MMA Train explodes at Lac-Mégantic

[sailormatlac]

True to form , any of the "big shots " being questioned are denying responsibility . Not surprising ...worried about their own butt and nobody else . Official toll now 13 with more to come .

T

Well said. Ed Burkhardt dug his own grave in Quebec with both hands with his uncareful statements in the recent days. He remembers me a motto my old boss is always saying when a Mr. Know-it-all walks in our offices and want to cut cost on quality, building material, etc.: "cheaper always cost more in the end". So far, it always proved true. Who knows what Rail World president will say tomorrow when he will visit the place... Whatever he is in real life, he totally "bley it out" (to reuse his own wording) in the media. He missed the train to prove he was a fine railroader and a responsible businessman.

When the bus ran beside the yard in Limoilou today, after my work day, I felt quite strange while looking at the same tank cars full of kerosene waiting in Quebec City harbour.

That said, the provincial police released 52 pictures shot from the wreck site, now considered as a criminal investigation site. Honestly, it left me speechless for a while... After seeing this, I understood what my railfan friend from Megantic tried to tell me when he returned from there last Saturday. Website is in French, but I think those pictures talk by themselves about the sheer destruction.

http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2013/07...des-photos

As already stated by many members here, it's hard, at this point to sort out what happened exactly. However, TSB presented a timeline of events prior the accident. It seems like an addition of bad luck, mishaps and negligence at some level. There's so much fishy and messy things around the accident to check: brake, engine fire, how and where the train was parked for the night, security protocol when hauling hazmat, crew munmbers, name it, it's there. It will probably take years before final recommendations by TSB are made public.

On the "good side", there have been reports that the engineer rested in a downtown hotel, was awaken by the explosions and removed about 9 tank cars remaining on rail at the height of the fire with a trackmobile. His taxi driver told a newspaper he was really anxious about the engine pumping oil and smoking while en route to the hotel. But this last bit of info is taken from a tabloid and I wouldn't recommend to speculate from their unofficial claims they like to make. Too much people not knowing their stuff, myself included, talk about this event.

Matt