Another train derailment - Wisconsin

[Bob]

Carrying coal -The train had three locomotives and 135 coal cars from Wyoming headed for Sheboygan an 19 derailed with some precariously hanging off a bridge threatening the road below.

ref: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/01/19/coal-train-derails-in-wisconsin/ Coal train Derails in Wisconsin

19 cars spilled but no injuries were reported at this time. Early in the morning the accident happened near Caledonia, Wisconsin.

Officials said a Union Pacific train derailed in Caledonia just east of the intersection of 5 Mile Rd. and Nicholson Rd and it will be at least 24 hours before the cars can be removed. There is no explosion hazard, only a danger of the cars falling on the road below.


http://localtvwiti.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/1545123_430759827056828_451936116_n.jpg?w=627

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/7243_430833410382803_1387528301_n.jpg

Also, interestingly enough, Caledonia is the home of
http://www.jellystone-caledonia.com/ Jellystone Park -


http://www.jellystone-caledonia.com/Websites/caledoniajellystone/PhotoGallery/1315197/IMG_3784.jpg?32613

[ghostrider]

somebody is trying to put delivery by railcar out of business ... working on public perception ...

[gripreaper]

I can't help thinking that this has something to do with the Keystone pipeline which was abandoned and Warren Buffett buying up all the railroads. Someone is not happy and there is way more to this than meets the eye.

[Bob]

I can't help thinking that this has something to do with the Keystone pipeline which was abandoned and Warren Buffett buying up all the railroads. Someone is not happy and there is way more to this than meets the eye.

I started looking at this too - not quite all the data in yet, but it seems that the original owner for the Rail lines both up in Quebec and Wisconsin that had derailments and disasters appears to be the same person or group. Right now there are 1301 incidents in Wisconsin alone.

The rail commissions say it is a combination of problems "causing" the derailments, mainly poor track and switch maintenance however, there is also a major problem in both Canada and in the freight and tanker cars in the rail shipments in the upper US and Canada.

Canada allowed many of the substandard train tank cars which are easier to split open when there is a derailment..

ref: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/cn-wants-safer-stronger-tank-cars-240048251.html

"OTTAWA -- The railway industry wants to "aggressively phase out" older model tank cars that have been implicated in several recent accidents, the head of CN Rail's safety division told an industry forum Monday.

"But the consensus at the daylong workshop was there's no quick fix for a decades-old problem that has almost 80,000 substandard DOT-111 tank cars carrying flammable liquids on North American tracks."

http://www.t2tango.com/june_images/Oregon-rail-tank-car-crash.jpg

[GreenGuy]

I dunno about a conspiracy...though it's definitely a possibility, given the kind of folks who run things these days. The iron horse is a relic of 19th-century technology that still happens to work extremely well most of the time, like the poles and wires that still carry electricity across the continent. However, this country has been extremely delinquent in maintaining its infrastructure. Thousands of jobs could have been created which would have saved hundreds of bridges, railways, dams, etc. Of course these days, linin' track isn't exactly the average guy's idea of a career lane.

[Bob]

I can't help thinking that this has something to do with the Keystone pipeline which was abandoned and Warren Buffett buying up all the railroads. Someone is not happy and there is way more to this than meets the eye.

Looking at some statements about Buffet's rail purchase (source Bloomburg)..


http://www.businessinsider.com/warren-buffetts-burlington-bet-2013-1

From Bloomburg
Three years ago, of course, Warren Buffett bought BNSF railroad for $26 billion.

It's looking like a wise investment.

“We’re the 1,000-pound gorilla in the oil markets,” BNSF CEO Matt Rose told Bloomberg. “Crude by rail is going to be really strong for us. It’s been a real benefit to us to replace some of that lost coal business.”

The company says it will boost crude-oil shipments by 40 percent this year, to 700,000 barrels per day, Bloomberg reports.

Schork points out that in declines in rail shipments across the industry of coal are being offset by shipments of crude.

Whereas year-on-year coal movement’s in November 2012 were down 10½%, shipments of oil were up by 45% and shipments of crushed stone, gravel, sand (as in, fracking sand) were up by 7.8%.

BNSF's raw material volumes were little changed in 2012 as competitors posted declines, based on Association of American Railroads data, Bloomberg said.


Meanwhile, BNSF officials were meeting with North Dakota leaders and other about how to prevent derailments less than 3 weeks after the Casselton Derailment.

There was a "discussion" between the Mayor of Casselton and an official at BNSF -

"Roger Nober/BNSF Executive VP said to the Mayor, "[it was] A scary incident and one that imposed a lot of hardships on people."

"It opened the floor for questions and criticism.

Ed McConnell the Casselton, ND Mayor said, "It's a question of trust. My town, we don't trust you guys anymore."

There have been four derailments in the Casselton area over roughly nine years; BNSF says each incident had unrelated causes, ranging from heat expanding the rails, to an inspection miss.

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp/(D) North Dakota: "One or two might be coincidence, four is - there's something there. Let's find out what it is."

From OJN - http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303819704579318950935713222

"NTSB: 400,000 Gallons of Oil Spilled in North Dakota Derailment
Report Estimates $6.1 Million in Preliminary Damages"


The 106-car train operated by BNSF Railway Co. was carrying Bakken Shale oil. After striking cars from another derailed train, 21 cars of the oil train derailed near Casselton, N.D., on Dec. 30. The derailment led to a series of fiery explosions and all but three of the 21 derailed cars suffered punctures, according to the NTSB.

The initial report, released a little more than a week after the NTSB finished its on-scene investigation, doesn't indicate if negligence is suspected in the accident. A broken axle and two wheels were shipped to the NTSB laboratory in Washington, for further investigation.

A series of recent accidents has led to calls for a re-examination of safety rules for the type of oil-carrying tank cars involved in the accident. Following multiple NTSB investigations, newly manufactured tank cars of this type have been mandated to be made more robust, though older versions of the cars are exempt from upgrade requirements. The tank cars involved in the accident were older versions.

"We need to understand why these tanks are breaching, and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration needs to expedite its work to release proposed updated standards for rail tanker cars," said Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D., N.D.).

[Mulder]

Was this train driven by a human or a computer? This could be part of the agenda to fire all drivers and automate rail transport.

[pyrangello]

K I'm going to throw this out here, fire away at my take, trains derailing, could it be the ground moving from the plates moving , booming and shifting, we had an oil pipeline bust last year here in lower Michigan and then there was one in south Dakota last year that broke, both below ground . When that fertilizer plant blew in Texas I think , it was directly south of Oklahoma, straight south where they had been having all the quakes . The quakes north loosened the fittings on the piping at the plant and the rest is history, any thought why in the last month 2 major airlines planes landed at the wrong airports, could it be the magnetism is wobbling off from the earth wobble. So I thru it out there, it seems to all run in check if you believe mother earth is on the move. Plates are compressing and contracting Magnetism is changes, quakes are on the rise, sinkholes happening, Throw the darts I'm ready. .

[Tesla_WTC_Solution]

I think you guys are starting to notice the "weird stuff" that's been happening.
Anytime there is a trend involving a certain type of disaster, you should follow the money trails.
It's a pretty fail safe method of finding out whodunnit, or who wanted to,

It's interesting that so many James Bond films show the public how pipelines and trains can be compromised.
Although trains are scary as heck, pipelines are not very secure either, and things can be smuggled through them.
The basis of one james bond film was putting a nuke through a big pipeline in the middle east.

@_@

You guys were reading the threads about TANAP and Nabucco as well as Keystone, right?
Please watch BP. Not sure wtf their plan is. it's a complicated waltz they're engaged in with many partners.
Including Russia (they own 20 percent of russian state oil and gas company).

this whole thing smells worse than petroleum product. lol

there was also a predictions thread for 2014 around here.
mine was increased upset surrounding pipeline projects, and that Tanap might fail or cause more trouble than nabucco did

¤=[Post Update]=¤

Bob, look!

http://desmogblog.com/2014/01/02/warren-buffett-bought-stake-pipeline-company-same-day-north-dakota-oil-train-explosion

Thu, 2014-01-02 10:54STEVE HORN
Steve Horn's picture
Warren Buffett Bought Stake in Pipeline Company on Same Day as North Dakota Oil Train Explosion

On December 30, the same day a Burlington Northern Sante Fe (BNSF) oil train derailed and exploded in Casselton, North Dakota, Warren Buffett — owner of holding company giant Berkshire Hathaway, which owns BNSF — bought a major stake in pipeline logistics company Phillips Specialty Products Inc.

Owned by Phillips 66, a subsidiary of ConocoPhillips, Phillips Specialty Products' claim to fame is lubricating oil's movement through pipelines, increasingly crucial for the industry to move both tar sands crude and oil obtained via hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") in an efficient manner.

"Phillips Specialty Products Inc...is the global leader in the science of drag reduction and specializes in maximizing the flow potential of pipelines," explains its website.

Buffett — the second richest man in the world — sees the flow lubricant business as a lucrative niche one, increasingly so given the explosion of North American tar sands pipelines and fracked oil pipelines.

"I have long been impressed by the strength of the Phillips 66 business portfolio," he said of the deal in a press release. "The flow improver business is a high-quality business with consistently strong financial performance, and it will fit well within Berkshire Hathaway."

Already owning 27 million shares of Phillips 66, the marriage between Berkshire and Phillips 66 was a natural one. Corporate law firm giant Bracewell & Giuliani provided Phillips 66 legal representation for the deal.

¤=[Post Update]=¤

This sounds like when Bill Gates bought the BP stock only months prior to BP Gulf of Mexico "accident"

he also put money in Waste management because those two go well together for obvious reasons
... he makes money cleaning up their mistakes

[Bob]

Coal Train Derailments - These trains are LONG and HEAVY, putting a strain on the track and supports. A coal car can hold between 234,800 to 242,300 pounds.
Gross Weight on Rail about 131.5 tons (about 290,000 pounds per CAR). Multiply that out times 150 cars (max), or 43,500,000 pounds traveling on the track. Each of the coal cars has 4 wheels distributing the load across the two tracks. http://www.bnsf.com/customers/equipment/coal-cars/

Burleson County, TX – August 2013
Rushville, MO – July 2013
Albermarle, VA – July 2013
Calgary, AB – June 2013
De Soto, IL – June 2013
Peoria, IL – May 2013
Grand Junction, IA – May 2013
Bridgeport, NE – April 2013
Fremont, NE – April 2013
Kenner, LA – March 2013
Saginaw, MI – March 2013
Nashua, NH – March 2013
Swartz, LA – March 2013
Missoula, MT – March 2013
Sterling, CO – March 2013
Lilbourn, MO – February 2013
Bloomington, MD – February 2013
Gore, WV – February 2013
Aberdeen, SD – February 2013
St. Charles, VA – December 2012
Grantville, KS – November 2012
Painstville, KY – November 2012
Ashby, NE – October 2012
Oktaha, OK – September 2012
Ellicott City, MD – August 2012
Grants, NM – August 2012
Raleigh, WV – August 2012
Saline County, KS – July 2012
Havelock, NC – July 2012
Jefferson County, KS – July 2012
Princeton, IN – July 2012
Pendleton, TX – July 2012
Northbrook/Glenview, IL – July 2012
Mesa, WA – July 2012
Portageville, MO – June 2012
Junction City, KS – June 2012
Collins, MS – May 2012
Salmon Arm, BC – April 2012
Houston, BC – February 2012
Hinton, Alberta – January 2012
Vanderhoof, BC – January 2012
Montrose, IA – December 2011
Vanderhoof, BC – December 2011
Galland, BC – December 2011
Topeka, KS – November 2011
Peetz, NE – October 2011
Charleston, WV – October 2011
Emmett, KS – September 2011
Denison, IA – July 2011
Omaha, NE – July 2011
Bloomington, IN – July 2011
Ashdown, AK – July 2011
Pueblo, CO – November 2010
Surveyor, WV – April 2011
Kearney, NE – September 2010
Quantico, VA – August 2010
Drummond, MT – August 2010
Ferry Farm, VA – July 2010
And, a 2006 spill that resulted in 2 loaded cars being submerged in the Clark Ford River:

Trout Creek, MT – November 2006, 2-4 cars spilled and submerged into Clark Fork River – resulting in EPA Superfund action.

From ref: http://www.coaltrainfacts.org/key-facts

Average coal train: Each 1.5 mile long train, comprising about 150 cars

UPDATE:
Rail damage by extremely cold weather in the region from the Polar Arctic Vortex, may be to blame for a coal train derailment today in Caledonia that forced authorities to close a road as officials clean up the scene.

"Nineteen cars were involved in the derailment, with no injuries to the engineer or conductor and no release of hazardous substances, Caledonia Fire Battalion Chief Jeff Henningfeld said. Numerous cars were "mangled and destroyed," he said.

"The 135-car coal train originated in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and was headed to the power plant in Sheboygan when the derailment happened around 6 a.m., Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis said.

"The cause is under investigation by Caledonia police and Union Pacific Railroad officials.

"But Wisconsin Commissioner of Railroads Jeff Plale, who went to the scene, told the Racine Journal-Times the northbound train hit some rails that were cracked by the recent brutally cold weather.

"When it gets super cold, tracks get brittle and can crack like what happened here," Plale told the Journal-Times.

"The state Department of Natural Resources sent a crew to monitor clean-up, police said, and crews were on the scene throughout the day Sunday to clear the tracks.

"Davis said it was unclear when the track would reopen.

"Five Mile Road between Highway 38 and Nicholson Road will be closed indefinitely while the scene is being cleared because part of the train stopped on a road overpass, Caledonia Police Lt. Brian Wall said.

"Up to 40 trees will need to cleared in order to make room for equipment that's being brought in by the railroad to clear the scene, he said."

ref from: http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/coal-train-derails-in-caledonia-forcing-road-closure-b99187285z1-241075621.html

The train consists of typically 3 diesel engines:


http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/f1cbRpMYulQ/maxresdefault.jpg

Motive power: Burlington Northern Santa Fe model AC4400CW (General Electric Manufacturer) Locomotive weighs 415,000 lbs., contains 5300 gallons of Diesel fuel, 4,400 horsepower.
Model (GE) ES44C4 (Evolution Series, 4400 HP, AC traction, 4 traction motors) is the newest model in the series.

[Bob]

Was this train driven by a human or a computer? This could be part of the agenda to fire all drivers and automate rail transport.

Apparently a human drives the first lead locomotive, the two additional slave systems are computer controlled. Extensive computer use exists in the electric motors on the driver wheels. Each of the cars are monitored every 20-40 miles by automated equipment to check for wheel problems, but the system is not infallible.

[Bob]

K I'm going to throw this out here, fire away at my take, trains derailing, could it be the ground moving from the plates moving , booming and shifting, we had an oil pipeline bust last year here in lower Michigan and then there was one in south Dakota last year that broke, both below ground .

When that fertilizer plant blew in Texas I think , it was directly south of Oklahoma, straight south where they had been having all the quakes . T

he quakes north loosened the fittings on the piping at the plant and the rest is history, any thought why in the last month 2 major airlines planes landed at the wrong airports, could it be the magnetism is wobbling off from the earth wobble.

So I thru it out there, it seems to all run in check if you believe mother earth is on the move. Plates are compressing and contracting Magnetism is changes, quakes are on the rise, sinkholes happening, Throw the darts I'm ready. .

Maybe not so weird about earth changes, and vibration causing the incident..

From my post above, "Wisconsin Commissioner of Railroads Jeff Plale, who went to the scene, told the Racine Journal-Times the northbound train hit some rails that were cracked by the recent brutally cold weather."

In light of the extreme weight traveling on the rails and the vibration, easily it could seem like a seismic event when those trains travel.. Add the extreme cold brittleness a break then would seem possible. In any of the metal structures, bridges, trains, axles of many kinds..

Maybe it makes no sense to travel with mechanical apparatus subjected to extreme cold and vibration and to risk embrittlement fractures.. The cold prevents normally "plastic-like" metal which bends and stretches under load at normal temperatures to fracture when the metal's temperature is reduced.

see this document on the understanding of METAL which is highly cooled.. http://www.bnl.gov/magnets/staff/gupta/Summer1968/0311.pdf

[Lifebringer]

this is why they don't want regulations. They want to move as much as possible for filling their coffers with global sales. They care not about the big picture of people choking in China, but they want that instant money upon delivery. They need instant justice.

[gripreaper]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. Buffett has the whole of congress and Wall Street in his back pocket and some are calling the Wall Street bailouts the "Buffett Bailouts". Whoever is unhappy about the Keystone has way too much horsepower on the other side of the ledger and would be going up against a gargantuan mega conglomerate of filthy rich cronies.

http://blogs.reuters.com/rolfe-winkler/files/2009/08/buffett-bailout2.jpg

He apparently loves Dimon and thinks he is underpaid at JPM. Poor Jamie, says Warren. Give me a call if you ever want to make more money than the 20 million you're making now.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-01-25/buffett-jamie-i-am-richer-you-dimon-he-deserves-be-paid-even-more