@@southerncsxvlog In most of the railfan videos I watch, there is some sort of lock or bar that goes into place to keep the switch set. I noticed that the engineer didn't have to remove nor place a lock pin when he rolled the lever over, he simply pushed it down with his feet. I am not a rail operations guru, but why would almost all the rail videos I watch use a lock pin and in this case, not? I couldn't see the position of the switch post derail, but I thought that is why locks were put on these manyual switches, to keep them from shifting under weight or duress.
I worked with railroaders for 7 years and I learned from them the first thing they do is blame the crew. I feel sorry for that poor guy who unlocked that switch last.😞
i was there the same day. In the car. I was freaking out. My parents were like lets get the fuck outta here. And i said NO! then my mom called my grandpa (he's a train enthusiast) like me. 4 hours after you filmed this police and ambulances came. I was only 7 when this happened. It wasn't cleaned up for days or maybe weeks. my heart almost stopped beating because i was freaking out. My dad was ON the train car and fell off a hopper and broke his foot. He's getting surgery today. His foot's veins were sticking out of his foot. Which made me gag and vomit cause it was gross 🤢🤮. Thanks for reading.
All I can remember was half the train derailed as it was going through a cutting in the city centre which made the noise much, much louder and saying did I just see that? About 15 mins later a whole team of rail inspectors ask me and my friend what we saw and the whole line shut down. It was frightening and judging by these men getting spooked I ask you can you imagine seeing a derailment at speed in an enclosed cutting. It was THE most amazing thing my eyes have ever seen. Excellent video.
I live about 20 miles south of this in Plaquemines Parish. Since Hurricane Katrina, I've seen a train that flipped 5 miles from my house, witnessed one flipping even closer, and then witnessed a car derail directly in front of my house. A year or two ago, they replaced most of the railroad ties and added more ballast to the stretch of track. Hopefully there won't be anymore accidents.
It's too bad about the train and it's a good thing no one was injured but, man, talk about being at the right place at the right time to capture this truly incredible video!
As a rail manager I can tell you that this video shows the crew did their job. This is not a train handling issue here and the man on the ground checked the points.
Yep, your probably right. I haven't any idea what something like this would cost. The guy was spewing out all kinds of info on us. We have allot of respect for the rightaway. Especially after this little mishap. I appreciate your comments on here.
Im a MOW maintainer in the UK. If you have a worn switch blade, a loaded cars wheel flange will ride up over that point rail real easy and drop inside and more so with a dry and grease free rail. The locos made it through because of differing wheelbase. Long cars have the efect of the leading truck opening the switch toe for the rear truck to ride up over. Looking at the bolsters on those trucks, they are way down on the springs and loaded also. Prety easy done with worn switches.
In the USA you can always call "911" to report any emergency. If the car is carrying hazardous material it often has the number on the side of the car. But otherwise there is no central "emergency" reporting number stencilled on the side of a railcar as there is no centralized emergency number that is recognized by the US, Canada and Mexico.
As a child living in Ireland where our trains are a lot smaller than the US. but nevertheless as powerful (general motors locos) I always used to love watching the trains go past my nans. 1 evening as a train was coming by it made a horrendous noise with a mass of what looked like smoke then as the last 10-15 wagons go past I notice the wheels ripping up the sleepers and crushing the stones. Long before the web or mobiles(1990s) and it was terrifying as it was travelling at c.35-40mph.
Wow! What a chance happening! Thanks for posting this. You see things like this in still shots and on the news after the wreck has occured! But this takes the cake!
Actually....the crew on the train are the right people to call in this accident. They know "EXACTLY" what is in the cars, and have instructions on how to call in the emergency. They know the numbers to call, the people to alert, and those people in turn know how to relay on the appropriate information to the appropriate parties depending on what is "EXACTLY" in those cars. This includes product, how to handle it, quantity, etc. If anyone knew the "proper officials" it is the train crew.
I agree with you that coming up with childish acronyms based on rare individual events should be left to railfans. But not all railfans. Serious railroaders and railfans who understand the business recognize that CSXT hauls incredible tonnage safely, efficiently and profitably. They praise the amazing work railroads accomplish in North America. And while events such as Granite Island 7 years ago are serious, they are not representative of the industry or CSXT and the work they do.
In general railroads in the US, MX and CN are privately owned and the maintenance is the responsibility of that company. There are exceptions where local communities have purchased lines to preserve the traffic. Amtrak in the US also owns a fairly long corridor in the Northeast which is maintained by that organization. Love riding your trains by the way. Good beer.
