A 120-car train making its way across Pennsylvania derailed Thursday morning, spilling thousands of gallons of oil and alarming observers who have called for stricter safety standards on trains hauling hazardous material.
The train is owned by the New Jersey-based Norfolk Southern Corp -- company officials told Reuters that 21 tank cars went off the tracks at a turn near the Kiskiminetas River in Vandergrift, a small town in western Pennsylvania.
Reuters / Jason Cohn
Nineteen of the cars contained crude oil while the other two held liquefied petroleum gas. Three of the 19 cars spilled as a result of the crash. Company officials maintained that the leaks were plugged but refused to say how many gallons of oil had spilled. Sources told the local WTAE-TV that an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 gallons had escaped the tanks.
It's contained, said Norfolk Southern spokesman Dan Stevens. The hazmat crews for the railroad are on site and will be taking care of that situation.
No one was injured in the accident. The Department of Environmental Protection sent a 3-member emergency response team to aid in the clean-up.
It did not get into any streams or creeks, said DEP spokesman John Poister.
Residents said the derailment was tremendous enough to shake buildings and could be heard throughout the surrounding area. One of the loose cars slammed into a business, destroying equipment that is used to mill steel blocks.
I heard a strange noise, a hollow, screeching sound, witness Ray Cochran, whose home oversees the railroad tracks, told Reuters. I looked out the window and saw three or four tankers turn over and one of them ran into the building.
This accident comes less than two months after another large freight train derailed in North Dakota. While no one was hurt in that event, the derailed cars did leak oil which triggered a series of explosions that sent flames as high as 100 feet into the air. The city of Casselton, North Dakota had to be evacuated as the blasts shook the surrounding area.
A recent report from the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration detailed just how serious the problem has become. Researchers found that, in the years spanning 1975 to 2010, 800,000 gallons of oil spilled from railroad tankers. Yet 2013 alone saw over 1.15 million gallons of crude oil leak from trains and into the environment.
The wreckage of a train derailment lies in the snow near Vandergrift, Pennsylvania February 13, 2014. (Reuters / Jason Cohn)
What has caused the surge in accidents is unknown, yet activists and lawmakers alike have called for change in order to stop such events before an entire town is devastated.
Anyone who saw the video of that crash saw the fire that came out and the explosion, North Dakota governor Jack Dalrymple said in December after the Casselton explosion. That visual leaves an impression on anybody, including oil producers. We do need some kind of provisional standard for the next year.
Still, officials in Pennsylvania are thankful the crash did not happen in East Vandergrift, where many more people live.
The fortunate thing is it's happened within two hills where it's contained, Norfolk spokesman Dan Stevens told reporters. The only car that went anywhere went into the building. If it had to happen, this is one of the better places for it to happen.
Snippy said
6:57 PM, 02/13/14
How do you spell string line?
Calvin, do you know?
-- Edited by Snippy on Thursday 13th of February 2014 07:06:24 PM
Cy Valley said
7:23 PM, 02/13/14
It's obvious. The wheels came off. What is this stringline nonsense you speak of?
Yeah, and check that gauge, it looks like that crew tried to run standard gauge on narrow gauge. What were they thinking?
-- Edited by Cy Valley on Thursday 13th of February 2014 07:26:15 PM
Calvin said
8:00 PM, 02/13/14
Actually I saw the trailing engine was a BNSF SD70. I strongly believe the wheels on that engine need to be looked at and researched on the location that said wheels were last serviced. Looks like the trailing engines wheels disturbed the rails ahead of the tank cars that derailed. The tracks that this engine has run over since the last servicing need to be inspected.
Calvin said
9:12 PM, 02/13/14
On a more serious note I would be looking at the switch leading into this industry.
As you can see the car went into the building pretty much close to where it should have had the door been open and
the car had been on the rail.
Cy Valley said
9:19 PM, 02/13/14
That's LAMCO Speedy Delivery, Clavalin.
Calvin said
9:44 PM, 02/13/14
Cy Valley wrote:
That's LAMCO Speedy Delivery, Clavalin.
The car is in the building and its unloading product. no Local switch crew involved.
time ta hire a couple more asst TM's
Uke said
9:58 PM, 02/13/14
Calvin wrote:The tracks need to be inspected.
I agree, and the sooner the better!
The Krink said
2:49 AM, 02/14/14
"On a more serious note" says Calvin a few back, I have to say MIR.
Same MIR in effect in Magnetic Canada where things that havent
happened before "happened". Oil Train derailments are starting to
add-up. MIR plays no favorites in the railroad world. The railroad
with the best safety record is not likely to repeat in 2014.
