Tag Archives: Evacuation

Broken rail, Crude By Rail, Derailment, Evacuation, Oil spill, Rail defect, Rail flaw detector cars

Broken Rail Caused Oil Train Derailment in Wisconsin

Repost from the New York Times

CP: Broken Rail Caused Oil Train Derailment in Wisconsin

By The Associated Press, November 11, 2015, 9:33 P.M. E.S.T.
Workers tend to the scene of a train derailment in Watertown, Wis., on Nov. 9 after 13 cars of a Canadian Pacific train carrying crude oil overturned Sunday. (John Hart/AP)
Workers tend to the scene of a train derailment in Watertown, Wis., on Nov. 9 after 13 cars of a Canadian Pacific train carrying crude oil overturned Sunday. (John Hart/AP)

WATERTOWN, Wis. — Canadian Pacific Railway says a broken rail caused an oil train derailment in southeastern Wisconsin last weekend.

The railroad said Wednesday the defect was not visible to the naked eye.

More than a dozen cars of a CP train loaded with crude oil jumped the tracks in Watertown on Sunday afternoon, puncturing one car that spilled hundreds of gallons of its load and caused the evacuation of a neighborhood.

The railroad says it uses rail flaw detector cars that use ultrasonic technology to detect defects the eye cannot see. The technology last passed over the site in late September, and nothing was found.

The derailment happened a day after a BNSF Railway freight train derailed Saturday near Alma in western Wisconsin, spilling ethanol into the Mississippi River.

Crude By Rail, Derailment, Evacuation, Oil spill

LATEST DERAILMENT: Watertown derailment – Bakken oil train crash is 2nd in Wisconsin in 2 days

Repost from RT News
[Editor: See also WKOW ABC27, updates and photos.  Also WKOW ABC27, 100-car unit train, same tracks used by Amtrak.  Also Associated Press, for latest updates.  Also WISN TV: “Watertown residents allowed to return home after derailment.  Train was carrying Bakken crude oil.”  – RS]

Evacuation, leak reported as 25-car train with crude oil derails in Watertown, Wisconsin

9 Nov, 2015 00:29
A Canadian Pacific train loaded with oil tank cars. © Ernest Scheyder
A Canadian Pacific train loaded with oil tank cars. Ernest Scheyder

A potentially large oil leak is reported at the scene of a Canadian Pacific train crash in Watertown, Wisconsin. At least 10 carriages derailed at the spot where track repairs had recently been made. The situation alarmed people living in the “blast zone.”

Canadian Pacific confirmed to local media that the train had derailed. A spokesperson for the railroad, Andy Cummings, told 27 News that at least 10 cars carrying crude had derailed around 2 pm local time, adding that some of the oil was leaking.

UPDATE: 35 homes evacuated in Watertown as crews investigate train derailment #news3 http://bit.ly/1GRCazh

“Canadian Pacific is taking this incident extremely seriously,” Cummings said. “We have officials enroute to respond to the incident scene to coordinate with local officials.”

At least thirty-five Watertown residents have been evacuated from the area, Watertown officials said.

Embedded image permalink
Another view from News Chopper 12 – #Watertown train derailment.

Nearby Dodge County and Jefferson County emergency crews are helping out the Watertown Police Department at the scene.

Canadian Pacific officials were conducting repairs in the same area the derailment occurred just several days ago, according to activist Sarah Zarling from the Citizens Acting for Rail Safety (CARS) group in Watertown.

“Just had the alarming recall that this derailment happened right where Canadian Pacific crews had been working just days ago. These were pictures I took of them working in the No Trespassing Canadian Pacific property area,” the activist posted on the group’s page.

“I live less than a block from the tracks in a blast zone, and let me tell you it’s not too comforting knowing you’re living in a blast zone. You never know when or where a derailment will happen. I don’t want to be one of those 47 people who blow up and die,” Zarling told FOX6 News.

There are currently no fires or injuries being reported. Canadian Pacific said it has dispatched teams to the site.

This is the second freight train derailment in two days in the Midwestern state of Wisconsin.

Less than 24 hours ago, a freight train derailed near Alma, Wisconsin, spilling thousands of gallons of ethanol.

Bakken Crude, Crude By Rail, Derailment, Evacuation, Explosion, Fire

North Dakota Town Moving Forward After Oil Train Derailment, Explosion

Repost from KFYR-TV, Bismarck, ND

Heimdal Residents Move Forward After Oil Train Derailments

By Megan Mitchell, Nov 03, 2015 9:55 AM

Six months ago Heimdal, N.D., made headlines for a oil train derailments. The accident forced the evacuation of the entire town. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues to investigation the incident and is focusing on wheel fragments recovered at the scene.

No cause for the crash has been identified at this point.

The NTSB has sent the evidence the collected to a metallurgy testing lab in Washington, D.C. Metallurgists specialize in the physical and chemical behavior of metals. Their examination could take another year to complete. In the meantime, residents of Heimdal have returned to their homes and routines.

Sparky is an affectionate 9-year-old border collie cross. His friendly disposition is second only to the loyalty he has for his owners Arden and Linda Georgensen.

