It looks like this will take a while to fix. FOXNews.com - Nevada Train Derailment to Disrupt Rail Service - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News Ben
Oops! It will be interesting to know what happened in this incident. If it was simply a broken rail, etc? If anyone sees some further photos, or an aerial view, please post. Boxcab E50
I wonder why they can't use the W.P. tracks to divert traffic? I can see that Amtrack would be a problem, but freight?
They can divert around the wreck on the old Western Pacific line. At least they should be able to. Jeff Moore Elko, NV
The train derailed on old SP track, right? The old WP roughly parallels the SP route, IIRC. Detours could leave Salt Lake on WP track, WB, and EB, Elko? Greg Elems would know for sure. Greg??
This derailment occurred a few miles west of Carlin. The WP and SP ran essentially side by side from just west of Wells to just east of Winnemucca. During World War I the Federal government institued bi-directional running on the trackage between Weso (just east of Winnemucca) and Alazon (just west of Wells), with all westbound traffic using the SP main and all eastbound traffic using the WP main. After the government handed the railroads back to private industry the two companies went back to a "yours and mine" arrangement, but not for long before going back to the system the government started. There are a number of crossovers on the stretch, and UP often will run trains against the normal flow of traffic on this stretch. This wreck happened on the old SP main. There appears to be a crossover at Barth, which is just east of the derailment site. Westbound traffic will go from the SP main to the WP main at Carlin and run against traffic to Barth, where it can go back to the SP main. Jeff Moore Elko, NV
Shouldn't be too bad, as there is only a 1% ruling grade on the whole WP. This section should only be detoured about 50 miles, I'm guessing. It won't include Silver Zone Pass, IIRC, which would be a place that slows trains for the gradient, and the near-constant curvature.
Carlin to Barth is 10 miles maximum. Gradient is not an issue, as both involved tracks are just above water level along the river. Jeff Moore Elko, NV
This should hardly impact UP, then. It may bottleneck, with single-track, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem for a 10-mile detour. Could be worse! Could this possibly be the location? http://www.carrtracks.com/nvsp550up3193.jpg More shots from the NV desert here: http://www.carrtracks.com/nvspwpndx.htm
My guess would be that this is the tunnel and bridge: Great photos, by the way. Thanks for sharing. Bill
Bill, Where did you find that photo? There's not much of anything on the web devoted to this part of the world. The NV paired tracks are so unknown to railfans....
Bill's photo does show the tunnel and bridge involved in this incident. It will be interesting to see what kind of a bridge they put up at this spot now. Jeff Moore Elko, NV
Wonder if this has any effect on traffic into Vegas...might just be me, but traffic seems alot slower through here lately. But it could be from all the road construction that they are doing at the north and south ends of town.
Received this via a UP conductor friend: Nevada derailment won't affect service, a railroad official says No delays » Union Pacific says no major disruptions in service. By Martin Griffith The Associated Press Salt Lake Tribune Updated:12/28/2008 07:43:48 PM MST -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reno, Nev. » A freight train derailment in Nevada will not disrupt rail service on one of the country's main east-west lines as initially feared, Union Pacific officials said Sunday. Since the derailment Saturday in the remote high desert about 260 miles east of Reno, the railroad has determined a parallel line can be used to get trains through the area, rail company spokeswoman Zoe Richmond said. Without the parallel line, trains hauling coal, chemicals, lumber and consumer goods would have been forced to make long, expensive detours to the north or south, she said. "There will be no major disruptions in rail service as previously thought," Richmond said. "At this point, we don't have any delays and we're not anticipating to have any delays." Amtrak uses the same line, and its California Zephyr service was not affected, a spokeswoman said. The train, carrying corn, was passing through a tunnel when 15 of its 99 cars went off the tracks along the Humboldt River. No one was injured. Five cars were still in the river Sunday and another car was in a tunnel. A nearby 102-year-old bridge spanning the river collapsed a couple of hours after the derailment, Richmond said. Railroad officials were still unsure how long it would take to restore the bridge. The rail company is still trying to determine what caused the derailment.
I believe it's the Reno Gazette, which has some pictures of the site, etc. That bridge has a new future as food for recycling at a steel mill. Boxcab E50
