http://www.cbsnews.com/news/am...-cars-on-their-side/
Jon 
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That is my thought, as well. I hope all the injured recover,,,two are critical.
Apparently no serious injuries, which is good news. Amtrak site this morning says today's train #3 will be detoured
I'm due to ride that train in 2 weeks. I hope Amtrak can scrounge up a diner and glass-roofed lounge car by then.
I ride the SWC at least once a year. Dodge city is always in the middle of the night, unless you are 6 hours late like last Jan!!!
During my 2011 trip while eating in the diner we hit a rough spot in the track, it had been a very rough trip, but this 'bump' was rough enough that a few of the crew kinda screamed and braced themselves. I have another trip soon....hope they find the issue.
Raton covered in ice 2015
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One report says an auto accident damaged a rail.
RJR posted:Apparently no serious injuries, which is good news. Amtrak site this morning says today's train #3 will be detoured
I'm due to ride that train in 2 weeks. I hope Amtrak can scrounge up a diner and glass-roofed lounge car by then.
Keep in mind that this is only one of about 6 train sets that they have running this route. I'm sure they have spare cars floating around in Chicago. In two weeks time, it'll be like it never happened. I'm also sure the track will be fixed by tomorrow. BNSF can't afford the freight backlog.
You can view the live status of all Amtrak trains here. Note that numbers 3 and 4 are rerouted off the regular route around the crash site. The new #4 originating in LA will probably be back on the regular route by the time it gets there.
I had heard on the news tonight that it appears as if the engineer is very much a hero in this incident. It was reported that he/she noticed an irregularity in the track ahead and applied the emergency brakes, slowing the train enough to prevent a much worse derailment. It was said that if the engineer hadn't done that many more would have been injured or even killed. God bless him/her for being vigilant and doing what needed to be done.
Rob N posted:I had heard on the news tonight that it appears as if the engineer is very much a hero in this incident. It was reported that he/she noticed an irregularity in the track ahead and applied the emergency brakes, slowing the train enough to prevent a much worse derailment. It was said that if the engineer hadn't done that many more would have been injured or even killed. God bless him/her for being vigilant and doing what needed to be done.
I have had the opportunity to talk to many of the crew members of the SWC......and have documented this in my log (link below)
One engineer that is a regular on this section is a young lady.....it may or may not have been her this trip.......but like many of the crew she impressed me greatly in her knowledge and love of the job. Amtrak has some great folks.
I live about 50 miles from Cimarron. BNSF has been upgrading the track thru SW Kansas.
AMCDave: I've done many miles on the Acela, Auto-Train (it was commuter rail for awhile), and the Silver Service, and invariably the Amtrak staff was polite, sociable, courteous, and made me feel wanted. Nothing like the airlines and TSA. Now I'm using those hundreds of thusands of points.
RJR posted:AMCDave: I've done many miles on the Acela, Auto-Train (it was commuter rail for awhile), and the Silver Service, and invariably the Amtrak staff was polite, sociable, courteous, and made me feel wanted. Nothing like the airlines and TSA. Now I'm using those hundreds of thusands of points.
I have some mobility issues....they are always very polite to me.
My up coming trip from WV to Los Angeles was paid for with points!!!!
You're taking the Cardinal to Chicago? What day do you leave Chicago for LA?
I believe service is continuing via Amarillo until the original route is reopened.
RJR posted:You're taking the Cardinal to Chicago? What day do you leave Chicago for LA?
Yes..I take the Cardinal at White Sulfer Springs.
I am going in Aug.....so a ways off yet.
We'll be taking the Capitol Limited both ways, week after next. The Cardinal is a more scenic route, but it's on-time record is not good. We frequently drive I-64 through scenic WV going to Kansas. Pretty.
It looks as if the tracks are open again or will be soon. Yesterday's #4 is running on schedule and on course. Yesterday's #3 is still on the detour in the Texas Panhandle as of the time of this post.
NTSB is reporting the cause may have been a grain truck that bumped into the rails shifting them 14 inches. Human error but not on Amtrak.
Looks to be back in normal service again.
This was posted earlier today about the poor condition of the rails where the derailment occurred:
