Looks like NS Southern Unit 8099 derailed early this morning outside Pittsburgh. Not much details but looks like it hit a mud slide/land slide. I hope the crew are okay.
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The good news is that it doesn't look like the cab suffered any significant damage, I suspect that bodes well for the crew. I'm sure at least some significant bumps and bruises as they all gathered on that side of the cab!
I have to wonder how the pilot got so mangled, looks like they hit something.
The local news says no injuries reported. Good initial sign at least.
That looks like a bit more than just a derailment. Glad the crew is OK.
Injuries can occur inside the cab in derailments like this, mainly from the Engineer possibly falling out of the seat and falling onto the Conductor, but they probably realized that they were going to hit the rock slide and braced for derailment.
My wife and I rode an excursion train behind that locomotive out of Chattanooga, a few years back, in the NS steam excursion days. (The steam engine could not be made ready in time, so they substituted this unit.)
Other reports said it hit a large rock that had fallen into the gauge. Looking at another shot taken from the left I believe shows the rock pinned up against the lead truck.
The large rock sounds more reasonable, it sure hit something!
Rescue workers had to help two crew members get out. One got out on his own. The second unit looks like air bags were deployed, but I never heard of air bags ever being installed in engines.
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You're correct, Dave. Locomotive cabs do not have air bags. Whatever you are seeing is something else. All I see inside the trailing unit cab is red light, and whether that is from an alarm panel or from the cab signals (if equipped). I would expect the cab signal display on a trailing unit to be dark. Lots of engine protective devices were tripped when the locomotive rolled onto its side and they may have lit up an alarm panel. NS locomotives have many railroad-specified features not generally found elsewhere.
Many of the late model, newer locomotives are equipped with a feature that illuminates a "night vision" red overhead light in the cab automatically when the locomotive experiences a low brake pipe pressure event (usually around 20 p.s.i.), such as a penalty application and/or emergency brake application and remains illuminated until brake pipe pressure is restored or manually extinguished.
Regards,
C.J.