Best video I have ever seen. I saw a freight loco derail about 2 years ago. I dont have video of it but it was pretty cool to witness it. The train had 80 cars and 5 engines. When it happened, he was doing about 40 MPH. The Engines made it over the crossing, but the 8th car did not. The track had a wash out right at the crossing from a pretty bad rain storm that came through. 45 cars derailed at the crossing but kept up right till the whole thing stopped, then it was a domino effect.
These tracks go to the CN yard. The Family Lines System was absorbed by the Seaboard System which is now merged into CSX. The "C" is for Chessie, the "S" is for Seaboard.
dude i have been dying to see this since i was like 7 i used to wish it would fall everytime!.... im 23 now ...... that was intense !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thank you for posting!!
I wish we had these portable digital camera back in the early 80's, as I saw a derailment aftermath that makes this one look weak. Trains were on hills, cars everywhere, rails pulled out of the ground and twisted like pretzels. There were excavators trying to pull the locomotives out.
During derailment a train can still stay upright if pulled along, and has knuckle coupler. (During railroad terrorist attack in Russia- where the chunk of rail was blown out under passenger car - the engineer of the train decided to keep train going until it passes the bridge. By instruction he had to stop immediately, however this would of caused the cars to drop from the bridge.)
@derail14 A loaded covered hopper is in general no heavier than a load of sand, coiled steel, coal or scrap metal. As the lighter loads have shifted to trucks or intermodal, railcars are designed to carry heavier and heavier loads. However, with that said I do agree with you. I've seen a lot of covered hopper accidents. Heavy grain on branch line railroading with a bit of rock and roll makes a mess.
@DOLRED This isn't a model train. This is the real thing. The conductor/trainman did his job. He threw the switch, pushed down on it till it locked, and looked back to make sure the points lined. Good employee.
This is the best derailment "caught on cam" footage on RUclips! Great Job! I guess the switch had a fault or was not properly set. It could have been worse if the train were going faster.
LOL. Right on CNW. I'm not knocking all railfans. Most are polite and respectful of what we do. As best I can I answer questions about trains and movements and point out good potential sights for setting up cameras. And I am as aware as most that our industry has many opportunities to improve. But I am always amazed at that small percentage of fans like southshore who take delight in trashing what we do.
Chances are the enginneer called it in by the time he even got his cell phone out. There really are no dangerous materials shipped in those hoppers or they would have a DOT Plackards on them. Also the engineer has a paper printout manifest with him in his cab and know what he is pulling. Just wanted to inform you of that so don't bash the guy filming. Nobody was hurt except the rails & ties. AWESOME POST, LOVED IT.
Wow cool video! I once saw 3 engines by them selves slow, stop and then slowly tip over onto their sides due to a sinkhole below the tracks. It was neat but I never had a video as the smartphone was not invented yet :) The crane that rolled in the tracks to upright the engines was really neat too!
The last auto derailment I was involved in was a bunch of Ford Taurus automobiles. The derailment was minor but the automobiles were banged up a bit. Could have easily been repaired, but as you say there is a liability issue. All the automobiles were given to high schools for use in their shop class. However they were not permitted to "repair" them to driving condition. They could just use them to practice with. Usually electronics (and appliances as you said above) are also destroyed.
Actually a railroad official there told us, that they would salvage what they could of the loads. But they would more than likely be sold at a reduced price.
The one thing an engineer has to watch is his amp meter. If his amp meter suddenly goes up that means he's pulling harder than he should have to to keep the train moving. This means that somethings wrong back there. But sometimes they don't know anythings wrong until the air blows then the cond takes a stroll and finds himself in the middle of what looks like WWIII. Nice catch.
This is one of the best videos on youtube for derailment i've seen...simple railfanning gone chaotic. Good camera work, this should have a lot more views than it does.
@jonnibiscuit Not fake, a few things i noted. Conductor never checked his points before throwing the switch, never check for tension on switch handle, nor did he double check the points. Im pretty sure switch points moved causing this!
A lot of matters in life are in fact taken for granted. My pops, my brother, and I up to 12 years ago used to go to Fullerton Amtrak station in Southern California. Many freight trains would pass through there at a very rapid velocity. My pops, a railroad employee for some 40 years recently retired, used to tell me that if one of the freight cars would come off the track in our direction we'd be killed instantly. I'm not an animad person, howevr, trains are awfully dangerous to be around.
cement/gravel hoppers are much smaller. These are larger cars for products such as grains/corn/fertilizers. You're right in general. You do not often see hazmat moved in covered hoppers. There are a few products that I've seen moved in hoppers/boxcars (such as pesticides and fertilizers) that fall into the hazmat category....but it's not common.
