Mile-wide evacuation after fiery train derailment in Columbus, Ohio

[schlimm]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ohio-freight-train-derails-causing-fiery-blast-20120711,0,794413.story

[henry6]

Get the Bud Lite.   Here we go.  Again.

 

[MP173]

Things that go BANG in the night are generally not good.

 

Ed

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

  See also:

http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2012/07/11/columbus-ohio-train-explosion-fire-derail-burns.html 

One aerial view I saw on a CNN report showed this to have occurred in a pretty sharp curve.  It appears to be at about these Lat./ Long. coords. (per ACME Mapper 2.0), and that looks to be about a 6 to 8-degree ( 950 to 700 +/- ft. radius) curve: N 39.99234 W 82.99393  

Amazingly, the 2 people with minor injuries ran towards the derailment ?!?  (plus a photographer that in other reports said he became nauseous)  What were they thinking ?!? (I know, I know: Not ! = "unencumbered by the thought process" [from Car Talk] )

- Paul North. 

 

[mudchicken]

PDN:

Appears to be on the west end of what was PRR's Pennor and N&W's Joyce Street yards.... (PRR's huge Joyce St facility was south of here and is now under the I-670 freeway. )

When I was in school just west of there in the late 70's, the place was a boneyard.

Oops - Columbus Dispatch posted a map. Now looks to be further west on the west end of old Grogan yard where the line turns north to go towards Worthington/Cleveland.  About MP 136.....

[tree68]

I think the "rule of thumb" applies on this one (if your thumb will cover up the entire incident, you're far enough away...)

Re: people running toward the incident - sometimes you can't tell where the noise is coming from.  We were doing a controlled burn one weekend morning, of the remains of a house that had collapsed into the basement.  Gasoline was (unfortunately) the accelerant of choice.  When a flare was thrown into the basement, a loud "whoomp" was heard (as well as the sound of breaking glass on the second floor of an adjacent building).  All up and down the street, everyone was looking in the wrong direction to see what had happened...

That, and there's that whole thing about train wrecks.  You know - you know you shouldn't watch, but you can't help yourself...

[henry6]

This is what NS has posted on Facebook and probably their website,too.

Norfolk Southern Corp

At 2:05 a.m., a southbound Norfolk Southern train with two locomotives and 98 freight cars (97 loaded, one empty) derailed between East 11th Avenue and East 5th Avenue. Between 11 and 13 cars derailed – the exact number is still to be determined. At this point, the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause. The train crew was able to safely move the locomotives and three frei...ght cars from the fire scene. The Fire Department recommends that residents within two blocks of the scene evacuate. Residents within a one-mile radius have been advised to stay indoors. About 30 homes have been evacuated. Buses have been made available to evacuate residents to a shelter. A Norfolk Southern assistance center to aid evacuees with expenses related to the evacuation has been established at the Ohio Building at 717 East 17th Avenue in Columbus, phone [phone]. Trains currently being held will begin moving soon through an alternate route through Columbus. Double-stack trains are being rerouted through Harrisburg, PA.See More

[henry6]

I would note and commend NS for quick response to community needs.  As well as publically presenting rerouting program.

 

[samfp1943]

schlimm

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ohio-freight-train-derails-causing-fiery-blast-20120711,0,794413.story

From the link provided by schlimm:

"...Norfolk Southern Corp. said it appeared about 11 cars of a southbound train derailed around 2 a.m. near Interstate 71, southeast of the Ohio State University campus. The train, traveling from Chicago to Linwood, N.C., went off the tracks north of downtown, in an industrial area blocks from residential neighborhood.."

This was also notes: "...It wasn't immediately clear what caused the derailment, which blocked access to about half of the Central Ohio Transit Authority's fleet of vehicles, limiting the city's public bus service. The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending an investigator to the scene..."

Heard the Broadcast on the News at about 1PM local referencing haz mat on board the train:

The above linked mentioned three cars of ethanol and some with denatured alcohol that were being allowed to burn out as there was no inhalation problem with it burning ethanol.(?).

Then from the link provided by Paul North:

FTL"[The location was]...Fields Avenue, near 5th and 11th avenues, was shut down because of the derailment of 11 of 98 cars that were carrying chemicals like denatured alcohol and Styrene, a chemical used to make plastic, shortly before 2 a.m. Officials said that the car carrying Styrene was not punctured during the derailment..."

The broadcast I heard mentioned that the cars with the problematic Haz-Mat chemicals had been moved away from the burning wreckage. The injuries were to witnesses/spectators who while running towards the derailment scene were injured in the ensuing explosion, and apparently the Train Crew were uninjured.

