Amtrak service between Chicago, Milwaukee postponed (Caused by two "suspicious" downed power lines)

ABC 7 Chicago ^ | October 10, 2004 | AP

[Land_of_Lincoln_John]

(OAK CREEK, Wis.) — Milwaukee County Sheriff's spokeswoman Kim Brooks says two downed power lines are being treated as a crime scene.

The downed towers fell on rail lines, cutting Amtrak service between Milwaukee and Chicago until later this afternoon.

Oak Creek police and FBI investigators are on the scene of the suspicious power outage from last night.

Two high voltage towers were downed, cutting power to about 17-thousand customers south of Milwaukee, including the city's airport.

Investigators are calling the outage suspicious, saying it's unusual to have two towers go down on a clear, mild day.

Power was restored after about four hours.

[DSBull]

This is a side issue, but who still ride the Amtrak.

A few months ago I thought that it might be neat to ride the train to a vacation I was going on until I priced it and found it to be more that a plane ticket, so I flew instead..

Anyways, what would electric lines across a track do to a train if it hit them, I ask this in ignorance.

[Publius]

Far more than Amtrak uses that Canadian Pacific (former Soo Line) rail line through Glenwood. There are a huge number of freight trains that use that double-track line.

[maestro]

The downed towers fell on rail lines, cutting Amtrak service between Milwaukee and Chicago until later this afternoon. Oak Creek police and FBI investigators are on the scene of the suspicious power outage from last night. Two high voltage towers were downed, cutting power to about 17-thousand customers south of Milwaukee, including the city's airport. Investigators are calling the outage suspicious, saying it's unusual to have two towers go down on a clear, mild day.

Two high voltage towers were downed, cutting power to about 17-thousand customers south of Milwaukee, including the city's airport.

..........................'customers'.........

Obviously......a diversion from.............'customer services elsewhere'.......

(Protect our schools,.....etc.)

(help fight,....'peopled' terrorism.)

:-(

[DuncanWaring]

Anyways, what would electric lines across a track do to a train if it hit them,...

My uneducated guess - "not much".

I suspect a line hitting the ground would either short out, tripping a circuit breaker upstream, or the current would route through the rails.

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

The Milwaukee Urinal report said that "bolts were missing" from the first tower which collapsed and brought down the second tower.

I knew a guy who worked for a company that erected high tension towers. As I recall, he said the towers were assembled w/ nuts and bolts, then every joint was secured with a stamped steel "pal-nut" to prevent loosening. Sounds like the "playful elves" have been at it in beer town.

Regards,
GtG

[Paladin2]

I have one kid in Milwaukee and one in Chicago. They use that line quite a few times a year.

[Paladin2]

The bigger question is what would happen at an airport with the power out?

[DSBull]

Nothing, I worked on some of the initial Airport security High Tech stuff, well before 9/11.

All airport have mondo-backup systems that would run indefinitely I think, but certainly enough to get all planes down.

The computer systems that we worked on for security were developed as triple redundant systems with the eye on biometric controls, such as finger print and facial recognition systems and this was in the 90's.

So, while there might be some problems in places, most of us wouldn't really notice..

[boo-boo kitty]

I ride the amtrak. Have for years and so do a lot of people of all ages and types who don't care to fly anymore. I agree. Ridiculously expensive, but people are riding amtrak

[Cobra64]

The bigger question is what would happen at an airport with the power out?

If the facilities are like that of some very large IBM installations I've been to, their UPS would kick in to make sure the radars, communication systems, landing lights are okay, etc. Battery back ups in the terminals would be lit up to lessen passenger panic. Regardless, not something that any of us would want to experience.

[DSBull]

just wondering, I figured some where, but I am a tight wad...

[maestro]

I ride the amtrak. Have for years and so do a lot of people of all ages and types who don't care to fly anymore. I agree. Ridiculously expensive, but people are riding amtrak

Amtrak..........AQ........is also,....used too,.........SPAIN-trak!

(peopled terrorisms)

/Islamic EU/Canada.....................etc.

[hadaclueonce]

They need to unbolt the wires higher up...where they are connected to those insulators...that's the ticket! Then we will all be in the dark. OOPs, giving away trade secrets here.

[An American In Dairyland]

Many business people and some shoppers use the Amtrak line between Milwaukee and Chicago. It is quicker than driving, no tollway traffic to deal with, and no parking problems in Chicago to deal with.

[An American In Dairyland]

Per an earlier Milwaukee Urinal article, the airport's electronic terror screening equipment was not working. Airport yokels were "physcially" examining luggage and passengers yesterday at General Mitchell Field while the power was out. That shouldn't have been allowed IMO.

[maestro]

They need to unbolt the wires higher up...where they are connected to those insulators...that's the ticket! Then we will all be in the dark. OOPs, giving away trade secrets here.

ROTFLOL

[hadaclueonce]

Shhh...perhaps they will buy it, like rats to Decon...then we just sweep em up.