Wolverine Accident

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It would seem that #128 will be not seeing mainline service for a good long while. Looks to be repairable, but then again maybe not. And then there is the whole issue of money. Might be cheaper to rebuild and reactivate a P-40 from the Mothball fleet instead of repair a wrecked P-42 with a lot of body damage (and likely internal damage as well.) Thoughts?
 
Acela150 said:
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Wow, there is actually a company who specializes in derailments. I never knew that. :eek:

1jvivn.jpg
 
Amazing how a team of people and their cranes and other heavy equipment can not only lift the enormous weight of a locomotive, but turn it back to stand upright on rails once more, and the same to the cars too. Most laypeople have no idea just how many tons a railcar weighs.
 
Acela150 said:
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Wow! There they are working on an engine on its side with some smashed up cars. Soon the scene changes to a perfect engine pulling perfect cars. That is so impressive! Train repaired while you watch. I guess their machine just pulls the cars from each end and the metal pops back in place. Even my toy trains needed time for the glue to dry when they broke.

Whoa! :giggle:
 
Just watched the video. My stomach turned and my heart stopped when I saw the shot of the twisted car. It twisted/sheared in the area where you pass through each car. I am SO glad nobody was walking between the cars when that happened. :(

Also, the blurb at the bottom of the video says the truck driver had gotten out of his cab to check his trailer, as he thought the trailer had bottomed-out on the tracks. As he was checking, the crossing gates activated and came down on the truck. Then he watched the train hit the trailer. :( How awful.
 
Does anyone know the speed limit here, the condition of the tracks, etc?

This seems to be a strange collision as there is very little external damage to the locomotive, yet it and the first two cars completely derailed. The force needed to turn a locomotive over and jackknife a car should have caused more front-end damage to the locomotive.

As for as scrapping or repairing the equipment, I think the p-42 and horizon will go to beech grove for storage and the amfleet to bear for storage. I think Amtrak has plenty of p-40/p-42s that can be more cheaply restored to operation condition than this one. Depending on the fleet strategy plan this loco may never see service again. I think new diesels will be purchased before Amtrak gets short enough to do any major wreck repairs. BTW I have heard GE is waiting on the RFP for diesels, they plan to offer P-44s with the same shell and a 4400 hp prime mover identical to the GEVO freight locomotives. As for the Amfleets when the Midwest bi-levels go into service there should be several free Amfleets.
 
From what I have seen the driver stopped on the crossing to see if he bottomed out in the crossing. My question is why you would stop on an active railroad crossing in the first place. If this is the company's policy they have just bought a p-42 and 3 passenger cars if the driver did this of his own accord he is out of a job and the company still bought several million in railroad equipment. It is beyond me why anyone gets hit by a train, you have to make a conscious decision to get hit, its not like trains jump out of the bushes and run over innocent bystanders......stupidity causes accidents... nothing more, nothing less.....
 
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Acela150 said:
tlapteditor said:
Video of the wreckage.
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I had posted this video earlier. See my post that says Brief Video. It's a link to the video. No need for double posting things...
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Hey, it's a stepp in the right direction from creating a whole new thread! :)

Crescent ATN & TCL said:
I think Amtrak has plenty of p-40/p-42s that can be more cheaply restored to operation condition than this one. Depending on the fleet strategy plan this loco may never see service again. I think new diesels will be purchased before Amtrak gets short enough to do any major wreck repairs.
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Amtrak is painfully short of locomotives right now - if there is any way this one can be put back on the road for a reasonable amount of money, it will be.

Crescent ATN & TCL said:
My question is why you would stop on an active railroad crossing in the first place.
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Because he was stuck and couldn't move his truck.
 
Crescent ATN & TCL said:
It is beyond me why anyone gets hit by a train, you have to make a conscious decision to get hit, its not like trains jump out of the bushes and run over innocent bystanders......stupidity causes accidents... nothing more, nothing less.....
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The way some news sources put it, you'd think that's what actually happens.

peter
 
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