Train 58 derailed in Mississippi - April 6, 2004

I saw the report on the news and some superliners were on their side. What is this going to do for the car shortage.I hope there were no casusalties.

I just learned same on Fox News "Breaking News".

(edit) Regretably, I have now learned that there is one fatality and 12-15 injuries; more could well be reported later. Also confirmed: "cars were on their side".

While I hope presently we are focused on the irreplacable loss suffered by several families, I think that with the progress made during the past two years in rebuilding wrecked Superliners, Amtrak will have enough cars to cover the peak summer travel period.

Amtrak has been lucky with Superliner losses since Kensington during May 2002. Derailments are going to happen, and Superliners have proven themselves to be a "rough lot". I'm confident these cars will be returned to service as soon as possible.

But, once, again, let's focus on the bereaved families.

Let's hope the early reports of "no injuries" hold up.

As of 11 p.m. EST CNN.com is reporting injuries at as high as 90. Though, I cannot believe that everyone on the train was injured. The manifest said that there were 72 passengers and 12 crew, accounting for 84 of the injuries. Could there have been 6 injured on the ground? Possibly from what the train struck?

Now they're saying up to 90 injuries. (CNN)

queenlnr8 wrote:As of 11 p.m. EST CNN.com is reporting injuries at as high as 90. Though, I cannot believe that everyone on the train was injured. The manifest said that there were 72 passengers and 12 crew, accounting for 84 of the injuries. Could there have been 6 injured on the ground? Possibly from what the train struck?

We don't even know if the train struck anything.

So, if the train didn't strike anything, who is held at fault? The host railroad for not keeping the line in better condition? I guess Amtrak would be held accountable if the engineer was at fault...

News from Yahoo says that 1 dead, 2 critical and 3 serious. No real information about the crash but it does say that the FBI is there and they believe it is just a accident.

Chris

Let's see what the official report is tomorrow morning. We should not be speculating the worst at this point...

-otto-

Otto Vondrak wrote:Let's see what the official report is tomorrow morning. We should not be speculating the worst at this point...

-otto-

Well, there is confirmation of one death. Anyway, for those interested in a picture, here is one of the tipped-over Superliners (courtesy MSNBC):

It looks like the rail is missing on the far side (maybe dragged with the train?)

I don't really know too much about what happens to tracks as a train derails, but from looking at pics of other superliner derailments, it seemed the section of track where the train derailed was severly mangled. This looks to clean in this picture, as if someone had simply pulled the rail away, but if that had been the case, that signal system or w/e they've got would have recognized it showed stop at the signal before it.

i agree with otto though, let's not speculate. I'm just saying what I noticed.

not sure yet exactly which cars are "wrecks", but 'on their side' is for sure bye-bye for a loooooong period. Possibly one car still upright? Anyhow, repairs by class since they began bringing back cars and effect of this wreck:
sleepers 5 back - 2 gone here
diners 3 back - 1 gone here
lounges 4 back - 1 gone here
coaches 5 back - 4 gone here
dorms 3 back - 0 gone here (sleeper running as dorm - ironically 32005 which just returned to service in January is in this wreck)

[quote="NIMBYkiller"]I don't really know too much about what happens to tracks as a train derails, but from looking at pics of other superliner derailments, it seemed the section of track where the train derailed was severly mangled. This looks to clean in this picture, as if someone had simply pulled the rail away, but if that had been the case, that signal system or w/e they've got would have recognized it showed stop at the signal before it.

i agree with otto though, let's not speculate. I'm just saying what I noticed.[/quote]


The photo shown is of a Superliner on its side after going off a viaduct. I'd imagine the rail was torn off by the moving train, and is ultimately down in the marsh.

If it were flat land, then the outcome of the derailment would be different. Can't imagine how much of a hard landing that must've been, a drop from the viaduct down to the ground, I really feel for the passengers who experienced a moment of horror.

~Chris

Someone photographed this train hours before the derailment:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=56610

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=56611

Anyone know whose territory this occurred on? The media just say Amtrak, because they apparently don't know any better.

The train derailed on tracks owned, operated and maintained by Canadian National/Illinois Central Railway, Amtrak said.

Sorrow for the human losses.

I hope Mr Gunn has $$$ in the current year budget to keep the wreck rebuild line open.

John