Regretably, there is one fatality and some 12-15 injuries.

However, with the Superliners returned to service under the wreck rebuild program, I'm willing to bet Amtrak will be OK on car supply through the peak travel season.

But let's focus on the irreplacable loss several families have suffered.

[This message has been edited by Gilbert B Norman (edited 04-06-2004).]
 

"...nine of the train's cars left the tracks about 25 miles north of Jackson and toppled onto their sides..."
in Yazoo County, north bound train about 7 pm, April 6, 2004.
Manifest showed 72 passenger, 12 crew
one confirmed dead

Pictures on TV look like it is on a slightly elevated track. The passenger cars are on their sides and a rescue working is walking on top (the actual side) of what appears to eb a sleeper based on the lower level window configuration.
 

Approximately 80 injured, according to come reports... that would be nearly everyone on the train! According to one report, there are two critically wounded and both are Amtrak employees.

I'm not so sure that the equipment supply will be OK. As far as I know, Amtrak is still fielding all available equipment and doesn't have many cars on reserve. 8 cars is a huge number to lose at one time. But I could be wrong.

No info yet on a cause... the FBI sent agents to the scene to investigate. Let's pray that it's mechanical and not deliberate...
 

Approximately 80 injured, according to come reports... that would be nearly everyone on the train! According to one report, there are two critically wounded and both are Amtrak employees.

I'm not so sure that the equipment supply will be OK. As far as I know, Amtrak is still fielding all available equipment and doesn't have many cars on reserve. 8 cars is a huge number to lose at one time. But I could be wrong.

No info yet on a cause... the FBI sent agents to the scene to investigate. Let's pray that it's mechanical and not deliberate...
 

"That particular stretch of track has always been rough. It's built upon shifting gumbo. It's in the Yazoo District. Having ridden through there a several times in both directions, I call it the YAHOOoo District. A trip or two after one I took, some lady got up from her seat in the dining car and was thrown against the window sill, breaking her collar bone.

"Canadian National owns that railroad now. I don't know whether the parallel Granada District will handle detours. The more scenic and shorter Granada, because its track goes up and down low hills and thus is more expensive for long friehgts to operate on, no longer handles through traffic. The City had to be moved over to the Yazoo."
 

Considering the last time I rode the line north, in the mid 80's when the Grenada district still was the passenger line, I believe for a while ICG oerated it as a paired track with most northbound freights on Grenada District and southbound on Yazoo district. Does anybody know?

It would take megabucks to get the Grenada District back in shape for main line use. The rail needs 100% replacement, as it is mostly 60+ years old 112RE. Then, probably about 50% new ties, replace signals, on and on.

In fact, there is no viable detour. The old Y&MV Delta line from Baton Rouge north through Vicksburg and Leland to Memphis is gone, as is teh old GM&N Laurel to New Albany. Only the fomer M&O line Corinth to Tupelo to Meridian is still in place. Do not know its condition, but would be surprised if it is over 40 mph. It was 25 mph in ICG days, and may in part still be.

It would probably be faster to go up the NS to Birmingham and then BNSF (old Frisco) to Memphis.

ICRR has done a good job of trying to get out of the railroad business in the state of Mississippi by abandonments and sell offs.

As to the soils: I forget the exact numbers, but of the various types of expansive clays that occur in the United States, more than half can be found in part or in total within the state of Mississippi. I-20 between Jackson and Vicksburg used to be exciting, to say the least. In fact, Mississippi State University is the national leader in research on the subject.

The Illinois Centtral has not been known as a smooth track railroad in my lifetime. As a regular rider on the old daytime City of New Orleans out of Memphis north in the early 60's, I will say, they were fast, but hold on.
 

From the pictures, the cars are on their sides off a trestle about 10 to 12 feet high.

Also, go to the first page of trainweb.com then click on the derailment and go to first article, at least as is there right now, under the Yahoo News that comes up, and to slideshow. It appears that engine is upright just off north end of bridge. Also, from this train is off east side of bridge, and east rail is missing on bridge, but whether this is cause or result, who knows at this time.
 

At the time I rode, ride quality was good, but then the track had just been upgraded. I don't remember the ride being especially fast; many curves.

I find it odd that one rail is altogether missing in the photo. It's much too early, though, to even speculate on a cause.
 

Ride quality north of Jackson at that time was about the worst I've ever experienced on a bi-level Amtrak train. Lots of jerks and getting tossed about......I was nearly knocked out while trying to get into my berth (standard room) when a jolt tossed me headfirst into the wall. It was one of the few times in my life that I honestly was afraid that the train I was riding might leave the tracks at any moment.

