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Guest_Gingee
Guest
What is the safety (like train crashes) and on time record of the Empire?
Thanks
You guys are great.
Thanks
You guys are great.
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capltd29
Lead Service Attendant
Well, as far as safety goes, BNSF maintains their track pretty well.
There were 2 derailments a few months ago, both of them Minor and fatality free. One was in the Columbia Gorge, i believe, and the other was just outside of the Milwaukee Amtrak Station.
The Empire Builder has one of the better OTP records of the LD trains.
When are you traveling?
I'll be boarding train 7 in Milwaukee on July 25th and getting off in West Glacier, MT.
Jon
There were 2 derailments a few months ago, both of them Minor and fatality free. One was in the Columbia Gorge, i believe, and the other was just outside of the Milwaukee Amtrak Station.
The Empire Builder has one of the better OTP records of the LD trains.
When are you traveling?
I'll be boarding train 7 in Milwaukee on July 25th and getting off in West Glacier, MT.
Jon
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Guest_Gingee
Guest
Oh we won't travel until next June. Those accidents (that you mentioned) were they in a dangerous spot?
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Guest_Gingee
Guest
What is the Columbia Gorge?
It is located along the Columbia River on the borders of Washington and Oregon. Gorge would be like a canyon, a steep hillside on both sides. It's the most breathtaking view which I've passed through twice while driving.Guest_Gingee said:
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railfangns
Guest
2 Empire Builder derailments in Montana
They derailed in Saco Mt several years ago putting several cars over on their sides.And a minor derailment of the eastbound train in Essex Mt about 3 years ago they put everyone up at the Izaak Walton Inn until around midnight. The people who manage the inn told me about it they brought the food out of the dining car and cooked it and fed the builder passengers at the inns restaurant. I believe this was in January when the winter weather was at its worst.Also i remember seeing a picture in trains magazine of the builder that had a derailment in wisconsin that heavily damaged 2 f40ph diesels.
They derailed in Saco Mt several years ago putting several cars over on their sides.And a minor derailment of the eastbound train in Essex Mt about 3 years ago they put everyone up at the Izaak Walton Inn until around midnight. The people who manage the inn told me about it they brought the food out of the dining car and cooked it and fed the builder passengers at the inns restaurant. I believe this was in January when the winter weather was at its worst.Also i remember seeing a picture in trains magazine of the builder that had a derailment in wisconsin that heavily damaged 2 f40ph diesels.
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Gene Herd
Guest
Same train, different subject: It's a nice ride, but The Empire Builder isn't my favorite route for scenery. Its schedule places it in the middle of the best scenery in the middle of the night. Still, it's a nice long ride.
Minimax
Minimax
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Guest_Gingee
Guest
Details, details. LOL
I hope their derailments weren't over gorges or something like that.
I hope their derailments weren't over gorges or something like that.
If you'd like to see my Empire Builder trip [ictures, click the link:
Empire Builder Trip Pictures
Tom
Empire Builder Trip Pictures
Tom
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Guest_Gingee
Guest
Thanks for sharing your pictures. Okay, where are your gorge pictures?
Here's the eye opener!Guest_Gingee said:
We were on the Seattle partt, not Portland, so didn't see the Gorge.
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- Feb 18, 2003
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If we are into gorge and trestle stories, the highest railroad trestle bridge in the world (at the time) was the Kinzua Bridge built by the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad and Coal Company (later part of the Erie Railroad) in 1882. Located in northwestern Pennsylvania, it spanned nearly a half-mile at a height of 301 feet. The trestle was reconstructed in 1900 and remained in service until 1959. More recently it was used for a tourist railroad and later became the centerpiece of a state park.
Note that in the first sentence I referred to the bridge in the past tense. That was not a grammar error. On July 21, 2003, a series of severe thunderstorms moved through the gorge area, spawned a couple of small (F1) tornadoes, and when the dust cleared, the mighty Kinzua Bridge was gone. The high crosswinds literally blew the bridge over into a tangled pile of steel. Ironically, a crew that had been hired by the state to repair and reinforce the bridge witnessed the collapse. The subsequent forensic analysis of the failure indicated the repairs would not have prevented the collapse.
The state park web site has more details on the bridge and the failure along with some great photos. If you are a techno-nerd like me, the linked Board of Inquiry report gives in-depth analysis of the failure with drawings, photos, and even an animation (very large files, so dial-up will not work). Bottom line: it is very, very rare, but things that man builds can sometimes fall down.
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/par...nzuabridge.aspx
Note that in the first sentence I referred to the bridge in the past tense. That was not a grammar error. On July 21, 2003, a series of severe thunderstorms moved through the gorge area, spawned a couple of small (F1) tornadoes, and when the dust cleared, the mighty Kinzua Bridge was gone. The high crosswinds literally blew the bridge over into a tangled pile of steel. Ironically, a crew that had been hired by the state to repair and reinforce the bridge witnessed the collapse. The subsequent forensic analysis of the failure indicated the repairs would not have prevented the collapse.
The state park web site has more details on the bridge and the failure along with some great photos. If you are a techno-nerd like me, the linked Board of Inquiry report gives in-depth analysis of the failure with drawings, photos, and even an animation (very large files, so dial-up will not work). Bottom line: it is very, very rare, but things that man builds can sometimes fall down.
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/par...nzuabridge.aspx
