WA - Amtrak passenger train derails near Tacoma

[bronk4]

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattl...o-remove-derailed-amtrak-locomotive-from-i-5/

No firm timeline for I-5 reopening as workers use special equipment to remove derailed Amtrak locomotive

The lone remaining piece of the derailed Amtrak train, which weighs more than 270,000 pounds, was to be hauled away on a specialized trailer, officials said. It's unclear when southbound Interstate 5 would reopen.

!! I never knew they weighed that much!! I would expect massive damage from something weighing that much going 80mph
...damage to the area and parts of the locomotive itself

 

[Jax49]

!! I never knew they weighed that much!! I would expect massive damage from something weighing that much going 80mph

I think that's why so many have said it is a miracle many more didn't die.

moo

 

[Isabelle]

Anyone else have problems with Amazon pop up on Websleuth site? I understand it is come kind of computer virus. Help!!!

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Anyone else have problems with Amazon pop up on Websleuth site? I understand it is come kind of computer virus. Help!!!

Yes, I have battled those pop ups for weeks now. Tricia addressed them on this thread

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...ects-and-Sluggishness&p=13823411#post13823411

I disabled JavaScript (settings/safari/advanced) & finally got rid of them.....they were a total pain in the a$$! (if u want to view videos u have to turn JavaScript back on.) You can also opt for tapatalk but I have read that it’s not always user-friendly so not a good idea for me!

Hope this helps.

 

[1&2&3]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...ngineer-deadly-washington-train-crash-n831341

In this article, it says "the actual conductor was in the passenger compartment".

It sounds like no one was where they were supposed to be or paying attention as this inaugural run approached the curve. These two people in charge of driving the train were negligent in their responsibilities! The conductor in training cannot be held responsible if he was just learning. The ones chosen to train him were poor examples!

 

[Inthedetails]

In this article, it says "the actual conductor was in the passenger compartment".

It sounds like no one was where they were supposed to be or paying attention as this inaugural run approached the curve. These two people in charge of driving the train were negligent in their responsibilities! The conductor in training cannot be held responsible if he was just learning. The ones chosen to train him were poor examples!

Conductors actually belong in the passenger cars. Conductors do not drive the trains. They collect tickets, oversee what's happening in the cars, oversee baggage, etc.

The person in charge of driving the train is the engineer.

jmo

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

This is mindboggling! The engineer was not in the locomotive driving the train? Only a new conducter-in-training was in the locomotive as the train approached a 30 mph curve at 80 mph?

Wow. Just wow. This must be what the NTSB meant when they wrote in their recently released report that Amtrak is extremely lackadaisical about safety issues? I'm just guessing but I would think there is supposed to be a qualified engineer driving the train at all times.

A few heads should roll! :moo:

 

[bronk4]

do they not go over the route beforehand--and locate the ''danger'' areas---or at least know before they take off--''hey, at this curve, we need to slow down''??
sorry if this has been asked before

 

[Inthedetails]

do they not go over the route beforehand--and locate the ''danger'' areas---or at least know before they take off--''hey, at this curve, we need to slow down''??
sorry if this has been asked before

The train was new, but not sure the actual route was new.

IDK.

 

[bronk4]

The train was new, but not sure the actual route was new.

IDK.

on second thoughts--I would think it incredible not to go over the route before starting out ..... if they don't know the route thoroughly

 

[Inthedetails]

on second thoughts--I would think it incredible not to go over the route before starting out ..... if they don't know the route thoroughly

They did go over the route - I'm quite certain that has been reported.

Why the engineer went so fast at that curve is a mystery at this point.

My only guess is that he was mistaken where he was on the route - thought he wasn't near the curve. ??

 

[Niner]

Re engineer not knowing the curve was there - there are signs posted about a mile or so before the curve saying "30 mph" and others along the way before the curve even starts.... so he was probably distracted by the conductor-in-training I would think.

I used to live near (right in our backyard) the Amtrak RR lines in Auburn. They would be coming down from the Sierras and would have at least 2 or 3 rear engines. Going the other way - up the Sierras there would also be 2 engines in front and about 2 or 3 in the rear. Since this was in the Cascades I'm not surprised to see a engine in the rear.

What surprised me is that no one on the freeway got killed! Can you imagine driving the freeway and a train lands on the hood of your car??!!! I did see a PT Cruiser with its engine all smashed in. Also a semi with the engine all smashed in too. Lucky drivers there!!

Larry & I took the train up to Portland all the time to visit friends! It was fun.

Thank you all for the updates!

 

[AgeofAquaruis]

I think that's why so many have said it is a miracle many more didn't die.


moo

That,and the fact that bottleneck on I-5 Is jam packed, especially during rush hour. It's crazy.

 

[AgeofAquaruis]

In this article, it says "the actual conductor was in the passenger compartment".

It sounds like no one was where they were supposed to be or paying attention as this inaugural run approached the curve. These two people in charge of driving the train were negligent in their responsibilities! The conductor in training cannot be held responsible if he was just learning. The ones chosen to train him were poor examples!

