Train Derailment in Seattle Area

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

Seriously though, these guys aren't in contact with a dispatcher?

This was a totally avoidable incident.

Why would he need to be in contact?

They do it with freight trains.

But why? What good would it do in this case?

 

[airplanemechanic]

I heard the interview with the Amtrak lady today. She said the train had two engines. One of which was not under power at the time.

 

[Weatherman2020]

The train wasn't going backwards. It had an engine in the rear of the train that was not under power. The Engine that was powering the locomotive was in the front.

The locomotive IS the engine. I think you are mixing your terms.

It probably had engines on each end.

Not a passenger train. Probably dead heading back unpowered.

What do you mean "back"?

It left Seattle and Tacoma before the crash.

Cars and engines sometimes don't have a job to do where they are at, so are brought to a place where they are needed. Possible that extra engine was such.

I live next to a rail line. It is not unusual to have our freight trains pass by that have engines at both ends.. It is also very common on commuter rail lines both here and in Europe.

It's weight. I don't know what engine they ran, I'll have to look it up. Yes, some long Amtraks have 2 engines, they are usually the long haulers and not commuters.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

The train was doing about 80 miles an hour. In China, Japan, and many areas in Europe, the trains do twice that, and do not fly off of bridges.

They don't have Antifa protesters to sabotage their rail systems either. There have been a number of those incidences lately

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

The locomotive IS the engine. I think you are mixing your terms.

It probably had engines on each end.

Not a passenger train. Probably dead heading back unpowered.

What do you mean "back"?

It left Seattle and Tacoma before the crash.

Cars and engines sometimes don't have a job to do where they are at, so are brought to a place where they are needed. Possible that extra engine was such.

I live next to a rail line. It is not unusual to have our freight trains pass by that have engines at both ends.. It is also very common on commuter rail lines both here and in Europe.

It's weight. I don't know what engine they ran, I'll have to look it up. Yes, some long Amtraks have 2 engines, they are usually the long haulers and not commuters.

Seattle to Portland is not a commute, don't you think?

 

[Weatherman2020]

The train wasn't going backwards. It had an engine in the rear of the train that was not under power. The Engine that was powering the locomotive was in the front.

The locomotive IS the engine. I think you are mixing your terms.

It probably had engines on each end.

Not a passenger train. Probably dead heading back unpowered.

What do you mean "back"?

It left Seattle and Tacoma before the crash.

Cars and engines sometimes don't have a job to do where they are at, so are brought to a place where they are needed. Possible that extra engine was such.

I live next to a rail line. It is not unusual to have our freight trains pass by that have engines at both ends.. It is also very common on commuter rail lines both here and in Europe.

4400 hp engine, unless they had a lot of cars only one was under power.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

Not a passenger train. Probably dead heading back unpowered.

What do you mean "back"?

It left Seattle and Tacoma before the crash.

Cars and engines sometimes don't have a job to do where they are at, so are brought to a place where they are needed. Possible that extra engine was such.

I live next to a rail line. It is not unusual to have our freight trains pass by that have engines at both ends.. It is also very common on commuter rail lines both here and in Europe.

It's weight. I don't know what engine they ran, I'll have to look it up. Yes, some long Amtraks have 2 engines, they are usually the long haulers and not commuters.

Seattle to Portland is not a commute, don't you think?

But there has been much hullabaloo about having a passenger rail system between Seattle and Portland. And yes there were 2 engines....one at each end

 

[Borillar]

Shows why we need more investment in our infrastructure

Our rail infrastructure is among the worst in the free world

We just had 8 years of liberal taking care of it. How many billions did Obama set aside for taking care of infrustructore?

Congress controls spending and dems have only had control 4 out of the past 20 years. Repugs are too busy handing money out to the rich, corporations, and military contractors than to worry about mundane things like infrastructure.

So why didn't the Dems fix it when they had the chance?

Probably got caught in one of the record number of Repug filibusters.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

Here from a local news station. In the link there is the 911 call but is in 2 parts. In the second recording, they talk about the front and rear engines


'Emergency! We are on the ground!' -- radio traffic from deadly Amtrak train derailment

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

Shows why we need more investment in our infrastructure

Our rail infrastructure is among the worst in the free world

We just had 8 years of liberal taking care of it. How many billions did Obama set aside for taking care of infrustructore?

