CSX Train Crash In VA......(and open derailment discussion)

This afternoon while listening to the news channel here in NJ, I heard that there was a head on collision between (2) CSX trains somewhere in Virginia. Can anyone provide any more details?

www.ble.org/pr/news/headline.asp?id=14563

Trains involved were the Portsmouth bound K-959 and the Weldon bound K-960.

Reading the system-wide incident log last night I discovered the report on this one. The cause of the crash is listed as Crews operating without TWC paper-work (EC-1) and other dark territory related miscommunications. The report states that the CSXT 8877 was upside-down and 6 crew members were taken to the hospital.

I heard one crew member is still in the hospital. He had both legs broken and some teeth missing from jumping off the motor before they hit.

the crew bailed? i thought they rode it out? i thought i read that somewhere

The pictures I saw on pailpictures.net are not pretty at all...

8877: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=119942

9011: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=120122

The scene: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=119940

That's what a clerk told me, that the guy bailed off the motor. But you know how rumors are. You don't know what's true. He told me CSX had an investigation sheduled for the crews and the one guy is still in the hospital! Looking at the shape of those motors, it's lucky they got out of that alive.

How did it happen?

I guess just what CSX Conductor said, "The cause of the crash is listed as Crews operating without TWC paper-work (EC-1) and other dark territory related miscommunications"
Who knows, the dispatcher might have violated some rules also. The way it is now, all you have to do is walk to your motor and probably they can find you violated some rule.

Naturally I can say it over and over, but if God forbid the day came, I might re-act differently in a quick moment too, but I have always thought that "bailing" before a collision, especially a head-on, is worse than "riding it out". Naturally one's first instinct is to get the hell off, but you are very likely to break a leg or two, and even of you don't if you hit the ground the wrong way you might not have enough time to get up and run off in the clear before equipment starts piling-up on top of you.

I clearly remember having the 8877 as a leader once on the B&A from Selkirk to Boston (Actually only to Palmer where we out-lawed). It was assigned to the East-end puller jobs in Selkirk but they were so short for power they gave us 2 SD40-2's (8867 & 8877) along with 2 GP40-2's for our train which was just shy of 10k tons.

As with any other mishap we'll just have to wait for the conclusion of the investigations and in the mean time hope for the best for all involved.

So that tells me that the two engines involved will most likely see the scrapper's blowtorch or the lava melter, definitely don't look like they can be saved....

Not what I saw on those photos, they remind me of the 12/90 BBY Accident with Amtrak F40s 272, 366 and MBTA 1073.

Looks like the 8877 is no more.

As for the wide body, good for parts, perhaps even salvageable.

conduct csx... the split second decision to bail or not sounds as bad as a firefighter's need to make a split second second decision to jump out of a 2nd or 3rd floor window or deal with the flashing over, or backdrafting fire... in both cases you could meet Moses... I appreciate the depth of that type of life or death choice, because it exists in my work too.

It's a difficult question...to jump or not to jump.

I put a motorcycle down once at 45 mph, and was in the hospital for a month. That was STRICTLY from the impact...I missed the obstruction and the bike slid clear.

Now. Consider hitting the rock ballast at that speed. You're going to be in a bad way. If you have a hand-held, it will be either thrown clear or broken. You'll probably be too much in shock to use it or a cell phone for quite a few minutes. And as noted, the train will start coming off the rail - on top of you.

I had a long talk with an old-timer once, and we came to the conclusion, that if we thought a collision was inevetable, and there was a little time, the best course of action would be to try to get into the trailing unit and ride it out THERE.

I wouldn't jump, unless it was a collision at grade with a tanker truck. There's NO chance of surviving impact with a gasoline tanker.

conrail_engineer wrote:if we thought a collision was inevetable, and there was a little time, the best course of action would be to try to get into the trailing unit and ride it out THERE.

I wouldn't jump, unless it was a collision at grade with a tanker truck. There's NO chance of surviving impact with a gasoline tanker.

I agree 100%.