Rail-Related News for 01/18/2014 - 01/22/2014 =============================================== Car `skimmed` by Metra train in Palatine PALATINE, Ill. (Sun-Times Media Wire) - A vehicle made contact with a Metra train Wednesday morning in northwest suburban Palatine. A 41-year-old Palatine woman driving a Saturn Ion accidentally pulled too far forward on the train tracks behind other vehicles, and the train skimmed the car, Palatine Police Cmdr. Dave Deigel said. The car was not even moved by the contact with the train, Deigel said. No one was injured. Metra spokesman Tom Miller said the train, Union Pacific Northwest Line inbound no. 642, was either completely stopped or moving slowly at the time. Passengers on the train were transferred to the next inbound train and were delayed about an hour, Miller said. The woman was cited for blocking an intersection or grade crossing, Deigel said. Read more: myfoxchicago/story/24522699/car-skimmed-by-metra-train-in-palatine#ixzz2rB3QfYtW ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Customer Service Advisory - Winter Weather Causing Some Delays CSX Transportation continues to operate safely through severe winter weather from the Mid-Atlantic through New England. All rail terminals and main lines remain open, however, customers with shipments through these regions should anticipate some delays as this winter weather persists. ----------------------------------------------------------------- South St. Louis train derailment closes roads ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) – St. Louis police will close several streets while crews try to clear a train derailment in south St. Louis. The train is derailed at Interstate 44 and Wellington Road near the rail yard in the Ellendale neighborhood. St. Louis police will close the road at Ellendale and Wellington and at Wabash and Tholozon in both directions between Arsenal and Lansdowne. Drivers will want to find alternate routes Wednesday, especially during evening rush. The closure could last until from 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. The railroad recovery crash teams are on the scene surveying the damage and has moved equipment into the area to help get the train cars back on the tracks. fox2now/2014/01/22/train-derails-in-south-st-louis-2/ ------------------------------------------------------------- Spring City woman unharmed after car struck by a train ROYERSFORD — A woman whose car was stuck on the railroad tracks Tuesday was able to escape unharmed before an oncoming train struck her vehicle. Victoria Campbell, of Spring City, was unable to get her Ford Focus out of the railroad crossing around 12:22 p.m. Tuesday, police said. According to police and witness accounts, the sedan was caught under the safety gate, which is designed to keep cars and pedestrians off the tracks while trains pass. Campbell told responding officers that as she approached the crossing, she looked to her left and saw a train but after the gate came down on her car she could not move the car, police said. The snowy road conditions may have been a factor, police said. The 50-car Norfolk Southern train was eastbound on the tracks when the conductor sounded the horn steadily and applied the emergency brakes, according to police. Campbell was able to get out but the train was not able to stop before hitting the left front of her stranded car. According to police, the impact of the train pushed the car sideways and into a railroad safety gate pole. One witness said less than a minute passed before the train hit the sedan. At the time of impact, the train was moving approximately 25 mph, police said. No one on the train was hurt and there was minimal damage to the train but the gate and the pole were damaged, according to police. Police were assisted by officials from Norfolk Southern as well as the Linfield and Liberty Fire Police. pottsmerc/general-news/20140122/spring-city-woman-unharmed-after-car-struck-by-a-train -------------------------------------------------------- CN SERVICE ADVISORY: RUEL SUBDIVISION RUEL SUBDIVISION CN train Q10251-14 derailed along the Ruel subdivision of the CN main line at 0320hrs EST on Monday, January 20. The incident, which occurred near Laforest, ON, affected trains running between Winnipeg, MB, and Toronto, ON. Repairs were completed as of 2000hrs EST on Tuesday, January 21. Customers should expect only minimal delays during the return to normal service levels. ------------------------------------------------------ WSOR: Derailment blocks Five Points intersection in Janesville - WI JANESVILLE--A derailment of a Wisconsin & Southern Railroad train has blocked the Five Points and Academy Street crossings in downtown Janesville. A dispatcher at the Rock County Communications Center said the derailment was called in just before 5:30 a.m. She said the derailment was described to her as minor, but it would likely take a long time to clear. The Gazette was unable to reach a WSOR spokesman for further details. Neither eastbound nor westbound traffic can travel through the crossing on Court Street. A couple of Janesville Police Department officers were standing by at the crossings, and the citys Department of Public Works was expected on the scene to erect barricades. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. The train cars were carrying grain, and the police department said in a news release that they pose no health risk. ----------------------------------------------------- Tilted Bridge Poses Problems For Western Arkansas Trains, Barges Two broken cables that tilted the rail bridge of the Arkansas River between Fort Smith and Van Buren have put river traffic at a standstill and forced officials to divert railroad traffic. Officials with Arkansas & Missouri Railroad are unsure why the lines broke at the northern end of the bridge. Bridge inspectors from a firm in St. Louis have been called out to assess the situation and determine the cause of the break, said railroad Police Chief Ron Sparks. “With it being catawampus there, that means it’s stuck,” Sparks said. “The problem with that is that means we can’t use it for rail traffic and the river can’t go under with tugboats right now either, so the river and the rail have both stopped until we can get it up or fixed.” With that section of the rail likely out of commission for the rest of the week, the first order of business is to get the rail back up or level so that barges can make their way through, Sparks said. Train crews discovered the dysfunctional rail about 11:30 p.m. Monday when a northbound train was heading back from Fort Smith, Sparks said. “We don’t know if high winds might have played a part in it last night, because it was quite windy,” Sparks said. “We’re not quite sure what caused it to happen, but we’ll know more once the inspectors get here. Everyone has been notified.” In the meantime, rail traffic has been diverted to surrounding areas, Sparks said. “Our customers will still be served,” Sparks said. “We’re going to take care of our customers.” Barge traffic along the river has been put at a standstill. Now is a busy time of the year for inbound fertilizer and outbound grain shipments, said Marty Shell with Five Rivers Distribution. “There’re probably seven or eight ports above that bridge that are virtually shut off until that bridge suspension rises,” Shell said. “If there’s any equipment that we have or anything that we can do to help expedite it, we’re here to help the A&M get that bridge back up.” River crews are waiting for the bridge inspectors’ assessment and are hopeful that the bridge gets fixed quickly, Shell said. “If it’s just a day or two, it’s just going to be a delay in towboat trafficking and stuff of that nature,” Shell said. “If it’s a week or something … you’re probably looking at millions and millions of dollars of lost revenues just because of the fact that customers aren’t getting their products to them in a timely manner.” The situation is unique, Sparks said. “I’ve been here 16 years and it’s never had any problems, not like that,” Sparks said. “We maintain it all the time, but we haven’t had any kind of issues like that.” Sparks said local crews do routine monthly maintenance of the bridge, with a yearly inspection from an outside firm. “It’s kind of a fluke thing,” Sparks said. Shell also said that he had never seen anything like it, but that he is confident the bridge will be fixed soon. “I know that A&M Railroad is a good group and I know they’re doing everything they can possibly do to get this thing up and back in operation as quickly as possible,” Shell said. - See more at: swtimes/news/tilted-bridge-poses-problems-western-arkansas-trains-barges#sthash.bdBC8NI6.luNA8AFW.dpuf ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maine railroad in deadly Canada derailment sold PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A railroad that went bankrupt after a fiery oil train derailment killed 47 people last summer in Canada was sold at auction Tuesday to a subsidiary of a New York City-based investment management company. Railroad Acquisitions LLC, a subsidiary of Fortress Investment Group, won the closed-door bidding for Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway, according to one of the losing bidders. The winning bid goes before a U.S. bankruptcy judge in Maine and a Superior Court judge in