NS wreck at Mattawana, PA.

That'll buff right out.

Scrap it.

I dont think they will scrap it, it is one of their newer locos/rebuilds. 

There is a good picture of the wreck on "AltoonaWorks site. The body on the engine is really messed up.  It will be a major rebuild, I bet.

It's just Spring planting time. The crew was getting the garden dug.

(On a serious note, relieved to read the crew will be okay.  That must have been a terrifying ride during the roll over.)

I'm am really glad the crew is ok considering how deep it did go down. What's really weird, I just saw one of her sisters today. NS 4002 leading 25Z in Rootstown Ohio this early evening. And not even 3 minutes after the tail end cleared, a gentlemen who was there also to see 4002, showed me that photo on this his of 4001. So, I just saw 4002 and 4001 today derailed. The question I do ask, do they know what caused the derailment yet?

What's the background on the special paint job?  It looks a bit like Delaware & Hudson heritage colors.  Pretty awful looking spill, 'though.  I'm glad the injuries were minor.

TRRR

MY BRAND NEW 4001!  O the humanity!  it did not even get the squeaks out yet. 

ouch.  glad everyone made it out alive.  sad to see the 4001 wrecked.  this one was already repainted as well.  and just look at the pile of mangled coalporters that will have to be recycled.

Here are 3 more pics of the scene. From J. Alexander

Looks like a switch problem or signals or maybe engineer

train derails near mattawana

Strange, when you search for that phrase there are many derailments in the last few years in this area -is this area haunted?

They must have been moving at a good speed too. That's quite a tangled mess behind the locos.

Glad the crew is OK.

I grew up in this area and still railfan it when we go back to visit family each summer.

Typical speed for a mineral train - loaded or empty - traveling through that area would be about 49 mph.

Curt

Moonman posted:

Looks like a switch problem or signals or maybe engineer

train derails near mattawana

Strange, when you search for that phrase there are many derailments in the last few years in this area -is this area haunted?

Carl:

According to local lore, it is or, used to be anyhow.  

I recollect there being a field surrounded by trees near this location where we used to go when I was in high school.  An orbish light blob would appear in the far corner of the field and travel along the tree line.  The story was the light was a lantern being carried by a headless brakeman who had been killed in a train wreck.  He was searching for his head.  We referred to the location simply as "The Light".

This was better than 46 - 47 years ago so I don't know if the legend is still around.

Curt

Well, it does make a person wince to see a new (or newly rebuilt) locomotive wrecked.  Thanks for posting this.

The fact that only minor injuries were reported by the crew is yet another testimonial for the crashworthiness of the North American Safety Cab design. 

TomlinsonRunRR posted:

What's the background on the special paint job?  It looks a bit like Delaware & Hudson heritage colors.  Pretty awful looking spill, 'though.  I'm glad the injuries were minor.

TRRR

The history why it's painted that way is because this and 4000 were the first set of units to be converted from Dash 9's to AC44C6M's which is DC to AC power. Roanoke had 2 also and they're 4002 and 4003. 4004 and 4005 are from Altoona. Blue is Altoona, and Brown or Tuscan Red horse mane is from Roanoke.

Tom Jr., thanks very much for the background on the livery. Your picture of 4002 is great.

Tomlinson Run Railroad

AltoonaWorks said that the tracks have reopened, traffic is moving and a bunch of mangled hoppers are in the field next to the track. Good shot of the GE engine, it is really beat up.  Cb not as crushed as I thought. The EMD is sitting there looking relatively unscathed.

 Not looking good for the 4001

Looking at those last pictures, it is surprising how far they moved the hoppers from the tracks. That field looks freshly plowed, I Hope the RR, had the courtesy to at least make the appearance of asking permission to enter his property, the RR's being so sensitive about trespassers themselves. I also Hope that the RR was/is Very generous to the farmer about the potential crop in that field.

 Gotta imagine what the farmer thought the first time he showed up to plow/plant that field, if the RR hadn't already contacted him before he found the mess himself.

