BNSF Derailment in Wisconsin. 4/27/23

[Pomperaugrr]

Looks like BNSF derailed in Wisconsin.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/27/us/wisconsin-trail-derailment/index.html


A train derailed Thursday in Ferryville, Wisconsin, south of the Lansing Bridge, according to US Rep. Derrick Van Orden. At least a dozen train cars fell off the tracks.

Images on social media show some of the train cars in the Mississippi River.

The Black Hawk Bridge that connects Lansing, Iowa, to western Wisconsin is down, according to a spokesperson with the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office in Iowa.

[learmoia]

River Flood related?

[nkalanaga]

As the tracks along the river aren't far above the river, or far from it, I wouldn't be surprised.

The Lansing Bridge is a highway bridge.  Does "down" mean "collapsed", or simply "out of service"?

[learmoia]

As the tracks along the river aren't far above the river, or far from it, I wouldn't be surprised.

The Lansing Bridge is a highway bridge.  Does "down" mean "collapsed", or simply "out of service"?

I'd say out of service (likely due to the flooding.. not the railroad derailment.) I've driven across that bridge many times.. unless they rebuilt it.. it's a pretty sketchy metal floor bridge on the Iowa (CPKC) side, but the Wisconsin (BNSF) is more robust..   And there is some low land road stretches between the bridge over the BNSF and the bridge over the main part of the river and CPKC.

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.3741747,-91.2001822,13.71z

[pedro]

They hit a washout at 60. GPS showed they went from 60 to zero in 600’. The track was “floating” above a sinkhole with no ballast. Track had been hi-railed previously in the morning, and I went through there just a couple hours prior. Worst injury was to one of the deadhead crew members who was riding the third motor, a broken collarbone. They were fortunate all things considered. It might have been worse had they not had the momentum to get all three motors across.

[pedro]

The Blackhawk bridge has been down due to high water, not the derailment. It goes on a causeway part of the way that is subject to flooding.

[pedro]

Photo from La Crosse Aerial Photography on Facebook.

[MK]

I see they are building two land bridges/connections to get to the mess.

[jagged ben]

Wow.

[peteski]

As far as the abundance of water goes, does that area always look  like that, or it is one this "wet" due to flooding?

[muktown128]

I was wondering the same thing. 

[learmoia]

Wet(er) due to flooding..

Should show street view of the spot
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.4089485,-91.1927147,3a,75y,184.7h,78.67t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sV9WJGXuBU_ijIc07jVi6gQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Should show street view of the spot

Satellite view
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.4083624,-91.1911903,533m/data=!3m1!1e3

[C855B]

That's my thinking. My guess is there normally isn't standing water in the swale between the RR causeway and the road when the river isn't at flood levels, but there are culverts to equalize the pressure when the river is high. Culverts may have clogged or the river rose so fast that something had to give.

[learmoia]

I'm surprised so many cars made it over vs piling up at/behind the washout.

It must have just been starting to erode under that main and give out under the train.

Why they were going track speed along a flooded river is beyond me. 

~Ian

[nkalanaga]

Because it's flooding for 400 miles, and, if the track is intact, it wouldn't be possible to see most washouts or weak spots from the cab, regardless of speed.  The only other practical option would be to shut the railroad down, possibly for months.

In this case, where it failed under the train, they could very well have lost lives if the train had been going slower, as the locomotives could have ended up in the water.