Dangerous Goods Train Derailment At West Ealing 05/04/24

[Falcon1200]

By definition in the RID (the international Regs that govern transport of dangerous goods by rail) an empty tank that has previously held dangerous goods but is not fully cleaned out is defined as containing dangerous goods albeit the tanks bring empty should be noted on the Transport Document.

IIRC the TOPS train list will show the tanks as D (discharged) rather than E (empty).

 

[66701GBRF]

Shown as “DG” in left most column and “DIS” in the SPL column….a long with incident instructions further down.

 

[The Puddock]

Who described it as a "dangerous goods train"? If it was empty tanks as mentioned up-thread, it isn't dangerous (at least in terms of its cargo).

Railway tank wagons for the conveyance of dangerous goods have three states - charged (i.e. loaded with product), discharged (i.e. not loaded with product) and purged. We never say they’re ‘empty’.

As per the other replies even when a tank is discharged, significant and dangerous levels of vapour may remain within it. A tank used for conveying dangerous goods is only considered safe if it has been purged, which typically only happens immediate before maintenance or storage. Purging involves cleaning the inside of the tank and cycles of filling and empting it with inert gas until no product or vapour remains. Unless a tank has been issued with a purging certificate then the rail industry will continue to treat it as being discharged but potentially dangerous.

Any problem with a train conveying dangerous goods is classed as a dangerous goods irregularity (for minor stuff like paperwork discrepancies or weeping seals) or a dangerous goods incident. The rail industry still takes dangerous goods very seriously.

 

[55002]

is the loco still there?

edit I see on the track maps it is

 

[LAX54]

Yes, it is - three wheels derailing would be quite a sight!

Who described it as a "dangerous goods train"? If it was empty tanks as mentioned up-thread, it isn't dangerous (at least in terms of its cargo).

Rest assured an 'empty' train is treated the same as a full train, in fact it can be deemed more dangerous !

 

[Deepgreen]

Good information about the discharged status still being dangerous - thanks.

 

[1955LR]

I know from working in the motor industry , that a new fuel tank has no handling issues but any that have had or contain fuel are very carefully handled due to the fire and/or explosion risks . Ones that have contained fuel but have been drained are more dangerous. We used to internally steam them for 24hrs before they were deemed to be safe to handle without special precautions.

 

[Samzino]

I believe the up relief is closed today for the loco recovery. Most likely common knowledge by the time of this post.

 

[brad465]

How often does a derailment become a meme?

The Bash Mash

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