Freight Derailment @ Spuyten Duyvil

Maybe a boulder fell on the train...nahh

lirr415 wrote:Maybe a boulder fell on the train...nahh

That's why they have the nets up in the rock cut.

RearOfSignal wrote:

lirr415 wrote:Maybe a boulder fell on the train...nahh

That's why they have the nets up in the rock cut.

Slide Detection Fences probably. Last job I worked as a maintainer I had 12 fences to maintain. The Talladega job still has a few. Rock or rock slide hits the fence. Section of fence hit is
connected to a circuit controller which has contacts inside which are then opened and that throws up a red board/signal and the train proceeds, after receiving permission, going in looking out for a slide condition. At least that's the way it worked where I came from. Maintainer gets called, hyrails into the location, inspects the fence and hopes the circuit controller
he has to reset is not the one all the way at the very top of a 35 foot high fence.

Probably the biggest reason that Amtrak can not handle any Metro North traffic in to or out of Penn Station is capacity issues at Penn Station itself. The Empire Connection can only access 5 platform tracks that go through to the East River Lines or the four stub end tracks that New Jersey Transit uses. Penn Station capacity wise is at or very close to the saturation point as it is now.
Noel Weaver

Metro-North could only reasonably use four tracks in Penn Station. Tracks 1-4 don't have third rail for the dual modes and the location of the switch between tracks 8 and 9 would put you too far down the platform to put a reasonable sized Hudon Line train in there. So it's really just tracks 5, 6, 7, and 8.

Speculate all you want but I'll wait and see what the official investigation shows as the cause.

Are all the cars out of there yet? I'd imagine the track and signal repairs will take a long time.

lirr42 wrote:Metro-North could only reasonably use four tracks in Penn Station. Tracks 1-4 don't have third rail for the dual modes and the location of the switch between tracks 8 and 9 would put you too far down the platform to put a reasonable sized Hudon Line train in there. So it's really just tracks 5, 6, 7, and 8.

I'm pretty sure I have been on the Lake Shore Limited and it has left from track 9. Maybe it's easier leaving through that switch than returning.

Yes one train diverted to Penn would have made things easier for the commuters but getting a MN train into Penn involves too many technical shortcomings.

Now if they had a stop somewhere on the West side around 72nd or 125th street they could have run diesel to that stop and had buses there to take passengers to mid-town. But there isn't one. And all of the west side yard tracks are now gone.

Freddy wrote:....Slide Detection Fences probably.

No they use netting. You can see them in this video that shows rerailing efforts: Video link

Tommy Meehan wrote:

Freddy wrote:....Slide Detection Fences probably.

No they use netting. You can see them in this video that shows rerailing efforts: Video link

Great video, thanks for posting. Interesting set-up that's being used.

Freddy wrote:Great video, thanks for posting. Interesting set-up that's being used.

You're welcome Freddy.

Anybody else notice...? During the rerailing it's the old guys doing most of the work!

The WCBS stream reports 1 mainline to be returned to service for the morning rush.

A set of images of the wreck, from the MTA's flickr page, can be found on this link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtaphotos/ ... 702877644/

Metro-North expects to operate normal morning Hudson Line service for the Monday morning rush using one of the two tracks through the area. It looks like they will be single tracking for only roughly a mile (from CP 10 to CP 11) which isn't that bad all things considering. (they got pretty lucky--if the derailment had happened on the other track they would really been on the wrong side of things with the way CP 10 and CP 11 are set up!)

They expect it to take about a week for track 2 to be repaired and returned to service.

One problem is, once they return one track to service, given the volume of train traffic, they probably won't have as much track time. They'll have to be very careful to stay clear of Track 1.

Plus some of those track crews probably need a breather. A much deserved breather!