Doug

I am sure there are protocols/laws for disasters in these cases where the authorities contact the owners where the disaster occurs.  Interesting on facebook some people were saying they usually scrap the cars on-site and haul away the scrap metal.  So this actually makes sense why they got them far away from the main so the subcontracter can do his work scrapping the metal.

Interesting to see how relatively OK the EMD SD70ACe is compared to the GE.

I had friends who lived next to the Bessemer & Lake Erie main and there was a head on collision right there at their property. The RR showed up and politely told them that they were coming through their yard and bulldoze a road and remove a big tree. If you don't agree we will be back with a legal OK.  They removed the wreck, gave them some horns and restored the land. They got $$ too but don't know how much. Evidently in Pa., at least, they have the right to access their track. Ask a lawyer to be sure.

I don't see all the "mangled and scrapped" hoppers in the pictures, most of them look very much able to return to service with a bit to moderate amount of repair work...

wrawroacx posted:

I'm am really glad the crew is ok considering how deep it did go down. What's really weird, I just saw one of her sisters today. NS 4002 leading 25Z in Rootstown Ohio this early evening. And not even 3 minutes after the tail end cleared, a gentlemen who was there also to see 4002, showed me that photo on this his of 4001. So, I just saw 4002 and 4001 today derailed. The question I do ask, do they know what caused the derailment yet?

Did 4002 derail?

It is great hat the crew survived. Does anyone know what the fate of 4001 is? I am curious if NS will try to fix it, or just paint a new engine in its place. 

Bad time for DC to AC conversions. Read that 4005 caught fire leading a train in New York.

NS #4002 has not derailed AFAIK.  The #4001 is often paired with another Dash 9, but on this good friday a EMD SD70ACe was also a casualty.

Nobody got killed and that stuff can be rebuilt or replaced.

Thank god for that. Rebuild or scrap would depend on the age and extent of the damage 

NS locos are like the Raiders.  They need to stay BLACK.

(Plus the Raiders need to stay in OAKLAND!)

Comments on the TRAINS Newswire website indicate a heat kink in the rail as the possible cause of the accident.

Curt

The heat kink thing has been around since it happened and that is hard to comprehend. The weather  and the sun wasn't that hot. I wonder what the camera shows.  Two GE conversions lost over the weekend.

I to wonder what caused the derailment.I think NS will scrape some of the cars.I think the locomotives will be repaired.I recall some years ago a csx locomotive was derailed due to flooding.This happened in my neck of the woods charlotte nc.The locomotive was moved repaired and put back in to service.

It will really be interesting to see how they move the engines out of there.  They are below the tracks and the roads won't handle that weight plus the soft field would be a challenge. Any bets ??

jim pastorius posted:

The heat kink thing has been around since it happened and that is hard to comprehend.

Why?

The weather  and the sun wasn't that hot.

Maybe it was rapid temperature increase, plus there may have been track work previously done in that area, the combination of the two could easily produce a "heat/sun kink". Remember, it doesn't take much of a "kink" to cause a derailment. Plus, the headend crew could have seen it, but couldn't do anything.

I wonder what the camera shows.  Two GE conversions lost over the weekend.

Why do you say "lost"? Since the unuerframes do not appear to be "bent", the units are certainly "repairable".

Dominic Mazoch posted:

NS locos are like the Raiders.  They need to stay BLACK.

 

Yeah, because that really matters....  I'm sure the paint caused the derailment.

It is a raised roadbed, I think it would be more a soft spot that allowed the rail to sink. the weather wasn't that hot or sunny. The NS "lost"  two GE engines to SERVICE because of the wreck and 4005 caught fire in NY.  4001 won't be running for awhile.

jim pastorius posted:

It is a raised roadbed, I think it would be more a soft spot that allowed the rail to sink. the weather wasn't that hot or sunny. 

We must then assume that you have extensive railroad roadbed engineering experience, by such a statement?

I have two engineering books on right of way and roadbed engineering and construction, sort of, an interest of mine. Just speculation.

jim pastorius posted:

I have two engineering books on right of way and roadbed engineering and construction, sort of, an interest of mine. Just speculation.

OK then, when was that "raised roadbed" constructed, i.e. how long has it been "raised roadbed"? More than 100 years?

