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Another US rail freight crash

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LeeLivery

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Unfortunately I've just come across a major crash in Texas. Seems two BSNF trains collided and created a major fire. 3 missing and 1 jumped before collision. The linespeed is 70mph but its unknown how fast they were travelling at the time. Rail safety seems to be a problem in America, thoughts with those sadly affected.

Floodlights are being brought to the scene of a train collision in Texas as crews prepare to battle into the night a blaze that envelops the wrecked locomotives and lead rail cars.

The two BNSF Railway freight trains were on the same track Tuesday when they collided near the town of Panhandle, about 25 miles northeast of Amarillo.

Flames are blocking efforts to find three missing crew members.

Sgt. Dan Buesing of the Texas Department of Public Safety says rail cars up to 400 yards from the collision site are derailed, strewing rail cars and container stacks.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/latest-injuries-reported-texas-train-crash-40191837

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/28/texas-freight-train-crash-sparks-fierce-fire/
 
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Flying_Turtle

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They call them "cornfield meets"... if they manage to stop before hitting then you have a "mexican standoff"

This accidents surprise me in the light the procedures they have this days...
 

ac6000cw

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It's 'two main track CTC' in that area (both tracks bi-directional).

As far as I can glean from the info out there at the moment, the westbound train was stopped, and the eastbound ran into it at speed. Whether they were both on the same track, or (possibly) the westbound was fouling the other track is impossible to tell from the photos & video I've seen so far.

Looking at the video footage that is around of the latter part of the crash, the eastbound train was still moving at a fair speed after it had already hit the lead loco of the westbound - which suggests that not much attempt had been made to reduce speed immediately prior to the collision. I wonder if this is another 'crew fatigue' related accident ? (it's been a theme of some of these 'open country' collisions).
 

edwin_m

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The key paragraph would appear to be ... unpastable due to something very odd with the PDF. The gist of it is that the eastbound train was supposed to have stopped on the main to allow the westbound into the siding, but based on preliminary evaluation of event recorder data the eastbound passed a red signal at about 65mph.
 

philabos

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Yes, the eastbound passed the approach signal at caution at 62mph, and the stop signal at 65mph. It will take 12 months for the final report to be issued.
 
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