Quebec on Thursday. The Fortress subsidiary had submitted a bid of $14.25 million. A Fortress spokesman didnt immediately return a call seeking comment on the auction. More than a dozen companies expressed interest in the bankrupt company, which owns about 500 miles of track in Maine, Vermont and Canada, although it is unknown how many submitted bids. seattlepi/news/article/Fortress-co-wins-bidding-for-bankrupt-railroad-5161110.php -------------------------------------------------------------------- Man Hospitalized After Landing on CTA Tracks CHICAGO — A man was taken to a local hospital after he got off a moving Blue Line train and ended up on the tracks Tuesday morning in Logan Square, authorities said. A 59-year-old man tried to get off the train while it was still moving and landed on the tracks between the Logan Square and Belmont stations about 8:50 a.m., said Officer Janel Sedevic, a Chicago Police Department spokeswoman. It was unclear why the man wanted to exit the train. The man was initially taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in serious condition, Sedevic said, and his condition later improved. The CTA cut power from the Jefferson Park station to the Damen Avenue station during the incident, and customers experienced delays in the morning, CTA spokeswoman Lambrini Lukidis said. The CTA offered shuttle service between stations. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Train Strikes Vehicle in Royersford No injuries were reported after a train struck a vehicle on the Norfolk Southern train tracks on Main Street Tuesday. At 12:22 p.m., a Ford Focus driven by Victoria Campbell, of Spring City, was struck by an eastbound train hauling 50 cars of stone, according to Royersford Acting Chief of Police Tom Nerlinger. Campbell told police that as she was approaching the crossing, she saw a train and her vehicle became pinned under the safety gates of the train. Campbell was unable to pack up or move forward, possibly due to the snow-covered road, police said. Campbell exited her vehicle. The train crew saw Campbells vehicle and applied emergency breaks, but was unable to stop and struck the left front of the vehicle. The impact pushed the car sideway into the railroad gate mount and pinned it underneath. No one on the train was injured, and there was minimal damage to the locomotive, police say. Royersford POlice were assisted by Norfolk Southern personnel and Norfolk Southern Police Department, as well as Linfield and Liberty (Spring City) Fire Police. This is the second time in six months a vehicle was struck on the Norfolk Southern tracks. limerick.patch/groups/police-and-fire/p/train-strikes-vehicle-in-royersford ------------------------------------------------------------------ Vehicle dragged 20 feet after striking yard tug on railroad tracks - MI OAKLEY, MI — A man was cited for failure to yield after his vehicle struck a yard tug used to move train cars as it traveled railroad tracks crossing M-52 in the village of Oakley, the Saginaw County Sheriffs Department reports. The 20-year-old male driver from Merrill was southbound and failed to stop for flashing red lights at the railroad crossing on M-52, Lt. Randy Pfau said. A westbound yard tug collided with the passenger vehicle at a low speed and dragged it down the tracks about 20 feet, Pfau said. The driver and passenger of the vehicle and the driver of the yard tug were not injured and everyone was released from the scene, Pfau said. ------------------------------------------------------------- Man Charged with Attempted Murder in Beating of Railroad Police Officer CHICAGO — A 24-year-old man was charged with trying to kill a railroad police officer near the Wrightwood Metra Station in Ashburn, police said Tuesday. Nathan Haywood, of the 8100 block of South Spaulding Avenue, was charged with attempted first-degree murder of a peace officer, aggravated battery to a police officer, trying to disarming a peace officer and felony aggravated battery with great bodily harm. He was also charged with resisting a peace officer and criminal trespassing. Haywood was arrested after Chicago police saw him beating a railroad officer in the 3200 block of West Columbus Avenue about 10:20 p.m. Sunday, according to a statement from police. Police initially said the victim, a Norfolk Southern police officer, was taken to an area hospital in good condition. Haywood is expected to appear in bond court on Tuesday. dnainfo/chicago/20140121/ashburn/man-charged-with-attempted-murder-beating-of-railroad-police-officer ---------------------------------------------- Man hit, killed by Northstar train near Elk River A man walking on railroad tracks in Big Lake