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Amtrak derailment in Tacoma - multiple fatalities

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skyking

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
22,777
5,939
146
That's a brand new section of track; I ran fiber optics last winter for the railroad alongside the new construction. It was state of the art concrete ties and long sections of rail, replacing really old wooden ties and short 40' rail sections that the military had used for years at very slow speeds.
 
J

jmagg

Platinum Member
Nov 21, 2001
2,222
461
136
From the way the train lies, it looks like speed and/or shoddy track conversion. No way its 79 mph at that point imo. We'll never know.
 
BoomerD

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
66,292
14,712
146
Puffnstuff said:
NTSB is sending 20 investigators to the scene so we'll have to wait for them to pick through it before we know for sure what happened today.
Click to expand...

Yeah, apparently they're due tonight. Traffic on I-5 is fucked...Southbound is completely shut down...Northbound is limited. Unfortunately, there are no "good" routes for traffic to by-pass this clusterfuck. Apparently they're goi g to open a by-pass route through JBLM. (joint base Lewis/McChord)By the time they get all the cars and area searched for potential victims, for clues what caused the accident, get cranes and other equipment into place to clean this up, it could be 2-3 days before the highway is completely open...maybe longer for all 3 Southbound lanes.

I've been over this stretch of highway many times. It's busy as hell. News reports say 130,000 cars per day.
 
skyking

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
22,777
5,939
146
the new construction was done to get amtrak passenger trains off the old route along the shoreline, where the passenger and freight trains had scheduling conflicts, and also as a part of the commuter train to Seattle, The Sounder.
The fiber I worked on was for the railroad itself, and on the other side of the track a major trunk for fiber that continues into central western Oregon.
 
I

interchange

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
8,026
2,879
136
Donald Trump's first tweet about this is that our infrastructure is crumbling and this incident supports his plan. Is it possible he never heard the facts of this being a brand new route on its first passenger voyage? When I picture a President responding to a national disaster, I imagine a room with briefings on the most up-to-date information and coordination between staff on a unified response with layers of review prior to anything landing on the public's lap. This is just another example of how far away the Trump presidency is from anything resembling that.

Separately, it's hard for me to imagine that a new train fails on precisely it's first passenger voyage at a bridge over an interstate. We'll have to wait to see what comes of an investigation, but I'm not thinking accident.
 
BoomerD

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
66,292
14,712
146
News is now saying that 2 of the rail cars are too unsafe for people to get into to search...but they know there are people inside...people who aren't alive. :(
 
skyking

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
22,777
5,939
146
You're welcome . Note the lead engine basically sitting upright on the freeway. That had to be a hell of a ride for the conductors.
Although the area is off limits to vehicles, it is not hard to get onto the tracks there. The idea that they struck something is certainly possible and you'd not be able to see the thing they hit in all that carnage.
 
Puffnstuff

Puffnstuff

Lifer
Mar 9, 2005
16,205
4,885
136
skyking said:
You're welcome . Note the lead engine basically sitting upright on the freeway. That had to be a hell of a ride for the conductors.
Click to expand...
Not to mention that the roof is torn off it. What could they have hit to cause that?
 
skyking

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
22,777
5,939
146
they ran through some huge trees, look at all the stuff downrange and across the freeway.
 
Puffnstuff

Puffnstuff

Lifer
Mar 9, 2005
16,205
4,885
136
MomentsofSanity said:
Only one I saw was one of the engines that would have gone in hard. Looks like i just knocked the paneling on top loose. Maybe I missed something.
Click to expand...
I'm referring to the lead engine down on the highway with the forward section over the operators torn off revealing the interior sections and equipment with the portion over the power plant shifted but still on top. I did see the broken tree section on the road in front of it. With it hitting that hard I'm pretty sure the crew up front bought the farm but we'll have to wait for the official report on the crew and passenger status.

This is what amtrak is officially saying right now.

amtrak-logo__white.svg

Service Disruption South of Seattle
Amtrak Cascades services impacted
9:30 a.m. PT

Amtrak Cascades Train 501, operating from Seattle and Portland, derailed south of Tacoma, Wash. There were approximately 78 passengers and five crew members on board. Initial reports are that some injuries are reported to passengers and crew, and taken to local medical facilities for treatment.

Individuals with questions about their friends and family on this train should call (800) 523-9101. Local emergency responders are on the scene.

Service from Seattle to points north and east is continuing to operate. Amtrak Cascades Trains 504 and 509 are cancelled. No alternate transportation will be available.

Additional updates will be provided when available.

This information is correct as of the above time and date. Information is subject to change as conditions warrant.

https://www.amtrak.com/alert/service-disruption-south-of-seattle.html
 
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K1052

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
52,754
46,526
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Jesus Christ. Whole trainset wiped out except for the P42 on the tail. The SC-44 locomotive (newly turned into a convertible) running in front just entered revenue service like a month ago IIRC.
 
feralkid

feralkid

Lifer
Jan 28, 2002
16,864
4,979
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interchange said:
Donald Trump's first tweet about this is that our infrastructure is crumbling and this incident supports his plan. Is it possible he never heard the facts of this being a brand new route on its first passenger voyage? When I picture a President responding to a national disaster, I imagine a room with briefings on the most up-to-date information and coordination between staff on a unified response with layers of review prior to anything landing on the public's lap. This is just another example of how far away the Trump presidency is from anything resembling that.
Click to expand...

This is why members of his own cabinet refer to him as a "Fucking Moron". He does not even try to be informed of the facts before he opens his damned tweet hole.
 
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