Calvin said
11:30 AM, 02/14/14
How does the competition stack up you ask? this is a list of just since 2000. there are more pages for earlier years:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-energy-crude-derailment-20140213,0,3167676.story
Is there suspicion of a coverup?
That is a pertinent question. And we shall endeavor, hastily, to provide you an answer! Meanwhile an update:
Penn. train derailment leaks thousands of gallons of oil, sends car into building
Emergency personnel examine the wreckage of a train derailment near Vandergrift, Pennsylvania February 13, 2014. (Reuters / Jason Cohn)
Tags
Accident, Ecology, Health, Transport, USAA 120-car train making its way across Pennsylvania derailed Thursday morning, spilling thousands of gallons of oil and alarming observers who have called for stricter safety standards on trains hauling hazardous material.
The train is owned by the New Jersey-based Norfolk Southern Corp -- company officials told Reuters that 21 tank cars went off the tracks at a turn near the Kiskiminetas River in Vandergrift, a small town in western Pennsylvania.
Reuters / Jason Cohn
Nineteen of the cars contained crude oil while the other two held liquefied petroleum gas. Three of the 19 cars spilled as a result of the crash. Company officials maintained that the leaks were plugged but refused to say how many gallons of oil had spilled. Sources told the local WTAE-TV that an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 gallons had escaped the tanks.
It's contained, said Norfolk Southern spokesman Dan Stevens. The hazmat crews for the railroad are on site and will be taking care of that situation.
No one was injured in the accident. The Department of Environmental Protection sent a 3-member emergency response team to aid in the clean-up.
It did not get into any streams or creeks, said DEP spokesman John Poister.
Residents said the derailment was tremendous enough to shake buildings and could be heard throughout the surrounding area. One of the loose cars slammed into a business, destroying equipment that is used to mill steel blocks.
I heard a strange noise, a hollow, screeching sound, witness Ray Cochran, whose home oversees the railroad tracks, told Reuters. I looked out the window and saw three or four tankers turn over and one of them ran into the building.
This accident comes less than two months after another large freight train derailed in North Dakota. While no one was hurt in that event, the derailed cars did leak oil which triggered a series of explosions that sent flames as high as 100 feet into the air. The city of Casselton, North Dakota had to be evacuated as the blasts shook the surrounding area.
A recent report from the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration detailed just how serious the problem has become. Researchers found that, in the years spanning 1975 to 2010, 800,000 gallons of oil spilled from railroad tankers. Yet 2013 alone saw over 1.15 million gallons of crude oil leak from trains and into the environment.
The wreckage of a train derailment lies in the snow near Vandergrift, Pennsylvania February 13, 2014. (Reuters / Jason Cohn)
What has caused the surge in accidents is unknown, yet activists and lawmakers alike have called for change in order to stop such events before an entire town is devastated.
Anyone who saw the video of that crash saw the fire that came out and the explosion, North Dakota governor Jack Dalrymple said in December after the Casselton explosion. That visual leaves an impression on anybody, including oil producers. We do need some kind of provisional standard for the next year.
Still, officials in Pennsylvania are thankful the crash did not happen in East Vandergrift, where many more people live.
The fortunate thing is it's happened within two hills where it's contained, Norfolk spokesman Dan Stevens told reporters. The only car that went anywhere went into the building. If it had to happen, this is one of the better places for it to happen.
How do you spell string line?
Calvin, do you know?
-- Edited by Snippy on Thursday 13th of February 2014 07:06:24 PM
It's obvious. The wheels came off. What is this stringline nonsense you speak of?
Yeah, and check that gauge, it looks like that crew tried to run standard gauge on narrow gauge. What were they thinking?
-- Edited by Cy Valley on Thursday 13th of February 2014 07:26:15 PM
Actually I saw the trailing engine was a BNSF SD70. I strongly believe the wheels on that engine need to be looked at and researched on the location that said wheels were last serviced. Looks like the trailing engines wheels disturbed the rails ahead of the tank cars that derailed. The tracks that this engine has run over since the last servicing need to be inspected.
On a more serious note I would be looking at the switch leading into this industry.
As you can see the car went into the building pretty much close to where it should have had the door been open and
the car had been on the rail.
The car is in the building and its unloading product. no Local switch crew involved.
time ta hire a couple more asst TM's
I agree, and the sooner the better!
Same MIR in effect in Magnetic Canada where things that havent
happened before "happened". Oil Train derailments are starting to
add-up. MIR plays no favorites in the railroad world. The railroad
with the best safety record is not likely to repeat in 2014.
How does the competition stack up you ask? this is a list of just since 2000. there are more pages for earlier years:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pipeline_accidents_in_the_United_States_in_the_21st_Century