Third train wreck in Rockview in past 4 months.....

Good greif! That's horrid.

Charlie

 

Holy Cow. That's just a few miles from me. I still use (not anymore) that over pass when I go to my dentist in Chaffee. I remember before that over pass was built it was a grade crossing. Wow! Now I'll have to go through Blomeyer.

 

Yes, that yard sale is a train wreck of its own. Dangerous people! That UP line crosses the Mississippi at Thebes and goes right past my house. The trains are backed waiting along the way almost to my place. I heard one loco blowing several short horns blasts in succession. Something like 3 or 4 then a pause then a few more and so on. Interesting day.

 

Missouri. Mississippi. Maybe the Ohio. Yes, I think they need to tighten up their game.

 

Local news just showed some footage of the wreck site. A UP auto rack was busted open revealing a new Jeep. That is tragic.

 

Front-page news this morning in the Columbia Daily Tribune. In the 1990s during college, I took many a photo of a wide variety of motive power in Rockview at or near the SSW/SL-SF diamond. We were on top of that viaduct in January when my wife spotted the bald eagle's nest just to the WSW.

Here's where my complete ignorance of modern-day railroading will show: how on earth does an accident like this happen in this day and age? I don't want to do the NTSB's job for them, but even my wife said that she'd have to think that several layers of fail-safe would have to go awry.

Best Regards,

 

I figure someone missed a red light or the light malfunctioned.

 

The news this morning reported the bridge replacement alone will be a $3M cost. Way to go guys!

Ken

 

Some thoughts: I know a couple of signal engineers/maintainers for two different railroads and this is their take:

1) The signal system is designed so that a dispatcher would have to clear a train through the interlock; the default is locked both directions, and only one direction could be cleared at a time.
2) A dispatcher would not be able to clear a train through the interlock if the interlock is occupied by a train.
3) Train crews by default would see at least two signals before entering an interlock; first an approach (yellow) and then a stop (red). The approach signal would be set far enough from the stop signal that an approaching train crew would have time to slow down from the maximum allowable track speed before having to stop at the red signal.
4) Signal failure can't be blamed; by rules, a dark signal is the equivalent of a stop (red) signal; the train crew must stop and inquire before being allowed to proceed.

Their general consensus was that a train crew blew two signals; the conductor and engineer of one train was either asleep or completely distracted by something.

 

While I would agree that signals are not very prone to malfunction, I am here to tell you that they have and do malfunction. Agreed it is almost always the result of some sort of human error.
Example; Just 3 years ago (CTC signal system), we had a WB approaching a station just out of Debeque CO, and an EB approaching Akin CO. 2 blocks separated them, Fortunately we all highball stations here ,both crews called clear signals, both crews have 25+ years of service. They both got stopped and after a lengthy investigation it was found that a dual control switch had been replaced and the wrong relay was installed for this particular ancient CTC system, and gave false clear to one direction. I can give names but believe me, it can happen.
Many years ago, before my time, the RailBlazer was WB at Narrows UT on (CTC Multiple MT) had a clear and was lined thru a Crossover into the side of another train that it was passing.
I have no idea what kind of signal system was/is in place on this territory, I am sure they will find someone to blame. Again it is usually the crews fault, but not every time, all the time.
Dont want to start a flame war here. Unless you have lived the life and worked on your rest for weeks at a time, it is difficult for anyone to understand the fatigue issues (if any) involved.
More often than not, with these kinds of catastrophes, you find that there were several "fail stop" discrepancies.
Very sorry to hear of the injuries, I hope they are all OK soon.