Train derailed outside of Philadelphia

Wednesday AM ...

5 dead
6 critical
140 injured
Some still missing

Temple University Hospital has many of the wounded.

Train service suspended from Philadelphia to DC.

Area is still a mess. Will be for a long while I think.

Passengers report electrical issues before crash. Air conditioning out. Etc.

originally posted by: FlyersFan
Passengers report electrical issues before crash. Air conditioning out. Etc.

I would be surprised if that had anything to do with the situation.

It appears to be speed related as you do not get that type of crumpling of railcars without them striking something heavy at speed.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Just before the historic crash 72 years ago they clocked the train doing 56 mph.

www.nbcphiladelphia.com...

If this is the same bend just south of the current day Publix location, the tracks don't look like they would support a modern high speed train line?

Low speed computer train derailments usually don't end up with fatalities, last train crash I was in the EMT's didn't even bother to transport, the hospital would have just sent us home with some Advil.

originally posted by: Cauliflower
If this is the same bend just south of the current day Publix location, the tracks don't look like they would support a modern high speed train line?

Perhaps not 'high speed' in the manner you are thinking but with super elevation of the rails you can take a turn like this at a decent speed. We need more information to determine where the fault lies with this accident.

If only these people had been traveling via a Keystone pipeline, then they would still be alive today...pipelines don't derail, right?

On a more serious note; and to not derail the thread....this is simply tragic. Prayers for the families of those who did not survive.

Oh my..

"SEPTA train hit by projectile minutes before Amtrak crash"

www.philly.com...

a reply to: opethPA

Not the same train, this was miles away from the crash site.

a reply to: opethPA

From your link:

At about 9:25 p.m. Tuesday, SEPTA's northbound Train 769, en route to Trenton on tracks on the Northeast Corridor beside the Amtrak rails, was struck by "an unknown projectile" that broke the engineer's window, SEPTA spokeswoman Jerri Williams said.

SEPTA officials said their investigation was continuing, but that there was no immediate indication the two incidents were related.

Do you know how fast something would have to be traveling to bust through the window? Don't the trains have special windows so things can't just bust through? If they have no idea what caused either how do they know they are not related?

Surveillance video shows moment of Amtrak train derailment - See more at: www.whio.com...

a reply to: Stormdancer777

Thanks Stormdancer, that train was flying.

Do you have any on the 'reported squealing' noise that some passengers heard in another train as the train passed them?

a reply to: intrptr

no, I never heard about the squealing, What do you think all those flashes were?

originally posted by: Stormdancer777
no, I never heard about the squealing, What do you think all those flashes were?

The catenary grounding.

a reply to: Stormdancer777

Great find! Thank you!

a reply to: intrptr
Thank you for linking the video!


I have a quick question. The train looks as if it was getting ready to enter a rail yard, is this correct? This will help to figure out if it was going fast. From the video the train doesn't seem to be going that fast if it is in the middle of a trip but if it is getting ready to enter a rail yard then it was going WAY TOO fast.

originally posted by: Stormdancer777
a reply to: intrptr

no, I never heard about the squealing, What do you think all those flashes were?

The squeaking was reported by passengers in a passing train, they said it was loud.

I don't know what others are saying about the flashes, I just got here.

My best guess is the flashes are being recorded on a low light camera, so they appear brighter in contrast. Metal to metal contact? 100 miles an hour makes a lot of sparks. Could be power lines got downed, too. Thats a light show all by itself.

originally posted by: Martin75
From the video the train doesn't seem to be going that fast if it is in the middle of a trip but if it is getting ready to enter a rail yard then it was going WAY TOO fast.

It was entering a junction. There is a small yard on the tracks that are merging into this junction but not where it derailed.

a reply to: Martin75

I have a quick question. The train looks as if it was getting ready to enter a rail yard, is this correct?

Dunno… to purely speculate…

If true, then maybe it was a runaway and had the brakes on. That would explain the reported squealing noise and could make it jump the tracks on a curve. If it was barreling for a station out of control, they may even have derailed it intentionally to prevent it from entering at full speed. Where did you hear it was close to a station?

OR…

a brake on a wheel was stuck and the offset torque cause one car to jump a rail on the curve.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: Stormdancer777
no, I never heard about the squealing, What do you think all those flashes were?

The catenary grounding.

Like this?

originally posted by: intrptr

Like this?

No, that squealing is the brake shoes.

When the catenary grounds it causes massive flashes since it is 12.5kV. Sort of like a transformer blowing up on steroids.

Like this but worse:

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

No, that squealing is the brake shoes.

Then the brakes were either applied or stuck on at high speed.

I've heard that before. A stuck brake on a wheel is deafening as it goes by.

a reply to: intrptr

Where did you hear it was close to a station?

I didn't, I was simply going by pictures. The post above mentions that it was a junction not a rail yard but I would still think it was going too fast. Trains slow down when entering these areas. That train was NOT slowing down by the look of the video.