Bad Amtrak wreck in Philadelpha

[Bob Bufkin]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/12/amtrak-train-crash-pennsylvania_n_7270804.html

[up1950s]

Not far from Bachmann I think .

[nkalanaga]

It's hard to tell, because the posted photos I've seen were taken after dark, but it looked like the wreck took out one of the catenary supports.  If so, that would account for a lot of the damage, as the PRR seems to have built those things to survive almost anything.

[ljudice]

It looked like the badly damaged car wrapped around a catenary support.

It looked like it was just PRIOR to the switch to the freight yard.

[Bob Bufkin]

Don'think there is a switch to that yard at that location.  The CNN news reports leave much to be desired.  Who hires these reporters?

[conrail98]

The location is just north of Shore Interlocking. The freight yard there is actually the remnants of Frankford Yard, now used by CSAO (I think) as storage to deliver freights to the area @Ed Kapuscinski  took those photos at a few weeks ago. The first car definitely wrapped around a catenary pole, and looks like it dragged it down the embankment towards that freight yard. All I know is how fast could a train be going to leave the tracks like that and slide down a hill with such force that it completely bent the freight yard tracks below?

Phil

[sundowner]

The car that hit the catenary looks like someone crumple a piece of aluminum foil, thankfully the rest of the cars and the loco avoided the same fate.
The loco number is the same one that Kato is doing in the ACS64 set, 601.

[pjm20]

Man, first ACS64 down already. How long have these been in regular operation? Also, hopefully nobody else dies, there hasn't been a wreck this bad in a while.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I grew up there, so I'm pretty familiar with the area.

My guess is that he didn't adequately slow down for the curve.

It is quite the curve there, too.

Here's an Acela at the location where he went off, taken 10-15 years ago.


Here's the yard he flew into.


You can see the area here.
http://binged.it/1IAN0Yd

There was a crash there back in 1943, too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankford_Junction_train_wreck

[Ed Kapuscinski]

The loco number is the same one that Kato is doing in the ACS64 set, 601.

The Kato curse?

[Smike]

Unreal that only 6 have died so far from looking at this image:

You can see that the one catenary pole is gone (most likely dragged to where the one completely mangled car rests (which is almost not recognizable as a car anymore in this image) The engine must have missed it when it flew off the tracks, or was dagged off by a ca derailing.

http://6abc.com/news/black-box-recovered-in-amtrak-train-derailment/719055/

[Smike]

Looks like a possible clue to the cause. Although info is very suspect and fluid at this point I'm sure.

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2015/05/13/septa-says-commuter-train-hit-by-projectile-just-before-amtrak-train-derailed/

[conrail98]

Philly.com report on that projectile incident was it happened 4 miles away from this incident. Doubtful related. This one has a more likely cause based on the video and timestamps:

http://sictransitphiladelphia.org/2015/05/13/surveillance-video-strongly-suggests-amtrak-188-derailment-due-to-overspeed/

Phil

[C855B]

Is PTC not activated on this line yet? One would think it was a top priority.

[Smike]

PTC has been on the NE corridor for some time. 

"PTC Systems in the United States
ACSES (Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System). A transponder-based system, in use on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor originally put into use on the Northeast Corridor by the specific requirements of an Order of Particular Applicability. (Type Approved and Certified by FRA.)"

https://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0621