Proper job then??? Looks very much like the road has spread under the wheels of the front locomotive, probably due to rotten sleepers/ties, causing the spikes or other types of fixings securing the base plates to the rail foot to lose their holding power, turning the rail over rather than it being a technical fault with the points/switches, as these are always interlocked with the signals , which cannot clear to a proceed aspect unless the points/switches have been detected to be in the correct position and the facing point lock applied. Hydraulically operated rail clamp locks are also interlocked to the signals... I was a train driver in UK for over 40 years, now retired, and witnessed the aftermath of quite a few derailments, accidents and incidents to both passenger and freight trains in my time... May I reiterate what the previous post has said... stay well clear of the railway and take any photographs from a safe vantage point... you never know what may be hanging loose on a moving train... that applies to level/grade crossings/station platforms too when watching trains pass...
Thank you... If you're interested in current and historic rail accident investigations, you can find all of the US reports on the railroad section of the NTSB website, the Canadian ones on the Transport safety Board of Canada website, Australian ones on the ATSB website, NZ ones on TAIC website, British (and some Irish ones) on "the Railways Archive website, or RAIB website UK, RAIU website (Ireland)... I used to be a Trade Union Health and Safety Rep (ASLEF) before retiring, hence my interest in rail accidents... you can always learn from the mistakes of others...
I am retired railroad supervision Tranmaster Yardmaster Wreckmaster Safetyman and track checker. Have worked industrial switching yards Steel mills. Never worked on mainlines HOwever worked with all the Rail carriers Canadian national . Norfolksouthern. Conrail penn central. List goes on. Rerailed molten iron torpedo bottles. Slag pots. Steel ingot cars all miserable conditions on my belly with wood blocking guage rods grease and some luck and replacers. 49 years and 65 age. Time to go home. Its a young mans game. Railroads gets in your blood. Your mind and eventually your soul. So what do i do now? Sit in my chair and watch railroad sites on internet. Out of the SMOKE AND STEAM i became who i am. I still have my gloves. If you worked on railroads you know what they are for. I see them and memories come back. I will never forget my life as a railroader. Thanks to you. I may see you on down the line. May all your switches be !ined for you and a clear tracks ahead. OK BACK!!!!!
I'm a former NS conductor. My biggest fear when riding up and down the rails was ending up on the ground. Nice job in covering the derailment.....very professional.
My Dad was with Southern. Rode the Crescent to Atlanta quite a bit. I was 13 in Oct '77 when the Crescent derailed in Spencer Yard, NC. That was the first time riding by myself from Alexandria to Atlanta.
Scott Downey Southern legacy here too. Father and grandfather. Dad was on the Crescent when it derailed in Culpeper. Big wreck. If I remember right, the conductor came to get him since he was the ranking official on the train.
@@RailfanRowan Just subscribed your channel, first time seeing it, this is awesome videos, I worked for General American Transportation Corporation better known as G.A.T.X at the Deer Park, Texas Facility as a Rip Track Supervisor, once in awhile as cars were switched into the facility, cars would derail and some actually went on there sides, big mess if one takes a few with it, appreciate your videos. Closest I come to derailments now are on a H.O. scale layout LMBO.
You brought up a very good point early on, about being aware and alert for anything. That empty centerbeam had a number of cables come loose. If just one breaks or otherwise comes loose on a moving train, you'd likely never see it before it took your head off. Shifted loads, dragging equipment... stay away and stay safe, folks.
Its like the Video where the kid was railfanning a Reading and Northern train on their first run on a reactivated line and the rear of the train jumped the tracks when he was standing less than 5 feet away.
@@dexecuter18 - I recall a website run by a railroad engineer who basically wanted to "scare kids straight" by posting photos of actual deaths by climbing under railcars. In one, there was a youth whose torso was severed just above his pelvis. The characteristic "belt line" bruise where the wheel flange pinched the body in two was pointed out. Think about that the next time you use a pizza cutter wheel, lol.
Or , like that landslide video that knocked the intermodal train over . You can see a few signs of the dirt shifting early on but if one was not paying attention to the hill , and was close to the tracks , the intermodal cars could of smashed you and you would be dead in an instant. Railfanning may not seem that dangerous , but trains are sooo dangerous and things can snap or change in a second . A rail could flop over , an intermodal car could smash into you , or maybe a switch fails and a locomotive flips onto you . Always be careful
@@Wassupitsmike - Yeah, that one was just north of me near Mukilteo, WA. They always have slides there. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UeT0m-hpD_4.html
Huge respect to the salvage and recovery guys. Takes good assessment and coordination of personnel, and you never know when 20 tons of metal could move.
