UP TRAIN DERAILS A train derailed near Beckworth around 14:00 Thursday afternoon. 30 cars of a Union Pacific train went off the track. The freight train was coming from Denver heading to Oakland. Union Pacific is reporting no injuries, but lots of debris from the flatbed cars. Clean-up is expected to go through the night. The tracks in that area run parallel to Highway 70 between Chilcoot and Portola. - KOLO-TV8, Reno, NV, courtesy Coleman Randall, Jr The derailment photos can be found on the following website link: [www.kolotv.com]
Wow.....Wonder what happened. That stretch of track is as straight as a needle all the way from Beckworth to the Beckworth Pass tunnel.....
Looks like quite a mess there. If the track is straight, it would be interesting to know what would have caused the train to derail? Maybe a broken rail or wheel?
UP also had a derailment around Sterling IL around 3:00 this morning. (MP 109.8) Not sure about other details. Sterling is about 50 miles from me
more.... UP TRAIN DERAILED AT BECKWOURTH, CALIFORNIA PLUMAS COUNTY, CA -- High winds blew through Sierra Valley all day Tuesday, Dec. 26, and are being blamed for the derailment of 22 Union Pacific train cars near Beckwourth. "A cyclonic wind event," said one UP worker while waiting for relief vehicles. Another railroad employee said that workers would need seven truckloads of equipment brought in before they could begin to clear the tracks. The derailment happened mid-afternoon Tuesday just off of County Road A23 and Highway 70 during gusting winds and rain. Greg McCaffrey of Beckwourth Volunteer Fire Department was the first emergency responder to the scene. He checked for hazardous materials and human injury and found neither. A buried high-voltage power line was cut, however, creating a hazard for relief workers. The train was composed of two layers of stack cars that were predominantly empty and presented a high and broad face to the wind. Approximately 200 yards of track was reduced to sticks and iron rubble. Twisted and crunched railcars were piled two and three deep. Beckwourth Fire Chief Martin Schafer estimated that at least 600 feet of track would need to be replaced, in addition to cleaning up the cars and debris. "It'll take them a few days to clean up this mess," he predicted. - Diana Jorgenson, The Plumas County News
Thanks for sharing John. Last time I recall train derailment near Beckwourth was way back in '70's; our fire department again responded (not sure why we did) and discovered a freight car loaded with beer cases had split open. The locals loved this event.... ole crock
Wow, bad week!! There was a mudslide 15' deep just north of Klamath Falls a couple days ago!! Blocked the line and Amtrak for a day or two!
Is this what you're thinking about? http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=95444 Boxcab E50
