NS train derails in PA

[Anonymous]

Found this on the Yahoo homepage a couple of minutes ago.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=519&e=1&u=/ap/20050131/ap_on_re_us/freight_train_derails

Steve

[dwil89]

I'm not sure exactly where this is...if it allows for detours....The Conemaugh Line runs to the North of the Mainline east of Pittsburgh, if the line is blocked east of where the Main and Conemaugh join together then trains can detour on the Conemaugh line if needed. If the derailment is West of where the two lines join, then things are probably clogged. Dave Williams http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nsaltoonajohnstown

[spbed]

Saw pix of this accident. Appears some cars are either in the river or right next to the river. Looked like about 10 cars involved that was on the TV.

[Anonymous]

This won't have much of a impact on NS east-west operation thru Pa.. The derailment is just north of Pittsburgh on the Conemaugh Line. The mainline is not affected at all. The Conemaugh is a alternate route between Pittsburgh an Johnstown. Everything will be running the mainline between those points today.

[oskar]

not another NS tanker derailment[:(][:(]




kevin

[Anonymous]

Yes, there are tank cars involved. One is leaking into the Allegheny River. People have been evacuated and the area is sealed off. The product in the tank cars is said to be Hydrogen Flouride.

[JoeKoh]

Oh my. hopefully they can get things cleaned up quickly.
stay safe
Joe

[bbrant]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dwil89

I'm not sure exactly where this is...

Dave -

I'm about 99% sure that East Deer Twp is either in or near Harmarville, PA which is north of Pittsburgh along the Conemaugh Line (near where the Bessemer & Lake Erie has the big bridge crossing the Allegheny River beside the PA Turnpike.)

Hope that helps give you an idea where it happened.

Brian

[Anonymous]

It is about 5 miles north of Harmarville.

[cpbloom]

YIKES! [:(]

Here is a better news link:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/trib/pittsburgh/s_298720.html

[dwil89]

I have a handle on it. I initially was not sure if it happened on the Main or the Conemaugh Line. The Conemaugh Line splits off the Mainline at MP290..Conpit Junction, which is about 15 miles West of Johnstown. It takes a more northerly route and then rejoins the main around Pittsburgh. Heavier Eastbound traffic, such as Coal, Grain, and General Manifests use this line, as the ruling grade is easier, therefore not requiring helpers. A heavy train using the mainline may require helpers all the way from Pittsburgh to Altoona, as the line is not level west of Johnstown, The grade is not nearly as severe as it is between Altoona and Johnstown, however it is still a bit of a roller coaster grade, and helpers help control the slack run-in and out. A couple of years ago, the Conemaugh Line was shut down for 2 weeks in the Fall for trackwork. Everything had to run the main. I was railfanning at Latrobe, Pa one day back then. Latrobe is a good 40-50 miles West of Johnstown, and they were running helpers with the trains through Latrobe all the way to and from Pittsburgh. Dave Williams http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nsaltoonajohnstown

[bbrant]

Dave -

Does the NS Conemaugh line follow the Kiski River through Apollo and Avonmore?

Brian

[Anonymous]

Good I say bring back Conrail. NS SUCKS!!!

[wabash1]

QUOTE: Originally posted by PAINTCREEKRR

Good I say bring back Conrail. NS SUCKS!!!

It still is conrail the thing is someone else is paying the bills to have thier name on the trains now. otherwise it is still the same conrail people doing the same conrail thing costing people money and destroying property. that is why the goverment sold it. get over it ns will stay conrail is gone forever. along with the prr and nyc.

[dwil89]

QUOTE: Originally posted by bbrant

Dave -

Does the NS Conemaugh line follow the Kiski River through Apollo and Avonmore?

Brian

That I am not sure of. Somewhere in my archives, I have a map of the area showing the relationship between the main and Conemaugh Line.....I have yet to railfan the Conemaugh Line itself. I have stood at Conpit Junction , west of Johnstown,and watched trains come off the Conemaugh Line there..In fact, I chased a coal drag from Conpit, all the way to Gallitzin one day. It was one of the Strawberry RidgePower Plant Coal trains that use PPLX hoppers and all SD40-2 power. I have an old Railpace Magazine somewhere that does a thorough write-up on the Conemaugh Line. Dave Williams http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nsaltoonajohnstown

[Anonymous]

The tracks run from the "burg" north to freeport, crosses the allegheny and follows the kiski past blairsville and onto johnstown. East Deer (Creighton) is approx 15 miles north of Pittsburgh on the Allegheny. Luckily the train derailed on the south end of town. The last major train derailment that I remember was in the 60's when a freight train (boxcars). We were headed north towards Tarentum on rt 28 when my father said "look at that hot box" flames were shooting from the journal, we pulled off route 28 onto a side street just as the cars left the track. The tracks used to be double with numerous passing tracks but now its single. Does anyone remember the old steamer that was parked at CEMLINE in Acmetonia? what type was it( near the b&le bridge)

[dwil89]

I still haven't found my Railpace on the line, however recall a major accident on the line in the early-mid 80's in a remote area of the Conemaugh Line. A Westbound went through a stop signal and rear ended another train...The crew on the Caboose jumped before they were hit, and the engineer of the 2nd train was pinned under a handrail for quite awhile before he was freed.Guessing that meant the engine left the rails and went on its side. Pictures in the article showed an uprighted virtually destroyed SD40-2 with considerable impact and fire damage. Dave Williams http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nsaltoonajohnstown

[conrailman]

I live on the Conemaugh line at Cp Blair Milepost 12.5 in Blairsville,Pa.

[Anonymous]

i live in Pittsburgh, as soon as its "safe" (meaning no gases) ill will get down there ASAP to see the clean up efforts. this leads me to a question....

Whan a train derails mid-train, how does the crew know? Is emergency like, auto-engaged?

[richardy]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Brak710101



Whan a train derails mid-train, how does the crew know? Is emergency like, auto-engaged?

When the brake line is broken the train goes into emergency, the trainline pressure drops and the brakes are applied with air from the car reservoirs.

[dwil89]

I would think that right before it goes into emergency, the crew would get some sort of indication in the cab of slack change, or sudden change in train handling....resistance, etc... Dave Williams http;//groups.yahoo.com/group/nsaltoonajohnstown

[Anonymous]

What if one truck or half a truck (well, it happens to us in MR railroading) jumps? Are they clueless untill the airline breaks? Or is there some sort of radio system on the cars?

[Anonymous]

Especially on long trains, it can be hard to tell that one axle is on the ground. There have been many instances of a car dropping one axle on the ground and being drug for miles before anybody noticed.

[dwil89]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Brak710101

What if one truck or half a truck (well, it happens to us in MR railroading) jumps? Are they clueless untill the airline breaks? Or is there some sort of radio system on the cars?

The only hope there would be in that instance would be that there is a dragging equipment detector along the route, or a trackworker, or someone who sees it and calls it in, otherwise it'll drag until it perhaps picks a switch or something. I think that I will program NS' emergency phone number into my cellphone....you never know when a train might pass by with some sort of undiscovered problem. Dave Williams http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nsaltoonajohnstown