Little Falls Derailment (Oct 30 2004)

According to railpace.com's news and capitalnews9.com there has been a derailment in Little Falls on CSX's main west-east route with two Amtrak trains being cancelled for the 30th. Does anyone know if there will be any detours on Oct 31 over the Tier or NYSW?

http://www.capitalnews9.com/content/top ... rID=101867

Let the detours begin!

CRTS - CSXT has experienced a major derailment on the Chicago Line in Little Falls, NY near CP-215. An unidentified train has derailed 27 cars in a rock cut making access to the wreck scene difficult. There has been significant damage to the trackbed including the crossovers. The westbound intermodal parade of Q-167, Q-163, and Q-113 have been tied down on the main and may be detoured as initial estimates are 36-48 hours for an open track through the scene. Trains Q-111 and Q-169 have already detoured via Philadelphia, PA. Amtrak has already annulled train 48.

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From CSX Sources:

Q366-28 coming off the controlled siding to track 1 at CP-215 derailed into the side of S621-29 who was passing on track 2. No estimate on what time things will be cleared up. Q111 and Q169 were most likely detoured via NS or via Philly, but CSX has problems of their own down there as well. Seems they had a 9 car wreck down there too (QN Tower) They dodged a possible real bad wreck at CP-FB just the night before (Fri Morning) Q112-28 went track 2 to Tk 11 at CP-FB(30 mph move as 11 is signalled) Came down to CP-FB on Q364-27 behind Q112 on 2 and stopped at CP-FB about 30 minutes later. Noticed that there was a maintainer looking over the Interlocking, after a few minutes he drove up to us and said " The STO wants to talk to youon the phone " he also said there was a broken rail in the interlocking ahead of us. We were eventually relieved and while enroute to the GYO we stopped to suvey the broken rail. It was a 10-12 foot !!! horizontal fracture, and the ball of the rail actually seperated from the web for the entire distance. Even scarier was the fact that you could see batter marks where Q112 had actually passed over the broken section will the wheels actually riding
on the web of the rail. Where the break ended you could also see
battering marks where the wheels pounded the rail end(s) and where
flanges had actually ridden up on the ball of the good rail eventually landing back where they were supposed to. It might be time to come back in the yard! Better to derail at 10mph than at 60!!!! (But then again we'd need locomotives that actually could get a train to tack speed)

From CSX Sources

Man oh Man that does sound like a nightmare of a mess just rerouting everything.

Well from the NYSW Yahoo! Group there seems to be two detour trains. The first was Q156 which has already departed Binghamton eastbound. Then coming from Syracuse as BH3 is Q164 with a UP unit on the point. Hopefully these trains will come to the Southern Division instead of riding the Teir all the way down. Good luck chasing.

I checked out the derailment site this morning, they work very fast on
cleanups these days. Track 2 is open, 10 mph thru the site. The site is
quite accessible with good views off of Rt 169 across the river and a walk
down River Rd. from the waste water treatment plant on the north side
of the river. One boxcar rolled or was pushed onto it's roof and landed
right on River Rd. The track at CP-215 got torn up pretty good but some
how the signal bridge didn't get touched,at least from what I could see.
MoW ballast trains are parked on 1 east and west of the site and Corman
is doing their thing. While this wreck isn't quite in the same league as the
famous Gulf Curve wreck of 1940 I coundn't help think about it as this is
close to that very site.

STEAM ON
/--OOO--:-oo--oo-

I've spent many hours here as recently as a year ago this weekend- makes you think. Glad to hear the crews were OK.

I heard the call on the scanner around 5:p.m. or so when the train crew reported haveing some cars on the ground. I caught a west bound empty Coal drag in Churchville,NY things slowed up for awhile. By 7:p.m. I made it to wayneport, NY one stack train had passed then 2 mixed fraghts around 8:00p.m. one in each direction followed by a Ballest Train and 4 Gondolas at 8:30p.m. on its way to the wreck site. The rail grinder TCRG-10 started makeing its grinds just east of Wayne Port at MP 159 Amtrak west bound maple leaf made its showing arond 8:45p.m. by 9:30p.m. Q140 with 2 UP SD90MAC's passed threw Clyde, NY on its way to Syracuse.

Update..........

