15 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

Tacoma, WA News-Tribune, 7/2/17:

 

 

Amtrak derails near Chambers Bay

 

 

 

Law enforcement and fire and rescue are responding to an Amtrak derailment in Steilacoom near Chambers Bay

 

Four cars were initially reported in the water, but no injuries have been reported. Passengers are being evacuated.

 

 

Story

[KevinKorell]

KING-TV, Channel 5 in Seattle, WA, 7/2/17:

 

Amtrak train derails in Steilacoom, no fatalities reported

 

An Amtrak train with passengers on board derailed in Chambers Bay/Steilacoom Sunday afternoon.

 

Details are still coming in, but according to Lakewood police and Pierce County officials, there were no fatalities, only minor injuries.

More

[KevinKorell]

Amtrak statement from Twitter:

I've corrected whoever Tweets from Amtrak to break the news to them that Train 506 runs from Eugene-Springfield to Seattle, not Vancouver to Eugene. Wrong direction. It would be wonderful if Amtrak did a little homework research on itself before putting out incorrect information.

Train 507, which runs Seattle to Eugene-Springfield, was blocked by the incident.

[EvergreenRailfan]

From what I saw on the news, it occurred just south of Bridge 14, one of the choke points that will be eliminated when the Point Defiance Bypass shifts Amtrak Cascades and the Coast Starlight are shifted to the Lakeview Sub between Reservation Jct and Nisqually Jct. Thankfully no fatalities today.

Edited by EvergreenRailfan, 03 July 2017 - 01:27 AM.

[KevinKorell]

 

Train 507, which runs Seattle to Eugene-Springfield, was blocked by the incident.

 

Train 507 got to Tacoma 8:40 PM PDT, 5 hours 47 minutes late, and then managed to lose almost another 2 hours before it got to the next station, Olympia-Lacey.  Now over 7-1/2 hours late!  So per the above tweet it apparently will terminate in Portland when it shows up there.  That means one of the morning trains that originates in Eugene-Springfield will have to start in Portland instead since the equipment won't be there.

 

It looks like southbound 509 was annulled as well, which would make sense if it normally is the turnaround of the 506 consist. Northbound 508 appears to have gotten through the incident area.

[CNJRoss]

AP 7/2/17:

 

The Latest: Amtrak says railroad tracks reopened for service

 

 

STEILACOOM, Wash. (AP) -- The Latest on the derailment of an Amtrak passenger train Sunday in Washington state (all times local):

6 p.m.

 

Amtrak says the railroad tracks on which one of its locomotives derailed has been reopened for service at limited speeds.

 

The company adds in a statement that the passengers of the Cascades train that derailed are being taking to Tacoma aboard five buses.

 

The locomotive and the baggage car derailed around 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Amtrak said. Several people suffered minor injuries.

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

AP 7/3/17:

 

Amtrak runs trains after Washington state derailment

 

STEILACOOM, Wash. (AP) -- Amtrak got its passenger trains running along the Washington and Oregon coast Monday as investigators tried to determine why two cars went off the tracks a day earlier.

 

SNIP

 

Eric Weiss, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, said the agency was monitoring the situation "for any issues that would lead to a full investigation."

Continue here.

[KevinKorell]

Seattle, WA Times, 7/3/17:

 

 

Did last-resort switch push Amtrak train off course?

 

The trackway where an Amtrak Cascades train derailed Sunday afternoon contains a special switch that’s designed to nudge a train off-course as a last resort so it won’t collide with the bridge just ahead if the drawspan is open.

 

Update

[KevinKorell]

KING-TV, Channel 5 in Seattle, WA, 7/3/17:

 

 

Amtrak train derailed near safety device

 

 

An Amtrak train that derailed near Steilacoom came off the tracks in an area where BNSF installed a safety device that intentionally derails trains when the bridge is up.

 

It's unclear what, if any, role that played in the derailment.

 

This story

[Lightning]

Speed, human error blamed for Amtrak derailment near Chambers Bay.

An Amtrak spokeswoman said the train’s engineer was removed from his post following the accident.

 

Update from the Seattle Times.