Township in the late afternoon on Monday was struck and killed by a northbound Northstar train. The collision occurred north of the intersection at 192nd Av. NW and Zebulon St., west of Elk River. Sherburne County Sheriff officials said the railroad arms controlling the intersection were in the lowered position and the train stopped a short distance beyond the intersection after striking the man. The man has not yet been identified. John Siqveland, a spokesman for Metro Transit, said no one was hurt on the train. Northstar passengers were put on other trains and buses to get to their destinations, he said, noting that some trains were delayed 45 minutes or more. The Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office and Metro Transit Police are investigating the collision. startribune/local/north/241221261.html ------------------------------------------------ Train hits unoccupied car in Richlands, Va. RICHLANDS - A coal train that was traveling through Richlands on Sunday night hit a car that was on the tracks. According to officials at Norfolk Southern, it happened at 8:25 p.m. on Sunday night. The car was stopped in the railroad crossing at Lake Park Drive in Richlands. The car was unoccupied and no one was injured in the accident. Officials said that the person or persons who were in the car were able to get out before the train hit. In addition to a gate that comes down across the road, the railroad crossing has lights and bells that go off when a train approaches. Norfolk Southern has no history of incidents at the crossing in the past five years. Officials said that the track speed in the area is 20 MPH. Right now there is no word about what lead to the car being stopped on the tracks. 59News is looking into the accident and will have more information as it becomes available. wvnstv/story/24497075/train-hits-unoccupied-car-in-richlands-va ---------------------------------------------- NS: Explosives placed on Madison County railroad tracks - IL Explosives placed on Madison County railroad tracks KTVI - St Louis MO Authorities with called Norfolk Southern railroad in a suspicious object to the bomb squad at around noon on Monday. They found a 1.2lb propane tank with flares attached to it. The suspicious object was placed on the tracks near Highway 140 and Quercus Grove Road. Investigators say that someone tried to detonate the bomb. They were unsuccessful in their attempt to detonate the propane canister. Illinois Secretary of State Police Bomb Squad detonated the object on site. The area of track was already out service, but trains in the area were delayed from 12pm to roughly 4:30pm. The TSA has been notified about this incident. More details will be posted as this story develops. ---------------------------------------------- Truck hits railroad overpass in Chattanooga, rails shifted A portion of East 11th Street underneath a railroad overpass in Chattanooga has been closed after a truck struck the structure and shifted it a couple of inches. The Roll Off truck, which had Tennessee Waste Haulers on the door, had its arm extended as it passed under the bridge. The rails at the top were moved, according to first responders. The area has been closed until damage to the structure can be assessed. Its unclear who owns the overpass. A couple of railroad spikes were seen in the road way and the foundation showed signs of damage. In one spot, there was a gap between the foundation and where grass had been growing — evidence of where the foundation shifted, according to police. The driver, who has not been identified, was transported to a local hospital. Its unclear what his condition is and if he will be cited. timesfreepress/news/2014/jan/20/truck-hits-railroad-overpass-chattanooga-rails-shi/ ----------------------------------------------- Man Run Over by Train While Posing for Photo AUBURN, Washington - Fire officials say a 42-year-old Las Vegas man was killed Saturday after he was hit by an Amtrak train around 3:30 p.m. in Auburn. According to the Auburn Fire Department, the mans girlfriend was taking pictures of him sitting on the rails when an Amtrak Cascades Train mowed him down. 130 passengers were on board the train which originated in Portland and was heading to Seattle. The passengers and crew were loaded on buses to complete their journey. Authorities closed the tracks to investigate the incident. breitbart/InstaBlog/2014/01/19/Man-Run-Over-by-Train-While-Posing-for-Photo ------------------------------------------------- Train Derails on Bridge Over Schuylkill River A train derailment left a tanker car and boxcar leaning off a Philadelphia bridge early Monday morning. Police and firefighters responded to the