Speeding Train Derails SAN BERNARDINO, CA -- A weekend derailment of nine locomotives in San Timoteo Canyon on tracks owned by the nation's largest railroad means the heavily-traveled commuter shortcut between Redlands and Moreno Valley may remain closed for today's (Monday) morning rush hour. It could take longer to fully restore the busy Union Pacific freight route that was damaged late Saturday when the string of engines came apart in curves between Redlands Boulevard and Live Oak Canyon Road, just across the Riverside County line. "There could be a road closure tomorrow as work activity continues," Union Pacific spokesman James Barnes said Sunday. "We reopened one line at 14:00 (Sunday) and we may have the other opened by 24:00." The stench of leaking diesel fuel and crank-case oil emanated Sunday morning from the twisted wreckage of three damaged locomotives sitting motionless next to San Timoteo Canyon Road. Fish and Game and Riverside County hazardous materials officials monitored efforts to keep fuel from damaging the watershed. Early reports that another train had been involved in the derailment were incorrect, Barnes said. The locomotives, which have regulators installed so they can travel no faster than 70 mph, were apparently going too fast through the curves. "There was another train in the vicinity," Barnes said. "But there was no collision. The locomotives derailed because of speed." The engineer and conductor, who both suffered minor injuries in the derailment, were recovering Sunday. They were the only two personnel on the string of locomotives, and they were both riding in the lead engine. The derailment happened at 21:18. Saturday, said Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis. A "power move" or "power train" of nine locomotives was coming from Tucson and had nearly reached its destination in Colton. Neither Barnes nor Davis would say how fast the locomotives were traveling before the derailment. Each of the locomotives averages 335,000 pounds, Davis said. The first two engines stayed on the tracks, while two tipped north into a ditch, and five tipped south toward San Timoteo Canyon Road, Davis said. Spilled diesel fuel ignited and burned brush near the tracks. Eight of the engines in the derailment are owned and operated by Union Pacific. A ninth engine is owned by Canadien National, Davis said. Sledgehammers rang out Sunday next to San Timoteo Canyon Road, which was packed with trucks and trailers. Damage to locomotives and nearly 1,500 feet of track transformed a mile-long section of the rural roadway into a crowded construction site, while hundreds of motorists were forced to take lengthy detours around the wreckage. "Heavy equipment may be here through Monday," Davis said over the growl of rock-toting dump trucks and track-setting machinery. "We're not sure about the roadway itself." Two locomotives made it to Colton under their own power, and two were towed, Davis said. Five more will be loaded onto trailers for transport, Davis said. Replacing destroyed locomotives can cost "several million dollars" apiece, Barnes said. Union Pacific is the largest railroad company in North America, covering 23 states across the western two-thirds of the U.S., according to Union Pacific's Web site. The railroad has 32,400 route miles, 50,000 employees and an annual payroll of $3.6 billion. Another derailment on Saturday, just south of Grand Terrace in the Highgrove area, was cleared by Sunday morning. - Guy McCarthy, The San Bernardino Sun
More... Questions Remain At Accident Site; Final Derailment Reports May Take 'A Few Months' SAN TIMOTEO CANYON, CA -- A cleanup to remove the mangled and twisted wreckage of seven locomotives that derailed in San Timoteo Canyon continued Sunday as federal investigators probed the cause of the accident. The derailment Saturday night left two railroad crew members injured, turned one locomotive into a torch and spilled diesel fuel into an environmentally sensitive creek bed. On Sunday morning, one of the locomotives still smoldered next to San Timoteo Creek and six others lay jumbled north of San Timoteo Canyon Road. Gouged earth, jagged engine parts and rocks strewn along the roadway gave testament to the force of the crash. Chuck and Cindy Learn live less than 200 feet from the parallel tracks that carry up to 60 trains a day. The couple said they are used to hearing trains pass. But the one they heard about 21:30 Saturday night was different. "It was making a really weird noise," Cindy Learn said. She rushed outside while her husband dialed 911. "You heard this big boom, and there was an explosion," Cindy Learn said. The train, consisting of nine locomotives, was on its way from Tucson, Arizona, to Colton, California. The two leading locomotives stayed on the tracks. Union Pacific and government officials gave conflicting accounts of how the other seven derailed. An initial report to the governor's Office of Emergency Services said the crew lost control of the train as it traveled west down into the canyon between Beaumont and Redlands. "A light-power train (nine locomotives) went into an emergency stop," the report said. "It somehow broke loose, unknown cause, and free-rolled into the rear of another train ... " Mark Davis, a Union Pacific spokesman, said only one train was involved. He said he did not know the cause of the accident, which remains under investigation by the company. A Federal Railroad Administration spokesman, Steven Kulm, said two inspectors had interviewed the crew and would be examining a locomotive event-recorder -- the equivalent of an airplane's "black box" that tracks speed, braking and other information. The administration had no information on the accident cause or circumstances, Kulm said in a telephone interview. A federal report isn't expected to be completed for "a few months," he said. The derailment was the second on Inland rails Saturday. At least nine cars carrying cargo containers left the tracks about 12:30 in Highgrove, prompting several street closures. The streets had reopened Sunday, but the cars remained in place beside the damaged tracks. San Timoteo Canyon has been the site of numerous train derailments. Railroad workers interviewed last year described the westbound track through the canyon as difficult because of its downward slope and curves. Of the two injured crew members, one suffered minor bruises to his chest. The other had a broken finger and wrist, Davis said. It was unclear Sunday where the two crew members were when the train derailed. James Barnes, a Union Pacific spokesman in Omaha, Nebraska, said he did not know which locomotive the conductor and engineer were in. But he said typically they are in the front. "That may be part of the investigation," he said. The two lead locomotives eventually made it to Colton, Davis said. The second two careened off and into the San Timoteo Creek bed, where they remained Sunday. The next two toppled onto their sides on the eastbound tracks. They were hoisted onto the tracks Sunday and pulled into the Colton train yard. The last three locomotives slammed into an embankment, causing heavy damage. The wheels were torn off. The cabs and sides were smashed. By late afternoon Sunday, the three were upright, draped in plastic. Davis said the remaining five locomotives likely would remain for several days until they could be trucked away. One of the derailed locomotives caught fire shortly after the wreck, sending flames dozens of feet into the air and igniting a small patch of brush, Riverside County Fire Capt. Julie Hutchinson said. The blaze was contained about 03:00 Sunday, she said. Firefighters decided to let the fire burn itself out to consume the diesel fuel that otherwise might have spilled on the ground or into the creek, Hutchinson said The top priority for railroad workers Sunday appeared to be getting tracks repaired and reopened to traffic. Crews worked to replace 600 feet of westbound track and 880 feet on the eastbound side. Up to 150 Union Pacific and contract crews worked throughout the night and all day Sunday, Davis said. Earthmovers shoveled up the damaged rails, concrete ties and scattered gravel. Big-rig trucks rumbled in and out of the accident site. Several cranes were on hand to right the toppled locomotives, which Davis said weigh around 335,000 pounds each. Both tracks were expected to be open today (Monday), he said. - Duane W. Gang, David Danelski and Sarah Burge, The Riverside Press-Enterprise
