CSX Sandpatch Derailment

[Guilford Guy]

http://www.ourtownonline.biz/articles/2010/02/05/somerset_news/news/local/news252.txt

So... 113 of 132 cars on the ground with CSXT 50 and CSXT 557 up front. The crew is safe, but the current rumor is that the crew cut the power on the fly when they realized what was happening behind them. Winter railroading, isn't it fun?

[jward]

i seriously question the wisdom of bringing a coal train down sand patch with only 2 units for braking power. the east slope of sand patch, where they piled up, is steeper than the descent from gallitzen to altoona on the ns line just to the north. that train weighed probably 18000 tons. on ns, they wouldn't THINK of letting a train that size down the mountain without at least one, often two, 2 unit helpers for additional braking power.

in the old days, trains used to stop to turn up the retainers before descending a grade like this. to-day, they no longer do this, and rely mostly on dynamic braking with minimal use of air brakes when descending. with only 2 units, this train was woefully underpowered. what happened to the helper units that undoubtedly pushed the train up the mountain from connellsville?

look for major changes in the csx rulebook and timetable because of this one.....

[Cody J]

I heard a buddy of mine in Pittsburgh said that it was a runaway, is this true? I don't believe I remember hearing it in the article.

[on30gn15]

On Dec. 12, 1912, a runaway train wrecked about 1/2 mile away from Saturday's accident scene, he said.

"There was a lot of snow that time too," he said.

Interesting . . .

[Cody J]

Yes, indeed interesting. Maybe something needs to be changed along that part of Sandpatch