Train derailed in Kansas City today

"Dusty Ventures" (dustyventures)
09/15/2020 at 23:59 • Filed to: None

One of virtual railfan’s livestream cameras caught it happening.

Speaking of livestream, they’re currently working on removing the wreck, which is requiring a coordinated effort with multiple cranes.

DISCUSSION (19)

Chariotoflove > Dusty Ventures
09/16/2020 at 00:09

I was braced for another Amtrak-style cataclysmic accident with fatalities. Thank goodness this seems relatively tame with no injuries. Do you know how it happened?

WilliamsSW > Chariotoflove
09/16/2020 at 00:13

The camera dude put a penny on the rails

Just Jeepin' > Dusty Ventures
09/16/2020 at 00:15

That’s gotta be a bad feeling as an engineer.

Been a rough few days for trains.

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/thats-not-gone-well-1845057240

https://jalopnik.com/watch-a-train-full-of-cars-get-slowly-can-openerd-under-1845050551

Chariotoflove > WilliamsSW
09/16/2020 at 00:19

Dammit. They have penny stretching machines to make souvenirs!

Dusty Ventures > Just Jeepin'
09/16/2020 at 00:25

I’m curious about the condition of the cars in these transports. Better than the ones that got scalped of course, but I imagine there was likely some sort of damage done.

ttyymmnn > WilliamsSW
09/16/2020 at 00:27

Back in the day, we had friends who came to Oak Park from Glen Ellyn (I think) on the actual commuter train, not the El. We would put pennies and nickels on the rails every time. My mother told the story of some family member back in the day who took a $5 gold piece, put it on the rail, and then made a pendant out of it.

ttyymmnn > Dusty Ventures
09/16/2020 at 00:28

I’m sure those guys knew what they were doing, but I wouldn’t have wanted to walk alongside those engines that were leaning over precariously.

WilliamsSW > Dusty Ventures
09/16/2020 at 00:30

Back when I was in the industry, IIRC any automobile in a car that left the rails was scrapped. No clue if that’s still true (or even if my memory is correct LOL)

WilliamsSW > Chariotoflove
09/16/2020 at 00:34

Kidding aside, they’ll investigate. Standard practice is for mechanical (cars and locos) , operations (engineers) , and maintenance of way (track maintenance and construction) to try to pass the buck to each other.

Seems to me that the lead loco was first off, more toward the left side of the field of view, making me think it was a maintenance of way issue, not mechanical.

Chariotoflove > WilliamsSW
09/16/2020 at 00:36

Sounds reasonable.

WilliamsSW > ttyymmnn
09/16/2020 at 00:37

A $5 gold piece? That’s big money!!

We grew up 2 blocks from the Milwaukee Road (later Soo, then Whiskey Central, now CN ) and used to do that, too.

jminer > Dusty Ventures
09/16/2020 at 00:38

I grew up in an old railway town, there wasn’t much that stopped there anymore but that’s why the town was initially build in the mid 1800s, the connection of a medium sized river about 75 miles from St Louis so it made a decent connection point of rail and river barge traffic.

We had 8 rails running t hrough the town and actually bisected it in half, when a long slow freight train rolled through there wasn’t a way to get from one side to another. People would literally die in an ambulance waiting on the wrong side on a train.

I have many fond memories of trains growing up, the whistles blowing in the distance but they were large impossible to stop machines miles long. About once a year someone was killed at a crossing, usually trying to beat a train across. Also about once a year a train would derail ranging from a few cars to a mile long of damage.

Trains are very cool, but also large terrifying beasts capable of great destruction.

Just Jeepin' > WilliamsSW
09/16/2020 at 01:01

I thought I saw the lead car kick something large off the tracks, like some 2x4s, but not sure.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Dusty Ventures
09/16/2020 at 03:42

that sucks.

shop-teacher > WilliamsSW
09/16/2020 at 07:30

Yep. I grew up half a block away from that same line, in Deerfield. I think I still have a couple of the squished pennies.

WilliamsSW > shop-teacher
09/16/2020 at 09:31

Haha - mine are long gone.

I passed our buddy the other day. He was waiting to get on 83 south at Lake St, I had just gotten off.

Do you ever drive by the county health dept on Lake, closer to 355? There’s at least one guy there who’s a real car guy. I see a gorgeous Chevy pickup or an early Z every time I drive by. Never both though.

shop-teacher > WilliamsSW
09/16/2020 at 12:39

I saw him on Villa south of Lake Street last week.

I’ve definitely been in that area several times. I don’t know where the health department is, and haven’t noticed either of those vehicles. I’ll have to keep my eye out for them.

WilliamsSW > shop-teacher
09/16/2020 at 13:24

If I ever see him getting in or out of his car at work, I'm going to introduce myself. Not likely to happen but you never know.

shop-teacher > WilliamsSW
09/16/2020 at 18:32

I've seen h at the gas station and at the library. I'm a bit too shy to go introduce myself put of the blue though.