We weren't there very long after the wreck. but one of the guys that was with us was from there, and went back a week later. He said all the track was repaired, but one car was still on the ground out of the way.
as bad as it is to see a derailment, that is without a doubt, the best shot ever of one. you were beyond lucky to be able to catch that. and i am beyond lucky to be able to see it
If this ever happens around you, here's what you do. Wait for the disaster to be over. Walk up to the track and examine it. Bend over and reach down. Come back up and ask, "Who put this penny here?!" You get bonus points if you can convincingly palm a penny so it looks like you got it from the track. Extra bonus points if you use a pre-flattened penny.
I'm way beyond over it trainmandan. Unfortunately for the 90% of railfans who conduct themselves maturely and treat the industry they follow with respect, your type of post is a great representation of why the few ruin things for the many.
You are completely right. Autoracks are now enclosed and locked and carefully inspected. Damage is dramatically down as a result. Hobos used to climb in the cars and destroy them during the trip. Use them as bathrooms and a place to just crash and tear up. Very sad. Atlanta is one hell of a railroad town. A few shortlines in the area as well.
I've railroaded in both the USA and Germany. Vastly different operations designed to haul different types of trains. Germany excels in fast, low-tonnage operations. In N/A (US/MX/CN) the trains are in general far heavier and longer. Neither is wrong. They are just different.
I think the switch shifted ever so slightly back to its original position (before the engineer/ conductor) "threw it." It didn't go all the way back, but enough to cause the derailment. It is easy to see that before he got back on the train, he had to use his foot to finish the job.
From the vantage point of this video how the hell can you tell this? You must be one damn incredible miracle judge of rail operations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've worked in this industry 30 plus years and do not have your insight.
Your locomotives are built to handle rapid accelaration and low tonnage trains. They do a great job for what they are built to do. Railroads in North America are built to move massive tonnage at lower speeds. Again, incredible machines designed to do a tough job. I will say however that the beer served on UK passenger trains makes railroading a lot of fun.
I can see the wheels of the first carriage sinking below the rail at 3:07 when the wheel makes a church bell like sound, and it makes a rattling sound at 3:14.
OK. Checked your profile and found out your 16 which explains a lot. Listen man, you are a fan of the industry. I invite you to look at the incredible things we do and not focus on the bad. Take a look at what CSXT does well and salute them for it. They are a profitable railroad hauling incredible tonnage using dedicated men and women. Look it up. Read about it. It's more fun than trashing it. Enjoy your railfanning and good luck to you.
Decades ago they engaged in a big push to buy these cars to service the grain industry feeding chickens and ports in the Southeast. Huge commitment on their part that was second guessed by many. Without a doubt they feed a lot of chickens. :>
That was just a guess by one of the officials we were talking to. You have to under stand also, that this wreck was holding up allot of traffic on a busy line. While we were there. there was 6 trains that were ordered to be tied down. So on top of the damage caused, freight wasn't being moved.
Multiple Unit control, MU for short. Modern locomotives have large size cables above each coupler that plug in and send electrical signals to all motive power. There is also Distributed Motive Power where locos at the middle or end of train are controlled by radio.
P.S. don't get me wrong, but whenever I take a train trip in USA, most track switches are awfully maintained or not designed right. Nearly always cause the train to wobble, bounce or sag sideways at a frog. The best track switches I seen in Germany and France. Train passes them so smooth - can't even tell if that was track switch point.
@Vermont204 Now that you mention the "100 tons each" thingy...Its amazing how locomotive couplers can deal with all the weight of the train! Especially going up the hill! Hundreds of tons pulling on that one coupler!
You are, for the most part, correct as it pertains to automobiles. IN a minor derailment the cars are inspected and they can be sold. But in a major derailment where railcars end up on their sides, even if the automobile is seemingly ok it is not sold to the end consumer. Some are given to high school or college shop classes. others donated to other causes. The caveat is....they can never be driven. Safety reasons as you said.
@trainboy4024 Well said. As a professional railroader you also can't make that call. This is a well shot and interesting video. It demonstrates that even moving slowly a derailment can happen at anytime. The cause of this derailment could be one of many factors, but from the evidence in this video it is impossible to determine just what the problem was.
The individual was not an "engineer". He tried to "force" it over as these switches are not always easy to throw. Just the natural way these switches sometimes throw. He had no problem, the switch threw and lined. He looked back at the points and they were closed. The banner did line up. The accident report did not find the derailment was due to the switch not being lined. Highly trained investigators did not find fault with the crews actions.
If you notice at 3:15 you can see at the end of the first train cart, the cart bounces off the track following the second cart it derails as well and so forth. If you guys were paying close enough attention you could have flagged the engineer(s) down and prevented the whole situation. (Possibly)
@cnwtrain Let's do it again. Avg. cost of used 100ton covered hopper - $30,000. Carload of corn at $6 per bushel - let's say $20,000. So we're at $50 to $60k per railcar if they were totalled. Clean up and trucking cost less salvageable price for the corn - $15k. Hulcher pickup cost - $40k or more. Repair of 1000 feet of track - $50k. Train delay is hard to determine as I don't know traffic in the area, diversion costs, etc. Not that expensive of a derailment.
