Train derails; bridge out at Marietta

 

 

By Justin McIntosh, [email protected]

 

Eight CSX rail cars filled with coal derailed from their tracks near Ohio 7 outside Marietta early this morning, sending several of them crashing down from the Virginia Street train bridge which also collapsed onto the roadway below.

 

No one was reported injured in the incident that occurred around 2 a.m. The train cars contained only coal, so there was no threat of spilled chemicals or other hazardous materials. As a precaution, prior to moving any of the crashed train cars, CSX employees requested representatives from Dominion East Ohio come to the scene to check on a gas supply line beneath some of the wreckage, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

 

Source: Ohio Highway Patrol.

http://www.mariettatimes.com/news/story/new21_1219200583848.asp

It's not uncommon for a serious derailment on a bridge to take down the bridge; errant rail cars damage a major structural element of the bridge, and down it goes. Most major bridges, especially truss bridges, have "guard rails," additional rails spiked down between the running rails, to try to keep derailed cars from going off to the side and tearing out trusses. Of course, even the guard rails can't contain a major pile-up.

Special report:CSX train wreck: Railroad offers few answers

 

 

By Justin McIntosh, [email protected]

 

An inspection five months ago on the Marietta railroad bridge that collapsed early Monday sending coal cars tumbling onto Virginia Street showed no problems with the bridge, said an official with CSX.

 

The lack of problems with the bridge from yearly inspections is clouding the investigation into why the bridge failed as a train loaded with coal passed on it. Few answers as to why it happened were available from the company on Monday.

 

http://www.mariettatimes.com/news/story/new21_1220200582319.asp

Special report:CSX train wreck: Lucky timing along Virginia Street

 

By Connie Cartmell, [email protected]

 

The pre-dawn derailment of a coal train at the edge of Marietta’s Harmar Village early Monday morning was bad enough in itself but had the potential to be incredibly more serious.

 

About 1,730 cars travel Virginia Street under the railroad bridge each day, mostly in the hours when residents are traveling to or from work or school.

 

The fact that the bridge collapsed at 2 a.m. on a Monday morning, instead of 8 a.m. or 4 p.m., was a source of relief for residents since it meant that traffic on the street was minimal to none at all.

 

http://www.mariettatimes.com/news/story/new32_1220200582319.asp

Bridge ruled out as cause of train wreck

 

 

By Justin McIntosh, [email protected]

 

State and federal railroad inspectors have ruled out a faulty bridge as the cause of Monday morning’s derailment of eight coal-filled rail cars near Virginia Street just outside Marietta.

 

The preliminary findings back up a July 6 routine inspection by CSX Transportation, of Jack-sonville, Fla., that found no concern over the bridge’s safety. Officials have yet to determine what caused the rail cars to leave their tracks.

 

An official with CSX would not confirm the findings and said it would still be a few weeks before the railroad’s own investigation into the accident is complete.

 

http://www.mariettatimes.com/news/story/new21_1221200582907.asp

Details on the final report....

 

 

CSX files its report on train derailment

By Diana DeCola, [email protected]

 

The final CSX report regarding the Dec. 19 derailment that caused the train bridge on Virginia Street to collapse has been filed with the Federal Railroad Administration, a CSX spokeswoman said Tuesday.

 

Neal F. Zimmers, vice president for CSX in Ohio, previously had said the cause of the wreck was an internal fault in the track itself, a problem no larger than the size of a dime. Engineers with CSX said this type of defect is very rare and can only be detected by X-ray, an inspection that is done only once a year.

 

http://www.mariettatimes.com/news/story/new66_212006125451.asp