train derailment near the Schuylkill Expressway (I-76), between South and 34th Streets, around 12:30 a.m. According to CSX spokesman Gary Sease, the 101-car freight train was headed from Chicago to Philadelphia when seven cars derailed on the Schuylkill Arsenal Railroad Bridge where it crosses over the Schuylkill Expressway and River from University City to Grays Ferry -- just south of the South Street Bridge. It is not yet known what caused the derailment. No injuries were reported. The U.S. Coast Guard brought in a 25-foot response boat from its Philadelphia station to enforce a safety zone in the river just south of the bridge and another team that monitors for pollution also responded to the scene. Local police firefighters and emergency personnel also responded to the scene as part of the citys emergency plan. CSX would like to thank Philadelphia emergency first responders who arrived at the scene quickly and took prompt precautionary action, said a statement from CSX. Both directions of the Schuylkill Expressway were closed shortly after the derailment as crews worked to stabilize the cars. By 2:30 a.m. traffic began to move eastbound -- it would take another hour for the westbound lanes to reopen. There were intermittent lane closures during the day as well. Get the latest traffic from NBC10. As SkyForce10 hovered overhead it appeared that some of the rails below the teetering train cars had broken. The cars that stayed on the track were removed as the leaning cars remained for hours. This is unacceptable, he said. Very unacceptable. Johnson says hes received numerous complaints regarding the aging bridge where the derailment occurred. The bridge was built around the turn of the 20th Century and has since carried rail traffic for more than a century. They sent out a representative to one of our meetings and they acted like they were open to addressing some of the issues, Johnson said. But to date they havent come back to us to address any of those issues. CSX officials say they are investigating the condition of the tracks, condition of the cars and how the train was operated. A spokesman also says any concerns from the public or a councilman receive high priority and that the company is more than willing to have a local rep meet with them. Johnson says he wants answers from CSX in order to protect Philadelphia residents. Were going to be calling for hearings in the city of Philadelphia asking specifically for CSX to tell the city of Philadelphia how they are maintaining their bridges, and how they are maintaining their railways, Johnson said. They should assure the city of Philadelphia that their infrastructure is safe. Another CSX spokesperson says the removal of all the cars could take up to two days. The safe removal of six of the cars will involved the careful and environmentally responsible transfer of oil to other tank cars or tanker trucks, the spokesperson wrote. It also will require the removal of sand carried in one of the cars. These operations should begin this evening and continue until complete in the next 24-48 hours. These plans have been shared with public agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard and Philadelphia Fire Department. nbcphiladelphia/news/local/Train-Derails-Schuykill-Expressway-Closed-241114931.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- CSX train collides with snowmobile on railroad tracks in Oswego County Lacona, NY -- A CSX train collided with a snowmobile Sunday night on railroad tracks in Lacona, an Oswego County 911 supervisor said. Someone from CSX called the 911 center at 11:10 p.m. to report the crash. The train and snowmobile collided in the vicinity of Harwood Drive and Park Avenue, 911 officials said. State police, Lacona volunteer firefighters and Northern Oswego County Ambulance responded. No one has been transported from the scene, 911 said. A snowmobile trail crosses the railroad track, and a secondary trail runs next to the tracks as part of Oswego Countys trail system. syracuse/news/index.ssf/2014/01/csx_train_collides_with_snowmobile_on_railroad_tracks_in_oswego_county.html ----------------------------------------------------------------- Cold blamed for Wisconsin derailment as temperatures plunge again A new blast of cold air that hit the Northeast and the Midwest on Sunday wont be as biting as the cold that kicked off January, but it was bad enough to cause the derailment of a coal train in Wisconsin. As millions of Americans were bracing for another chill after a relatively warm — albeit short — hiatus, Wisconsin officials were investigating cracks in the track near Caledonia, in the southwest part of the state, where 19 cars of a 135-car Union