We really will know when the NSTB produces its finnal report!

jim pastorius posted:

It will really be interesting to see how they move the engines out of there.  They are below the tracks and the roads won't handle that weight plus the soft field would be a challenge. Any bets ??

The "Sidewinders" can rerail them, no problem!

jim pastorius posted:

I have two engineering books on right of way and roadbed engineering and construction, sort of, an interest of mine. Just speculation.

Then maybe you can tell the city of Atlanta why their road buckled up.

Would be fun to watch !!   They don't know how to build roads there, I guess.

Then you are very dangerous in many respects.

Darn it!!It had a real slick paint job on it.Way above the black and white.Are they gonna check and see what caused this?I doubt the crew was at fault on this.I think its the track.-

I bet that engine sits in the yard in Altoona for awhile before they get around to repairing it.

jim pastorius posted:

I bet that engine sits in the yard in Altoona for awhile before they get around to repairing it.

IF they repair it.

One item that was overlooked was the field the wrecked train is being staged until removal. i assume the farmer owner of that land is being compensated for the destruction of his crops on top of a monthly rental fee?

Probably a black hood over the engine compartment and leave the nose in the blue color.  They have enough of them junkers, they should not have a problem returning it to service.  LOCOMOTION 

paperboys posted:

In viewing the provided video of the wreck cleanup scene, did anyone note the high speed crossovers, at or near where the 4001 came to rest?
While a rail knick is a possibility, perhaps a picked switch; or incorrectly set point(s); a damaged or broken frog; etc???????????

I thought it has already been made clear that the crew SAW the heat king, prior to running over it.

Also, what do you consider "high speed" for those crossovers?

prrhorseshoecurve posted:

One item that was overlooked was the field the wrecked train is being staged until removal. i assume the farmer owner of that land is being compensated for the destruction of his crops on top of a monthly rental fee?

The Claims Department always generously compensates adjacent landowners for damage and inconvenience.  That is standard practice.

prrhorseshoecurve posted:

One item that was overlooked was the field the wrecked train is being staged until removal. i assume the farmer owner of that land is being compensated for the destruction of his crops on top of a monthly rental fee?

3 posts in reference to the farmer's field on the 1st page...

Number 90 posted:

prrhorseshoecurve posted:

One item that was overlooked was the field the wrecked train is being staged until removal. i assume the farmer owner of that land is being compensated for the destruction of his crops on top of a monthly rental fee?

The Claims Department always generously compensates adjacent landowners for damage and inconvenience.  That is standard practice.

I recently handled something at work where a train wreck occurred adjacent to someone’s yard and he woke up the next morning to a railroad MOW crew setting up their operations behind his patio.

He went outside, with a ‘look of death’ in his eye (his words), storming into a very surprised RR crew who was told by their boss that he’d secured permission (giant “Oops” from said boss later). He was immediately handed over to someone via the phone who gave a figure for his time. It was a VERY generous figure. They also apologized a lot. That meant more to the property owner than any amount.

As the RR people were leaving for good, a guy in a suit came by with a check for the promised amount.

“You can wreck here anytime!” he told them as they left. He said once he got past his initial rage of them in the yard, he said they were decent people.

Interesting video.  Was the truck escort for safety reasons? Or were they just along for the ride? :-}  Nice to see the engines on the move.

TRRR

Originally posted by Hotwater:
I thought it has already been made clear that the crew SAW the heat king, prior to running over it.

And if the Engineer was wearing a "minuteman" , it's understandable why he didn't stop...Although this wasn't the B&M RR

This had to have been on a trailer on the last car of the train in front of it....

Otherwise, I can't see this unit slipping in between the joint of a spine car or slipping in between two TOFC's and staying on the tracks for the following consist.

I think he meant "Heat Kink".

I was surprised how fast the hospital train was moving but did OK.

NS 4001 recently entered repairs at Juniata shops.

from facebook:

Good to know

here is whats left on the frame.

FYI, NS 4001 was released from Juniata shops last week in fresh new blue bonnet (sonic bonnet) paint! 

Happy times!  Amazing work!