And to think that if I was railfanning, I would have been on the engineers side and close to the track. If I was there, you probably wouldnt be reading this comment. Stay safe fellow railfans. I try no to stand so close to trains. You never know when a perfect ly fine track could fail. Great catch by the way.
@railfisch I'm glad you said that. We were all wandering the same thing. How could the engineer not feel the the first car on the ground. Can't you guys feel the whole train.
no FREAKING way!!! have ever, not even once in my lifetime, have I EVER recorded a derailment in action/progress... this is just amazing but yet Interesting!!
@Squarerig We've been told a broken rail. We think it was a bad wheel flange. There was some metal shavings found in the frog. We saw the officials picking them out.It wasn't the switch points like most everyone here assumes. The first car came off the track long after the switch.
@derail14 I will disagree with this. Where I am located, the car type that derails most is not covered hoppers. In this order they are: Locomotives, gondolas, box cars, and tanks, and finally covered hoppers. That is in the last 16 years. Most concerning was the nature of the derailments. First was ice/snow over the rail (Human error). Then came wide guage, thin flange, and run through switches (human error). In this terminal, 60% of the cars we handle are covered hoppers.
Around the 3:10-3:15 mark if you look closely to the left of the screen you can actually see the first hopper sag a bit and at 3:15 can see the rear trucks of the first hopper hit the ground and begin to drag.
That's because you guys can do magic. I learned early in my career that if you go on the ground, unless it's something really simply, you need to call in the gangs who know how to size up a situation and fix it. I've seen derailments like this one picked up, put back on the tracks and trains moving over it in hours. Just as you said. Be safe out back east CSXT man.
WOW I love trains, and where I live there are 63 - 64 trains passing through every day, so if your anything like me, this just must of made you EXUBERANT to see!!!!
As an engineer of 15 years I would love to know how this guy continues pulling a car on the ground for that distance at such a low speed without any idea what's happening at all. I'm sure he'll be on the street for a good while after those tapes are read.
Very interesting video and a lucky shot. More the accident happened on the curve after the switch. The rail fastenings are gone, it's happens with nails (if it was). Greetings from Hungary!
@Vermont204 Right on man! Most conductors I see when their out on trains normally they do all the stuff that is requierd of them and also double check the points on the switches
As a rail buff, you really can't tell rather it was poor maintainance or anything. Unless people worked on a railroad or ranned on a section of track and had the experience, they can't really make that call.
I love the armchair railroaders at 5:00 "I don't think he pushed that switch down all the way over here". You ever worked on the railroad? Ever? Good grief.
That "Train wreck!" after it stops 😂
Wop wop wop wop wop wop wOoOoOoOooooop 👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩😂😂😂😂😆😂😆😂😅😂😅😅😂😅😁😅😁😅😅😁😅😂😅😂😅😂😅😂😅😅😁😅😁😅😁😅😅😅
Didn’t know you watched this
OVER 3 MILLION
ahh yes, I remember this childhood video, it's been a long time that I've been looking for, good ol memories 👍
Same
They're railfans, who videotape trains as part of their hobby.
13 Years later and still a classic video.
An iconic derailment!
I remember watching this on my family’s old Windows XP computer around 10 years ago when I was still a kid in elementary school.
I think he's beyond "On the ground!" at that point...
Good catch! Great video!!
I know, that's a rare one. Won't get one like that on every railfan trip.
3:42 CSX How Tomorrow Derails
Hey I know you! Your one of my subscribers!
typical railfan response
@@cdavid8139 bruv
@@cdavid8139 Then what are you doing here?
Didn't the CSX engineer involved file suit to get this video taken down?
No he didnt file suit or else the vidro would be down. This was on October 2010 nearly 13 years ago
@southerncsxvlog Obviously it didn't succeed, I wanted to know if he really did try.
@@spuwho I dont know if he did or not to be honest. It was not the engineers fault, it was the tracks maintenance 🛞 🛤️
@@southerncsxvlog In most of the railfan videos I watch, there is some sort of lock or bar that goes into place to keep the switch set. I noticed that the engineer didn't have to remove nor place a lock pin when he rolled the lever over, he simply pushed it down with his feet. I am not a rail operations guru, but why would almost all the rail videos I watch use a lock pin and in this case, not? I couldn't see the position of the switch post derail, but I thought that is why locks were put on these manyual switches, to keep them from shifting under weight or duress.
