# Amtrak derails, 3 killed



## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

Sad happening...









At Least 3 Dead, Multiple Injured After Amtrak Train Derails in Montana


At least three people have been declared dead and multiple injured after an Amtrak train derailed on Saturday afternoon in North-Central Montana, an official at a local sheriff’s office said. The E…




clarion.causeaction.com


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

There is not a lot of detail yet but 8 of the 10 cars derailed, some laying on their sides.


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

Here's an update...









NTSB Will Investigate Passenger Train Derailment that Killed 3 in Montana | The Weather Channel


The train, with 146 passengers and 16 crew members, derailed near Joplin, Montana, on Saturday afternoon. - Articles from The Weather Channel | weather.com




weather.com


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## rrman987 (Aug 29, 2021)

Really a tragedy, hope they figure out what went wrong, sun kink, broken rail, track obstruction etc. If there is a "bright side" to this tragedy, one picture shows what the underside of a slumberliner looks like, but what a way to find it out.


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## J.Albert1949 (Feb 3, 2018)

I believe track speed for that location was 79mph (fastest permitted without cab signals), train was around 78mph (where it should have been).

Looks like the derailment happened "over" a facing-point interlocked switch. Engines and first 2 cars made it over ok, then something failed.

My guess would be that something broke on the powered switch.
Rail, tie bars, locking mechanism -- something.
That's what the investigation will look for.


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## rrman987 (Aug 29, 2021)

Would be "fun" to be the fly in the wreck air then on the wall to see how investigators make sense of the mangled pieces in the field, then listen or read how they fiinally deduce that it was a spike that popped up and went under the wheel that tipped the slumberliner and following cars (good guess as any).


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## flyingtomg (May 7, 2013)

Has anyone heard any updates on this? Any NTSB preliminary findings?


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## Refugee (Oct 2, 2019)

NTSB investigations take a long time, not just weeks after the accident.


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## LocoChris (Jun 26, 2021)

I wonder what condition the cars are in that tipped over.


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

*UPDATE:*









Cause of MT Amtrak Derailment Still Under Investigation - Fire Engineering: Firefighter Training and Fire Service News, Rescue


Cause of MT Amtrak Derailment Still Under Investigation - Fire Engineering: Firefighter Training and Fire Service News, Rescue - Technical Rescue A preliminary report on an Amtrak train derailment in Montana last month that killed three people and injured dozens more offered no clues about what...




www.fireengineering.com


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## flyingtomg (May 7, 2013)

Thanks for the update. Sounds like the crew saw a problem and threw it into emergency.


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## J.Albert1949 (Feb 3, 2018)

The article linked to in #10 offered next-to-no information.

It said "the emergency brakes were activated". But it didn't say whether the "activation" was initiated by the engineer, or if it happened when the cars derailed.
(the train will go into emergency when the cars derail and the brake pipe continuity is broken).

The comment from an on-board employee about a "dip" isn't reliable enough by itself. What one sees from inside the train is often at variance with what one sees from the engine.

There's a very easy way to ascertain if there was a "visible" defect ahead (as seen from the position of the engine crew).

All Amtrak engines are equipped with forward-facing cameras that have a very good resolution.
Just play back the video...


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

I agree. That "dip" might well have been a mile long and a mile away. Crossing my local tracks, there is a 'dip' way up the track and probably _is_ a mile long. The track ascends a slight grade at this point and allows a clear view of the track for several miles before the next curve.


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