Empire Builder derailment at Chicago 5/7/23

Apparently 7/27(7) has derailed as it was departing Chicago Union Station today (5/7/23). Two cars are off the rails. It was a slow speed derailment. Currently developing story. More as we learn more.

Additionally 8/28(7) is cancelled due to equipment unavailability. That was caused by freight train issues around Whitefish MT yesterday. 7/27 will arrive in Sea/PDX later today.

7/27 (7) was cancelled.

Actually, I saw pictures, more than 2 cars were derailed

What is a picked switch?

Michigan Mom said:

What is a picked switch?

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The leading cause of this type of accident.

The switch has several different parts and designs to cause the train to travel onto a different track. The movable points that are control by a switch stand. Manual or electronic. The point change position by a bar attached to the point and the switch stand. Something could have broken there. The switch frog is where the wheels actually cross over to a different track. The fog could have been worn enough not to work. There are enforcing bars that will push the wheel over the frog into the desired direction. These could of been broken.

In short the train did not go in the desired direction and try to travel down two different tracks at the same time. Either something failed or the switch was thrown under the train.(Unlike) Once you remove the equipment it’s pretty easy to see what has happens.

Thank you JT51

Just-Thinking-51 said:

The leading cause of this type of accident.

The switch has several different parts and designs to cause the train to travel onto a different track. The movable points that are control by a switch stand. Manual or electronic. The point change position by a bar attached to the point and the switch stand. Something could have broken there. The switch frog is where the wheels actually cross over to a different track. The fog could have been worn enough not to work. There are enforcing bars that will push the wheel over the frog into the desired direction. These could of been broken.

In short the train did not go in the desired direction and try to travel down two different tracks at the same time. Either something failed or the switch was thrown under the train.(Unlike) Once you remove the equipment it’s pretty easy to see what has happens.

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Also known as the typical setup for multi-track drifting, which is something best avoided.

A high-speed version of this happened in the Eschede train disaster.

allanorn said:

Also known as the typical setup for multi-track drifting, which is something best avoided.

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Metro managed to do that back in 10/2018 at Roselle West with a deadhead train (was supposed to go into service at Roselle). Apparently, the switch threw underneath the car yet somehow, the car stayed on the rails. I was able to watch the cleanup and Metra did not try to move the car but rather used a crane to move one end over to the proper track.

Does anyone know where exactly the EB derailment occurred? From one of the pictures above, I'm thinking the car that's skewed across three tracks is right under Randolph Street and the track coming in from the left of where all the workers are standing is "21 Connection." If so, the switch in the foreground is part of a scissors crossover and it looks like the EB was crossing over to run out Main 3 which is unusual as it would need to get back to Main 1 (or wrong-rail on Main 2) at A-2 or A-5, Main 3 going only to the MD-W at A-5 (track work between CUS and A-2?).

One consequence is that more equipment will be laid up, at least temporarily. Whenever a car comes off the rails, the entire running gear and brake systems have to be thoroughly inspected before the car can be returned to service. More time if some repairs turn out to be necessary.

Just-Thinking-51 said:

The leading cause of this type of accident.

The switch has several different parts and designs to cause the train to travel onto a different track. The movable points that are control by a switch stand. Manual or electronic. The point change position by a bar attached to the point and the switch stand. Something could have broken there. The switch frog is where the wheels actually cross over to a different track. The fog could have been worn enough not to work. There are enforcing bars that will push the wheel over the frog into the desired direction. These could of been broken.

In short the train did not go in the desired direction and try to travel down two different tracks at the same time. Either something failed or the switch was thrown under the train.(Unlike) Once you remove the equipment it’s pretty easy to see what has happens.

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Thank you for this. I am an experienced passenger, but I have much to learn about how things work "under the hood". I hope no one was hurt, that operations will be back to normal soon, and that whatever happened won't happen again.

jis said:

Apparently 7/27(7) has derailed as it was departing Chicago Union Station today (5/7/23). Two cars are off the rails. It was a slow speed derailment. Currently developing story. More as we learn more.

Additionally 8/28(7) is cancelled due to equipment unavailability. That was caused by freight train issues around Whitefish MT yesterday. 7/27 will arrive in Sea/PDX later today.

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Was quite surprised to see 7/27(5) rolling through Spokane at 1:00 in the afternoon yesterday. It was right at the end of the annual bloomsday run and I was optimistic to think that WDOT or Amtrak was running some sort of special to/from Seattle at the end of the race. Unfortunately it was just a 10 hour late EB.

Photos posted on Reddit:

https://www.reddit.com/gallery/13b7az3
The evening Hiawatha service that day was cancelled, and METRA curtailed their operations to Western Avenue providing a Bus Bridge from Chicago Union Station to Western Avenue.

Apparently there are some cancellations today (5/8) too.

Reports from the people who were on that train suggest that the two Portland Coaches came off the track. The Portland Sleeper and two PVs behind them were apparently OK, though the front truck of the Portland Sleeper may have been involved.

Will the NTSB get involved, or this not considered major enough? It would be nice to eventually get a public report of the cause.

joelkfla said:

Will the NTSB get involved, or this not considered major enough? It would be nice to eventually get a public report of the cause.

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No fatalities or even significant injuries. I doubt NTSB will bother with this one. I am sure Amtrak will do an internal investigation and report which should be available via FOIA.

Maybe Chicago hired some of the fired MBTA people...

Is this going to be another case of lack of inspection and maintenance of trackwork? Remember the mess at NYP a few years ago?

Just not something you expect to hear once, let alone twice in 10 days?

It can't be too difficult to inspect the track right outside the station. You'd think after the first one they would have had a quick look-see.

Brian Battuello said:

It can't be too difficult to inspect the track right outside the station. You'd think after the first one they would have had a quick look-see.

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How many switches are there to be inspected at CUS?

Why are we speculating already. Track maintenance? Wrong good source says it was a switch thrown wrong way.

I thought we solved the interlocking problem 80 or so years ago. How could a switch possibly be set wrong, or changed while a train is over it, without a major investigation and heads rolling. That just shouldn't ever happen. When I roll out of a busy station and see hundreds of switches ahead, I have to assume there is a solid plan for pointing the train in roughly the right direction.

Brian Battuello said:

I thought we solved the interlocking problem 80 or so years ago. How could a switch possibly be set wrong, or changed while a train is over it, without a major investigation and heads rolling. That just shouldn't ever happen. When I roll out of a busy station and see hundreds of switches ahead, I have to assume there is a solid plan for pointing the train in roughly the right direction.

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"...pointing the train in roughly the right direction." Which this one apparently did.

AmtrakBlue said:

"...pointing the train in roughly the right direction." Which this one apparently did.

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Yeah, it is really important that it be very precisely pointed on a specific track in the right direction, not just "roughly pointed".