@@spuwho Yeah I can agree with you. They’re some aspects of which the engineer didn’t do it right at all
I’m pretty sure everyone knows that the conductor is at fault for the derailment
Nope he is not. Broken rail was at fault.
I worked with railroaders for 7 years and I learned from them the first thing they do is blame the crew. I feel sorry for that poor guy who unlocked that switch last.😞
That train crashed right in front of them, and it wasn't going that fast.
I’ve seen at least 3 derailments and have yet to see more.
i was there the same day. In the car. I was freaking out. My parents were like lets get the fuck outta here. And i said NO! then my mom called my grandpa (he's a train enthusiast) like me. 4 hours after you filmed this police and ambulances came. I was only 7 when this happened. It wasn't cleaned up for days or maybe weeks.
my heart almost stopped beating because i was freaking out. My dad was ON the train car and fell off a hopper and broke his foot. He's getting surgery today. His foot's veins were sticking out of his foot. Which made me gag and vomit cause it was gross 🤢🤮. Thanks for reading.
Nice catch! That's why you don't stand too close to the tracks when taking photos! Glad you guys are all okay!
All I can remember was half the train derailed as it was going through a cutting in the city centre which made the noise much, much louder and saying did I just see that? About 15 mins later a whole team of rail inspectors ask me and my friend what we saw and the whole line shut down. It was frightening and judging by these men getting spooked I ask you can you imagine seeing a derailment at speed in an enclosed cutting. It was THE most amazing thing my eyes have ever seen. Excellent video.
I live about 20 miles south of this in Plaquemines Parish. Since Hurricane Katrina, I've seen a train that flipped 5 miles from my house, witnessed one flipping even closer, and then witnessed a car derail directly in front of my house. A year or two ago, they replaced most of the railroad ties and added more ballast to the stretch of track. Hopefully there won't be anymore accidents.
It's too bad about the train and it's a good thing no one was injured but, man, talk about being at the right place at the right time to capture this truly incredible video!
As a rail manager I can tell you that this video shows the crew did their job. This is not a train handling issue here and the man on the ground checked the points.
4:09 A good example of the power of modern couplers and how they can prevent major train derailments by keeping the cars together.
Yep, your probably right. I haven't any idea what something like this would cost. The guy was spewing out all kinds of info on us. We have allot of respect for the rightaway. Especially after this little mishap. I appreciate your comments on here.
Im a MOW maintainer in the UK. If you have a worn switch blade, a loaded cars wheel flange will ride up over that point rail real easy and drop inside and more so with a dry and grease free rail. The locos made it through because of differing wheelbase. Long cars have the efect of the leading truck opening the switch toe for the rear truck to ride up over. Looking at the bolsters on those trucks, they are way down on the springs and loaded also. Prety easy done with worn switches.
In the USA you can always call "911" to report any emergency. If the car is carrying hazardous material it often has the number on the side of the car. But otherwise there is no central "emergency" reporting number stencilled on the side of a railcar as there is no centralized emergency number that is recognized by the US, Canada and Mexico.
As a child living in Ireland where our trains are a lot smaller than the US. but nevertheless as powerful (general motors locos) I always used to love watching the trains go past my nans. 1 evening as a train was coming by it made a horrendous noise with a mass of what looked like smoke then as the last 10-15 wagons go past I notice the wheels ripping up the sleepers and crushing the stones. Long before the web or mobiles(1990s) and it was terrifying as it was travelling at c.35-40mph.
Wow! What a chance happening! Thanks for posting this. You see things like this in still shots and on the news after the wreck has occured! But this takes the cake!
Actually....the crew on the train are the right people to call in this accident. They know "EXACTLY" what is in the cars, and have instructions on how to call in the emergency. They know the numbers to call, the people to alert, and those people in turn know how to relay on the appropriate information to the appropriate parties depending on what is "EXACTLY" in those cars. This includes product, how to handle it, quantity, etc. If anyone knew the "proper officials" it is the train crew.
I agree with you that coming up with childish acronyms based on rare individual events should be left to railfans. But not all railfans. Serious railroaders and railfans who understand the business recognize that CSXT hauls incredible tonnage safely, efficiently and profitably. They praise the amazing work railroads accomplish in North America. And while events such as Granite Island 7 years ago are serious, they are not representative of the industry or CSXT and the work they do.
In general railroads in the US, MX and CN are privately owned and the maintenance is the responsibility of that company. There are exceptions where local communities have purchased lines to preserve the traffic. Amtrak in the US also owns a fairly long corridor in the Northeast which is maintained by that organization. Love riding your trains by the way. Good beer.