Things seemed to improve a bit north of Memphis.

------------------
David Pressley
 

------------------
David Pressley
 

------------------
--Anton L.
pillsbury09@excite.com
AIM: pillsburyMN
 

"Part of the track was missing from the rail bed. It was not clear how the track had been displaced."

Interesting to say the least.

See full article at:
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040407/NEWS01/40407009
 

I believe the 136lb CWR goes back to the late 70's early 1980's when the ICG began to (finally) pour some serious money into track. I know I was riding the City a few times during the early 80's and once heard the conductor bragging that they had only one slow order between Memphis and Canton MS.

The "many curves" are primarily a symptom of a built cheap original alignment. The country is practically flat from Yazoo City north.

To Italiancanuck: I have some thoughts on cause, which I will certainly not put in print at this time. But I do not believe it likely that the train hit anyting bigger than a possom or armadillo, or possibly a deer.

The site is described as being "near the Yazoo - Madison county line" If so, this places it in teh Big Black River bottoms because the county line is defined by the Big Black River, which despite its name is not really a major river. It is in a bottom land about three miles wide. South of the river there are a series of road crossings about one mile apart which could explain the whistle blowing. Whistle blowing not explained by a road crossing might relate to trying ot scare a deer off the track, or someone walking too close to the track.

To notelvis: The rather miserable soil conditions prevailing in this area make it difficult to keep track smooth, which is a fact of life for railroads operating in central Mississippi. Some of the roads ain't so hot either for the same reason. Also, generally railroads tend to try to solve their problems with ballast ties, and rails even when the problem is deeper because of the cost and disruption associated with subgrade work. One old roadmaster trying to keep a track good for coal trains and not being allowed subgrade work grumbled that it was like trying to have a two story brick house on a tarpaper shack foundation.
 

82, 1223, 32036, 38009, 33013, 31592, 34069, 34087, 32005, 34135.

Car 34135 was deadheading from NOL to CHI and was most likely on its way to Beech Grove as it came out of Sanford, FL on train 1(4) as a deadhead. Normally this car is from the AutoTrain pool.
 

I even thought that next time I would bring a flashlight just in case of a derailment at night. weird eh?

I also thought , overall, the tracks seemed smoother in Mississippi than Illinois.

We did get thrown around quite often but again, I figured there is some normalcy to this. Once, my 2 year old after a big bump said, "i don't like this train momma." After reading some of these posts, i take it most other trains are smoother than the City of New Orleans?
 

------------------
--Anton L.
pillsbury09@excite.com
AIM: pillsburyMN
 

As for him wanting Amtrak to accept highter fault, my question is why? Amtrak runs majority on borrowed rails. It's not them who is maintaining the rails. For once, will somebody point the finger at the freight railroads. People need realize the facts before they shoot their mouth off and pointing their fingers.
 

Ian Thomson, a spokesman for Canadian-based CN Railway Company, which owns the tracks, said the span in the derailment area had been inspected on Sunday and no problems were found. He also said two freight trains had traveled the same tracks the afternoon of the accident the crews had reported "very smooth runs."

The train's data recorder showed its speed reduced from 78 mph to a dead stop at about 6:33 p.m. Tuesday, NTSB Vice Chairman Mark Rosenker said at a Wednesday evening briefing, and investigators said it appears that the emergency handle had been pulled.
 

FLORA, Miss. (AP) _ The engineer aboard the City of New Orleans reported seeing "some sort of misalignment in the rail" shortly before the Amtrak passenger train spilled into a swampy area of Central Mississippi, federal investigators said Thursday.

One person died and dozens were injured in Tuesday's derailment in Yazoo County about 25 miles north of Jackson.

"He applied his brakes. Six seconds later, he reported seeing the right rail roll over in front of him," Mark Rosenker, vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said following interviews with the engineer.
 

"Some passengers have been visited in their motel rooms by attorneys" forgot where I saw that one.

See www.clarionledger.com (The Jackson, Mississippi main newpaper) April 9, 2004, Cars removed from derailment site; passenger traffic resumes

It quotes one man described as "a mechanical engineer and attorney, has represented plaintiffs in lawsuits involving six Amtrak crashes since 1987."

My personal opinion about the veracity of what he is quoted as saying I will not say aloud in public, since he is what he is, but let's say it is not very positive.

[This message has been edited by George Harris (edited 04-11-2004).]