P&W derailment, Windham CT - 3/11

Quote from article;

"The Providence and Worcester freight train was carrying four 30-gallon tankers, of which at least one was filled with ethanol"


Doesn't seem they would need a crane for 30-gallon tankers.

Still, didn't notify the locals until 3 hours after the derailment ?

Maybrook fan wrote:Quote from article;

"The Providence and Worcester freight train was carrying four 30-gallon tankers, of which at least one was filled with ethanol"


Doesn't seem they would need a crane for 30-gallon tankers.

Haha, 30 gallons.



Says 30,000 gallons:

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/03/ ... 268331768/

State DEP spokesman Dennis Schain said each of the cars can carry as much as 30,000 gallons.

Train had 75 Tanker cars all loaded & started out from North Dakota.
71 cars continued on to Providence .

The train had 80 loads of ethanol, and one loaded spacer (kaolin slurry). They cut the rear ten, and took the remainder to Motiva in Providence.

OK , The paper reported 71 ethanol cars continued on to Providence . I saw a picture of this train being pulled by 8 engines .

gawlikfj wrote:OK , The paper reported 71 ethanol cars continued on to Providence . I saw a picture of this train being pulled by 8 engines .

I saw a picture as well-- showed the train on the VRS.

That brings up a question in my mind-- isn't this a rather convoluted way to get a shipment to Providence from the west? If it was on the P&W in Windham, it was on the old NH Hartford-Providence route: which is gone east of Plainfield, meaning the train would have to go either all the way up to Worcester to go to Providence via Woonsocket, or down to Groton and then east on the Shoreline.

Convoluted, yes, but this is the way CP has access to the P&W in southern New England, and, is similar to how CN accesses the P&W, too. The origin was on CP and moved long-haul via CP whereas previously it would have moved via CP-CSX. It's doubtful that PAS or CSX would want to provide a short-haul link (east of Buffalo, NY) to help CP (or CN) out as they are competing for the long-haul against NS via PAS and CSX via their Boston Line.

Let me get this straight...The CP brought the ethanol cars down to Whitehall on the D&H, the VRS dragged them to Bellows Falls where they were turned over to the NECR. The NECR hauled them to Willimantic (or New London), where the P&W was taking them to Providence via Worcester. And they went on the ground northbound on the Worcester leg. Ah, for the days of the Cheshire Branch or even Plainfield to Providence.

ewh wrote:Let me get this straight...The CP brought the ethanol cars down to Whitehall on the D&H, the VRS dragged them to Bellows Falls where they were turned over to the NECR. The NECR hauled them to Willimantic (or New London), where the P&W was taking them to Providence via Worcester. And they went on the ground northbound on the Worcester leg. Ah, for the days of the Cheshire Branch or even Plainfield to Providence.

I assume NECR interchanged them in Willimantic; if they'd been interchanged at New London, assuming you wouldn't want a train that size on the Shore Line, they'd have gone straight up the Norwich branch to Worcester. Incidentally, Willimantic is actually an unincorporated area within the Town of Windham.

QB 52.32- Interesting. So did CP run this train from Dakota north around the lakes through Canada, then down the D&H? I guess the routing makes a little more sense, then.

I don't know the specifics of where the trains originate out of or schedualed shipments but I live in Woonsocket RI, and have a clear as day view (1000 yards or less) of the P&W main that ryns thru, and it's a very common train to run through here, I would say usually between 8-12pm every thursday or other thursday she rolls through on the way to Prov. Usually about 4-6 units pulling, with 3 or more slugs...

-Pat

Ridgefielder wrote:QB 52.32- Interesting. So did CP run this train from Dakota north around the lakes through Canada, then down the D&H? I guess the routing makes a little more sense, then.

It's my understanding that this train was a test and ran via Chicago, across Michigan on CP's rights on NS into Canada and south down the D&H to Whitehall.

masscoastal wrote:Usually about 4-6 units pulling, with 3 or more slugs...

PW doesn't have any slugs, those are cabless B units

The empty ethanol cars are on their way back.
Ran over the P&W Willimantic branch at
"walking speed", according to another list.
The NECR was supposed to have them at
Bellows Falls for the VRS at 8AM, but the
train is reportedly running a few hours late.

Dick