So many at fault here,WSIDIOT,UNSOUND Transit,Scamtrack, those in Congress who gave the go ahead to postpone PTC until well after running high speed train, just to get federal dollars. The mayor of Lakewood gave fair warning about this. None of those in charge listened.
Now some people want to argue that this didn't happen in Lakewood, as if that makes any difference.

 

[AgeofAquaruis]

Amtrak crash kills two train enthusiasts
Both were avid rail advocates, friends say
By MADISON PARK , CNN

(CNN) - Two friends, Jim Hamre and Zack Willhoite, loved to ride trains. So it was no surprise that they decided to go on the inaugural run of Amtrak Cascades 501 when the new service opened.

The two men along with a third victim, were killed when the train derailed Monday, near Tacoma, Washington. The third person has not been identified yet.

Hamre and Willhoite were train enthusiasts who had both worked in the transportation industry. The two had recently returned from a trip to Germany, where they had taken a train around the country, CNN affiliate KIRO reported...

https://www.clickkiondetroit.com/news/national/amtrak-crash-kills-two-train-enthusiasts

http://abc7chicago.com/3rd-man-killed-in-train-wreck-was-convicted-sex-offender/2803765/

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Amtrak train’s crew noted high speed just before crash, NTSB says
by Jon Schuppe

Seconds before an Amtrak train flew off the tracks in Washington, the engineer told the crew they were traveling too fast, according to an early National Transportation Safety Board review of the crash that killed three people.

More than 70 people were injured in the Monday morning derailment, in which several train cars fell from a bridge and onto a highway in the city of DuPont, about 20 miles south of Tacoma, authorities said. The train was making the inaugural run of a new route aimed at cutting travel times and improving safety south of Tacoma...

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/amtrak-train-s-crew-noted-high-speed-just-crash-ntsb-n832156

 

[Trino]

What happened to the media coverage? Disappeared...

 

[MaryG12]

Warning: Graphic description at link below

‘Bodies laying everywhere’: 911 calls capture chaos, tragedy after Amtrak train derailment

 

[Betty P]

Amtrak train’s crew noted high speed just before crash, NTSB says
by Jon Schuppe

Seconds before an Amtrak train flew off the tracks in Washington, the engineer told the crew they were traveling too fast, according to an early National Transportation Safety Board review of the crash that killed three people.

More than 70 people were injured in the Monday morning derailment, in which several train cars fell from a bridge and onto a highway in the city of DuPont, about 20 miles south of Tacoma, authorities said. The train was making the inaugural run of a new route aimed at cutting travel times and improving safety south of Tacoma...

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/amtrak-train-s-crew-noted-high-speed-just-crash-ntsb-n832156

The engineer only noticed they were going too fast 6 seconds before the derailment? What kept him from noticing it before then?

It says he relayed this information to "the crew". He's the engineer, he's supposed to be the one running the train. According to earlier media reports, there was a newbie conductor in the cab with him who was learning the route. The engineer was supposed to be running the train. I'm getting a hinky feeling there were more people in the cab besides the engineer and conductor-trainee. My first theory is that the engineer was shooting the breeze with some "railfan" geeks and/or local bigwigs instead of doing his job.

Railfans can be a real distraction and safety hazard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae_P4OO1TtM

 

[bronk4]

Amtrak train’s crew noted high speed just before crash, NTSB says
by Jon Schuppe

Seconds before an Amtrak train flew off the tracks in Washington, the engineer told the crew they were traveling too fast, according to an early National Transportation Safety Board review of the crash that killed three people.

More than 70 people were injured in the Monday morning derailment, in which several train cars fell from a bridge and onto a highway in the city of DuPont, about 20 miles south of Tacoma, authorities said. The train was making the inaugural run of a new route aimed at cutting travel times and improving safety south of Tacoma...

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/amtrak-train-s-crew-noted-high-speed-just-crash-ntsb-n832156

I'm hearing about 6 seconds before the crash
should not the engineer know the ''exact'' moment the train should start slowing down--if he knows the route?
--IMO--it looks like he thought PTC was working or he didn't know the route
.....in a lot of accidents /shootings/disasters/etc it takes time for someone's brain to realize something is terribly wrong
examples:
a big one is Pearl Harbor attack--people saw planes attacking Pearl but think they are US planes
a lot of people have no idea what firearms sound like and/or don't hear them often---so if someone starts shooting in a crowded place--it takes time for people to:
...1. focus on the shots
...then --2 realize they are firearms and not firecrackers which sound comparable, or something else

an 8 car passenger train needing a mile to stop---this train just needed to slow from 80 to 30---much less than a mile

conclusion:
it's like a ship at sea---it takes too much time too slow down when the problem is finally realized
the engineer realizes the problem after ''some time''---we are talking he realizes it in seconds after the point needed to slow down--yes??
BUT--the curve is too close for the train to slow down--even if the engineer could put on the brakes
in 60 seconds it goes over a mile--yes? [ I'm not good at math ]--so they just wanted to slow down--much less than a mile--so this point of no return is only seconds from the curve--correct??