Ohio: East Palestine Train Derailment, Risk of Explosion

[Cool Cats]

Norfolk Southern train derails in Springfield, Ohio

Nearby residents were asked to shelter in place. The railway company said that there were no hazardous materials aboard the train.

www.yahoo.com

Not toxic, but still.........

I just read yesterday that Norfolk Southern doesn't want to implement changes until after the investigation which could take a year!

The only thing they agreed to do is to join a voluntary employee safety reporting program after Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had urged the action following the Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine.

 

[Betty P]

Norfolk Southern train derails in Springfield, Ohio

Nearby residents were asked to shelter in place. The railway company said that there were no hazardous materials aboard the train.

www.yahoo.com

Not toxic, but still.........

I just read yesterday that Norfolk Southern doesn't want to implement changes until after the investigation which could take a year!

The only thing they agreed to do is to join a voluntary employee safety reporting program after Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had urged the action following the Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine.

Just now watching Rep. Mike Turner, who represents that district, on Meet the Press. He talks of need for railroads to improve their infrastructure. That's always important, but there seems to be a real problem with these super-long trains. This one was something like 212 cars. That's crazy long. It's just impossible to operate trains of that length, at normal speeds without having a lot of accidents. There's too much slack created in trains of that length.

The railroads have reached the point of diminishing returns on their efforts to lower costs. The problem won't be fixed until they run shorter trains. JMO

 

[sds71]

Norfolk Southern CEO releases statement after conductor dies in Cleveland collision involving dump truck and train: Updates

'This is an awful day that leaves a hole in our company’s spirit.'

www.wkyc.com

 

[Betty P]

Norfolk Southern CEO releases statement after conductor dies in Cleveland collision involving dump truck and train: Updates

'This is an awful day that leaves a hole in our company’s spirit.'

www.wkyc.com

A spokesperson for Cleveland-Cliffs previously told 3News that a collision happened between a Norfolk Southern train and the dump truck on a Norfolk Southern rail line that runs through Cleveland-Cliffs Cleveland Works property.

“As a result of the collision, a Norfolk Southern employee lost his life,” the spokesperson said in an e-mail shortly after 6 a.m. “The location is being controlled by Cleveland police and Norfolk Southern.”

Very sad. If it was a collision between the dump truck and the NS train, its probably not the NS workers' fault. A train would be moving slowly within this switching area, delivering cars to a Cleveland Cliffs siding. Tracks are private property and trains always have right of way on their own tracks. Sounds like the dump truck driver wasn't paying attention and drove into the train as it was passing through a crossing. JMO

It's always unsafe working in these conditions.


This Akron Beacon Journal article clarifies that it was the dump truck that drove into the train at a crossing. The editing of these news stories is inaccurate, as some of the headlines erroneously state the train ran into the truck

Norfolk Southern worker identified in fatal mishap on tracks at Cleveland steel plant

Norfolk Southern has another mishap in Ohio: Conductor Louis Shuster was killed following a collision in Cleveland between a train and a dump truck.

www.beaconjournal.com

The railroad company says Shuster was struck by the dump truck as a train was moving through a crossing at the plant on West 3rd Street.

 

[sds71]

Norfolk Southern CEO 'deeply sorry,' as senators ready probe

The chief executive of one of the nation’s largest railroads is preparing to tell a Senate committee he is “deeply sorry” for the fiery derailment last month on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. A Senate committee is holding a hearing Thursday to look into the train derailment in East Palestine...

kstp.com

 

[Betty P]

Gov. Mike DeWine, Norfolk Southern announce first responders training center in Ohio

Until the location of the center is identified, training classes will begin on March 22 at Norfolk Southern's Moorman Yard in Bellevue.

www.wkyc.com

Maybe they shouldn't advertise this, but the were supposed to have some kind of training center already.

ETA: Unless that regulation was dropped years ago. Training programs for fire departments were supposed to be available in the event of hazmat accidents in workplaces, in commercial trucking, rail, etc.

 

[sds71]

Norfolk Southern CEO and EPA Officials Testify on Toxic Train Derailment

Norfolk Southern Railway CEO Alan Shaw, along with EPA officials and others, testified on the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio before the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee.

www.c-span.org

 

[sds71]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1633873026969108492

 

[arielilane]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1633478391910244354

Norfolk Southern accident rates climbed over last 10 years, at near highs despite 2022 dip

Federal rail safety data shows that Norfolk Southern's accident rate has climbed nationally and in Ohio over the last 10 years.

local12.com

And overall, the Atlanta-based railroad’s accident rate has climbed steadily nationally and in Ohio in the last 10 years, according to a Local 12 Investigates analysis of federal rail safety data.

