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  • A general discussion about shortlines, industrials, and military railroads
A general discussion about shortlines, industrials, and military railroads

Moderator: Aa3rt

 #1538484  by MACTRAXX
 
Everyone:

From the Associated Press/Yahoo News:
https://news.yahoo.com/feds-man-intenti ... 28088.html

The picture included is what I described before - the locomotive was PHL #21.
The mistake I made in the earlier description was that thinking this was PHL #71.

STP: From another look at the derailment area the locomotive may have not hit any
end of track bumper block - it derailed on the nearby curved grade crossing and slid
under the viaduct to where it came to rest. What is not visible (at least to me not being
able to access Google Earth on my device) is it there was any switch under or near the
VTB viaduct to a stub track that could have led the locomotive to where it ended up.

MACTRAXX
 #1538490  by Backshophoss
 
The hospital ship Mercy was already known by news reports was inbound to Port of LA,what was wrong mentally with that engineer?
Most likely to wind up in a state phych hospital after an attempt at a trial in court.
 #1538497  by Trinnau
 
The train appears to have come off the end of track at the loop in Knoll Drive, not on the curve.
Last edited by Trinnau on Fri Apr 03, 2020 10:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
 #1538502  by Stp243
 
MARCTRAXX: If you pause this https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fbi-i ... r-BB125vrB MSN.com video at 0:33, you can see where the train came off the end of the track, skid across Knoll Dr. and through a guardrail. Google maps shows a bumper at the end of track inside the loop of Knoll Dr. which is then gone in the video. At 1:06 there is a shot looking under the bridge showing more of its path.
 #1538511  by MACTRAXX
 
Trinnau wrote: Thu Apr 02, 2020 6:55 pm The train came appears to have come off the end of track at the loop in Knoll Drive, not on the curve.
T: Yes - I now realize that after STP posted another news report showing
the adjacent stub-end track across the Knoll Drive loop. The angle of the locomotive
and single visible well car is another tip-off that the train was not on the curved track.
The previous news reports and posted photos showed nothing about which track that
the train came from - this now confirms where the train ran off the nearby track.

What will be interesting to note is to what the speed the locomotive was moving at
the exact time that it struck the bumper block and just how much track that it took
to accelerate up to enough speed to get to where it ended up...MACTRAXX
 #1538513  by Backshophoss
 
There was at least 1 well car loaded with a container that was dragged along by PHL 21,both might become part supplies depending on
the damage to them
 #1538526  by CLamb
 
MACTRAXX wrote: Thu Apr 02, 2020 3:30 pm I was able to find the location of the derailed locomotive from Google Maps of the Port of Los Angeles.
The location is near Regan St. and N. Front Street/N Harbor Blvd. The Vincent Thomas Bridge viaduct is above W/the Seaside Freeway (CA 47) and with Swinford St. nearby.
That was my first thought too but further searches showed photos of the flattened bumper. I suspect it is more likely the track which dead ends in the loop of Knoll Drive.
 #1538535  by STrRedWolf
 
Backshophoss wrote: Thu Apr 02, 2020 6:03 pm The hospital ship Mercy was already known by news reports was inbound to Port of LA,what was wrong mentally with that engineer?
Most likely to wind up in a state phych hospital after an attempt at a trial in court.
I doubt he'll be there. He's nuts, yes, but it looks like not to be to the level to keep him committed. It looks more like he's more of the odd rumor/wacky conspiracy theory mongerer. Thankfully, I know a lawyer who stepped through the details of the insanity defense in plain layman terms.

That said... it makes me wonder if it was possible to even *reach* the USNS Mercy... and why they didn't send the USNS Bob Hope instead.
 #1538538  by east point
 
From several different over head views it appears that at one time the tracks went further. The road appears paved over or maybe track removed and then paved over ? Any chance rails paved over or removed ?
 #1538703  by eolesen
 
It's a good thing the locomotive didn't have steerable trucks. That might have allowed him to make a turn towards the terminal.
 #1538714  by Backshophoss
 
Red,that engineer is already getting a mental review if found incompant to stand trial,depending on the state's standards
could be in the phych hospital.
 #1539647  by ConstanceR46
 
Tracks 100% went further - There was a switch near Swinford, with a track leading to right by the ship terminal, splitting into 2 right by it (rails are still in the dock) while the other track went to the Quayside. However, both of those branched off of currently unused trackage previously used by a heritage streetcar - from what i can tell, the track he drove off of was fairly new and never extended farther.