A very excellent video. This is a perfect example of what this type of video should be. Informative and NO loud, dramatic background music (Thank you very much!). I hit that subscribe button.
Excellent coverage young man, I agree it's great that no one was hurt. I have mad respect for the guys that get in there and clean this stuff up. Great content, thanks.
Yeah it's long so you can reach stuff with out being totally in the line of fire. The rods he cut are part of the break rigging and are attached to the trucks via pins
Incredible footage I like your technique keep up the good work That is some serious force to rip them rails and ties up like that did be safe take care
There's nothing better than watching professionals at work, doing things smartly and safely. They earned their pay on this derailment. Kudos to all of them and for your excellent video.
I highly admire your respect to safety and the importance of not trespassing on railroad property. In addition, you created a very good narrative of what probably happened during the incident, with what you could capture. Thank you!
Wow, very well done! Your camera goes exactly where my eyes want to see, and you spend enough time to make it interesting. For example, I was afraid you were going to cut away or edit out when you were showing the freed train car being dragged up the embankment by the crane. I only wish you were able to get more locomotive footage. Especially lifting those, what are they, like, 200 tons each? Wicked heavy! :D
TYPICALLY THE LOAD, LOCATION , AND DAMAGE ARE THE CRITERIA FOR WHETHER OR NOT TO INVESTIGATE. RAILROADS ARE SELF INSURED , SO NO CLAIMS ABOUT EQUIPMENT AND ROAD REPAIR, THE FREIGHT IS INSURED SEPERATELY.
This was worth watching. No 4 cranes per car, hook up, committee meeting, check wind, committee meeting, etc. No fake drama - Just folks getting work done. Thanks for getting us in there to see it.
Nice video work. I was a locomotive engineer for Norfolk southern 27 years. This train has some speed when it detailed. To make the cars ribbon like this. Being the lead locomotive is on the ground if there was a switch it's likely he split the switch.
@@RailfanRowan sure thing man. It's not that uncommon actually that switches are picked. So many people don't realize just how a train stays on the track. It's not much lol
I just starting watching videos on trains, and am fascinated. I never thought this kind of stuff would entertain me. I don’t mean the derailment or the wreck just the train topic in general.. Thank you. I actually understood everything.
"This is the time in life I wish I had a drone." Heh, I'm thinking along similar lines. Time was we'd see something or some place but either it's inaccessible or there's simply no way for a shot from the ground. I used to be skeptical about drones, but having seen the sort of video and performance recently they produce, I'm thinking I have to learn more about them.
Drones should be outlawed and only used for specific reasons by specific people. These guys Don't need the distraction of some imbecile flying a drone around for their self important reasons. Railroad employees yes, general public no.
I always hated any significant number of empty flat cars that were in the middle of my train when I was a conductor. If a train jumps that is the more likely point it will happen in your train if it pulls apart to fast or rolls in to fast especially while on sharp turns.
@@slicaltimistic1 right, but for those of us who live in the area, we do indeed want to know if any chemicals were spilled. Many of us are on well water, for one example of our concern.
That's why they they have TRACKS!! Someday, Elon Musk will come up with a trackless train...3 miles long, or as long as any train the RR wishes. And switches could be eliminated. Hang in there, railroaders!!
It would be Interesting to know how Fast the Train was Moving. It would be equally Interesting to know what Percentage of Derailments include the Units at the Front of the Train. My guess would be the Higher Percentage of Derailments occur at other points on the Train from Broken Axles, Cracked Wheels, Broken Rails, Malfunctioning Switches, etc. Thanks for the footage. 👍
My guess 35-45 mph. regular freight is typically capped out at 45mph on most NS lines. From what I can see it is not split rail so side with probably 35-45 mph max speed for that rail zone.I side more with 35 mph zone. Looking on google earth with the curves that are present in that area I side with 35 mph zone. Maybe even 25-30mph cause I see their is a sharp curve on this line in the area of the wreck. Up to 55 mph if intermodal.