Pacific train heading to Wyoming ran off the rails. Nobody was injured in the accident, which happened about 7:30 a.m. (8:30 a.m. ET), state Railroad Commissioner Jeff Plale told NBC station WTMJ of Milwaukee. But 5-Mile Road will be closed indefinitely as Union Pacific and state environmental crews clean up the scene, police said. In this brutally old weather, sometimes tracks get brittle, and this is what happened here, Plale said. Although temperatures wont be as cold as during the polar vortex of a few weeks ago, the cold blast is predicted to be a shock to the system and extremely cold, TODAYs Dylan Dreyer says. A cold air mass was parked from the Northern Plains to the Upper Mississippi Valley, the Great Lakes, the Ohio Valley and the Northeast — bringing temperatures 10 to 25 degrees below average at times Tuesday through Thursday, The Weather Channel reported. While snow fell in New England and parts of the Midwest on Saturday, accumulation wont be a debilitating problem to begin the workweek, but temperatures are due to plummet across the widespread region overnight Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Maybe not as cold as that Arctic outbreak we had at the beginning of January, but still, this is significant, said Jen Carfagno, a forecaster for The Weather Channel. Were looking at our temperatures as cold as they get when it comes to averages for the year. Well certainly feel it, Carfagno said. While leaving first lady Michelle Obamas birthday bash Saturday night, fashion designer Michael Kors told NBC News that he went from the hottest room in the world to the coldest night ever. But, at 25 degrees, Washington certainly wasnt the coldest its ever been, and even though temperatures are expected drop into the teens in the coming days, the record-breaking lows that kicked off the month will likely remain untouched. Get the latest weather news and your local forecast Chicago also wont be as cold. Temperatures might dip below zero, but they wont descend into the negative teens as they did at the start of January. And Weather Channel meteorologists said Chicago wouldnt be as gusty, cutting down on the chills that make even short periods of exposure more unbearable. While forecasters cant be certain, they warn that this latest patch of extreme cold may last through the end of January, as frigid air is pushed once again from Canada. The Southern states will also see below-average temperatures for January, but will still sit comfortably in the 40- to 60-degree range, forecasters said. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Train strikes tractor near Princeton depot LaSalle News Tribune - ILLINOIS PRINCETON, IL — A freight train struck a small tractor that was being used for plowing snow Sunday morning at the Princeton depot, damaging the city-owned tractor but injuring no one. After the train struck an attachment on the tractor just before 8 a.m. Sunday, the city of Princeton worked with Amtrak to set up impromptu locations for loading and unloading of two passenger trains while the depot was occupied by the stopped freight train and BNSF Railroad investigators. “The railroad has to have their officials involved in it and the train has to stop and everything has to be investigated before it can continue,” Princeton city clerk Pete Nelson said at 12:10 p.m. Sunday. “The train is just pulling out of the station after about 4 hours and 20 minutes.” He said the incident affected schedules of two Amtrak trains traveling between Chicago and Quincy. However, Amtrak allowed for 15 passengers who were heading to Chicago to get on an eastbound train a couple of miles to the west at Epperson Road, and passengers from a westbound train were allowed to disembark a few blocks to the east at North Euclid Avenue. It was not immediately known if Amtrak’s coast-to-coast trains would be thrown off schedule. Bureau Putnam Area Rural Transit vans gave passengers rides to and from the depot. Princeton Fire Department reported the engineers and the tractor driver all refused treatment. Nelson confirmed no one was injured. The railroad put a new crew on its freight train before it continued west. “We’re just very thankful things were not much more serious … We’re glad we were able to accommodate people. Everybody was patient,” Nelson said. It was the second time this month that the city of Princeton has helped Amtrak deal with a schedule problem. When two trains carrying about 400 passengers got stuck snow massive snowdrifts in northeastern Bureau County, making national news, the city helped passengers as buses were brought in to help them get on buses and continue on their way. It was the second train versus vehicle