Woah ... Train smashed into Semi truck in Pecos, video

[Herbie Hancock 7530]

Wait, what?  If that proves to be true, there are more than one persons who need to be prosecuted.

I’ll take my lumps if it is disproven, but currently I have no reason to doubt the information I’ve been given.

[Murfdogg21 4622]

Will this impact my Amazon delivery before Christmas?

[Brisketexan 107145]

40 minutes ago, Murfdogg21 said:

Will this impact my Amazon delivery before Christmas?

I wouldn't worry about that.  Bezos will just require his local crews to work 23 hours a day instead of their normal 22 hour shifts.

[Deej 78076]

54 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

I wouldn't worry about that.  Bezos will just require his local crews to work 23 hours a day instead of their normal 22 hour shifts.

That divorce ain't gonna pay for itself.

[Pato del Muerto 53766]

58 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

I wouldn't worry about that.  Bezos will just require his local crews to work 23 hours a day instead of their normal 22 hour shifts.

 

4 minutes ago, Deej said:

That divorce ain't gonna pay for itself.

Teamsters may not go for that this week

[Steel Shank 9577]

Maybe this is all just a big misunderstanding?

[Judge Roybeanbag 11866]

36 minutes ago, Steel Shank said:

Maybe this is all just a big misunderstanding?

That train sure laid some pipe.

[Steel Shank 9577]

No doubt. Very erotic.

[Iceman 2999]

You're in Pecos Texas, you know the flatbed trailer is high centered on a rail crossing.

Nobody had a big fucking tractor to take care of shit in 45 minutes?  I guess canteloupes farm themselves.

I mean, besides calling the train folks at UP.

Neither of those things happened?

Edited December 20 by Iceman

[JohnnyRage 1617]

4 hours ago, Murfdogg21 said:

Will this impact my Amazon delivery before Christmas?

Yes-ish. Supposedly packages from California destined for parts of Texas. Don't see any obvious in the derailed cars picture though.

Edited December 20 by JohnnyRage

[Da Fino 2826]

2 hours ago, Steel Shank said:

Maybe this is all just a big misunderstanding?

There’s a decent chance that it was called in but UP thought it would be cleared in time. PSR relies on keeping those things moving. 

[atomheartbevo 90845]

2 hours ago, JohnnyRage said:

Yes-ish. Supposedly packages from California destined for parts of Texas. Don't see any obvious in the derailed cars picture though.

Oh fuck, you're saying Santa may have to run down the nearest Target or Wally-World?

[Samson's Wig 3244]

My grandfather had two train accidents in his life while living in a small town with fast trains and zero signals, signs, alerts, etc.   Both times, it happened at night, and the intersection had no lighting outside of whatever moonlight might be shining.   The first time, the train hit him as he crossed right in front of it.  The second time, he hit the train because he didn't see it.

 

Both times, he was drunk.

[CycleTex87 3049]

RIP to the train employees.  Sucks that they saw this coming (presumably), and nothing they could do about it.  

The object hit is a natural gas fractionation tower for a gas plant being delivered for installation, somewhere in the Delaware Basin.  Some project manager somewhere shit his pants because his project just took a 8-12 month vacation.

[Pato del Muerto 53766]

13 hours ago, Iceman said:

You're in Pecos Texas, you know the flatbed trailer is high centered on a rail crossing.

Nobody had a big fucking tractor to take care of shit in 45 minutes?  I guess canteloupes farm themselves.

I mean, besides calling the train folks at UP.

Neither of those things happened?

I also have to wonder if that’s a product that needs to take that road. Don’t those kind of wide or oversized loads pre-plan their route to be sure there are no issues like narrow lanes or sharp turns, low bridges, or I don’t know hill crests with high point issues?

[High Plains Drifter 11197]

50 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

I also have to wonder if that’s a product that needs to take that road. Don’t those kind of wide or oversized loads pre-plan their route to be sure there are no issues like narrow lanes or sharp turns, low bridges, or I don’t know hill crests with high point issues?

 

See that would take intelligence, pre-planning, work, and common sense. So the answer to your question is either "no" or "yes, but it was pre-planned by lazy idiots." 

 

 

[Deej 78076]

1 hour ago, Samson's Wig said:

My grandfather had two train accidents in his life while living in a small town with fast trains and zero signals, signs, alerts, etc.   Both times, it happened at night, and the intersection had no lighting outside of whatever moonlight might be shining.   The first time, the train hit him as he crossed right in front of it.  The second time, he hit the train because he didn't see it.

 

Both times, he was drunk.

Yeah, it was the lack of signals and darkness. 

[RPM 26707]

(sniff) I coulda got the truck off there in 2 minutes with a few wood blocks.

[Samson's Wig 3244]

4 hours ago, Deej said:

Yeah, it was the lack of signals and darkness. 

lol.  I was just setting the scene for the reveal at the end.  It was definitely his fault both times.  He's long passed, so he won't mind me saying so. 

[fattyflattie 4640]

5 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

I also have to wonder if that’s a product that needs to take that road. Don’t those kind of wide or oversized loads pre-plan their route to be sure there are no issues like narrow lanes or sharp turns, low bridges, or I don’t know hill crests with high point issues?

