I might guess this to have been weather related. (Summer heat.) https://www.montanarightnow.com/gre...cle_ef229c92-2a6d-11ee-b93a-43893514a145.html
Aaah, jeez! The season for derailments? Is it pretty hot back there, tracks getting sunkinks or out of guage?
Frickel also stated there is no known reason for the derailment, but a formal investigation is likely to be done by NTSB since it is the 2nd derailment in 72 hours. THEN why did it derail......obviously there is a problem need to be FIRED.
The temps have been hot lately, but also the ground under the track on the Hi-Line from Havre area to Glasgow area is horrible stuff. Which doesn't help anything.
Yeah, high 90s yesterday in my area, but I cannot vouch for that of the Havre area. Interesting to hear about ground conditions in that area. What issues are they? Shifting/settling or unstable ground? I recall the central MT area to have "gumbo" clay soil. It is slicker than a greased doorknob when wet, shifts easily and is concrete hard when dry. I wonder if this gumbo is in part to blame?
Yup, gumbo city! With lots of moist ground here and there as well. all of which leads to an unstable roadbed. Official temp here yesterday, I dunno, but I had 105 in the shade in the evening and 117 on my outdoor thermometer at the Trainshed. Watching trains today and got two videos, and after 4 trains rolled in and out of the east end, a track inspector went for a roll down the track. Heat does wonderful things to steel....
A lot depends upon the accuracy of a thermometer, where it is placed, etc. Official high (NWS) for July 24th at Glendive was 103. Yesterday that was at 99.
Our official temps come from up at the airport and / or down by the river. Variations abound between them and, of course, downtown is hottest with all the brick and asphalt. My place is right by the RR, so is probably a bit hotter, too. Anyway, it is good to see the RR here being proactive about inspections while it is this hot.
The linked article said the 8th car derailed. If the track had become damaged (by heat or other cause), would it be odd that the 8th car derailed but that the other passenger cars did not?
If there was a track problem and unless it happened just as the eighth car was passing, you would think the locomotive would have derailed first. Doug
It is quite possible that the loco and first 7 cars were the final straws to spread the rails, pop the clips or some such failure. There could have been a flat spot hammering away a car or two before it that caused the rail to fracture at the 8th car. Or a defect in the rail itself that finally just gave up the ghost and fractured. Or a combination of the above.
One thing to remember - the movement of a train past any specific point acts like a vibrator as each axle of the train places its 'pressure' against the specific point and immediately releases that pressure - each axle of the train applying and releasing its axle weight - vibrations can cause things to move in any direction that ground forces may be placing upon any particular man made structure - track structure for instance. While man attempts to build track structures that will withstand all the forces the engineers can foresee - however, over time with the continual heat, freeze, thaw and heat again to restart the cycle - things happen! Man's constructions are always in a contest against Mother Nature and her power.
Our house was directly behind CSX, ex-L&N NO&M sub. February one morning about 6 AM, I heard a loud BANG. No train, just the bang. I found a broken CWR rail with a 3-4" gap between the broken ends. I assume a manufacturing defect during the rolling of the rail that finally had it with south Mississippi temperature swings between 15*F and 100*F over the years, and said I'm outta here. Humans may assume they're in control, but Mother Nature holds the cards.
When I was working in the Asst. Chief Dispatcher's position, the ACD's kept a daily log of all the significant happenings over the Division we were responsible for - Trains being stopped and the reasons for the stoppage (undesired emergency brake application, Near Miss, Defect Detector activation etc.), Manpower issues - trains held awaiting crews, issues with taxi's moving crews about the division, communication issues, signal issues and track issues. Most issues were categorized by the subdivision and location name or mile post of the issue. The log was the main communication medium between the Dispatcher's Office and company officials, both at Division headquarters and outlying locations. During the Winter the most frequent 'issue' was a train moving out of a track segment and leaving the track occupancy light for that segment lit. Normal procedure was to notify both the Signal Maintainer and Track Supervisor for the territory involved. 95% of the time a broken rail or a pulled apart rail joint was found to be the offending condition. By calling BOTH Signals and Track personnel, there would be someone QUALIFIED to be able to 'walk trains over the defect' until such time as both material and personnel could be rounded up and brought to the scene to make repairs. It was noticeable the difference in broken rail occurrences between rail that was nearing it end of economic life and the new rail that replaced it.