[Semper Vaporo]

The people running toward  the accident were probably attempting to render aid to anyone injured... the explosion occured after the started heading that way.  Or maybe they were just rubbernecker that were running to see the excitement and got caught in more than they bargained for!

[chatanuga]

Here's a link to the exact location of the wreck:

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=columbus,+ohio&hl=en&ll=39.991556,-82.994049&spn=0.008647,0.01929&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.589577,79.013672&t=h&hnear=Columbus,+Franklin,+Ohio&z=16

Links on Channel 4's site:

http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2012/jul/11/81/train-derails-hazmat-called-scene-ar-1099151/

http://www2.nbc4i.com/list/train-derailment-explosion/gallery/

http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2012/jul/11/1/train-derailment-explosion-85708-vi-43128/

Links on Channel 10's site, which includes their "scare story" on NS:

http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2012/07/11/columbus-train-derailment-explosion-cause-could-be-known-by-weeks-end.html

http://www.10tv.com/content/slideshows/2012/07/11/slideshow-train-burns-derails.html?slide=1&return=

http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2012/07/11/columbus-train-company-had-similar-ohio-derailment-last-year.html

In the last link, Channel 10 is obviously trying to make more out of the situation than there really is.

Basically, from what I've heard and seen, the train had come south from Bellevue and was taking the route that turns east, crosses Interstate 71, and then turns south over Interstate 670 towards Chillicothe and Portsmouth.  Fortunately for the city of Columbus, the train was taking that route and not going under downtown towards Dayton when the derailment and explosion occurred.

Looks to me like something went wrong with one or more of the cars with the way they're all bunched up together in a pile.  Had it been a track issue, I would think they'd be more strung out rather than all piled up together.

Kevin

[chatanuga]

Watched the 11PM news on both channel 4 and channel 10 to get the latest on the train derailment, and I was reminded why I get my news online rather than watch it on TV.

Both channels reported on the wreck but then went into their "investigations" into Norfolk Southern's safety record.  Channel 10 brought up the ethanol train derailment in Arcadia a year ago this past winter where cold weather caused a rail to break under the train.  Channel 4 brought up that NS had 20 accidents in Ohio last year and 8 so far this year through this past April.  However, the way they made it sound, all of those accidents were like the one in Columbus last night since they just kept showing images of the crash while going over their "statistics".  They don't say anything about how many of those accidents were minor yard derailments, car-train crashes, etc.  Channel 10 brought up how residents believe that NS should put a wall up between their tracks and their neighborhoods.  Channel 4 interviewed a couple locals who feel that the railroads shouldn't build their tracks near where people live.

Both channels tried contacting NS about their safety records, and NS wisely declined to comment as it is obvious that the local media is twisting this into making it sound like railroads are unsafe and that this was anything but a freak accident.  Honestly, why would NS even consider putting a wall up?  All it will do is attract taggers, and then the local residents will complain about the graffiti.  As far as railroads building where people live, I'm fairly certain that the railroads were there first before all of the neighborhoods and suburbs sprung up around Columbus.

All the local media seems to be doing is stirring up fear in their audience.  Personally, even after seeing the pictures and video of last night's wreck, I'd feel safer living next to a busy railroad route than I would living near any of the interstates here in Columbus.

Kevin

[henry6]

Media, especially local people, are not well versed in transportation issues, problems, and opertions.  Sensationalism and accusation come before finding facts.  Often they don't know who to call, have not engenered trust from those they do call, nor do they know how to couch their words when they know nothing or have been coached by opposing lobbies.  They say they tried contacting NS and got no response.  I find that difficult to understnd when NS had already responded and posted informaiton on their web site and on Facebook.  So, who did the stations call?  Media is often lazy, not encouraged to actually do much digging, and often not given the tools and information to do the job we used to call journalism.

 

[schlimm]

"When the messenger brings bad news, shoot the messenger!"

[henry6]

schlimm

"When the messenger brings bad news, shoot the messenger!"

Not in this case...or many cases either. First, genocide is not nice.  Second, it is incumbant upon those who rely on the media for news and information to demand better reporting and accuracy. It is important that those who own and operate the media understand their role in providing this information, not as a make quick, easy money, but as a capital and community investment; and to employ, ecnourge, and guide reporters to do the job to the need of the consumer and not the bottom line...the bottom line will follow if the operation is professional and sincere. 

 

[switch7frg]

Henry6,   with all the twisting and embelishments that are added to a story , the talking heads don't have a clue asto what they speak of.  All the "prettys and handsomes"  never get out to see whats going on , shiny shoes and clothes might get dirty.  I wonder how many times Mr. Cronkite  has turned over in his grave.

                                                                               P.S.  NO Trains were harmed or injured in this post.

