Anyone hear if the BNSF executive train has wrecked?

[Iain]

A friend of mine who drives a truck was out in the Missoula Montana area
and says he saw the remains of the BNSF Executive Train wrecked in the yard.
 
He says the new GEVO Warbonnet Locomotive was torn apart back to the
second cylinders of the prime mover (the pistons were visible) and the
four cars in the yard were "melted like they had been in a kiln".  The
rest of the train, including the dome and theater cars, is apparently at
the bottom of the embankment that they rolled down.
 
He was talking with a Montana Rail Link crew who said that a frozen
switch in dark territory and a loaded coal drag on a 1% downgrade with
icy rails went down the wrong track and collided head on with the
Executive Train.
 
This apparently happened only a few days ago.
I have found nothing in the news or on the internet about this one, I'm
wondering if any of you folks had heard about it
 

Just received that in an email.

[eric220]

If it did, they're doing a really good job of keeping it out of the news. I can't find anything about it.

I think this falls into the category of, "Pictures or it didn't happen."

[kornellred]

Such an event would be virtually impossible to keep secret, and there would be no cogent reason to keep such a secret in the first place - unless Warren Buffett has issued a gag order.

[Ike the BN Freak]

Only thing I've seen remotely close in the Northwest Railfans group is how MRL laid a string of 30 tank cars on their sides.

http://missoulian.com/news/local/montana-rail-link-trains-collide-tank-cars-derail-in-missoula/article_fed15c44-9b80-5b3f-8495-63e49d5b5810.html

[learmoia]

... Since when was there a warbonnet gevo..?

[davefoxx]

... Since when was there a warbonnet gevo..?

How would you know that it was a warbonnet GEVO, if it was "torn apart back to the second cylinders of the prime mover (the pistons were visible)"?   

DFF

[davefoxx]

Only thing I've seen remotely close in the Northwest Railfans group is how MRL laid a string of 30 tank cars on their sides.

http://missoulian.com/news/local/montana-rail-link-trains-collide-tank-cars-derail-in-missoula/article_fed15c44-9b80-5b3f-8495-63e49d5b5810.html

That must have looked like a Domino Rally, as each car was pulled over by the previous car down the length of thirty tank cars.

DFF

[Sokramiketes]

That must have looked like a Domino Rally, as each car was pulled over by the previous car down the length of thirty tank cars.

DFF

Tightlock couplers doing their job...

[Iain]

That must have looked like a Domino Rally, as each car was pulled over by the previous car down the length of thirty tank cars.

DFF

About like N scale!

[wcfn100]

Tightlock couplers doing their job...

Tightlock Couplers -   "We'll take the whole f&#king train down!"

Jason

[nkalanaga]

Yes, that's one of the problems with tightlock couplers.  They're great at keeping the cars coupled, and the ends unpunctured, in a mainline derailment, but if a car simply rolls over, at low speed, the entire train is likely to go. 

Like the old saying goes, "No good deed goes unpunished."

[jagged ben]

Only thing I've seen remotely close in the Northwest Railfans group is how MRL laid a string of 30 tank cars on their sides.

http://missoulian.com/news/local/montana-rail-link-trains-collide-tank-cars-derail-in-missoula/article_fed15c44-9b80-5b3f-8495-63e49d5b5810.html

It doesn't seem accurate to call that a derailment.  Most of the trucks are still on the tracks!

[nkalanaga]

The news reports haven't had much information, but I suspect, just from the pictures, that a rail turned over under one of the cars, and the rest just followed along.  A typical yard incident when the ties get old or the ground is soggy.

[wazzou]

I thought it stated right in the article that the stationary tank cars were struck at slow speed by cars from another train.

[delamaize]

I thought it stated right in the article that the stationary tank cars were struck at slow speed by cars from another train.

+1