January 18, 2020 9:35 PM

blue streak 1

STL - Kansas City train has loose bolder hit top of Amfleet car.  Before anyone gets hyper there were no bridges near incident but a ledge was on the route.  Vibration of train caused bolder to come loose ? 

https://fox4kc.com/2020/01/17/amtrak-riders-headed-to-kansas-city-stranded-after-boulder-crashes-through-train/ 

More likely the effect of water and weather.    As you know I sometimes fly into Kansas City and it has been alternating between deep freeze and thaw warm weather.   That is what fractures rocks the most.    Water or moisture freezing to ice and expanding, then melting again.

Could be vibration of the train but then the ties would need to be really close to the bedrock and I suspect the gravel ballast absorbs most of the vibration before it gets to the bedrock.

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