South Shore Derailment, Michigan City.

Anything pertaining to railfanning in Indiana.
User avatar
Jochs
Iron Horse Whisperer
Posts: 7279
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 4:52 pm
Location: On my laptop!

South Shore Derailment, Michigan City.

Unread post by Jochs »

Service on the South Shore has been suspended today due to a derailment of a passenger train in Michigan City, IN.
http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/South-Sh ... y/38479078
This link has a couple of photos:
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/upda ... b6eb1.html
Fortunately there were no injuries.
Jeff O.
Celebrating 11 years dial-up free!

(18:36:45) MagnumForce: Railfanning is way more fun when you stop caring about locomotives and signals
(19:11:29) cbehr91: I can't believe I'm +1ing Brent but +1

User avatar
justalurker66
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 1964
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2011 2:51 am

Re: South Shore Derailment, Michigan City.

Unread post by justalurker66 »

The third photo at NWI is misleading (a stock photo taken at East Chicago). I wish there was a wider shot of the actual accident scene. It looks like the train split a switch coming out of the yard with part of the train following the intended track and the other part following the CSS track north of the main line ... but it is hard to tell without a wider picture.

It is certainly not one of those "dropped a couple wheels into the ballast" derailments.

9xs
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 353
Joined: Thu Jan 07, 2016 10:37 pm

Re: South Shore Derailment, Michigan City.

Unread post by 9xs »

Service restored as of 5:45 eastern

Dave

dinwitty
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 19
Joined: Mon Aug 30, 2010 3:26 pm

Re: South Shore Derailment, Michigan City.

Unread post by dinwitty »

I just learned more how it happenned. My father attended the NICTD meeting, crews were readying the 8 car train to South Bend, engineer in east end, conductor on west end. There were multiple facets that contributed to the accident.
The train was pulling out of the usual yard exit westbound, engineer on the east end, conductor on the west. The freight crew working the NKP turnout did not align the turnout back to the main, this turnout is a manual turnout, the dispatcher has no remote indication to this turnout. There is no overhead on the switch off (but used to be).
The train took the NKP switch diverging, this dewired the pantagraphs, it seems there was a problem with the turnout so one truck went north, the other went straight and split the switch, they stopped, in the effort to return the other way the pans snagged the overhead.

Had the conductor seen the thrown switch this would not have happenned.

South Shore immediately called in a mass crew and got the line going, just as impressive as the crew called in when a UP coal train damaged track a few years ago, the line was fixed in one day.

User avatar
justalurker66
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 1964
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2011 2:51 am

Re: South Shore Derailment, Michigan City.

Unread post by justalurker66 »

dinwitty wrote:The freight crew working the NKP turnout did not align the turnout back to the main, this turnout is a manual turnout, the dispatcher has no remote indication to this turnout.
That is surprising. The switch machine certainly looks like a remote or dual controlled switch. If it is the switch I believe you are refering to, it is between the two sets of interlocking signals. To the west is the diamond and connection to the southbound NKP. To the east is the yard connections (two yard tracks and the main line to South Bend.

There are two sets of signals at CP 32.2 ... The east set guards the yard connections and has an eastbound signal on the "wrong side" of the tracks by the platform. The west set guards the diamond with the westbound near the diamond and an eastbound west of the NKP turnout. The NE corner connection has a signal governing movement to the main line.

It is hard to imagine this switch not having an indication. Even if it were treated like any other manual industrial switch there should be some shunt or indication when the switch is not aligned for the main.

If you are referring to a switch further east (on Y-1) that should be part of the interlocking.

dinwitty
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 19
Joined: Mon Aug 30, 2010 3:26 pm

Re: South Shore Derailment, Michigan City.

Unread post by dinwitty »

I'm just a messenger, I presume one of the switches works the interchange with the NKP and may not had ever had any interlocking applied, perhaps a simple ground throw, but as noted the dispatcher does not have indication of the turnout, you have to visually look at the turnout.

Post Reply