collision in a week in Bureau County. Last week, a Bureau County woman was charged after her car was struck at a crossing in Sheffield. ------------------------------------------------------------- Early morning train collision sends New Lex man to hospital An early morning accident involving a pickup truck and a train sent a New Lexington man to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to the Lancaster post of the State Highway Patrol. A patrol dispatcher said 55-year old Michael W. Bringardner of New Lexington was driving at a high rate of speed early Sunday morning when at approximately 2:35 a.m. the 2011 Toyota Tacoma he was driving struck a slow moving train at the intersection of Railroad Street and North Main. According to the patrol, Bringardner was heading north at a high rate of speed when his vehicle collided with the train, which the patrol says was travelling at approximately eight-miles per hour. The driver of the truck was first transported to Fairfield Medical Center in Lancaster and later to the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center in Columbus with injuries described as non-life threatening. The accident remains under investigation. ----------------------------------------------- Coal train derails in Caledonia; track may have cracked in cold Cold weather may be to blame for a coal train derailment Sunday morning in the Village of Caledonia that forced authorities to close a road as authorities clean up the scene. Nineteen cars were involved in the derailment, with no injuries to the engineer or conductor and no release of hazardous substances, Caledonia Fire Battalion Chief Jeff Henningfeld said. Numerous cars were mangled and destroyed, he said. The 135-car coal train originated in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and was headed to the power plant in Sheboygan when the derailment happened around 6 a.m., Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis said. The cause is under investigation by Caledonia police and Union Pacific Railroad officials. But Wisconsin Commissioner of Railroads Jeff Plale, who went to the scene, told the Racine Journal-Times the northbound train hit some rails that were cracked by the recent brutally cold weather. When it gets super cold, tracks get brittle and can crack like what happened here, Plale told the Journal-Times. The state Department of Natural Resources sent a crew to monitor clean-up, police said, and crews were on the scene throughout the day Sunday to clear the tracks. Davis said it was unclear when the track would reopen. Five Mile Road between Highway 38 and Nicholson Road will be closed indefinitely while the scene is being cleared because part of the train stopped on a road overpass, Caledonia Police Lt. Brian Wall said. Up to 40 trees will need to cleared in order to make room for equipment thats being brought in by the railroad to clear the scene, he said. Journal Sentinel reporter Meg Jones contributed to this report. Read more from Journal Sentinel: jsonline/newswatch/coal-train-derails-in-caledonia-forcing-road-closure-b99187285z1-241075621.html#ixzz2rB7nYRcU Follow us: @JournalSentinel on Twitter ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- San Jose teen dies on light-rail tracks: Family, friends hold vigil for Del Mar High student SAN JOSE -- A few feet from where 14-year-old Danika Tyler Garcia was struck and killed by a light-rail train as she bicycled to school, a makeshift memorial sprouted Saturday, with flowers, candles and stuffed animals adorning a fence. Every so often, a train whizzed by, oblivious to the tears of Danikas family and friends who had gathered to mourn her death just a day before. A bright red sign, declaring We love U Danika, hung from the fence near Del Mar High School, where Danika was a shy freshman known for coloring her hair different ways and a passion for singing. Her older sister, sobbing at the scene, unable to talk about Danikas death, wrote on the sign: My heart is broken. Danika was killed Friday morning as she was riding her bike to Del Mar, struck by a northbound VTA train at the intersection of Stokes Street and Southwest Expressway. Del Mar students gathered for Saturdays vigil said Danika lost her life at a crossing theyve always considered dangerous -- and that she paid the ultimate price for being in a hurry. She was on her way to school and tried to beat the train, said Lluvia, a Del Mar student who witnessed the accident. Like most students interviewed, she did not give her last name. Everybody tries to beat the train, she said. She just got unlucky. Dozens of students and family members arrived at the scene in Saturdays sunshine, hugging and