Wow! this could have been a real nasty mess if the containers and cars fell on what I see at the base of the bridge in the background.
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Mother Nature!
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What a storm, what a mess, and what a photo.
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The video footage that the TV reporter got of the actual weather-related derailment as it happened is amazing. He had just left a Raising Cane's restaurant not far from the other side of the bridge.
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Here's the video, which is amazing:
http://wgno.com/2015/04/27/watch-strong-winds-knocks-over-train-in-jefferson-parish/
Note that not only the cars, but a section of the track, were blown off the bridge. The train had just crossed the Mississippi River (albeit with the bridge being cantilever through truss over the water), and is descending on the east bank. Not far from here the track crossed the major intersection of Jefferson Hwy. (US 90) and Clearview Blvd.
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Thank you for the link Dave. That's incredible!
Does an amtrak train use this tresttle? If yes, fortunately it was not using this track at this time.... (bad location, bad time)
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Pascal, yes, Amtrak's Sunset Limited uses this bridge. As I recall, it has passed (in the opposite direction) about one hour before these freight cars were blown off the bridge. Yes, it could have been a disaster.
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| Posted by Mike on February 12, 2016 | |
Stack trains are especially prone to high winds. Mainly because the containers are never really that heavy to begin with and they are well....stacked on top of each other.
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