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Subscribe to RSSThree trains collide in rural Indiana on Friday, creating concerns over hazardous materials. Msnbc.com's Al Stirrett reports.
Three freight trains, one of them carrying ethanol, were involved in an accident Friday afternoon in Porter County, Ind., officials said.
One westbound train was stopped on the tracks in a remote stretch of Porter County between Washington and Jackson townships when a second train rear-ended it. An eastbound train on a parallel track collided with the debris from the original collision, explained Sgt. Larry LaFlower with the Porter County Sheriff's Department.
See photos, video, more coverage at NBCChicago.com
The trains were owned by CSX Transportation. The company said the cars were carrying a "wide variety of freight," including three rail cars of flammable products.
"No significant leaks or spills of hazardous materials appear to have occurred but inspections of all loaded and empty hazardous materials cars are under way," said CSX spokeswoman Carla Groleau. "An investigation to determine what happened is also under way."
Two people from the second train were transported to Porter Hospital in Valparaiso with non-life threatening injuries.
Black, billowing smoke could be seen up to 10 miles away from the accident site, near county roads 550 East and 600 North.
Police shut down several roads in the area and all homes within one mile of the accident scene -- about 100 people -- were evacuated.
Crews said they're concerned about hazardous materials on the train and are working to figure out how to contain the fire.
"They're treating the area right now because they're not sure what they have," said Porter County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Lynn Williams.
The accident was reported at about 1:30 p.m., with police and fire officials, as well as Porter County Emergency Management and hazardous material officials responding. Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board were on the scene by 4:45 p.m.
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Ouch. SOMEBODY was asleep, either the train operator, or the signalman where the first train was stopped. Sorry, I don't know the lingo, but I think you get the idea. Someone should definitely be fired for this, possibly even prosecuted depending on the severity and the cleanup involved. I live just a few blocks from the tracks that run right through downtown, and I cringe wondering when the day will come that I'll have to grab my kids and run because some IDIOT didn't do their job.
kinda gotta wonder why your kids are hanging out on the railroad track to begin with...maybe get the full story before you start pointing your finger
his Kids wouldn't have to be on the tracks to be hit by a train crashing... gees your an idiot
.. a RR accident late 60s at Cresent City, Illinois ,,,, train derailed... had tank cars full of vinyl chloride exploded .... some cars skittered along the ground ... one was a quarter mile away from the scene of the accident .. it happened early sunday morning. everyone was still in their... no one killed... but the main street was burned to the ground ....
I live a mile or less from the crash site (it is on my morning walk route). We have seen all kinds of emergency vehicles come down the street but no one has bothered to tell us of any hazardous threat. I guess one street over from the crash is enough to be out of the threat zone, even though the smoke is coming right over the house.
Or poisonous gas could be released due to a train accident, would not have to be playing on the tracks for that either
I'm from Indiana, and these train mishaps/derailings seem to happen on what I consider to be a scary regular basis. Had two of them derail about 15 miles away from me. Those two derailings happened within 5 miles of one another.
If you fall asleep the train stops. Actually know what you're talking about before opening your pie hole. The only idiot is YOU.
So you never make mistakes at your job? Walk a mile...
TEXTING anyone?
I am guessing the ethanol was intended for fuel but the town drunks will be trying to test the "hazardous" fluids.
Yeo,
Somebody was asleep at the wheel///??
There is no steering "wheel" on a diesel locomotive.
Asleep at the switch.
Hope it wasnt The Darjeeling Limited
If that movie Super8 taught me anything, at least 2 aliens excaped during the crash.
Excaped?????? Seriously? Pick up a book, the dictionary is a good read.
It's called forgetting to spell check a typo. And how the hell is the dictionary a good read? How boring is your life to say something like that?
lol on the Super8 comment!
Shades of an "Abbott and Costello" skit here. Just proud there were no more trains in the immediate area.
Got a bunch of English teachers here?
For those of you that don't know.. there is a dispatcher sitting in some dark room somewhere that determines who goes where and when... That is the person that it will ultimately come down on...
Glad that no one was killed though...
and an ENGINEER who is supposed to pay attention to the SIGNALS. This isn't a model railroad where Grandpa Munster controls the trains "in some dark room somewhere" to be blown up or run into each other mssuziq. Yes I know trains don't stop on a dime, (unless it is in Mr Rococo's pocket) but between two way radio, track sensors and signals, someone was asleep or distracted.
just curious on your avatar is that a badge or the union pacific emblem? Nothing meant by it just asking.
