Coast Starlight hits truck in Ventura County CA, partially derails (6/28/23)

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The question is whether they will try to do a bus bridge and continue the service of 11 and 14 for the day or two it will take to restore the trackage or cut back to Oakland with no alternative transportation south. The normal tendency these days may be the latter, specially will equipment shortage further exacerbated by the derailment.
A bus from Oxnard to LAX would be very doable.
 
crossing right next to a culvert with power lines puts it right here. Just west of where UP takes over and pass the Moorpark station. I expect UP will get the line reopen in under 48 hours. For now Metrolink Ventura line trains will need to end at Moorpark and no idea what surfliner will do
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If that's the spot, here is a shot looking north from 118/Los Angeles Ave. There is a STOP sign (reddish smudge) above a white rectangular sign that typically identifies it as a private crossing...So no gates and no red lights.
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US needs to start enforcing laws against level crossing violations seriously. As in cameras, and loss of license/registration for a year or two if you run the gates plus fines equal to 10% of the value of your vehicle.
Enforcement yes, but this was a private at grade crossing. No warning lights or gates. Did he stop? Or just go for it? Cameras in the engine will help tell the story. 10% fine is a nothing burger. In this case it was a county truck, so the insurance or taxpayer would pay.
In addition to more fines I'd suggest whoever owns a vehicle caught fouling a crossing should have to reapply for any licensing, bonding, and accreditation required to remain in business and must raise their insurance high enough to cover all costs likely to occur from impacting a train in the region of operation.
Higher insurance is been fought over. Not that will improve anything in a multi-million wreck.

Reapplying for licenses means nothing. Unless it has change the company executive can not reapply for a trucking license, when they lose there authority to operate.
Individually the circumstances are not yet known. Collectively is it easy to see that America's trucking/shipping companies, construction/maintenance firms, and farmers represent 99% of the threat to life, limb, and property at grade crossings and that the fault almost always lies with the vehicle owner or operator.
Most accidents between a car and truck is the cars fault. 100% of the grade crossings are the operator fault. Ok that not true, but this type of collision it’s the truck operator fault. I have called in failed grade crossing system, only to watch a train slow down but never stop before charging by it.
If that's the spot, here is a shot looking north from 118/Los Angeles Ave. There is a STOP sign (reddish smudge) above a white rectangular sign that typically identifies it as a private crossing...So no gates and no red lights.
View attachment 33016
More to the point there a gate to access the farm. So no public use here.

It seem the driver was injured and did not get clear of the truck, that why we have not yet seen his story. My trucks camera have been update, I now have a driver facing camera with audio capture. Insurance requirements it seems. The technology is still be worked on however, the system will give instructions and there are a bit off. “Please slow down” when it miss reads an exits speed limit sign. Sorry the two other system say 60mph, my two eyes saw 60mph, the truck was at 59mph. It read the exit speed limited sign.

Anyways I hope the people recover from there injuries.
 
On July 9th the SWC brought 2 trainsets on a mega trainset so I think LAX should have no problem finding cars to build a entire trainset for 14 out of LAX. I also know there was plenty of cars in SEA too when I took 8 back from SEA on the 14th alao they probably have spares in Oakland too one would have to assume.
I think those were for the SWC because it had been experience a bunch of delays and cancellations that week. They had to reposition some sets.
 
On July 9th the SWC brought 2 trainsets on a mega trainset so I think LAX should have no problem finding cars to build an entire trainset for 14 out of LAX. I also know there was plenty of cars in SEA too when I took 8 back from SEA on the 14th alao they probably have spares in Oakland too one would have to assume.
Do you mean June 9th?
 
Why is it that all these incidents seem to have more persons watching than actual making sure operations or movement successful?
You’re talking about the recovery process?
The cleanup crew, the owners of the track, Amtrak personal, investigator, insurance adjuster, outside transportation. A lot of bodies waiting for there turn to do something. Standard hurry and wait operation.
 
The loco has a lot of damage, but all of the cars remained upright, so are they undamaged?
No, there is a good possibility of damage to the running gear/brake rigging. All the cars will require a thorough inspection before being returned to service at the very least.

If the damage is fairly light, 8th St Yard in LA should be able to handle it and the cars will not have to be returned to Beech Grove.

The cars should be being returned to 8th St in a hospital train at low speed, since their brakes and running gear will be considered unreliable.
 
A Conductor on the Eaglet once told me that when you see "Service disruption" in Arkansas or Missouri, it almost invariably relates to someone with a long trailer trying to get across a private grade crossing, getting stuck, then a lot of time trying to get free without calling it in.
 
