Chemical Freight Trains Derail in Calif. Saturday, October 16, 2004 WHITTIER — About 30 freight cars derailed early Saturday, damaging one home and forcing the evacuation of 25 to 30 others. No injuries were reported. The freight cars — some of which were carrying chemicals — derailed in an unincorporated area near the city of Whittier (search) near the 605 freeway. Firefighters were trying to determine what kind of chemicals were being carried and whether any of them had leaked, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputy Luis Castro said. "That's what provoked the evacuation," Castro said. It was unclear how many total cars were on the track when the approximately 30 cars derailed, Castro said. Brian
They have been getting way too much practice lately. I think the San Antonio area has had five derailments in the last few months. Good thing Flash is not modeling modern time frame. He would have to wreck a bunch of his engines and rolling stock and sprinkle it about his layout. The old SP rail shops on the East side of down town San Antonio is full of damaged equipment for Harold Schroder to patch up enough to drag to Pine Bluff or where ever for UP to finish the job.
The aftermath sorta puts to rest any romantic notions about living by the railroad line, doesn't it? Did anyone find that last derail in San Antonio a little disconcerting? Some unauthorized person split the train while it was sitting motionless on the mainline and the aft portion rolled back into town and collided with a following consist. It sorta reveails a serious security issue to me. All you have to do is know a couple of simple bits of info and you can cause mayhem like that. I can't see 'em putting padlocks on them like they do switches...
