Empire Builder Hit By Car in ND....AGAIN

[Dirk]

KFGO in Fargo has the full story.

The accident happened near Larimore, ND this morning. The car hit the train four cars back from the engines and uncoupled the cars, apparently causing some damage to the equipment. The EB really has bad luck in ND between getting hit by cars and horrible weather delays.

 

[Phil S]

Yup, drove into the side of a 12-car train in daylight. Maybe getting off shift at 6 AM and fell asleep? Newsstories so far contain not one word about the huge scare and inconvenience to several hundred passengers and crew. .

Would like to know how the Builder fares. I was on 27(14). A beautiful trip without a hitch, thankfully. Though 51(13) the day before was if anything even prettier. Wildflowers in full bloom, clouds scudding through the gorge.

 

[rrdude]

KFGO in Fargo has the full story.

The accident happened near Larimore, ND this morning. The car hit the train four cars back from the engines and uncoupled the cars, apparently causing some damage to the equipment. The EB really has bad luck in ND between getting hit by cars and horrible weather delays.

Boy, that car must have just hit the cut lever bar, while there was slack in the train, or how else would have the rail cars have come uncoupled? It couldn't have just been the force or angle of the car itself could it? IIRC, Amtrak's equipment is all outfitted with tight-lock couplers?

Weird. (imagine you were walking thru from car-to-car when THAT happened!

 

[Dirk]

The Grand Forks Herald has a bit better story.

The driver was 23 year old driving a Chevy Cobalt. Hard to believe that little car could have done damage to the train unless he hit it going full speed. From the story: "The two train engines and one of the 11 cars became detached and traveled one quarter mile down the track before stopping, according to the highway patrol." That would have been a heck of a ride.

 

[Texan Eagle]

What is more amazing is the car driver survived with non life-threatening injuries

 

[RampWidget]

IIRC, Amtrak's equipment is all outfitted with tight-lock couplers?

You are correct...

all Amtrak passenger equipment plus the Auto-Train's automobile carriers are equipped with tightlock couplers. The reason for this, as some AU members are aware, is that there is very little slack needed in passenger equipment as compared with freight equipment. Loaded passenger cars are lighter than freight cars, and do not need much slack between cars to be able to start the train from a standstill. Plus, passenger trains are considerably shorter than freight trains, so the average available horsepower per ton is greater - 8000 hp (2 P40DCs) moves eight passenger cars much faster than the equivalent HP will move a hundred loaded coal hoppers.

[Edited 2nd sentence for clarity]

 

[George Harris]

[boy, that car must have just hit the cut lever bar, while there was slack in the train, or how else would have the rail cars have come uncoupled? It couldn't have just been the force or angle of the car itself could it? IIRC, Amtrak's equipment is all outfitted with tight-lock couplers?

Almost certain there would be slack. Despite it not really possible to stop the collision from happening, the natural reaction of the engineer would be to put the train in emergency braking.

 

[RampWidget]

[boy, that car must have just hit the cut lever bar, while there was slack in the train, or how else would have the rail cars have come uncoupled? It couldn't have just been the force or angle of the car itself could it? IIRC, Amtrak's equipment is all outfitted with tight-lock couplers?

Almost certain there would be slack. Despite it not really possible to stop the collision from happening, the natural reaction of the engineer would be to put the train in emergency braking.

That's a logical sequence. Braking creates buff force between couplers, and a cut lever, or uncoupling lever, is in a location where the vehicle could have run into it in such a way that it lifted the pin and allowed the knuckle to come open.

 

[anir dendroica]

So a car slams into the side of the train, hitting between cars and lifting the uncoupling lever. The cars are rejoined and the train continues with no set-outs or bad-ordered cars. Superliners must be made of some pretty tough stuff...

Mark

 

[TraneMan]

Wonder if the train is going all the way to SEA/PDX?

 

[saxman]

Wonder if the train is going all the way to SEA/PDX?

Looks like it, but it's over 8 hours late.

 

[afigg]

Wonder if the train is going all the way to SEA/PDX?

Looks like it, but it's over 8 hours late.

Better than a service interruption and getting bustituted or waiting for the next day train.

Amtrak Status Map summary for what appears to be the EB that got hit. I should look for follow-up news stories to see if there is an explanation of how someone managed to hit the side of a train in daylight.

 

[Blackwolf]

So a car slams into the side of the train, hitting between cars and lifting the uncoupling lever. The cars are rejoined and the train continues with no set-outs or bad-ordered cars. Superliners must be made of some pretty tough stuff...

Mark

Indeed. From my point of view, everything safety-wise worked impressively well in this case. The train was at speed when this happened; true, the car threaded that 1 in a Million chance needle and manipulated the decouple bar... But the brake lines blew and the train automatically goes into emergency (that is, if it had not already been put there by the engineer upon seeing a car headed for him/her at high speed); everything comes to a screeching halt. No one was hurt (on the train) and no equipment was damaged beyond perhaps some cosmetic stuff at the impact site. They recouple, inspect, and haul west.