I am a retired train driver from Milton Keynes in the UK. Fascinating, well filmed and presented video. The work those recovery and repair crews are doing is incredible. In my career I only saw one derailment incident - a single 90 ton loco that took a 15 mph switch at 45 and ended up in the ballast between two running lines. That closed the line for twenty four hours just to recover one loco and repair the track it tore up. It's absolutely correct what you say that when working trackside you need to be fully alert at all times - things really can happen in the blink of an eye.
Sean Collins cool! Is it really interesting too see? I have a bunch of historical footage of the Duluth Missabe & Iron Range Wrecking crew in the 50’s and it certainly has changed in terms of safety. They had no hard hats or safety glasses or anything.
When you said - that is where the pin goes, --- that part is called the truck, it has the wheels and bearings , springs, and yes that is all that holds them on to the car, tanker, or what have you. Scary in a way, but it works, and its simple to fix. when putting a carback on the tracks! Grew up 500 yrds from the tracks. Loved hearing and seeing them go by. When I was about 9, I rode on the old train with the coal burning engine. and the old passenger cars! I still remember that! Thanks, again!
Yes you very right trains is a very dangerous industry in which we rely on an a accident can happen at any given time ! I'm glad no one was hurt that's a lot of carnage there an could've been deadly ! Thanks for the video and of the better train wreckage videos I've seen ! 👍👍An yes those cleaning up that carnage are very professional an do a great job !👍👍 to them also !
Ok it didn’t jump the switch I have a friend who works for ns he changes wheels and all that he had to change a couple wheels out on some intermodal cars the other day that had derailed. Those cars rode the track for a few then they came to a crossing the wheels hit the crossing and then re railed it’s self when it did it messed the rails up it was in front of 12R. Then 12R came in behind it and derailed and all that
GREAT video. In my 70's and love everything railroad. This my first video watching recovery action. I appreciate your sharing it. I will look for your work on a regular basis. In Pittsburgh, Pa. area, lots of trains ! I remember, at Christmas, after building the train platform, laying my head down on the platform and hearing the rumble of my train coming and going down the track, at track height. !!
No doubt the most informative video so far! I really feel sorry for the people whose lawn is being torn up by those dump trucks but at least their property wasn't affected too badly!
Awesome video and information my friend. I used to help re-rail with the old MKT in Oklahoma, during the early 80's but never saw such a tight spot as that, always wondered how it was done. Thank you for the education!!!
I wouldn’t know where to begin cleaning up such a mess. Lots of physics involved. It’s amazing how strong those chain links attached to the crane are. It only takes one to break yet they are able to let ft a car up while it drags through the wreckage and dirt. Thanks for the video. Very amazing.
Excellent video, save up for that drone. Sorry to hear the signal was taken out but so happy nobody was hurt. Cranemasters and RJ Corman are amazing at clean ups.
@@RailfanRowan BTW - rail fanning has been an off/on interest of mine for years - think I've learned more about enhancing it with current technology in 1 week looking at some of your posted videos, particularly the tools for tracking -- !!
What magnificent documentation. Now I'm wishing I'd know about train derailment cleanup as a career. Here I am, a 70 year old woman, wanting to be out there operating that equipment.
This is the third video of yours that I’ve watched. Granted, it’s from 2 years ago, but I have to say you do a great job in covering all the aspects of railroading. I’m now subscribed and wish I would have discovered your channel sooner. Keep up the good work! BTW, I live in Southern California.
Thanks a bunch. You make a very good point about how for these emergency workers every call out is unique. Untangling millions of pounds of steel spaghetti. Looking for part 2.
Occasionally we drive down to Lexington because my oldest son attends VMI. Driving 81 we pass the exit for Front Royal and your video popped up on my home page tonight and I thought it was a funny coincidence.
Why I will never buy a house near railroad tracks! One minute you’re watching Unstoppable with Denzel Washington, and the next thing you know, an actual train runs through your living room! 🤷🏻♀️ LOL
ATCS is awesome. Every railfan needs to have at least an SDR and laptop and mobile antenna So much area is on the air, but not covered Anyone in the field today needs to have a good ATCS setup Nice video
Great footage, thanks for posting. Yeah, this was a good one. You were right on the money, lots of weight and momentum, when things go bad, lots of destruction in a hurry.
Just can't believe how lucky us railfans have been. I've been railfanning since 1980 and I haven't witnessed a derailment and I have never read anything about railfans being injured. Stay safe out there.
