Amtrak Cascades derailment near Tacoma

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So far, 3 dead. 75 people were on the train. That number keeps changing. The train derailed off of a bridge near Mounts Road which is just south of JBLM. This was the first service of this train.

Those who know the area know that the traffic is horrendous pretty much 24 hours a day. SB I-5 will be closed indefinitely and NB is slow for many many miles as the lanes are restricted.

A lot of questions are going to be asked on the cause of this.
 
Been under that overpass many times on I-5.

Yes....that area is horribly backed up much of the time. Makes me wonder if any of the fatalities were from cars being crushed.
 
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Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Luckily it was a passenger train and not crude oil.


Really? Coming from you, that surprises me you said that.
 
Originally Posted By: andrewg
Been under that overpass many times on I-5.

Yes....that area is horribly backed up much of the time. Makes me wonder if any of the fatalities were from cars being crushed.




Watching the KIRO livestream, looks like a container truck got hit and a pickup which was nearby. Also looks like a Kia Soul as well. Hard to tell really with all the emergency rigs there.
 
Originally Posted By: andrewg
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Luckily it was a passenger train and not crude oil.


Really? Coming from you, that surprises me you said that.


???????

Crude oil and train accident = very large explosion and fire = higher death toll.
 
Mr. Nice, to say that the accident was "lucky" when folks died is not the best choice of words. And being that crude oil most likely would not have necessarily ignited, the resulting death toll is only a presumption.
 
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Originally Posted By: HosteenJorje
Engineer probably had his cell phone crammed in his ear chatting someone up about minutiae


That would be the case if it were on a curve, but it looks pretty straight so it's probably more of a maintenance thing or lack of it. Rails need to be inspected and replaced on a regular basis.
 
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: HosteenJorje
Engineer probably had his cell phone crammed in his ear chatting someone up about minutiae


That would be the case if it were on a curve, but it looks pretty straight so it's probably more of a maintenance thing or lack of it. Rails need to be inspected and replaced on a regular basis.





The rails are either brand new or redone. This is a old freight line that was upgraded to handle higher speed trains. So being this was the very first run raises a lot of questions. I haven’t heard if any trial runs were done before starting passenger service.
 
A tragedy for the families and friends of the deceased. RIP.


Watching the national News feed, it's a shame that Graffiti is apparently tolerated in the area.
 
Originally Posted By: 02SE
A tragedy for the families and friends of the deceased. RIP.


Watching the national News feed, it's a shame that Graffiti is apparently tolerated in the area.


Yes....they call that disgusting junk "art" around here. Looks like a slum wherever it's allowed.
 
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: HosteenJorje
Engineer probably had his cell phone crammed in his ear chatting someone up about minutiae


That would be the case if it were on a curve, but it looks pretty straight so it's probably more of a maintenance thing or lack of it. Rails need to be inspected and replaced on a regular basis.


There's a curve right before the bridge. Based on the pictures being shown, it seems likely it derailed because of too much speed going into that curve.
 
Originally Posted By: andrewg
Been under that overpass many times on I-5.

Yes....that area is horribly backed up much of the time. Makes me wonder if any of the fatalities were from cars being crushed.

News reports said no one in vehicles below were killed. A semi looked pretty smashed up however.
 
Originally Posted By: PimTac
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: HosteenJorje
Engineer probably had his cell phone crammed in his ear chatting someone up about minutiae

That would be the case if it were on a curve, but it looks pretty straight so it's probably more of a maintenance thing or lack of it. Rails need to be inspected and replaced on a regular basis.


The rails are either brand new or redone. This is a old freight line that was upgraded to handle higher speed trains. So being this was the very first run raises a lot of questions. I haven’t heard if any trial runs were done before starting passenger service.

They said extensive testing was done on this new section of track. This train was a maiden run with passengers.

The curve speed limit is supposedly 30 MPH, but train can run upto 80 MPH on the straight run heading south before the curved section.

They are saying a possible "obstruction" was on the track. Investication as time goes on will conclude root cause.
 
“There's a curve right before the bridge. Based on the pictures being shown, it seems likely it derailed because of too much speed going into that curve.“




The route was designed for 79mph but that particular section you mention was 40mph. The speed of the train is going to be a first target for investigators. If I understand correctly, these trains have black boxes similar to aircraft.

Graffiti is endured here by local Govt. I guess they feel that money spent to keep it clean is wasteful so the graffiti is everywhere. It does spoil the atmosphere of driving through beautiful countryside.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Jblm???



Joint Base Lewis McChord. It’s the largest military base in the PNW and most places actually

PS: Fourth largest base worldwide according to Wiki. Grain of salt there.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Base_Lewis–McChord
 
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Originally Posted By: Chris142
Jblm???

Joint base Lewis-McCord.
 
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