As they say, better late than never!!

 

[Agent]

Reading the Grand Forks Herald article cited earlier apparently disproves the theory that the car hit at just the right spot to hit the bar to uncouple the train. The article says that the vehicle hit the fourth car on the train, but that it was the baggage car and engines that uncoupled from the rest of the train. So how exactly does a train come apart at a different point than where it was hit? Does it have something to do with going into emergency?

 

[GG-1]

Reading the Grand Forks Herald article cited earlier apparently disproves the theory that the car hit at just the right spot to hit the bar to uncouple the train. The article says that the vehicle hit the fourth car on the train, but that it was the baggage car and engines that uncoupled from the rest of the train. So how exactly does a train come apart at a different point than where it was hit? Does it have something to do with going into emergency?

Aloha

My thought is that the reporter counted the 2 engines and baggage car ant reported the car hit the front of the fourth part of the train.

 

[Agent]

Reading the Grand Forks Herald article cited earlier apparently disproves the theory that the car hit at just the right spot to hit the bar to uncouple the train. The article says that the vehicle hit the fourth car on the train, but that it was the baggage car and engines that uncoupled from the rest of the train. So how exactly does a train come apart at a different point than where it was hit? Does it have something to do with going into emergency?

Aloha

My thought is that the reporter counted the 2 engines and baggage car ant reported the car hit the front of the fourth part of the train.

I'm not so sure about that. The article specifically says, "striking the train on the fourth railcar back from the engines."

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Looks like this one has nothing to do with the oil industry.

 

[zephyr17]

Reading the Grand Forks Herald article cited earlier apparently disproves the theory that the car hit at just the right spot to hit the bar to uncouple the train. The article says that the vehicle hit the fourth car on the train, but that it was the baggage car and engines that uncoupled from the rest of the train. So how exactly does a train come apart at a different point than where it was hit? Does it have something to do with going into emergency?

Aloha

My thought is that the reporter counted the 2 engines and baggage car ant reported the car hit the front of the fourth part of the train.

I'm not so sure about that. The article specifically says, "striking the train on the fourth railcar back from the engines."

Physically, I can't see a car striking a train uncoupling it 2 cars forward of the collision, without hitting it at a high enough speed to cause more damage, enough to require cars to be set out (truck would be a different matter, but a car is like a Coke can to a train). Given the general accuracy of reporting about rail and without pictures of the consist, am with GG-1.

 

[EB_OBS]

The car struck the train on the trail end of the baggage car, between the bag car and the dorm car. The dorm car is overall fourth in position behind the lead locomotive. Sounds like the reporter was incorrect or simply worded his statement poorly.

The car did indeed make a direct hit at the lift-lever bar on the baggage car.

The train continued on through to Seattle and Portland for two reasons, the main reason was that there weren't enough buses in Spokane to terminate it and second the baggage car and dorm car needed further inspection.

 

[henry kisor]

Those inclined to media-bashing ought to remember that reporters often get their information from the authorities (the cops) on the scene, and often the authorities make mistakes in preliminary investigations. Things are often not what they initially seem. Often the facts aren't really known until the NTSB issues its final report.

 

[Michael061282]

Heh Media Bashing.. I'm just remembering the CNN coverage of the Pere Marquette accident in Chicago a few years ago when one of the TV reporters asked if "any passengers on the freight train were injured". No bashing required, they seem to do it to themselves more often then not.

 

[Phil S]

Hmm, hit post and no posting. If a dup appears I'll try to delete it.

As expected, the return of these trainsets (8(18)) is down 5 hours. Is there an extra trainset in CHI or else how does this saga end? I'm pretty sure the answer is yes but would like to know for sure. Thanks!

Also, I was glad to see the car hit north of the dorm car, not between dorm and SEA sleeper. Crew were probably mostly out of there by 6:30. Still, a big adrenaline spike for everyone and an almost incalculable amount of inconvenience.

 

[Agent]

Well, it's nice to have confirmation that the car did indeed hit between the baggage car and the transdorm. I just can't comprehend how someone can distinguish the engines from the cars and count them as cars at the same time.

 

[Gord]

So a car slams into the side of the train, hitting between cars and lifting the uncoupling lever. The cars are rejoined and the train continues with no set-outs or bad-ordered cars. Superliners must be made of some pretty tough stuff...

Mark

There is a good possibility of "slid flats" on the wheels if the train went into emergency at track speed.

If the flat spots are too long, the equipment has to be taken out of service for wheel work. Even if the flat spots are within FRA guidelines the thumping and bumping can get pretty annoying for passengers.

Maybe the repair bill should be given to the fool that ran into it?

Gord

 

[Ispolkom]

Maybe the repair bill should be given to the fool that ran into it?

Gord

Sure, but I'll bet a 22 year old from Niagara, ND, is probably judgment proof.