Best video I have ever seen. I saw a freight loco derail about 2 years ago. I dont have video of it but it was pretty cool to witness it. The train had 80 cars and 5 engines. When it happened, he was doing about 40 MPH. The Engines made it over the crossing, but the 8th car did not. The track had a wash out right at the crossing from a pretty bad rain storm that came through. 45 cars derailed at the crossing but kept up right till the whole thing stopped, then it was a domino effect.
Don't know about love. But I salute them for running a profitable, efficient, and safe railroad. Not many railroads in the world can say that.
These tracks go to the CN yard. The Family Lines System was absorbed by the Seaboard System which is now merged into CSX. The "C" is for Chessie, the "S" is for Seaboard.
dude i have been dying to see this since i was like 7 i used to wish it would fall everytime!.... im 23 now ...... that was intense !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thank you for posting!!
HOLY! WOW! I witnessed a VIA Rail Canada Derailment back in 1997 and this is surely amazing! I don't understand how it only has 100,000 views!! :O
I wish we had these portable digital camera back in the early 80's, as I saw a derailment aftermath that makes this one look weak. Trains were on hills, cars everywhere, rails pulled out of the ground and twisted like pretzels. There were excavators trying to pull the locomotives out.
During derailment a train can still stay upright if pulled along, and has knuckle coupler. (During railroad terrorist attack in Russia- where the chunk of rail was blown out under passenger car - the engineer of the train decided to keep train going until it passes the bridge. By instruction he had to stop immediately, however this would of caused the cars to drop from the bridge.)
@derail14 A loaded covered hopper is in general no heavier than a load of sand, coiled steel, coal or scrap metal. As the lighter loads have shifted to trucks or intermodal, railcars are designed to carry heavier and heavier loads.
However, with that said I do agree with you. I've seen a lot of covered hopper accidents. Heavy grain on branch line railroading with a bit of rock and roll makes a mess.
ive been alive 43 years and have never seen one actually derail great catch
3:07 The first bogie of the first truck sinks onto the rail when the wheel slipping off makes a bell-like sound.
@DOLRED This isn't a model train. This is the real thing. The conductor/trainman did his job. He threw the switch, pushed down on it till it locked, and looked back to make sure the points lined. Good employee.
This is the best derailment "caught on cam" footage on RUclips! Great Job!
I guess the switch had a fault or was not properly set. It could have been worse if the train were going faster.
LOL. Right on CNW. I'm not knocking all railfans. Most are polite and respectful of what we do. As best I can I answer questions about trains and movements and point out good potential sights for setting up cameras. And I am as aware as most that our industry has many opportunities to improve. But I am always amazed at that small percentage of fans like southshore who take delight in trashing what we do.
Wow when i saw that i thought the Electric line was going to fall that must of been pretty darn close!!
Chances are the enginneer called it in by the time he even got his cell phone out. There really are no dangerous materials shipped in those hoppers or they would have a DOT Plackards on them. Also the engineer has a paper printout manifest with him in his cab and know what he is pulling. Just wanted to inform you of that so don't bash the guy filming. Nobody was hurt except the rails & ties. AWESOME POST, LOVED IT.
I will NEVER forget watching this video. First time I have actually seen a train derail. AMAZING.
I think this video is perfectly summed up at 4:10, when everything finally stops and the one guy announces "Train Wreck"
Wow cool video! I once saw 3 engines by them selves slow, stop and then slowly tip over onto their sides due to a sinkhole below the tracks. It was neat but I never had a video as the smartphone was not invented yet :) The crane that rolled in the tracks to upright the engines was really neat too!
The last auto derailment I was involved in was a bunch of Ford Taurus automobiles. The derailment was minor but the automobiles were banged up a bit. Could have easily been repaired, but as you say there is a liability issue. All the automobiles were given to high schools for use in their shop class. However they were not permitted to "repair" them to driving condition. They could just use them to practice with. Usually electronics (and appliances as you said above) are also destroyed.
Actually a railroad official there told us, that they would salvage what they could of the loads. But they would more than likely be sold at a reduced price.
The one thing an engineer has to watch is his amp meter.
If his amp meter suddenly goes up that means he's pulling harder than he should have to to keep the train moving.
This means that somethings wrong back there.
But sometimes they don't know anythings wrong until the air blows then the cond takes a stroll and finds himself in the middle of what looks like WWIII.
Nice catch.
This is one of the best videos on youtube for derailment i've seen...simple railfanning gone chaotic. Good camera work, this should have a lot more views than it does.
Amazing video! To be in that place, at that moment, with video rolling -- what are the odds?!
@jonnibiscuit Not fake, a few things i noted. Conductor never checked his points before throwing the switch, never check for tension on switch handle, nor did he double check the points. Im pretty sure switch points moved causing this!
Absolutely incredible. That made me nervous watching it from the safety of my desktop; I can only imagine the sensation of seeing it occur firsthand.