That would be Gomez Adams blowing up the model trains, not Grandpa Munster. Just trying to keep things accurate. LOL.
terry
DARN IT I even did a search.. ... drags feet and sulks off into the ether LOL Can I push the plunger ;-)
Nothing to be ashamed of. Munsters was pretty dam good too.
If the engineer got the wrong signal? Who is to blame then TRUST? And that is a police badge..
You guys, or gals, clearly don't understand the physics behind trying to stop a freight train. Their stopping distances are measured in miles. I'm betting that by the time the engineer was able to tell for sure that the train in front of him was at a standstill there was absolutely no way to avoid hitting it at some speed. As for WHY the other train was at a standstill, or why there was no warning to the engineer of the moving train....only CSX can truly clear that one up.
And where was their traffic controller................on a Union break?
Murdered by the Indiana KKK.
Optomyst, You don't have a clue as to what really happened, you're just using this tragedy to spout off your pitiful right-wing, "union people are responsible for the ills of the nation" bull**t, so stuff your rat tail back in your pants, and go back to fantasizing about performing fellatio on those corporate heroes you hold in such high esteem.
Frigging moron!
Logician-2698472
You mean they missed the radio call and signals? You know the pretty bullseye lights made to tell them to go, slowdown or STIOP. The fact that trains take so long to stop is why they have those devices, since the late 1800's I believe. Though back then they had "semaphore" signals and laid down squibs/torpedoes to signal for everyone to drop their drawers, grab their ankles and kiss it all goodbye.
trust verify, As I said before, there are segments of the rail system known as "dark" territory, where signals do not exist, and all movements are controlled by the dispatcher through radio contact.
There are only a few scenarios that would explain this wreck, but it's too early to tell.
The line is signaled, not dark.
silverback929
ummm last I heard "dark" territory was "Under Siege II" and that was RADIO dark, not without signals. The block a train is in and the one immediately behind it is RED. The next block back is yellow. behind that can be red, green or yellow depending on situation. For rail lines that use other than red, green or yellow the options vary but again there is some form of signal. If there are NO signals showing it is presumed to be a system failure and just like a stop light on the highway the train is supposed to STOP and receive further instructions, not proceed blindly.
This only a guess...Female Engineers!
Female Engineer? I resemble that remark and, sir, you are just PIG HEADED! There are a couple of scenarios that could have happened here. EVERYTHING is recorded. I have my ideas but I think it was Col. Mustard in the library with the pipe wrench!
IN the 70s I lived in Rockford Illinois and a train ran behind our house twice a day. They were usually So-bound from Janesville Wisconsin from the GM factory. The train cars were loaded with new autos from GM. One evening it derailed a mile down the track and it shook all hell. My brother and I rode our bikes down to where the engines derailed, rolled off the tracks. They seperated the cargo cars and "drove" the locomotives back up on the tracks using 4x4s and other wood planks. Our dad was hoping a new car would fall off and roll into our backyard.
ACCIDENTS HAPPEN, sad but true so stop posting all your ugly comments, it is not polite or called for,
when they gonna put rubber tires on the trains.. the noise is terrible.
They did exactly that on the metro trains in Barcelona, Spain.
thankfully no one uses trains for transport anymore.
Sounds like somebody has never had sex in a car.
"Trouble ahead, trouble behind,
Casey Jones, you better watch your speed"
-Grateful Dead
haha! "SNORT SNORT" maybe the engineer was busy snorting another type of line !
If there is a train on the tracks or a switch is set incorrectly, the signal for that section of tracks is RED...
Usually there is a clear section (GREEN Signal) separating any two trains...
NO train is allowed to pass a Red Signal, unless they are under the direct control of a Dispatcher...
For a train to hit another stopped train, it is USUALLY the moving train Engineers fault...
And then there's the "dark" territory that have no signal systems, and all movements are then controlled by a dispatcher, but that does not mean the dispatcher is at fault.
The engineer could have run through the limits of his authorization.
silverback...
nice copy paste... go back to watching Under Siege II
Google "improper signal" before you start blaming the crew.
Not sure about the new systems...
But the old signal systems would NOT let you give a Green Board; if the section of track had a inoperative circuit, a switch was set incorrectly, or there was a train or other equipment in that block...
My first job after High School was operating signals and writing train orders for the Norfolk and Western RR (Norfolk Division) in 1969...
But what the hell - GOOGLE always knows more... Ha! Ha!