Unless there's a way to barge it, it's going to go over road or rail.   Those towers are too large for rail, even if they did want to deal with the +/- 6 week schedule the rail offers you.  Having done (and hated) doing heavy haul for a living for a spell, I can tell you that the rail roads were far and away the most difficult of all entities to deal with.  They largely give 0 fucks about what you need to do to cross their tracks (typically removal of the arms/fixed overhead lights), charge out the ass to move them (think 15-20k for a 2 man crew to come swing them in for you to pass in 10 mins, then swing them back) and will try and push railpro's on you at any opportunity.   So unless you are with one of the premier heavy haul outfits, most of those guys just do what they need to do as far as the RR crossings go.   The only attentive one I ever got was on a haul south of Atlanta out in the middle of nowhere, out of dozens of interactions with several lines.    Those towers dont sit on shelves, @CycleTex87 nailed it, someone going to have a lonely foundation on a site somewhere.

[jimmyjazz 47497]

6 hours ago, CycleTex87 said:

somewhere in the Delaware Basin.

Wow, that dude was LOST.

[CycleTex87 3049]

8 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

I also have to wonder if that’s a product that needs to take that road. Don’t those kind of wide or oversized loads pre-plan their route to be sure there are no issues like narrow lanes or sharp turns, low bridges, or I don’t know hill crests with high point issues?

Yes, it’s called a route survey and it’s absolutely done for this kind of load and the route is planned meticulously. I don’t know why the guy high centered on the tracks but sometimes things come up that is unexpected or whatever.  No idea why they can’t call the railroad (if that in fact didn’t happen) and warn any train traffic.  It’s on the trucking company though to get the load there safely. 

[CycleTex87 3049]

I will also say that that train track along I20 past Midland/Odessa, Monahans, and Pecos is VERY busy like all day and all night trains are rolling through there. There was an accident some years ago where a parade got stuck on the train track in Midland, and the train came through and hit the trailer that had a bunch of disabled veterans, killing several of them.  Terrible.  

[Pato del Muerto 53766]

So stopping a train means more than stopping one train, huh. 

[CycleTex87 3049]

Indeed. 

[ztejas 44328]

Maybe these guys schemed the truck getting stuck on the tracks.

[cmontexas 3388]

CSB I used to be a UPS driver. Well I had never really driven a standard but I had proved myself to be a competant warehouse worker so they overlooked my struggles with the transmission during the training period in anticipation of me figuring it out and becoming a hard working delivery driver.

My first day on my own was a Friday and the supervisor who trained me had off that day. Also because it was Friday the driver on the route next to mine had an early request for that day so a significant chunk of his route was shifted over to my route. No big deal I thought I'll just go deliver it.

This section was right off Vickery Blvd in Fort Worth next to 183 and led to a bunch of apartments. I was coming back from that area and turning back onto Vickery when I stopped at the light short of the railroad tracks. The light turns green, I start to go, I fuck up the clutch operation and the truck dies out. Right on top of the railroad tracks. The cars behind me went around me and gave me dirty looks.

Right as this happens the rail crossing lights and buzzer start going off. The arm of the railroad crossing comes down on top of the UPS truck. In front of me traffic is moving 45 mph+. Finally I get it started and in reverse and back up off the track. I could see the damn train coming.

The next Monday I told this story to my supervisor/trainer. He told me to never tell anyone that story lol

[mininghorn88 2343]

15 hours ago, cmontexas said:

CSB I used to be a UPS driver. Well I had never really driven a standard but I had proved myself to be a competant warehouse worker so they overlooked my struggles with the transmission during the training period in anticipation of me figuring it out and becoming a hard working delivery driver.

My first day on my own was a Friday and the supervisor who trained me had off that day. Also because it was Friday the driver on the route next to mine had an early request for that day so a significant chunk of his route was shifted over to my route. No big deal I thought I'll just go deliver it.

This section was right off Vickery Blvd in Fort Worth next to 183 and led to a bunch of apartments. I was coming back from that area and turning back onto Vickery when I stopped at the light short of the railroad tracks. The light turns green, I start to go, I fuck up the clutch operation and the truck dies out. Right on top of the railroad tracks. The cars behind me went around me and gave me dirty looks.

Right as this happens the rail crossing lights and buzzer start going off. The arm of the railroad crossing comes down on top of the UPS truck. In front of me traffic is moving 45 mph+. Finally I get it started and in reverse and back up off the track. I could see the damn train coming.

The next Monday I told this story to my supervisor/trainer. He told me to never tell anyone that story lol

Statute of limitations or something like that. You are good on here with Surly.

[PTINS 3542]

On 12/19/2024 at 12:42 PM, Pato del Muerto said:

It does look like a wind mill uh post.  I’m no commercial pilot but I think that driver might should have stopped in front of the tracks when waiting for the light. 
 

also I’m more than a little surprised that a flat bed trailer and load would cause any derailment.  How did the locomotive not just kick it to one side or break it in half, and keep going?

I’m betting it’s gas processing related, and a steel pressure vessel with 1+” wall thickness that is heavy as hell. The speed of that train would have disintegrated most things, but not a welded steel rank.