A lot of matters in life are in fact taken for granted. My pops, my brother, and I up to 12 years ago used to go to Fullerton Amtrak station in Southern California. Many freight trains would pass through there at a very rapid velocity. My pops, a railroad employee for some 40 years recently retired, used to tell me that if one of the freight cars would come off the track in our direction we'd be killed instantly. I'm not an animad person, howevr, trains are awfully dangerous to be around.
cement/gravel hoppers are much smaller. These are larger cars for products such as grains/corn/fertilizers. You're right in general. You do not often see hazmat moved in covered hoppers. There are a few products that I've seen moved in hoppers/boxcars (such as pesticides and fertilizers) that fall into the hazmat category....but it's not common.
We weren't there very long after the wreck. but one of the guys that was with us was from there, and went back a week later. He said all the track was repaired, but one car was still on the ground out of the way.
@Fan2La The "frog" is the component in the switch where the two inside rails meet in a "V" and diverge.
@Boss302fan Thanks, I am retired. Once a railroader always a railroader. Enjoy my time, it was good to me and I made a lot of friends.
as bad as it is to see a derailment, that is without a doubt, the best shot ever of one. you were beyond lucky to be able to catch that. and i am beyond lucky to be able to see it
If this ever happens around you, here's what you do.
Wait for the disaster to be over.
Walk up to the track and examine it.
Bend over and reach down.
Come back up and ask, "Who put this penny here?!"
You get bonus points if you can convincingly palm a penny so it looks like you got it from the track. Extra bonus points if you use a pre-flattened penny.
I'm way beyond over it trainmandan. Unfortunately for the 90% of railfans who conduct themselves maturely and treat the industry they follow with respect, your type of post is a great representation of why the few ruin things for the many.
You are completely right. Autoracks are now enclosed and locked and carefully inspected. Damage is dramatically down as a result.
Hobos used to climb in the cars and destroy them during the trip. Use them as bathrooms and a place to just crash and tear up. Very sad.
Atlanta is one hell of a railroad town. A few shortlines in the area as well.
I've railroaded in both the USA and Germany. Vastly different operations designed to haul different types of trains. Germany excels in fast, low-tonnage operations. In N/A (US/MX/CN) the trains are in general far heavier and longer. Neither is wrong. They are just different.
What a scoop! Well done for being in the right place at the right time. I expect the video would be useful to prove how it happened!
I think the switch shifted ever so slightly back to its original position (before the engineer/ conductor) "threw it." It didn't go all the way back, but enough to cause the derailment. It is easy to see that before he got back on the train, he had to use his foot to finish the job.
From the vantage point of this video how the hell can you tell this? You must be one damn incredible miracle judge of rail operations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've worked in this industry 30 plus years and do not have your insight.
Your locomotives are built to handle rapid accelaration and low tonnage trains. They do a great job for what they are built to do. Railroads in North America are built to move massive tonnage at lower speeds. Again, incredible machines designed to do a tough job. I will say however that the beer served on UK passenger trains makes railroading a lot of fun.
Man, nothing is crazier than being in the right place at the right time. At least it wasn't that bad of a wreck from the looks of it.
I can see the wheels of the first carriage sinking below the rail at 3:07 when the wheel makes a church bell like sound, and it makes a rattling sound at 3:14.
OK. Checked your profile and found out your 16 which explains a lot. Listen man, you are a fan of the industry. I invite you to look at the incredible things we do and not focus on the bad. Take a look at what CSXT does well and salute them for it. They are a profitable railroad hauling incredible tonnage using dedicated men and women. Look it up. Read about it. It's more fun than trashing it. Enjoy your railfanning and good luck to you.
I'm sorry for going off-topic, but the horn on that CSX AC4400CW sounds AWESOME!
Decades ago they engaged in a big push to buy these cars to service the grain industry feeding chickens and ports in the Southeast. Huge commitment on their part that was second guessed by many. Without a doubt they feed a lot of chickens. :>
That was just a guess by one of the officials we were talking to. You have to under stand also, that this wreck was holding up allot of traffic on a busy line. While we were there. there was 6 trains that were ordered to be tied down. So on top of the damage caused, freight wasn't being moved.
Multiple Unit control, MU for short. Modern locomotives have large size cables above each coupler that plug in and send electrical signals to all motive power. There is also Distributed Motive Power where locos at the middle or end of train are controlled by radio.
P.S. don't get me wrong, but whenever I take a train trip in USA, most track switches are awfully maintained or not designed right. Nearly always cause the train to wobble, bounce or sag sideways at a frog. The best track switches I seen in Germany and France. Train passes them so smooth - can't even tell if that was track switch point.