A Conductor on the Eaglet once told me that when you see "Service disruption" in Arkansas or Missouri, it almost invariably relates to someone with a long trailer trying to get across a private grade crossing, getting stuck, then a lot of time trying to get free without calling it in.
That is consistant with the wreck last year in NW Missouri, but this truck was hit in the cab, yet the driver wasn't injured? The crossing looks pretty level, and there is excellent visibility.
 
That is consistant with the wreck last year in NW Missouri, but this truck was hit in the cab, yet the driver wasn't injured? The crossing looks pretty level, and there is excellent visibility.
The driver was injured. Visibility is excellent only in one direction. The other direction is a left turn on to the grade crossing. One bets money that was his direction of travel. Still no excuse, you should be extra careful but much more understandable on what happened and how the driver failed to react correctly to the train. Of course lower his window down and taking a direct look down the tracks is what should of been done.
 
Amtrak has additionally canceled #11 on July 1 and 2. I had rebooked our 6/30 reservation to 7/1. Just notified that too was canceled, and when trying to rebook to 7/2, that also was canceled. Flying to the convention instead.
 
I was originally booked on yesterday's #11 Starlight from Portland to Paso Robles and rebooked for July 2nd. I just received a message from Amtrak saying the July 2 train is cancelled. Anyone know what is going on? This is the conclusion leg of a circle trip that took us to Glacier National Park. We are waiting in a hotel in Portland right now, with expenses piling up ---
 
A Starlight consist is out of service, and I believe some other consists aren't in their normal positions. Could be the reason why.
 
Surfliner is running normal service so it's either residual crew/equipment issues or something else north of SLO.

Twitter has (temporarily?) changed to requiring an account to view Tweets, so I can only look back at AmtrakAlerts on Amtrak's site. Nothing posted there within the past 24 hours.
 
Surfliner is running normal service so it's either residual crew/equipment issues or something else north of SLO.

Twitter has (temporarily?) changed to requiring an account to view Tweets, so I can only look back at AmtrakAlerts on Amtrak's site. Nothing posted there within the past 24 hours.
The Surfliner did not lose an entire consist as the Coast Starlight did.
Emeryville has facilities (Oakland) for turning and servicing a train set which SLO and SBA do not have. So for the time being, 11 is terminating and 14 is originating in EMY.
 
The Surfliner did not lose an entire consist as the Coast Starlight did.
Emeryville has facilities (Oakland) for turning and servicing a train set which SLO and SBA do not have. So for the time being, 11 is terminating and 14 is originating in EMY.
Right now Amtrak.com is showing the train cancelled entirely from July 1 through July 7, it isn't even shown as running between Seattle and Emeryville. The first 11 is July 8 and the first 14 is July 9.

That certainly is not due to track repair.

If it is real, it may be a reflection of an attempt to pull together another consist to replace the wrecked one. Past experience shows it is also possibly the long cancellation is a transient artifact in the reservation system while they adjust things and may not last that long. 14(29), now enroute to Seattle, is not going to turn as 11(1) tomorrow. And 11(30) is not running.

At the very least it seems like they do not want Starlight consists in Emeryville.

Update: further posts show the Schedules tab is unreliable when a route is partly cancelled. The Starlight is running SEA-EMY
 
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Right now Amtrak.com is showing the train cancelled entirely from July 1 through July 7, it isn't even shown as running between Seattle and Emeryville. The first 11 is July 8 and the first 14 is July 9.

That certainly is not due to track repair.

If it is real, it may be a reflection of an attempt to pull together another consist to replace the wrecked one. Past experience shows it is also possibly the long cancellation is a transient artifact in the reservation system while they adjust things and may not last that long. 14(29), now enroute to Seattle, is not going to turn as 11(1) tomorrow. And 11(30) is not running.

At the very least it seems like they do not want Starlight consists in Emeryville.
Just looked...seeing #14 EMY>SEA on 7/1 and on. #11 showing "Sold Out" on 7/1 and 7/2 and available on 7/3.
#11 SEA>LAX on 7/10 as you stated above.

Under a "normal" schedule #11 arrives EMY in AM and #14 departs in evening so, the trainset would only be there during the day. Assuming it is "turned".
Servicing could take place in nearby Oakland.
 
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A thought about the complete Starlight cancellation. Once 14 arrives in Seattle tonight there will be two consists in Seattle and one in LA. It would appear to me the plan is to hold off restarting until there is another consist in LA. Then start service by dispatching one Seattle consist the day before the first one out of LA, that allows LA to dispatch two consists before the first one from Seattle arrives, re-establishing the normal cycle.

I hold some small hope that the long delay reflects that they think at least some of cars of the wreck consist can be inspected, repaired and restored to roadworthy condition by 8th St Yard in the interim.

Update: the speculation here on consist positioning was based on erroneous information from the Schedules tab. The Starlight is running SEA-EMY
 
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