weeping. A close friend of the family said close relatives were unable to talk about the accident because Danikas loss was too painful and fresh. But her closest friends in the Del Mar choir shared stories of her love of music, noting that Danika never went anywhere without headphones to listen to music, walking along in trademark combat boots. On the day Danika died, she was scheduled to sing for a Make-a-Wish fundraiser at the school, her own dream. She was supposed to sing When I Was Your Man, by pop star Bruno Mars. She was very shy and (singing in the event) was breaking out for her, said Chloe, a choir friend. Danikas friends described her as unique, outspoken and kind to everyone -- even students who didnt seem to like her much. Makayla, her close friend since middle school, noted that she was an avid San Francisco 49ers fan who didnt have the usual teen worries about trying to fit in with school norms. She didnt want to be girlie, Makayla said. Danika was hospitalized with severe injuries after sheriffs deputies responded to the scene Friday, but she died later in the day. Del Mar Principal Jennifer Baldwin informed the students and faculty on the schools web page, announcing that grief counselors were available to everyone on campus. The sheriffs office has jurisdiction over trains operated by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. On Saturday, sheriffs investigators did not provide details about the accident, saying they were interviewing witnesses and reviewing video of the incident. Colleen Valles, a VTA spokeswoman, said the train involved in the accident will be impounded while the incident is being investigated. Meanwhile, Danikas friends tried to remember her best traits on Saturday. Kayla, a classmate, prepared artwork of one of Danikas favorite animated cartoon characters, Homestuck, and pinned it to a telephone pole at the memorial. Students scrawled their memories on the poster. She was like a sister to me in the choir, said Madelyne, another of Danikas friends. She loved to sing. mercurynews/traffic/ci_24942546/san-jose-teen-dies-light-rail-tracks-family ---------------------------------------------------------- Train hits, kills bicyclist in Luling American-Statesman Staff Update 9:09: Police have identified the woman killed as Luling resident Carolyn Spears, 50. A train struck and killed Spears as she rode a bicycle over a railroad crossing at 4:39 p.m. Officials pronounced her dead at 5:58 p.m. at the scene, according to a statement from Luling police chief Bill Sala. Spear was southbound on Walnut Avenue when witnesses saw her ride a bicycle past two vehicles stopped at a railroad crossing and between two lowered railroad crossing arms. A strain struck her as she rode through the crossing, Sala said. This article has been edited to correct the spelling of the victim’s name. Earlier: A Union Pacific train struck and killed a pedestrian at a railroad crossing in Luling Saturday. Officials with Union Pacific Railroad learned of the incident at about 5:30 p.m. A woman walked on to the tracks on North Walnut Avenue ignoring warning gates and signals, according to a spokeswoman with the railroad. statesman/news/news/local/train-hits-kills-woman-in-luling/ncs5q/ ------------------------------------------------------- A man was killed early Saturday after he was struck by a southbound Amtrak train in south Topeka, authorities said. The incident was reported at 12:47 a.m. in the 6200 block of S.W. Topeka Boulevard. Shawnee County sheriff’s authorities were sent to the scene after receiving a report of a man being struck by a train near S.W. University and Topeka Boulevard. Upon arrival, deputies met with members of the train crew, who said they struck a person who had been running alongside the railroad tracks. The crew members told deputies they signaled with their horn and immediately activated the train’s emergency brake system, coming to a complete stop about a half-mile down the line. Deputies found the man north of S.W. University along the west side of the tracks. The man, identified only as being 30 years of age, was taken by American Medical Response ambulance to a local hospital, where he died. None of the train’s crew or passengers was reported injured in the incident, which remains under investigation. Phil Anderson can be reached at (785) 295-1195 or phil.anderson@cjonline. Follow Phil on Twitter @Philreports. Read Phils blog. cjonline/news/2014-01-18/tragedy-tracks-man-dies-when-hit-amtrak-train-south-topeka --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted on: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 01:02:54 +0000
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