The increase doesn’t come as any surprise to David Farwick, who worked as an engineer for Norfolk Southern for 40 years until retiring in 2017.

He notes railroads run fewer trains which are much longer than those in the past, possibly leading to the higher rates.

"So, if you have two 8,000-foot trains, and you combine it to be 12,000 ... So, you’re going to have less trains, less people and it's just more with less,” he said.

On Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board announced it was investigating the “safety culture” at Norfolk Southern following five major incidents needing the board’s investigation in the last two years.

Local 12 Investigates analyzed 10 years’ worth of accident data from the Federal Railroad Administration, the agency that regulates the industry.

Norfolk Southern says its accident rates were down in 2022.

 

[arielilane]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1633992313000148992

Senators grill Norfolk Southern CEO, EPA officials at hearing on East Palestine disaster

Norfolk Southern's top executive spent three hours being grilled by members of a U.S. Senate committee Thursday.

local12.com

Senator Sherrod Brown among others hammered Norfolk Southern for putting profits above safety. The East Palestine derailment pulled back the curtain on shortfalls in the system.

“Since 2015, there have been 100 derailments of trains carrying hazardous materials, one per month,” said Senator Robert Casey.

Senator Sherrod Brown, who's championing the Railway Safety Act, didn't mince words when speaking about Norfolk Southern.

“If Norfolk Southern paid a little more attention to safety and a little less attention to its profits and cared a little more about the Ohioans along its tracks and a little less about its executives and shareholders, these accidents wouldn’t have been as bad or wouldn’t have happened at all,” said Senator Brown.

Norfolk Southern president Alan Shaw says the railroad's invested $21 million in the community of East Palestine. 7.5 million dollars for Pennsylvania and served 4400 families.

“I want to begin today by expressing how deeply sorry I am for the impact of this derailment on East Palestine and the surrounding communities,” said Shaw.

Still, that didn't get Alan Shaw off the hook from several politicians in the room. Most important to them is taking care of the residents of east Palestine for weeks, months, even years to come.

Senator Bernie Sanders pressed Shaw.

 

[ifindedout]

Now NS has a problem with wheels:

Defective, loose wheels at risk of derailment discovered on Norfolk Southern rail cars

A series of rail cars that Norfolk Southern recently put into service have been discovered to have defective, loose wheels. These defective wheel sets were involved in one of the several recent derailments Norfolk Southern has had, including the most recent one in Springfield, Ohio. Norfolk...

www.yahoo.com

Norfolk Southern first identified the defective wheels during the cleanup at Springfield -- the day after the derailment -- on March 5.

Norfolk Southern determined that this "specific model and series of railcars had loose wheels, which could cause a derailment," the company confirmed in a statement to ABC. "The investigative team identified these wheels as coming from a series of recently acquired cars from a specific manufacturer."

The catch comes as the company already faces intense scrutiny for its string of high-profile derailments and other incidents.

The company said they "immediately notified" the NTSB and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) once they found the issue "and began inspecting other cars from this series on our network" which led them to discover additional cases of "unusual wheel movement."

 

[arielilane]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1634951133637627911

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Heather Bable speaks rapidly, recalling the terror of the night when a train loaded with hazardous chemicals derailed less than a half-mile from her home in East Palestine, Ohio. She heard an earthshaking boom and, from her bathroom window, “all you saw was the flames.”
Mind racing, she thought of the nearby filling station — its gasoline pumps, its diesel and propane tanks.

“I kind of kept myself under control, told my kids, ‘OK, guys, we have to leave,’” Bable says. “... The only thing I knew was I had to get my kids to safety. Take just the necessary things and get out of there.”
Her voice catches, tears welling in weary eyes, as she describes the physical and emotional toll following the Feb. 3 disaster and subsequent chemical burn: eight days in a hotel and an uneasy return home; hoarseness, congestion, nausea and itchy rashes; inconclusive doctor visits; the “god-awful smell” that disturbs her at night; anger at train company Norfolk Southern over the crash and government agencies she thinks responded too slowly.