Arden Georgensen is a resident of Heimdal and says the dog never leaves his wife’s side.

“If I can’t find her in the yard I can find the dog. He’s always with her,” Arden said.

On May 6, 2015 neither Linda or Arden could find Sparky when they were forced to evacuate their home without their beloved dog.

“I saw this big plume I thought it was a tornado the way it looked because it was swirling,” Arden said.

An oil train derailed just half a mile from their farm, spewing 60,000 gallons of Bakken crude. That’s when firefighters came knocking.

“They said you need to get out right now ’cause if those tanks explode it’s hard to say what’ll happen out here,” Arden said.

It was a long night wondering whether Sparky would be there when they returned.

Linda went back the next morning and was overjoyed.

“It was a good feeling to see him laying there ’cause when we got home here he was by the door like usual,” Linda said.

Oil production in the Bakken has drastically declined, but tanker trains continue to roll through Heimdal every day. Despite what happened there, residents say they’re not overly concerned when they hear an engine whistle sound.

Curt Benson saw the oil train derail and was the first person to contact emergency management.

“It’s still a concern, but yeah, if you’re only getting five trains a day instead of 20 trains a day sure it’s a little less of a concern,” Benson said.

Other residents aren’t sidetracked by worry.

“You just have that risk. There’s a certain amount of risk just being alive,” Bill Ongstad said.

BNSF is still cleaning up the site, but it appears the landscape around Heimdal is almost restored.

“I have to say they did a pretty bang up job. I think seeing all of them come out here with all the equipment and the time they put in, it certainly makes you feel confident that they probably did a good job,” Benson said.

The 22 residents of Heimdal and Sparky are living in the moment and moving on.

The NTSB said the wheel fragments from the accident were sent to those metallurgy labs two and a half weeks ago.

The agency says they look at everything associated with this accident and no conclusions have been drawn.

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Bakken Crude, Civil penalties, Crude By Rail, Derailment, Evacuation, Explosion, Fire, Rail defect, Rail inspection, Rail Safety, Tank car design

Tests showed rail defect 2 months before W.Va. oil train derailed

Repost from McClatchyDC News

Tests showed rail defect 2 months before W.Va. oil train derailed

By Curtis Tate, October 9, 2015

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Feds identify broken rail as primary cause
• Flaw detected in two prior track inspections
• CSX, contractor will pay $25,000 in fines

Scorched and deformed tank cars await examination by federal investigators at Handley, W.Va., on Feb. 24, 2015. A CSX train carrying crude oil had derailed a week earlier, spilling nearly 400,000 gallons and igniting a fire that kept 100 people from their homes for four days.
Scorched and deformed tank cars await examination by federal investigators at Handley, W.Va., on Feb. 24, 2015. A CSX train carrying crude oil had derailed a week earlier, spilling nearly 400,000 gallons and igniting a fire that kept 100 people from their homes for four days. Curtis Tate – McClatchy

WASHINGTON – Two separate tests in the two months prior to a fiery oil train derailment in West Virginia earlier this year showed the presence of a rail defect, according to a report on the incident.

But neither the railroad nor the contractor who did the tests followed up on the results in December 2014 and January 2015, and the rail broke under a 107-car CSX train loaded with Bakken crude oil. The Feb. 16 derailment near Mount Carbon, W.Va., led to explosions, fires and the evacuation of 1,100 nearby residents.

On Friday, the Federal Railroad Administration said it had issued $25,000 civil penalties against both CSX and Sperry Rail Service, the contractor that performed the rail tests.

The railroad agency recommended that both companies enhance employee training and use improved technology. It also asked CSX to establish a plan to identify and correct track defects on routes used to ship crude oil.

Noting that track flaws are a leading cause of derailments, Sarah Feinberg, the agency’s acting administrator, said railroads hauling hazardous materials need to pay closer attention to track conditions.

“All railroads, not just CSX, must be more diligent when inspecting for internal rail flaws or when contracting out inspection work,” she said in a statement.

In a statement, CSX said it would develop additional inspection processes in collaboration with federal regulators.

“CSX intends to pursue these efforts to their maximum potential as part of our commitment to the safety of the communities where we operate, our employees and our customers,” said Kaitlyn Barrett, a spokeswoman.

According to the agency’s report, 24 of the 27 derailed tank cars sustained significant damage that released oil, fueling fires and explosions even in single-digit temperatures. One resident’s home was destroyed by fire, but no one was seriously injured or killed.

The Mount Carbon wreck was among six oil train derailments in North America this year and one of four in the U.S. All revealed vulnerabilities in the kinds of tank cars used to transport oil, as well as shortcomings in the inspection and maintenance of track and rail car wheels.

In April, the Federal Railroad Administration recommended improved wheel inspections. A broken wheel was suspected in the March 6 oil train derailment near Galena, Ill., though the agency has yet to announce an official cause.

In May, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced its final rule requiring more crash and fire resistance for tank cars used to transport flammable liquids, including crude oil and ethanol.

The recent push for improved track and tank cars in North America followed the July 2013 oil train disaster in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, where 47 people died. On Friday, a U.S. bankruptcy judge approved a $343 million settlement with the families of the victims.