Tragic Derailment - VIA Rail
#1
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Very sad - all three in the locomotive died. Sad Nope


Andrew
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#2
My thoughts and prayers are for the victims families and all the injured.The scene of the accident is just east of where I often railfan.The 3 crewmen in locomotive F40P #6444 were killed---I'm sure I have a picture of this locomotive---it is a black day for train enthusiasts
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#3
I saw that on the news this morning. Our thoughts and prayers go to everyone and their families.
Don (ezdays) Day
Board administrator and
founder of the CANYON STATE RAILROAD
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#4
I know that this may be insensitive given the circumstances but; Why the heck is VIA putting over 3000HP on the head end of 5 coaches that are only carrying an average of 15 people each? What a waste! VIA needs DMU's...
Ron Wm. Hurlbut
Toronto, Ontario, Dominion of Canada
Ontario Narrow Gauge Show
Humber Valley & Simcoe Railway Blog
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#5
TinGoat Wrote:I know that this may be insensitive given the circumstances but; Why the heck is VIA putting over 3000HP on the head end of 5 coaches that are only carrying an average of 15 people each? What a waste! VIA needs DMU's...

Oddly enough, that same train was, in the past, operated with RDCs. Amtrak also operates a similar locomotive-powered train on this same route, although it's total run is considerably longer.


Wayne
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#6
Update on the story - event record has been located and investigation underway (expected to take up to a year).

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Andrew
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#7
TinGoat Wrote:I know that this may be insensitive given the circumstances but; Why the heck is VIA putting over 3000HP on the head end of 5 coaches that are only carrying an average of 15 people each? What a waste! VIA needs DMU's...
That locomotive is probably more fuel efficent and mechanically sounder than the RDC's it replaced, and though it only had 75 passengers on this trip I'm sure it is fuller on others. It doesn't cost much more in fuel to pull 5 cars than it does 2 so provide some comfort and leg room for the customers.
It's tragic that this accident happened and 3 crewmen were killed. Has a caused been determined?
My heart goes out to the families of the crew and to the other passengers who were injured.
Charlie
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#8
Charlie B Wrote:It's tragic that this accident happened and 3 crewmen were killed. Has a caused been determined?
My heart goes out to the families of the crew and to the other passengers who were injured.
Charlie

Charlie - preliminary estimates are for a year-long investigation, but at the same time they mention switching tracks at the time of the derailment. They also point out that there was a rookie engineer on board, and no way of knowing who was actually at the controls at the time of the crash. I am sure there is more to come.


Andrew
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#9
I read where there was a rookie on board but I don't see what problem that would cause if he had 2 others supervising him. It is possible whoever was operating may have entered the crossover too fast but the position of the locomotive and derailed cars IMHO just don't seem to fit this scenario. Picking a point doesn't fit either, but the pictures I have seen are not real informative. I can't really understand why it would take a year to investigate this. that is not logical, and this has to be solved ASAP.

Charlie
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#10
MasonJar Wrote:Very sad - all three in the locomotive died. Sad Nope

Saw the sad news in my newspaper over here too. My condolences to the families, friends and coworkers of the people killed and injured.

Thank God it wasn't even worse, and that locals and emergency crews worked fast and efficient to get the passengers out of the wreck, and get the injured to hospital.

Stein
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#11
Charlie just think of all the wages these investigators would loose if they solved it in only a month. They removed the event recorder and let the media photograph it from all directions in their vehicle, and it did not have a scratch on it. But the investigator said it would be difficult and time consuming to recover the data on it because it was so heavily damaged?

No disrespect to the crew or there families but this one does look like it will be blamed on human error. The lack of torn up track, and no apparent major failure of the locomotives trucks i e no broken wheels or axles and the lead truck so far down the track from the engine. This leaves the impression of excess speed. As the engine hit the first switch the trucks lurched right and the engine would have leaned hard to the left, as it began righting its self, momentum and mass moving to the right when it then hit the next switch and the trucks then lurched back to the left. This in turn then set up enough rightward momentum to role the engine off of its trucks. The tight lock coupler on the rear took the first car with it onto there sides. The distance the engine slid on its side also seems like they were doing more than 15 mph. But I hope I am wrong.

My condolences to the families and friends of these men. And all those who were injured.
Robert
Modeling the Canadian National prairie region in 1959.
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#12
I don't think it will take a year to learn the cause of the accident, but the Transportation Safety Board of Canada usually extends these investigations to include recommendations to prevent similar incidents. Let's hope that they're more knowledgeable about railroads than most of the reporters and newsreaders covering this story.

Wayne
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#13
doctorwayne Wrote:I don't think it will take a year to learn the cause of the accident, but the Transportation Safety Board of Canada usually extends these investigations to include recommendations to prevent similar incidents. Let's hope that they're more knowledgeable about railroads than most of the reporters and newsreaders covering this story.

Wayne
I have to agree the coverage has been very confusing. I was trying to figure how the train ended on its side on the right side of the track when it was crossing over, It now apears it was crossing at a right hand crossover which would open the possibility of a wreck of this fasion. It seems they are jumping on the fact there was a student engineer on board. He was 40 years old, so I doubt he would be speeding intentionally. It is possible that he didn't understand that the signal was diverging instead of mainline, thus failing to slow, but with two other engineers in the cab I find this highly unlikely. For what speed is that crossover designed and what is track speed through it?
Believe it or not, a missing cotter pin in the pin that holds the butterfly on a switch could allow a derailment like this.
Railroading requires you to be alert at all times. the equipment is very unforgiving.
Charlie
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#14
The spokesman on the TV said the line speed is 80 something at that point (Km/h? m/h?) but the crossover is 25.
However, the derailment is about 1.5 miles from Aldershot station where the train is scheduled to stop. Any idea how fast it could accelerate?

The other report was that all the passengers were in the front 2 cars.

Many reports seem to be confusing the loco with a "car".

If you want to look at the area, find Burlington, Ont and find the large interchange of 403, 407 and QEW. There is an IKEA store in the SW corner and the wreck is almost behind it.
David
Moderato ma non troppo
Perth & Exeter Railway Company
Esquesing & Chinguacousy Radial Railway
In model railroading, there are between six and two hundred ways of performing a given task.
Most modellers can get two of them to work.
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#15
Charlie
The so called student engineer was only new to Via, but was a seasoned freight engineer on a ride along to familiarize him with the territory. I believe the train would have to slow to 15 mph to cross over to the right hand track. Track speed for passenger trains is 80 mph a lot faster than 80 kph. If the switch had failed, the unit would have gone on the ground and torn up ties and rails, but the track was almost totally unharmed only pushed out of alignment in a couple of spots. A maintenance crew was working on a detector just down the track making it necessary to cross over to the other track, something usually not done there.

BR60103
A 3000 horse power unit with only 5 LRC cars (light rapped comfortable) would give any sports car a good run for its money.
Robert
Modeling the Canadian National prairie region in 1959.
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