On 12/19/2024 at 1:03 PM, Herbie Hancock said:

Conductor of the train died at the scene. The engineer passed a few hours later. That truck had been stuck on that crossing for 43 minutes and not a single phone call had been made to any emergency entity or even the railroad to alert them of the issue.

Bad decision by the driver(s) (truck and escorts). Negligence for law enforcement for not alerting the railroad.

On 12/19/2024 at 2:35 PM, bolverk said:

Don't get me wrong; I believe you, but that's just fucking unbelievable. My understanding is that the flatbed became high-centered while crossing and got stuck. How the fuck does someone from the haulers, the City, the police, and/or the sheriff's office decide NOT to contact Union Pacific.

That's a pretty busy rail crossing in downtown Pecos where thousands of trucks drive each day to and from the oil fields around Orla, so it's really hard to understand how local emergency services (I assume that includes the PD and/or SO) wouldn't find out quickly about the big fucking obstacle blocking the tracks on the only road leading north out of town.

That's a degree of incompetence I find incomprehensible. 

 

Agree 100%. Wouldn’t be surprised if rail maintenance over the years raised the grade above the road bed height above what it was thought to be, or the load caused the trailer to sag more than what was thought.

40+ minutes was ample time to warn the Railroad. Criminal negligence.

Tragedy with loss of life that could have been avoided.

On 12/20/2024 at 11:04 AM, CycleTex87 said:

RIP to the train employees.  Sucks that they saw this coming (presumably), and nothing they could do about it.  

The object hit is a natural gas fractionation tower for a gas plant being delivered for installation, somewhere in the Delaware Basin.  Some project manager somewhere shit his pants because his project just took a 8-12 month vacation.

Tragic for the RR employees.

My guess the tapered top appears to be large stack or heater of sorts rather than a frac tower that has hemispherical heads on the ends, with the bottom having a circular skirt for connecting to the foundation.

The tower being transported looks similar to the 2 towers in the right in the photo, or the multiple stacks towards the middle.

Either way, if is big, extremely heavy piece of welded steep plate, that is not an on-the-shelf item you can pick up at Walmart.

That’s a big “Oh shit!” For a lot of people.

On 12/20/2024 at 11:10 AM, Pato del Muerto said:

I also have to wonder if that’s a product that needs to take that road. Don’t those kind of wide or oversized loads pre-plan their route to be sure there are no issues like narrow lanes or sharp turns, low bridges, or I don’t know hill crests with high point issues?

There are not a lot of transportation choices in West Texas, a lot of long, laser straight roads between small towns.

Yes, it should have been pre-planned and permitted from origin to destination, but …

[WBT 21216]

Quote

On Sunday, the NTSB said after reviewing the surveillance video, NTSB investigators determined that the truck hauling heavy equipment on a hydraulic platform trailer was on the grade crossing for just one minute before it was struck by the Union Pacific freight train.

The crossing warning devices (lights and bells) activated, and the gate struck the truck as it attempted to lower into position, the information said. A westbound Union Pacific train, ZAILA-18, collided with the trailer, causing the equipment to strike a nearby building, causing significant damage.

Injuries were reported inside the building.

The train derailed upon impact, resulting in the derailment of all four head-end locomotives and 25 intermodal wells, the information said.

The NTSB would like to emphasize to the public the importance of calling in any potential safety issue observed at a grade crossing. Blue signage with an emergency contact phone number is displayed at grade crossings. The public are urged to call in any safety issue affecting a grade crossing to that emergency number as soon as it is sighted.

https://www.oaoa.com/local/ntsb-releases-preliminary-report-on-pecos-train-derailment/

I for one am shocked that the preliminary rumormongering on the internet was a bunch of bullshit.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13770]

While I know the odds are extremely low of experiencing a derailment right in front of you, I dislike being the first car or two waiting for a train to pass.  Or worry about the train kicking up some debris and whipping it towards my windshield.

 

[Herbie Hancock 7530]

On Sunday, the NTSB said after reviewing the surveillance video, NTSB investigators determined that the truck hauling heavy equipment on a hydraulic platform trailer was on the grade crossing for just one minute before it was struck by the Union Pacific freight train.
The crossing warning devices (lights and bells) activated, and the gate struck the truck as it attempted to lower into position, the information said. A westbound Union Pacific train, ZAILA-18, collided with the trailer, causing the equipment to strike a nearby building, causing significant damage.
Injuries were reported inside the building.
The train derailed upon impact, resulting in the derailment of all four head-end locomotives and 25 intermodal wells, the information said.
The NTSB would like to emphasize to the public the importance of calling in any potential safety issue observed at a grade crossing. Blue signage with an emergency contact phone number is displayed at grade crossings. The public are urged to call in any safety issue affecting a grade crossing to that emergency number as soon as it is sighted.

https://www.oaoa.com/local/ntsb-releases-preliminary-report-on-pecos-train-derailment/
I for one am shocked that the preliminary rumormongering on the internet was a bunch of bullshit.

[BearMace 2258]

If it was only there for a minute doesn't seem calling a hotline was gonna do shit.