White Pass passenger train derailment (update on cause and new photo added)

Official statement from White Pass.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 23, 2014

The White Pass & Yukon Route Railway, headquartered in Skagway, Alaska, confirms that one of its scheduled scenic excursion trains partially derailed this afternoon near Milepost 20 northeast of Skagway. The location of the derailment is on a section of track that routinely handles thousands of passenger excursion trips across the scenic and historic White Pass & Yukon Route, constructed at the turn of the century. The derailment involved two vintage locomotives and four passenger rail cars.

Early reports indicate that there were multiple injuries, although none of them appear to have been life-threatening. “Any injury connected to our rail operations, whether to our passengers or our employees, is always considered serious” said John Finlayson, President of White Pass & Yukon Route Railway. “Although we have not yet identified the specific cause or causes of this incident, a thorough investigation has been undertaken, and all reasonable efforts will be made to ensure that safe operations remain the overriding focus of our workforce and management team.”

White Pass & Yukon Route rail operations have been temporarily suspended to allow its investigation to proceed and expert analysis of the cause to be completed. It is anticipated that rail operations will resume as soon as the company can assure the safety of its passengers and employees. “Safety is, and always will be, our number one priority” Mr. Finlayson said.

Here is some helicopter footage of the derailment.

 

http://www.ktuu.com/news/news/...t-9-injured/27119300

 

And here is a passenger photo immediately after the derailment.

 

Picture posted by the skagway news.

 

 

 

 

UPDATE: The damaged cars were removed and the track was repaired on July 24-25, allowing for a train of Chilkoot hikers to return to Skagway Friday. Full service resumed Saturday; the railroad has not released information yet on the cause of the accident.

Here is an updated news story regarding the cause of the accident.

 

The failure of metal bar in a switch on the rail line was what caused a derailment on the White Pass and Yukon Route train in Alaska a week ago, says the company's president.

Nineteen people suffered minor injuries when two locomotives and four passenger cars went off the tracks near Fraser, on the American side of the Yukon-Alaska border, on July 23. 

The vintage rail company hauls hundreds of thousands of tourists every year along the route of the historic Klondike Gold Rush from Skagway, Alaska, into Canada. 

White Pass and Yukon Route president John Finlayson says the switch was unique and the only one used on the line.

He says it has been replaced and every other switch on the line has inspected and all are in good working order.

The cost of the accident has yet to be determined.

Train service out of Skagway was fully restored Saturday.

 

 

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...ukon-route-1.2722963

Followed this story with interest because my wife and I had just ridden this train less than a week before the derailment, while on our Alaska "bucketlist" vacation. Pretty odd. Here's a little bit of footage I took which happened to be at the place of the derailment.