What type of Flood Warnings does UP issue to their crews. What is expected of crews operating under a Flood Warning?
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UP Derailment near Corsicana, TX
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Good question I have a hard time understanding why not simply sending a road crew ahead in the area where flooding was a possibility, seems like a real gamble where the road bed could be vulnerable not to clear it for traffic.
Train Partially Submerged After Hitting High Water, Crew Rescued (NBC Dallas-Fort Worth)
Two crew members of a Union Pacific train were rescued early Saturday after the train overturned when the tracks were washed away by high water in Navarro County, the office of emergency management says.It's kind of crazy how it just kind of... fell over. It makes total sense given the water was pushing evenly on one side of the train, but it just does not happen like that too often. You can see the headlights still on in some video of it, too. I suspect the condition of the engines might get a bit worse, though, because there's only going to be more rain... at least another foot of it.
A high-water rescue team pulled the uninjured men from the water, according to the Navarro County Office of Emergency Management.
Union Pacific spokesman Jeff DeGraff said the derailment happened at about 3:30 a.m. in an area four miles north of Corsicana, about 60 miles south of Dallas. DeGraff said Chambers Creek was overflowing and washed out the tracks.
...
DeGraff said the 64-car train was traveling south from Midlothian to Houston. He had no immediate details on how many cars went off the tracks since the flooded area was not accessible to cleanup crews.
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Believe this happened on the Ennis Sub,which is ABS and Track Warrant territory,so no way for the DS to warn
the train crew. UP not known to use Hi-water detectors in Texas
Track was washed out just in front of the lead unit,may have been on uneven track and fell to the side when weight was
on the rails on soft/muddy roadbed.
the train crew. UP not known to use Hi-water detectors in Texas
Track was washed out just in front of the lead unit,may have been on uneven track and fell to the side when weight was
on the rails on soft/muddy roadbed.
The Land of Enchantment is not Flyover country!
I would well imagine they were far more concerned with swimming to safety, then doing a proper full shutdown and tie down after coming to a stop.
Reportedly, they saw the water rising, went into emergency, but did not stop until they were well into the water.
From that point, even if the roadbed was still stable, scouring under the track and wheels would quickly undermine the roadbed, and once that happens, mother gravity does the rest.
As for the locomotives, probably a good chance they self-shutdown when the oil pressure dropped as they rolled over, so hopefully no water injestion. Might help in the salvage and recovery ...
Reportedly, they saw the water rising, went into emergency, but did not stop until they were well into the water.
From that point, even if the roadbed was still stable, scouring under the track and wheels would quickly undermine the roadbed, and once that happens, mother gravity does the rest.
As for the locomotives, probably a good chance they self-shutdown when the oil pressure dropped as they rolled over, so hopefully no water injestion. Might help in the salvage and recovery ...