<modsnip - 10% copyright rule>

Aches, rashes and fear: Trauma remains after Ohio derailment

Frustration and fear abound in East Palestine as residents search for answers about their health concerns.

www.wthr.com

<modsnip - 10% copyright rule>

 

[fabvab]

Oklahoma does not want the toxic materials until they get more info.

 

[sds71]

• Ohio sued rail company Norfolk Southern over the derailment of a train carrying toxic materials in East Palestine last month, the state’s attorney general announced Tuesday.
• The state is seeking damages, civil penalties and a “declaratory judgement that Norfolk Southern is responsible,” AG Dave Yost said.
• Yost said Tuesday he heard from people who experienced sore throats and other irritations while visiting the site, and noted he had felt “discomfort” himself while on location.

Ohio sues Norfolk Southern over East Palestine derailment

Ohio sued rail company Norfolk Southern over the derailment of a train carrying toxic materials in East Palestine last month

www.cnbc.com

 

[ifindedout]

The aluminum pressure relief devices on the tank cars may have melted, preventing them from functioning correctly:

NTSB Examining Rail Car Component in East Palestine Derailment

www.ntsb.gov

 

[Betty P]

The aluminum pressure relief devices on the tank cars may have melted, preventing them from functioning correctly:

Still a good idea to not have so many cars of combustible/flammable materials in long trains, too. Using a different pressure relief device isn't enough. JMO

 

[ifindedout]

Disinformation is apparently at work in East Palestine, courtesy of Russia:

Pro-Russia Voices Tried To Steer Ohio Train Derailment Debate

Some took advantage of Elon Musk's new Twitter policies to increase their reach and promote Moscow-approved talking points.

www.huffpost.com

The accounts, which parroted Kremlin talking points on myriad topics, claimed without evidence that authorities in Ohio were lying about the true impact of the chemical spill. The accounts spread fearmongering posts that preyed on legitimate concerns about pollution and health effects and compared the response to the derailment with America’s support for Ukraine following its invasion by Russia.

Some of the claims pushed by the pro-Russian accounts were verifiably false, such as the suggestion that the news media had covered up the disaster or that environmental scientists traveling to the site had been killed in a plane crash. But most were more speculative, seemingly designed to stoke fear or distrust. Examples include unverified maps showing widespread pollution, posts predicting an increase in fatal cancers and others about unconfirmed mass animal die-offs.

 

[Stunned]

Disinformation is apparently at work in East Palestine, courtesy of Russia:

The accounts, which parroted Kremlin talking points on myriad topics, claimed without evidence that authorities in Ohio were lying about the true impact of the chemical spill. The accounts spread fearmongering posts that preyed on legitimate concerns about pollution and health effects and compared the response to the derailment with America’s support for Ukraine following its invasion by Russia.

Some of the claims pushed by the pro-Russian accounts were verifiably false, such as the suggestion that the news media had covered up the disaster or that environmental scientists traveling to the site had been killed in a plane crash. But most were more speculative, seemingly designed to stoke fear or distrust. Examples include unverified maps showing widespread pollution, posts predicting an increase in fatal cancers and others about unconfirmed mass animal die-offs.

So many conspiracy people (some family members sadly included) believe this garbage. And while there is always a sprinkle of truth, health, environmental concerns, they have to throw in the rest for some reason. It gets so exhausting trying to weed the truth out of what they frantically try to explain to you.

 

[Betty P]

So many conspiracy people (some family members sadly included) believe this garbage. And while there is always a sprinkle of truth, health, environmental concerns, they have to throw in the rest for some reason. It gets so exhausting trying to weed the truth out of what they frantically try to explain to you.

So true. There's lots of money to be made in making up conspiracies for gullible folks.

 

[sds71]

Wastewater collected from the Ohio train derailment site could be headed to Maryland for treatment, Baltimore City and Baltimore County officials announced Friday afternoon.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said the city received a letter late Thursday from contractor Clean Harbors Environmental and Industrial Services, stating that the company is one of many sites across the country selected by the Environmental Protection Agency to accept, treat and discharge the wastewater collected from rainwater at the derailment site. The wastewater would be treated at the city-run Back River Waste Water Treatment Plant in Dundalk.

https://htv-prod-media.s3.amazonaws.com/files/proposed-treatment-of-norfolk-southern-east-palestine-wastewater-2023-1679685295.pdf

Wastewater from Ohio train derailment could be processed in Maryland

Wastewater collected from the Ohio train derailment site could be treated in Maryland, officials announced Friday afternoon.

www.wbaltv.com