                        Cannonball

[henry6]

switch7frg

Henry6,   with all the twisting and embelishments that are added to a story , the talking heads don't have a clue asto what they speak of.  All the "prettys and handsomes"  never get out to see whats going on , shiny shoes and clothes might get dirty.  I wonder how many times Mr. Cronkite  has turned over in his grave.

                                                                               P.S.  NO Trains were harmed or injured in this post.

                        Cannonball

Oh, I totally agree. Media owners want pretty people and not educated and curious people.  I've spent the last 45-50 years in the business and don't recognize it for what it was and did.  Investors found it rich in property and equipment not realizeing that it took intelligent and talented people to produce a product.  They figured to hire off the street and from high schools instead of from colleges and inside the industry to keep labor costs down...well it did, it also cheapend their product.  Reader-listener-viewer as well as advertisers have been short changed.

[schlimm]

henry6

 

Oh, I totally agree. Media owners want pretty people and not educated and curious people.  I've spent the last 45-50 years in the business and don't recognize it for what it was and did...They figured to hire off the street and from high schools instead of from colleges and inside the industry to keep labor costs down...well it did, it also cheapend their product.  Reader-listener-viewer as well as advertisers have been short changed.

Even a slight familiarity with the history of the US would remind the poster of the era of "Yellow journalism" as practiced by Hearst and Pulitzer, among others.  Really factual news reporting!  

As far as the Channel 10 (WBNS-TV) reports go, i watched one reported by a Kevin Landers  this morning that seemed to be "just the facts" and no hype.  He praised the hard-working NS crews rebuilding the track.  His background:  Kevin Landers was born and raised in Beaverton, Ore., the home of Nike.  He graduated from the University of Oregon School of Journalism in 1988.  Kevin has been with WBNS-TV since October 1999. Landers received a 2005 Edward R. Murrow Award and a 2006 First Place Associated Press Spot News Award.  

Other reporters: Maureen Kocot joined the 10TV News staff in 1995, and is an Emmy and Associated Press award-winning journalist.  She graduated from the University of Illinois in 1992, and worked as an anchor/reporter at WICD-TV in Champaign for three years before relocating to Columbus. 

Tino Ramos is the senior morning reporter for 10TV News HD. Ramos started his career in 1986 and is a graduate of Ohio University and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Broadcast Journalism. 

[tree68]

henry6

Media, especially local people, are not well versed in transportation issues, problems, and operations.  ...

By definition, if you don't know what you're looking for, you won't know when you've found it.

We have the same problem with the media in the fire service.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

A more recent news report - basically just adds that the train wasn't speeding (although note that it doesn't say what the speed limit was, or how fast the train was going):   

 http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-07-12/with-fire-out-focus-now-on-ohio-train-crash-cause 

So I suppose the more likely remaining causes are (in no particular order):

• Mechanical failure of the wheels or trucks of a car;
• Track defect such as wide gauge or broken rail (but after the locos passed over it ?); or,
• Train dynamics (slack 'run-in', etc.) - not necessarily the crew's fault, such as if there was an UnDesired Emergency Brake application from a defective or malfunctioning triple valve, a pulse/ drop in the trainline's air pressure, etc.

- Paul North. 

[henry6]

Oh, sure, the locos or the first few cars could have caused the spreading rails; same with broken rail (the rail could have been defective and the first sets of wheels  actually broken it open for that matter).

As for "yellow journalism".  Actually the concept of a balanced or non or bi partisan press is new caused by broadcast journalism...the airwaves belong to the people and the FCC grants licenses to those with the idea of serving a community.  The Fairness Doctrine went further but has been repealed or tossed away.  Up to the 1920's and radio newspapers were politically inclined and even paid for and said and did as they pleased; it was up to the reader to decide what he wanted to believer or know.  The crux right now, if anybody wants to fight it, is basically if the airways belong to the public, then what responsiblity does a license holder have toward being bi or non partisan and how much, if any, news should be reported.  

[schlimm]

henry 6:  "Media owners want pretty people and not educated and curious people.  I've spent the last 45-50 years in the business and don't recognize it for what it was and did...They figured to hire off the street and from high schools instead of from colleges and inside the industry to keep labor costs down...well it did, it also cheapend their product.  Reader-listener-viewer as well as advertisers have been short changed."

Yet when his claim is fact-checked about the local Columbus TV reporters, they are well-educated, with many years of service and are also award winners.  Perhaps henry6 needs to make a correction of his erroneous statement?

[henry6]

Top 100 markets are pretty well stocked with talent...the rest of us suffer from poor quality and poor journalism.  Even in the top 100 markets, it is the older...those in the business a minimum of 10 years....who actually know what to do and how to do it.