Oil train derailment & fire in W.V. 02-16-2015

Reuters wrote:A CSX Corp train hauling North Dakota crude derailed in West Virginia on Monday, setting a number of cars ablaze, destroying a house and forcing the evacuation of two towns in the second significant oil-train incident in three days.

One or two of the cars plunged into the Kanawha River, and “a couple are burning," said Robert Jelacic, night shift manager of the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. There were no injuries or deaths, he said.

CSX said the train was hauling 109 cars from North Dakota to the coastal town of Yorktown, Virginia, where midstream firm Plains All American Pipelines runs an oil depot. It said one person was being treated for potential fume inhalation.

West Virginia State Police First Sergeant Greg Duckworth, who was at the crash site, told Reuters that nine or 10 of the cars had exploded at intervals of about every half hour. A similar sequence has occurred in a handful of other derailments over the past year and a half, with the fire from one tank heating up gases in the next nearest car, causing it to ignite.

Read the rest of the article at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/ ... ST20150216" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[quote="On 2/16/2015 In an article entitled "Governor Tomblin Declares State of Emergency in Kanawha, Fayette Counties", Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's office"]

Governor Tomblin Declares State of Emergency in Kanawha, Fayette Counties

2/16/2015
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (February 16, 2015) – Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin this evening issued a State of Emergency for Kanawha and Fayette counties. This declaration follows a CSX train derailment affecting residents of both counties.

“Declaring a State of Emergency ensures that residents of both Kanawha and Fayette counties have the access they need to resources necessary to handle all stages of the emergency,” Gov. Tomblin said. “State officials are on site and will continue to work with local and federal officials, as well as CSX representatives, throughout the incident.”

This afternoon, a 109-car CSX train traveling from North Dakota to Yorktown, Va., derailed near the Mt. Carbon area of Fayette County. The train, carrying Bakken crude oil, derailed at approximately 1:20 p.m.

Officials at the Montgomery and Cedar Grove water intakes continue to monitor the situation. Customers served by those utilities are urged to conserve water.[/quote]

Source: State of West Virginia's web site

It should be noted that this is upriver from the Charleston, WV. site of the Freedom Industries MCHM spill January 9, 2014.

Reuters has reported that the derailed Tanks are of the newest variety. This could be a nail in the coffin for increased handling of crude by rail:

http://reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0LK1ST20150217" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Fair Use quotation;

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An oil train was still on fire and leaking in West Virginia on Tuesday, a day after it derailed and erupted in flames, according to CSX Corp, which said the train was hauling newer model tank cars, not the older versions widely criticized as prone to puncture.

The train, which was carrying North Dakota crude to an oil depot in Yorktown, Virginia, derailed in a small town 33 miles southeast of Charleston, causing 20 tank cars to catch fire. Several were still leaking oil on Tuesday. All the oil tank cars on the 109-car train were CPC 1232 models, CSX said late Monday.

disclaimer: author holds long position CSX

I'm curious to know what the outdoor temperatures were the evening before and morning prior to this derailment. Could possibly been caused by cracked rail or a pull apart due to the extreme cold. I'm speculating.

What subdivision did this accident occur on? And what's the "lay of the land" in terms of track profile, speed limits, and traffic density? Was the area affected by the recent winter storm in the mid-atlantic area and if so, could that have played a role?

Based on this ETT (PDF) and Wikipedia, Mt. Carbon appears to be on the New River Subdivision.

I assume this disaster is also why Amtrak is cancelling Cardinals.

Thank you, sir. Much appreciated...

I am starting to hear word, that a permanent detour will be used, because the track has been found unstable near the river throughout that area. Any other info on this permanent detour?