Congress controls spending and dems have only had control 4 out of the past 20 years. Repugs are too busy handing money out to the rich, corporations, and military contractors than to worry about mundane things like infrastructure.

So why didn't the Dems fix it when they had the chance?

Probably got caught in one of the record number of Repug filibusters.

Yeah, right! I believe you.

I also believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy.

 

[Borillar]

Shows why we need more investment in our infrastructure

Our rail infrastructure is among the worst in the free world

We just had 8 years of liberal taking care of it. How many billions did Obama set aside for taking care of infrustructore?

Congress controls spending and dems have only had control 4 out of the past 20 years. Repugs are too busy handing money out to the rich, corporations, and military contractors than to worry about mundane things like infrastructure.

So why didn't the Dems fix it when they had the chance?

Probably got caught in one of the record number of Repug filibusters.

Yeah, right! I believe you.

I also believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy.

Not surprised. You believe Trump, you believe anything.

 

[MindWars]

Joe Biggs

 

[MindWars]

We just had 8 years of liberal taking care of it. How many billions did Obama set aside for taking care of infrustructore?

Congress controls spending and dems have only had control 4 out of the past 20 years. Repugs are too busy handing money out to the rich, corporations, and military contractors than to worry about mundane things like infrastructure.

So why didn't the Dems fix it when they had the chance?

Probably got caught in one of the record number of Repug filibusters.

Yeah, right! I believe you.

I also believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy.

Not surprised. You believe Trump, you believe anything.

No some just chose to live in reality, and pulled their head out of Obama's ass a long time ago. Those who haven't pulled it out yet pretty much are Trump haters.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

It is also possible/probable that I-5 will be shut down for a few days. And traffic on surface streets & side roads have been an absolute nightmare

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

It is also possible/probable that I-5 will be shut down for a few days. And traffic on surface streets & side roads have been an absolute nightmare

That would be normal if what I saw in the area is typical. The interstates were parking lots most of the day.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

It is also possible/probable that I-5 will be shut down for a few days. And traffic on surface streets & side roads have been an absolute nightmare

That would be normal if what I saw in the area is typical. The interstates were parking lots most of the day.

Yep.....only the derailment has made it even worse.........to the point the school district robo called here twice to inform us there is heavy traffic that may impact bus schedules. #3 was about 10 minutes later than usual.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

That would be normal if what I saw in the area is typical. The interstates were parking lots most of the day.

whoops, just re-read that. I had though you were referring to our regular traffic nightmare......oh nevermind, it's been a long day

 

[rightwinger]

Shows why we need more investment in our infrastructure

Our rail infrastructure is among the worst in the free world

We just had 8 years of liberal taking care of it. How many billions did Obama set aside for taking care of infrustructore?

Republicans have blocked investment in rail transportation for decades

 

[KissMy]

According to a website which maps the location and speed derived from Amtrak’s train tracker app, the train was going 81.1 miles per hour just before it derailed on an overpass. That part of the track is designed for only 30-mile-an-hour speeds. Passengers say the train never slowed before it flew off the rails.

A head-on crash in 2008 between a passenger and freight train in Los Angeles pushed Congress to mandate the use of PTC on systems of all major rail lines. While the changes originally required compliance by 2015, there have been hold-ups by Republican controlled congress due to high costs. So this train didn't have one yet.

If the train is moving too fast, the computer on board the train warns the conductor.
In an emergency, the train’s on-board computer can override the conductor & apply the brakes.

Besides slowing and stopping trains that are cruising too fast, Positive Train Control could also be used to prevent collisions between trains (since the system would know where each train is), keep trains from rolling into work zones, and stop trains from cruising through track signals left in the wrong position.

 

[rightwinger]

Shows why we need more investment in our infrastructure

Our rail infrastructure is among the worst in the free world

We don't even know that's the issue. I read the train was traveling over 80 MPH

What I read this morning was he was going 80 in a 40 mph zone. First time he ever traveled that route
There is supposed to be a positive breaking system that automatically slows you down but on this new section of track it wasn’t going to be activated until the spring