Amtrak train derails in Washington state onto Interstate 5; injuries reported [Update: Fatalities]

[edpc]

So it was speeding.

That's often the case with train accidents.  The one in Philly, 2015, was going over 100 in an area where it's supposed to be 50, due to the turn.  The Chase, MD accident I mentioned earlier involved a collision with a freight train while the Amtrak was doing 108MPH.

[NavyCanDo]

So it was speeding.

Our local KOMO News is saying it was a new high speed track that has only been in use by Amtrak for a week or so. Not sure of the speed limit for that section where it does do an s-curv to cross the freeway.

[TomSea]

Some of these trains go so fast now. I mean, that is its attraction if this is a newline from Seattle to Portland, to get there fairly fast. I'm not positive if 80 right here would be inordinately fast. I may be way wrong.

[edpc]

Our local KOMO News is saying it was a new high speed track that has only been in use by Amtrak for a week or so.

Rearden metal?

[mystery-ak]

[Neverdul]

I worked at a Baltimore area hospital in 1987 when the Amtrak collision occurred in Chase, MD.  Horrible assortment of injuries put our disaster plan into effect.  Luckily, there were a number of hospitals in the area to handle overflow of the most seriously injured.

I was living in NE Baltimore at the time and remember this well.

I don’t recall why but I was home that day but I heard many helicopters flying over and turned on the radio and then TV to find out what was happening. 

[edpc]

I was living in NE Baltimore at the time and remember this well.

I was a student at Towson State, working at St Joseph's at the time.  It was actually my day off, but I got called in.  At the time, I worked in the supply room.  We didn't get a ton of patients, but we were hustling to get whatever we could spare over to Franklin Square, the closest medical center to the accident.

[NavyCanDo]

Democrats already blaiming crumbling roads and bridges and how the Tax cut will prevent these from getting fixed. Forget the fact that this track is brand new, one that replaced an older track.

[edpc]

Democrats already blaiming crumbling roads and bridges and how the Tax cut will prevent these from getting fixed. Forget the fact that this track is brand new, one that replaced an older track.

Too bad they didn't take care of it with all those shovel-ready jobs. Oh that's right, they were fake and that money was just a Democrat/Union slush fund.

[NavyCanDo]

Democrats already blaiming crumbling roads and bridges and how the Tax cut will prevent these from getting fixed. Forget the fact that this track is brand new, one that replaced an older track.

Well it looks like Trump just put his foot in his mouth too....by also saying crumbling roads and bridges must be fixed.

[mountaineer]

More on Antifa bragging about sabotaging trains at this link

Early in the morning of April 20th we poured concrete on the train tracks that lead out of the Port of Olympia to block any trains from using the tracks. We took precautions to notify BNSF (the train company) – we called them and we used wires to send a signal that the tracks were blocked. We did this not to avoid damaging a train, nothing would bring bigger grins to our faces, but to avoid the risk of injuring railway workers.

This action was done to disrupt the movement of trains carrying proppants used in natural gas fracturing.   ...

This action and actions like it are quite easy to do yourself. This only took a few hours and a little bit of planning. The hardest part was calming our nerves. Particularly easy was placing wire on the tracks to send a signal to the train company that the tracks were blocked. This action can and has been easily repeated wherever train tracks are. For more info on how to do this check out this explanatory video.

Obviously, there's no evidence (yet) of foul play in today's crash, but I hope authorities will cover all the bases in the investigation.

[mountaineer]

U.S. official: Track obstruction seen as possible cause of Amtrak train crash near Seattle
By Associated Press December 18 at 1:38 PM

TACOMA, Wash. — U.S. official: Track obstruction seen as possible cause of Amtrak train crash near Seattle.
AP via WashPost

[NavyCanDo]

Upping the fatalities to at least 6 dead.

[dfwgator]

More on Antifa bragging about sabotaging trains at this linkObviously, there's no evidence (yet) of foul play in today's crash, but I hope authorities will cover all the bases in the investigation.

Yesterday: Planes (Atlanta)
Today: Trains
Tomorrow: Automobiles

[TomSea]

I was in a derailment as I said earlier, but it was not serious. We had to get rides into the next town. Derailments might be like auto accidents, some are serious, there's little to other accidents.

[edpc]

Yesterday: Planes (Atlanta)
Today: Trains
Tomorrow: Automobiles

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Don't mean to get out the tin foil, but:

I'm skeptical concrete could derail a train. The things are so heavy I would think they'd cut right through it. Concrete is strong, but it's not "hard" if that makes sense.

[Restored]

It would depend on the speed of the train and how much concrete.

[driftdiver]

I'm skeptical concrete could derail a train. The things are so heavy I would think they'd cut right through it. Concrete is strong, but it's not "hard" if that makes sense.

Depends on the train and on the concrete. Its not really that hard to force a light amtrak train off the tracks.  The hardest part would probably be getting enough time for the concrete to dry.  Unless you just put big blocks of dried cement on the tracks.

[thackney]

I'm skeptical concrete could derail a train. The things are so heavy I would think they'd cut right through it. Concrete is strong, but it's not "hard" if that makes sense.

 in 1994 a train was derailed in Greenock by a block of concrete deliberately placed on the line, killing the driver and a passenger

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2002/may/12/transport.byers

[driftdiver]

https://nypost.com/2017/12/18/object-on-tracks-may-be-cause-of-deadly-amtrak-derailment/

Story saying there is evidence that an object on the tracks is the cause.

[truth_seeker]

Fires, train derailments, all possible acts by terrorists, foreign and domestic.

[WingNot]

Yesterday: Planes (Atlanta)
Today: Trains
Tomorrow: Automobiles

Those aren't pillows!

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Thousands of people are killed in automobile accidents on a daily basis, but if a train or plane crashes and people die, then it's OMG huge news.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

in 1994 a train was derailed in Greenock by a block of concrete deliberately placed on the line, killing the driver and a passenger

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2002/may/12/transport.byers

Interesting. you think of trains with those small metal wheels as basically heavy enough to cut through anything.