34 cars were derailed (I heard counts from 21 to 55 cars), still no cause, but probably car related. No damage to the CP (lucky them).

Matt and I was at the Amsterdam station since 3am.. We were chatting with 2 other railfans.. and we were scratching our heads wondering whats the hell is going on. One railfan who is from Albany stated to me that he
saw Q167 parking on the main behind CP175. So, ok.. Matt asked me if
I wanted anything at Stewart's.. I said Sure, please (cawfee and
coffee cakes), gave him my money and told Matt get himself what he
wants with my money. So, off he goes.. Radio chatter was dead for the
last 20 minutes.. Marker signal keeps on "brraping and brraping" so
that figures me an possible eastbound or the same ol westbound that
was sitting at 175. Then, on the radio, "Q163, calling the Selkirk
hub" so Selkirk came on.. and Q163 wanted to know when they will
move... The dispatcher has not responded for some time...

(Backtrack it for a few/hours moments.. I was talking to Biff on mobile/laptop live on the scene AIM on that morning at 530, we were talking about the weather and theAmtrak 48.. 5 mins late out of the Buff, and Matt was saying thatthe DS is calling Q115 that the signals dropped to red in front oftheir train nearing St Johnsville and the train board in Little Falls went blank so it seems to me that we think it was a nasty
thunderstorm that tore out the signals as an power failure, so I went
oh well, Then the DS ordered an hi-railer to do a inspection from
CP169 to CP220 (Herkimer))

Then, Matt came over from Stewart's, gave me some cawfee and he saw
the crew jitney van came and picked up the crew from Stewarts and
they were just waiting for a bit. We thought it could be an outlaw at
first. Then all of the sudden, the Chief DS told every crew from
every train to report to Selkirk.. Matt and I were looking at each
other and so the other railfans.. So, Matt and other railfans
carefully listened to my radio, its more clearer... so it was
confirmed.. So tied down every train.. Phil came on AIM, (right on
the dot!) we were chatting on whats going on and told Phil to give us
his cell so Matt can talk with him.. so Phil, Matt and me were a kind
of baffled.. So, I told Matt, "Get on the phone and Trace Amtrak 48"
and told Phil that I had a gut feeling that speculated a derailment
someplace in Little Falls in which it was my "hint hint"... Then Matt
was making a wild "What??" and looked at me with a long face.. I knew
it.. Popeed out of my head.. "It 's a farking derailment.. Total
cluster fark..!!" Told Phil on AIM, "Confirmed Derailment , Amtrak
48 has been cancelled and annulled" and Phil hurriedly posted the
Confirmation to our SFPT group. so I had this long face.. saying
this to myself.. "Ohhhhh great... just what I need..." So Matt re-
called Amtrak Customer Service.. and asked them on why 48 has been
annulled? so Customer service said there was a derailment at Little
Falls, so that puts me to perspective why the circuit board in
Selkirk went blank. So, out of the whole day in perspective, we had a whirlwind ride to take photos of every parked train (nearly 20 of them between Selkirk to Herkimer)...


The point of the derailment is a sideswipe. Its not a "head on" or anything like that. Its just a simple sideswipe. One of the freight cars (possibly from S621)hit a switch and jumped off and landed onto Q366's path creating a mess. I have photos of it and it will be published on my web shortly.

Sigh..
Dave Edwards
Selkirk Foregin Power Team Owner

One of the freight cars (possibly from S621)hit a switch and jumped off and landed onto Q366's path creating a mess.

366 derailed first, then 621 came alone and finished the job............
366 announced they were in emergency, 621 saw sparks flying and they announced they were in emergency.

SRS125 wrote:by 9:30p.m. Q140 with 2 UP SD90MAC's passed threw Clyde, NY on its way to Syracuse.

no it is SD70AC. it looks like sd80/90/9043mac body but with phrase II nose.

ken

so many deigns look alike these days hard to tell them apart with out a rostor. thanks for the correction.

I heard something that may have been a possable cause of the derailment. Something about an empty hopper that rocked a little to far and caught a car on the outher train?? Anything is possable rocking cars, bad track, It could be just a freek accdent never know till the report comes out.

Check your private message please....

Correction, the crossover was damaged. It appears some at Selkirk didn't know this as it was reported that there was no damage orginally.