Posted on 12/18/2017 9:12:29 AM PST by JME_FAN
When I have ridden on the train in Branson they only go 25 mph on freight train tracks. It’s pretty smooth and helps make the ride last for an hour or so. Maybe an hour and a half. Haven’t actually timed it but it seems that the departures were like 2 hours apart. I’d have to look at their schedule again. When it goes south, it stops over a high point in Arkansas. Well, it looks high from the train. It may only be around 100+ feet.
Eighty-three people on board and seventy-seven taken to hospital.
“Maiden voyage of this Amtrak service”
Dang.... I hope they didn’t have a Ribbon cutting ceremony, would hate to be that guy/gal.
The train was probably going too fast for the sharp curve. Saw that in the disaster in Spain a year or two ago.
Interesting, because what I see is a few cars behind the engine including thise on 5. Across the bridge looks like another car, but not clear. If there is and it’s basically still on the track, that would be amazing if other cars behind derailed.
Very sad, and reminiscent of Titanic on its maiden voyage.
They’re saying it was only going 18MPH. First reported at 80. Never know what to believe.
They did. Friday.
I live north of Seattle. My wife was driving south on I-5 when this happened (She was not near the accident.)
The situation is very bad. The media has a dramatic photo of one of the cars hanging off the overpass onto I-5, but that is only part of the disaster.
The engine made it past the overpass, and the car immediately behind the engine seems to be mostly on the tracks. The third car is dramatically hanging down onto the freeway.
A passenger who was on the train says at least 7 cars derailed. The train was going 80 miles an hour when all passengers were thrown into the seat in front of them. I don’t know how any of them could avoid serious injury from that, but apparently some did.
If you look closely at the pictures that are currently being shown you can see what appear to be at least two cars on the ground in addition to the one that’s hanging, and the media is saying there is an upside down car on the freeway.
The accident occurred at rush hour on a very busy freeway. It seems certain that many motorists would have been injured, and I don’t see how anyone could survive having a train land on their car.
However, if traffic was going at usual rush hour speed for that location, people who ran into one of the train cars that suddenly dropped on the freeway might not have even been injured.
I’ll be away from my computer for the rest of the day, so no more updates. It’s too soon to know many details, but do not assume this was minor.
High speed for that set up would be about 80mph max, and definitely not that fast through that stretch of track. Definitely some speed restrictions going through there. So it could be operator error, not following speed restrictions, equipment malfunction, track problem, collision, or sabotage.
We won’t know until the investigators interview the engineer, and review the event recorder data and video downloads.
So what does Cascades mean? Is that only this branch? Or does it mean various branches on the WA routes, or special deluxe service?
Took that train to Vancouver, BC. The train stays there all day until around 4PM then heads back to Seattle, King St. station. Seems like something was wrong with the overpass it went over.
Three dead. So far.
It’s basically a sight-seeing/tourist train to Vancouver, BC. It takes people there then remains there until around 4pm when it heads back to Seattle.
Are you sure? They said they just opened this today, which I assume is a branch/spur, not a theough line.
Freight lines have sharper curves then passenger lines. Freight cars are shorter than passenger cars which allows them to trail over shorter radii rail curves.
These people are incorrigible .......... and desperate.
Judging by the pictures, it doesn't look like it was going 80 at the time of impact.
There are 3-4 other train cars on their tops in the woods at the scene.
$800 million spent on ‘upgrades’ for train...
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