@Vermont204 Now that you mention the "100 tons each" thingy...Its amazing how locomotive couplers can deal with all the weight of the train! Especially going up the hill! Hundreds of tons pulling on that one coupler!
You are, for the most part, correct as it pertains to automobiles. IN a minor derailment the cars are inspected and they can be sold. But in a major derailment where railcars end up on their sides, even if the automobile is seemingly ok it is not sold to the end consumer. Some are given to high school or college shop classes. others donated to other causes. The caveat is....they can never be driven. Safety reasons as you said.
@trainboy4024 Well said. As a professional railroader you also can't make that call. This is a well shot and interesting video. It demonstrates that even moving slowly a derailment can happen at anytime. The cause of this derailment could be one of many factors, but from the evidence in this video it is impossible to determine just what the problem was.
The individual was not an "engineer". He tried to "force" it over as these switches are not always easy to throw. Just the natural way these switches sometimes throw. He had no problem, the switch threw and lined. He looked back at the points and they were closed. The banner did line up. The accident report did not find the derailment was due to the switch not being lined. Highly trained investigators did not find fault with the crews actions.
If you notice at 3:15 you can see at the end of the first train cart, the cart bounces off the track following the second cart it derails as well and so forth. If you guys were paying close enough attention you could have flagged the engineer(s) down and prevented the whole situation. (Possibly)
@cnwtrain Let's do it again. Avg. cost of used 100ton covered hopper - $30,000. Carload of corn at $6 per bushel - let's say $20,000. So we're at $50 to $60k per railcar if they were totalled. Clean up and trucking cost less salvageable price for the corn - $15k. Hulcher pickup cost - $40k or more. Repair of 1000 feet of track - $50k.
Train delay is hard to determine as I don't know traffic in the area, diversion costs, etc.
Not that expensive of a derailment.
Man, even though it's not moving that fast it still takes a lot of distance to stop a 'miler! Holy...
And to think that if I was railfanning, I would have been on the engineers side and close to the track. If I was there, you probably wouldnt be reading this comment. Stay safe fellow railfans. I try no to stand so close to trains. You never know when a perfect ly fine track could fail. Great catch by the way.
@railfisch I'm glad you said that. We were all wandering the same thing. How could the engineer not feel the the first car on the ground. Can't you guys feel the whole train.
no FREAKING way!!! have ever, not even once in my lifetime, have I EVER recorded a derailment in action/progress... this is just amazing but yet Interesting!!
I live right near there and I have NEVER seen anything like that, amazing
@Squarerig We've been told a broken rail. We think it was a bad wheel flange. There was some metal shavings found in the frog. We saw the officials picking them out.It wasn't the switch points like most everyone here assumes. The first car came off the track long after the switch.
I like how these railfans are already throwing the conductor under the bus. Future trainmasters here.
@derail14 I will disagree with this. Where I am located, the car type that derails most is not covered hoppers. In this order they are: Locomotives, gondolas, box cars, and tanks, and finally covered hoppers. That is in the last 16 years. Most concerning was the nature of the derailments. First was ice/snow over the rail (Human error). Then came wide guage, thin flange, and run through switches (human error).
In this terminal, 60% of the cars we handle are covered hoppers.
Around the 3:10-3:15 mark if you look closely to the left of the screen you can actually see the first hopper sag a bit and at 3:15 can see the rear trucks of the first hopper hit the ground and begin to drag.
What a hell of a catch that has to a once in a life time catch for a rail fan
That's because you guys can do magic. I learned early in my career that if you go on the ground, unless it's something really simply, you need to call in the gangs who know how to size up a situation and fix it. I've seen derailments like this one picked up, put back on the tracks and trains moving over it in hours. Just as you said. Be safe out back east CSXT man.
WOW I love trains, and where I live there are 63 - 64 trains passing through every day, so if your anything like me, this just must of made you EXUBERANT to see!!!!
This is the best RUclips video I've seen in a while.....I must be a nerd or sumthin.
As an engineer of 15 years I would love to know how this guy continues pulling a car on the ground for that distance at such a low speed without any idea what's happening at all. I'm sure he'll be on the street for a good while after those tapes are read.
Very interesting video and a lucky shot. More the accident happened on the curve after the switch. The rail fastenings are gone, it's happens with nails (if it was).
Greetings from Hungary!
@Vermont204 Right on man! Most conductors I see when their out on trains normally they do all the stuff that is requierd of them and also double check the points on the switches
As a rail buff, you really can't tell rather it was poor maintainance or anything. Unless people worked on a railroad or ranned on a section of track and had the experience, they can't really make that call.
I love the armchair railroaders at 5:00 "I don't think he pushed that switch down all the way over here". You ever worked on the railroad? Ever? Good grief.