Railroad Forums 

  • Derailment at East Falls Church

  • Discussion related to DC area passenger rail services from Northern Virginia to Baltimore, MD. Includes Light Rail and Baltimore Subway.
Discussion related to DC area passenger rail services from Northern Virginia to Baltimore, MD. Includes Light Rail and Baltimore Subway.

Moderators: mtuandrew, therock, Robert Paniagua

 #1395147  by JDC
 
Line segment still shutdown today. Supposed to be open Monday. http://wmata.com/about_metro/news/Press ... aseID=6144.

The press release mentions the following repairs are required:

*Replacing about 200 feet of running rail
*Rebuilding 150 feet of electrified third rail
*Replacement of two track crossings at the interlocking
*Removal and replacement of approximately 200 wooden cross ties that hold the rail in place
 #1395242  by litz
 
Good grief ... did they get so caught up in all the other repairs that they forgot about basic track inspections for deteriorated sleepers?
 #1395250  by JackRussell
 
I am wondering whether all of the single-tracking from the surge meant that the crossover got a whole lot more traffic than it would have otherwise, and as a result things gradually worked loose.

It still doesn't excuse not fixing rotten ties, of course.
 #1395261  by JDC
 
I think you're correct JackRussel - and what makes me think that is that Metro ordered an inspection of all of the crossovers for the current surge on the Red line after the derailment. So I think they're worried about all of the stress put on parts of the track that do not normally see that much traffic.
 #1395362  by schmod
 
I'm kind of surprised that those ties weren't replaced in the process of maintaining/replacing that switch. Isn't that the normal procedure?
 #1395422  by Sand Box John
 
"schmod"
I'm kind of surprised that those ties weren't replaced in the process of maintaining/replacing that switch. Isn't that the normal procedure?


Yes under the turnout. The defective ties were between the turnout and the diamond in the middle of the double crossover.

The turnouts in the interlocking were some the first to be upgraded to guarded turnout, they were upgraded in 11 2005. At that time the turnouts were replaced with guarded turnout the ties beyond to the diamond were likely considered sound. I wouldn't be surprised if the mill marks on the rails between the turnouts and diamond date from the 1980s.
 #1395623  by JackRussell
 
Damning quotes from the article
For example, Metro’s guidelines require that tracks be inspected twice a week. Records show that Metro workers have been inspecting track, looking for problems that can cause accidents, just once a month. What’s more, the specialized vehicle used to identify track defects is out of service. It is not clear when it broke down.
 #1397522  by JackRussell
 
And now things have taken an even darker twist:

https://beta.wmata.com/about/news/MTPD- ... gation.cfm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld announced today that the investigation into the East Falls Church derailment, which began as an administrative review by the Safety Department, has been expanded to include an investigation by Metro Transit Police.

Wiedefeld directed the Metro Transit Police Department to open a parallel investigation into the matter following a briefing in which investigators advised him of concerns arising from employee interviews, inspection reports, rail defect tracking, and video recordings.
 #1397647  by MCL1981
 
HA. First you would have to wake Sarles up. And under him, Metro would not even acknowledge there was derailment. The Washington Post would run a story about an amazing new bus stop. And the last person who signed off on inspecting the interlocking would be given the prestigious Richard Sarles Annual Award For Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence.