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| Re: Amtrak Derailment in Washington - STOP USING THIS THREAD (1463661) | |||
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Re: Amtrak Derailment in Washington - STOP USING THIS THREAD |
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Posted by TransitChuckG on Tue Jan 30 06:24:54 2018, in response to Re: Amtrak Derailment in Washington - STOP USING THIS THREAD, posted by Bzuck on Tue Dec 26 11:26:19 2017. Railway Track & Structures· News Freight Intermodal Passenger C&S Track Structure Track Maintenance Track Machinery Safety / Training Friday, January 26, 2018 Amtrak engineer didn’t see mileposts, speed signs prior to deadly derailment Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor Amtrak engineer didn’t see mileposts, speed signs prior to deadly derailment Washington State Patrol The engineer of an Amtrak train that derailed in DuPont, Wash., in December was aware of the 30 mph curve and planned to reduce speed, but miscalculated the train's location until it entered the curve and derailed. The information is part of an investigation update provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which was able to interview the engineer and qualifying conductor, who were both injured seriously in the accident. Both men told NTSB they felt rested and stated they did not feel distracted by the other's presence in the locomotive. The qualifying conductor said he participated in a job briefing conducted by the conductor and the engineer where they went over general track bulletins and other items. According to NTSB, just prior to the derailment, the qualifying conductor said he looked down at his copies of the general track bulletins. He then heard the engineer say or mumble something. He then looked up and sensed that the train was becoming "airborne." The engineer had qualified on the Point Defiance Bypass section of track following the completion of seven to 10 observational trips in the locomotive, as well as three trips operating the equipment, two northbound and one southbound. He also explained he would not have taken the throttle if he had any reservations about his readiness to operate the train. The timeline NTSB released from the engineer's perspective included: · The engineer recalled that as the train passed milepost 15.5 it was traveling about 79 mph. · The engineer told investigators that he was aware that the curve with the 30 mph speed restriction was at milepost 19.8, and that he had planned to initiate braking about one mile prior to the curve. · The engineer said that he saw mileposts 16 and 17 but didn't recall seeing milepost 18 or the 30 mph advance speed sign, which was posted two miles ahead of the speed-restricted curve. · The engineer said that he did see the wayside signal at milepost 19.8 (at the accident curve) but mistook it for another signal, which was north of the curve. · He said that as soon as he saw the 30 mph sign at the start of the curve, he applied brakes. Seconds later, the train derailed as it entered the curve. NTSB said the crewmember accounts are two pieces of information that will be considered and weighed along with other sources during its investigation of the incident, which is expected to take between 12 and 24 months. In its preliminary report, NTSB noted that an active positive train control system would have prevented the over speed condition. |
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