The train should be automatically controlled if the engineer doesn't respond to the track signal.
Wally - the railroads, under new government regulations, are in the process of implimenting Positive Train Control (PTC) to address issues such as you described, including "runaways".
Unfortunately this will not be possible in the existing "dark" territories on the nations rail systems. Eventually, the railroads will all be signaled territory.
silverback
provide a link (cite the site) or go away. Trains for YEARS have had dead man switches. They fail but there is no remote control on locomotives outside of the yard.
Since you're to lazy to do it yourself:
Recently, God approached me and said he was tired of talking to Republicans. He said that this accident was His work and that he will continue to pick on Indiana until they get rid of the Republicans.
Honest.
God approached me once and told me to stop farting in public.
And you did not listen. Did you.......
maybe the repubs were in charge of another wreck like their own mess
No excuse for this to happen. Somebody was asleep at the switch.
I hope no Green Hats were involved!! If so they should sue Samantha Webb and CSX for their lack of training. I was sent out my first week as were several other trainees without a Radio to communicate. During my training (4 Weeks)I never once saw my trainer Samantha Webb and I know of only one instance where a Trainmaster sent someone home for not having a radio. They just worked without them. On my first day marked up after no training I was actually assigned a trainee!!! I actually complained to Trainmasters, Division Managers and even Michael Ward to no avail. This area between Nashville and Danville is a Horror story. If any news media folks or gov't officials would like names dates or times of more incidents caused by neglect by Ms Webb and her supervisors just let me know. Civilians keep your head on a swivel anywhere near CSX operations
When a train is parked on a main track, it "shunts" the track and makes the signals behind it go red. Only way this could have happened is for the crew on the second train to run by the stop signal either because they were asleep or not paying attention to what they were doing. This is why the government is making all the railroads install PTC, positive train control, all over the country to use satellites to stop trains before they can get by a red signal. BTW, I know this because I work for the railroad.
You work for the railroad, really? How about digging out your operating rule book and looking up 'improper signal". I have feeling the only railroad you work for has tracks around your basement.
Well he is right. I am a locomotive engineer. If this was CTC or ABS territory the signals behind the stopped train would be red. Signal before that yellow, flashing yellow before that and green before that. If this is dark territory then at first read, the moving train overrun the limits of their authority.
If it was an improper signal, then you have to treat the signal as the most restrictive indication it could give. It was an absolute or A-block, then it would be a stop signal. If it was an intermediate signal, then it would be a stop and proceed on some railroads or proceed restricting on others. Either way, the train would be required to move a restricted speed.
More than likely human error.
I once delt with a train accident and was told by lawyers there never at fought. You
can never sue a train co. So who's at fought now, cl&p for sun lite control!
Sounds like you "fought" the English language and lost.
Who "axed" you?
WTF? Is this the year 1890, or what? A train is sitting on the track, and it is rear-ended by another train? Do you understand the level of incompetence this portrays to the American people? If I were that incompetent in my judgement on the job, I would have been fired (or maybe burned at the stake?) long ago! Who is it that can come forward and say, "This was my responsibility to ensure that it never happened, but it did, and it's my fault!"?
Somebody's going to be filling a lot of pee bottles after this one.
GOATOLAGIST
it would be someones FAULT unless they fought the accusation.
Perhaps you were DEALT the short end in English?
SOP is sue everyone and let THEIR lawyers sort it out. Just ask BP and Haliburton.
I hope no Green Hats were involved. If they were they should sue Samantha Webb, Michael Ward and CSX for negligence. Samantha Webb is the training manager who has sent Conductor Trainees out to work in Train Yards with no radio or means of communication. I was sent out to work with no radio for a week. I met her at my first day orientation where I was told to go find a train yard and pick a job and go to work. After 2 months I had not seen or heard from her. I was then marked up with no training and assigned a trainee for me to train on my first day as a conductor. It would be laughable but someone will be killed. I complained to Trainmasters and Division Managers as well as Michael Ward to no avail. All of the Conductors and Engineers in the Nashville Division had the same complaint. Mr Ward and Csx do not care because it has not affected their bottom line YET!! The union has been supportive and also has complained about this situation but is powerless to solve it. This corridor from Nashville to Danville is a nightmare horror story as far as training and safety. If you see a Csx train in this area be vigilant the folks operating are doing their best under terrible circumstances. As for Mr Ward he has been put on notice and is now subject to criminal neglegence. If any gov't agency or media agency would like to contact me for names, dates, or other incidents feel free to contact me