3 DERAILED TRAINS AT ONCE?????????? I THINK THEY BROKE A RECORD! SOMEONE IS LITERALLY GETTING A LUMP OF COAL FOR XMAS!
Speaking of records... Is it true that one of their grain trains ran so slow that it showed up full of stale bread?
Lets go "tied" for the record, Conrail had this happen twice, 1) At Effingham Il Dec 22 1995, 2 trains hit head-on killing 2. Also in this wreck UP C30-7 #2474 was destroyed. 2nd time was afew years back near Bryan ohio, same thing with another 2 killed. Lets all hope these "records" are never broken. DS
I'm still rather impressed with UP's best-known record- most trains parked in sidings out in the middle of nowhere.
I know accidents happen, but that one was really wierd! Hope no one was seriously hurt. In Manhattan here, when I was about 8 years old, I saw the results of two NYC freight trains that had hit head on at a good speed. It was unreal! It was near 150th St , or so on the Westside. The diesels landed way up over a retaining wall and were lying on their sides. Boxcars were split open all over the place. (The neighborhood people were taking paper grocery store bags that were in the boxcars). Trucks were broken loose and plowed into the earth. And I vaugely remember a steam wrecker working on the mess. It made an impression on me to say the least.
Hey, what's with all the anti UP sentiment? Come on, no railroad is perfect. You know BNSF just had a ton of derailments in Nov. One of which, although minor, I was involved in, at DT Junction, in Santa Fe Springs, CA. So lets not all throw stones at UP.
Tossing stones? Au contraire, UPfoamer- I'm tossing good-natured barbs. We all know how much trouble UP had assimilating SP, and the major traffic jams that followed- whole trains out on sidings. I'm a Frisco fan, and as such take needling from the BN and BNSF guys, as well as Alan & Matt (I take it all in stride and with a smile, as there are no hard feelings). I like the UP, but as all human endeavors, UP ain't perfect. We gotta laugh a little, y'know
I thought I would weigh in with some facts regarding rail accidents on UP and BNSF. This is kind of a new fascination with me, and there is tons of data out there to wade through out there. I am offering this only for reference, not to create or perpetuate any type of arguement. The previous comments regarding the three train derailment were obviously made in jest, and as it appears there were only minor injuries, I don't mind a little opinionated conversation. But please, try to keep posts serious about accidents in the future when any serious injuries or fatalities occur. For perspective, we first have to account for the difference in the size of the two companies: UP has 38,654 miles of track and 50,000 employees vs. BNSF having 33,500 miles of track and 40,000 employees. Now for the statistics for FRA reported rail accidents for 2001 through September: Total reported accidents: UP=856, BNSF=515 Total reported damage: UP=$82,682,693, BNSF=$51,857,501 Total deaths: UP=6, BNSF=4 Total injuries: UP=39, BNSF=30 While these ststs show that UP does appear to have a proportionally higher accident rate, you have to consider that these accidents include ALL FRA reported accidents. These could be anything from a hard coupling during switching that causes monetary damage to a head on collision. For this reason, I offer up this additional stat: Accidents causing over 1 million dollars damage or involving employee fatality: UP=12 , BNSF=10 Based on this "Big One" statistic, both railroads are pretty equal. There is more of this information than one person can possibly digest at: http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/officeofsafety/
No accidents are funny. No humor in seeing people getting hurt or killed. Nor property damage either. But the type of accident was unusual. One coal train rear ends another, then another rear ends that one. You know that good natured ribbing was due somewhere down the line.
No offense taken, Johnny. It is good to be light hearted from time to time. My reply was only meant to "draw the line" so to speak. I was only laying out some ground rules for the future. I have actually enjoyed the less serious side of this topic. Keep the tasteful ribbing coming...
I lost a friend in a head-on collision of a BN and an SP freight in Illinois. The cab of the locomotive he was riding in (as a conductor) was crushed all the way to the electrical cabinet when the lead locomotive of the other train climbed up over the anticlimber and smacked it. I was told he died instantly (and without sounding macabre, I hope he did). He was a railfan (mostly MP) who wanted to see some of his shots published. The picture of the locomotive he died in was published in Trains. I guarantee you I was saddened........ Now, if we have derailments & accidents where no one is seriously hurt or killed, I could see some humor. Heck, if I were a railroader, I could do some serious ribbing as long as everyone's OK. I think we're all mature enough here to know what's funny and what isn't, and I do thank Kevin for his comments & opinions- I agree 100%. So overall, I don't think we'll have much trouble on that regard. As for the UP cracks, I'm kinda equal-opportunity. I get chuckles when I hear jokes about Nazi Southern, Chicken **** Express, Beansniff, Canuck Northern, Can't Pull, and Kingsized Crock-o-S***. (all comments made with a smile on my face & a twinkle in my eye ). ANY railroad that runs two large steam locomotives, a Centennial, and "flagged" SD70Ms (gotta love that flag decal!), as well as run freight trains like trolley cars across Nebraska & Wyoming, is OK in my book. I follow the Dallas Cowboys too (this year at a distance ), but I can still crack jokes about their owner & others on the team. OK, enough rambling.......heard any UP jokes lately?
If I can ever find it online, I'll post a photo of the logo that the SP guys around here had made after the UP takeover. It used the old SP Sunset herald and had the words "I was not always stUPid" in the place of "Southern Pacific Lines" (if that helps you picture it in your heads).
I've been watching this topic and feel the light hearted barbs very funny. Railroading is a serious business but we all need some releif from it and the jokes and tales make the job much more enjoyable. I have to say eagle 2's comment about the stale bread is excellent, keep them coming
You know, it was actually Peter Jennings on ABC World News that reported the story, and he definately said it in a light-hearted way. Must not be a railfan!
If I read correctly, Uncle Pete also broke another reecord. It is now the largest single user of Diesel fuel oil in the country. Previously that record had been held by the U.S. Navy...and I know plenty of N(ever) A(gain) V(olunteer) Y(ourself) jokes too.
All the railroads in the past & present do have accidents, lets take Casey Jones as an example. We all know Casey was a bit of a "rule breaker" for breaking all the regulations, but he is remembered for being on time while going fast down the track, although he was wreckless. Today we find that its either the switchers or the engineers problems if they cause a wreck, so don't exactly pin it on 1 company, pin it on certain people who dont follow the rules and regulations that the company lays down.
