Amtrak Crescent Derailed

[ALC Rail Writer]

That being said, Jis, since when are you on a first name basis with Anderson Cooper?

 

[gn2276]

All of the wheels on the cars that derailed will have to be changed out before the cars go back into service.

I am curious, how big are the wheel assemblies? I have been all over the internet, and seen the Amtrak photos, of "wheels with the flat spots repaired" But there is no person in the photo to give perspective. They look pretty massive from what I can see, I would guess about 2.5-3 feet from rail to waist.

One of those wheel sets is about 3.5 feet tall and is around 1100-1200 pounds in wieght.

 

[Steve4031]

Can we just talk about the derailment and the disposition of the affected equipment? I get the discussion about euphemisms describing this derailment and plane crashes, but the rest of this wanders a bit much IMHO.

 

[Gingee]

Is this train 98 also? We are going NYC to Ft. Lauderdale this summer. Then Ft. Lauderdale to Washington DC and Chicago. Is this the same train?

 

[EMDF9A]

An example of controlled flight into terrain is when a pilot THINKS he's in the air and winds up in the ground - most likely when a plane hits the side of a mountain in the fog.

A recent example would be the JAL flight that hit the embankment while landing at San Francisco. He didn't realize until too late that he was to low.

It was actually an Asiana flight not JAL.

 

[Ryan]

Yeah, that was mentioned in the very next post.

Is this train 98 also? We are going NYC to Ft. Lauderdale this summer. Then Ft. Lauderdale to Washington DC and Chicago. Is this the same train?

No.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Is this train 98 also? We are going NYC to Ft. Lauderdale this summer. Then Ft. Lauderdale to Washington DC and Chicago. Is this the same train?

The Crescents are trains 19 and 20, the Silver Meteors are trains 97 and 98.

 

[MattW]

But that doesn't necessarily mean the car pool won't be stretched. We know they share consists at least in winter when they reverse the consists so the cars from the Lake Shore can thaw out and are interchanged with the rest of the eastern LD trains. Not sure how much of that happens during normal times though.

 

[SubwayNut]

Hialeah, Miami is the maintenance base for Viewliners so all those cars have to go down there every so often.

 

[chakk]

It reminds me of the scene in Running Scared, where Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines are talking about a jumper. They use phrases like "concrete poisoning" and "deceleration trauma". ^_^

For the railfans, that movie has a great sequence in which they are pursuing a criminal and end up driving on the L tracks.

Gregory Hines also corrected Billy Crystal that it wasn't the volts, but the amps, that would kill you if you came in contact with the electrified third rail on the L.

BTW, did the boys ever collect taxi fare from the priest and nun riding in the back seat of their uncover cop car decked out to look like a taxi?

 

[VentureForth]

If I were on that train I would hope that those going to New York and up the corridor were simply bussed to Charlotte and sent on the Carolinian or at least given that slower option compared to a bus ride all the way up to Washington.

My thoughts, too - though I would rather just be bussed up to Washington, DC and take the train the rest of the way. I suppose there are several options once you get to Charlotte, but there are even more when you get to DC.

But a bus from South Carolina to NYC? No thanks...

 

[rrdude]

I like the Public Relations term "lost contact."

Reminds me of when I went thru Antrak's training in the late 70's, we were told to never utter the words, our teain is. "Late", we were to respond our train in "off schedule". Yeah, THAT made difference.......

 

[rrdude]

Can we just talk about the derailment and the disposition of the affected equipment? I get the discussion about euphemisms describing this derailment and plane crashes, but the rest of this wanders a bit much IMHO.

Which IS EXACTLY the kind of banter that makes postings like this SO interesting to ME. ymmv

 

[rrdude]

Planes will make "unscheduled landings".

There is standard terminology for it already. It is either "controlled" or "uncontrolled" (depending on the circumstances) "flight into terrain"

*headdesk*

And I suppose the Challenger suffered a "loss of altitude".

Or a "Major malfunction......"

 

[Chatter163]

My friend's brother and son were on this train, headed from Atlanta to Baltimore. They were placed on a bus.

 

[cassie225]

Do you get any money back? Especially the sleeper customers.

 

[jis]

Do you get any money back? Especially the sleeper customers.

Last time when I was bustituted from Albany to Buffalo, around a derailment near Amsterdam NY on an LSL Sleeper ticket, I was given a couple hundred dollars worth of travel voucher, no questions asked. Of course your mileage may vary.

 

[Ryan]

My wife was bussed TOL-CHI around another derailment and had the same experience (even though she booked on points, she got a cash voucher).

 

[cassie225]

I like those answers. Just hope nothing happens like this in January. This will be hubbies first train and it will be LD from NOL to NWK. I want it to be a good experience for him so he will want to do more

Do you get any money back? Especially the sleeper customers.

Last time when I was bustituted from Albany to Buffalo, around a derailment near Amsterdam NY on an LSL Sleeper ticket, I was given a couple hundred dollars worth of travel voucher, no questions asked. Of course your mileage may vary.

My wife was bussed TOL-CHI around another derailment and had the same experience (even though she booked on points, she got a cash voucher

I like those answers but I hope nothing like this happens because this will be hubbies first train ride. We are going LD from NOL to NWK and I want him to do more of the train,gives him the opportunity to rest and sleep. Has this ever happened to Crescent before?

 

[cassie225]

Sorry I don't know how to use multiquote!!!

 

[Ryan]

Every train derails from time to time, but the likelyhood is pretty low.

The last time I remember the Crescent going on the ground is when that tractor trailer hauling a tank pulled out in front of it. 2 years ago, maybe?

 

[jis]

According to Gene Poon's posting in TO, the Crescent derailed due to a broken stock rail at a switch that it just passed over. Then it managed to cross a short bridge in the derailed state before coming to a stop.

In a separate report on TO we also learned that the same night 98(24) possibly passed over a rail that was in the process of breaking, just south of Savannah, about 3 miles south of S. Ogeechee on CSX's Nahunta sub, and reported it, causing a restricted speed order to be put in place. The next train to pass was southbound freight train L031, that stopped after seeing the broken rail but not before the locomotives had passed over it. There was no derailment, but the railroad was shut down until the track was fixed. Report was from the crew of 91, which was stuck behind the freight together with 97 and 53 for many hours while the track was fixed.

 

[cassie225]

They can see a broken stock rail?? Silly me. The last time I was on the Crescent I thought it was going to come off the tracks after we left Atlanta- we were swaying from side to side ,but the Amtrak staff didn't seem worried so I settled down and enjoyed the company of the people in the lounge. I think of the Amtrak staff sorta like airline stewardess, if the plane coming down they ain't going to say it is.lol

 

[jis]

This is the bridge over Falling Creek Road and a Creek that it passed over apparently after derailing at the corssover that is to the left of this bridge:

http://goo.gl/maps/wk28Z

It stopped well short of the next grade crossing which is Cedar Creek Road, which is a little distance to the right of this bridge.

 

[CoachSlumber]

Indeed. An uncontrolled flight into terrain is basically when a pilot loses control of the airplane and for whatever reason crashes into the ground. An example of controlled flight into terrain is when a pilot THINKS he's in the air and winds up in the ground - most likely when a plane hits the side of a mountain in the fog.

Yeah, it's not a euphemism to avoid saying "crash"; it's useful terminology for classifying crashes.