Tree stump on tracks derails train
By Tillie Fong, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published June 10, 2008 at 10:33 p.m.
Updated June 10, 2008 at 10:33 p.m.
Photo by Ari Armstrong/FreeColorado.com/Special to the Rocky
Rail cars are strewn along the tracks near West 95th Avenue and Wadsworth Parkway early this morning.
Photo by CBS4
The derailed train in Westminster this morning.
A $10,000 reward is being offered by Northern Burlington railroad for information leading to the suspect who deliberately placed a tree stump on the train tracks Monday night, which derailed a 37-car train in Westminster.
"The object that was placed on the track had some very dangerous consequences," said Steve Forsberg, spokesman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad.
Officials believe that the tree trunk was deliberately placed on the tracks two hours before the train derailed, about 8:30 p.m. A resident had called Westminster police, warning about the stump in the tracks in the 9000 block of Pierce St.
"An officer removed the tree stump," said Heather Wood, spokeswoman for Westminster police. "He moved it to the side of the railroad track and rolled it off the embankment. We didn't get any calls that the stump was back up."
However, at 10:36 p.m. Monday, a local shipping train, carrying lumber, paper, malt and sugar, ran into the same tree stump that was back on the tracks in the same area.
"The tree trunk had been placed on the tracks on two different occasions," said Forsberg. "It was intentionally placed there."
The 3-person train crew apparently saw the obstacle and tried to stop the train.
"Once the train struck the trunk, they thought it would be knocked out of the roadway, but part of the trunk got wedged into the switch and the locomotive rolled on top of it," said Forsberg.
The first locomotive wound up at a 45-degree angle tilt, the following three engines went on their side, and the first 16 cars derailed.
The remaining cars were able to stay upright and were towed back to Denver on Tuesday.
One brakeman, who was taken to a local hospital for pain in the neck after the derailment was released Tuesday.
Rail crews will work overnight Tuesday to replace 702 feet of track, using 18 pre-fabricated track panels. They hope to have the work completed by 9 a.m. Wednesday and have the four derailed locomotives and three cars back on the tracks by 10 a.m.
Those will be towed for repairs. The remaining 13 cars will be placed on another track and will be moved later.
Typically, six to seven trains travel on these particular tracks daily. However, Tuesday, all those trains were rerouted at Sterling to alternate tracks.
Tuesday, Forsberg said estimate on the amount of damages the railroad suffered as the result of the derailment has not been computed yet. But he said he was thankful that no lives were lost, and no hazardous materials were spilled.
"It could have been far worse than what actually occurred," he said.
Anyone with information about the tree stump or who placed it on the tracks should contact Burlington Northern Santa Fe police at 1-800-832-5452. Tipsters can also call CrimeStoppers at 720-913-STOP.
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June 10, 2008
8:20 a.m.
Suggest removal
DAT writes:
Man... who peed in your Cheerios? Go back to bed, I think you need some rest.
June 10, 2008
8:33 a.m.
Suggest removal
farsidefan writes:
If I read the article correctly, I don't think a bush was involved. Except it does look like the train ran off the right side of the tracks.
I expect W to show up this afternoon for a press conference and tell us that we must " stay on track ", " stay the course."
Once the train is back on the tracks, he will declare the mission was accomplished . ;)
June 10, 2008
9:32 a.m.
Suggest removal
my3pugs writes:
It is really pointless to read the comments on this site. Except for mine. Did the tree suddenly appear next to the track? Is the tree a terrorist plant? Is this an attack on our vital train industry? Someone is to blame for this oversight and should be investigated. No doubt Boulder is involved somehow, where are the liberal apologists now!!
June 10, 2008
9:52 a.m.
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dcolon47 writes:
when did they start growing trees in the middle of train tracks,(nice reporting)
June 10, 2008
9:56 a.m.
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Scott writes:
O.K. Bill Scanlon what was SOOoooooo offensive with MarineGrunt's first posting? It was surely nutty, but offensive! Get off it!
Scott
June 10, 2008
10:25 a.m.
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LingLingfor_prez writes:
I wish they didn't wipe out the whole comment. They could always just insert the word 'bleep' every time something needs editing. Although, that can get annoying too.
June 10, 2008
10:46 a.m.
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CalebTGL writes:
I may be dumb, but I found a few sections of this article unintelligible. For example:
"At sunrise today, crews in orange vests and hard hats were inching unaffected cars southward using specialized vehicles that attach to the cars and move them by sidling alongside the tracks."
Okay, that is not a good enough description of what was going on for me to visualize it, and I really am curious about what these towing machines looked like and how they worked, a picture would have been very much appreciated, or maybe a more detailed description.
"Light standards on semis are a testament to the fact that the crews have been at the scene all night."
What exactly are light standards? Isn't there a way to say that which would be more easily understandable, and not so ambiguous?
Finally, the flow of the article itself is more like a list of bullet-pointed facts than an actual story. I can appreciate that folks may have been tired and all, but still. It's 5 hours after the first version was posted...
June 10, 2008
11:18 a.m.
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Scott writes:
CalebTGL,
I an NOT sticking up for RMN, but I'll explain. I'm a train nut and have seen these types of operations before. Also, you are NOT dumb. Railroad repair and maintenance equipment is quite specialized and if you have never seen it before, you wouldn't have a clue as to what it would look like. Again, I'm a train nut and have seen some of this stuff before.
The towing machines would look pretty much like a bulldozer. They may or may not have blade on the front. They will have a short crane arm that extends from the side. These "specialized vehicles" would travel next to the track, not on it. They probably hooked a chain onto the crane arm, extended the crane arm over the track and tied the other end of the chain to the coupler on the car. This way the direction of pull is straight down the track while the bulldozer travels next to the track.
"Light standard" is another way of saying lights on a pole. In this instance these "light standards" would be a few spotlights on a telescoping pole. "Standard" is another name for a vertical pole.
Again, I am not sticking up for the jerks that nuked MarineGrunt's first article. I'm just trying to be helpful to you.
Scott
June 10, 2008
11:32 a.m.
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elkman writes:
I don't get it. If people are so fed up with the newspapers, why read them, or bother to post on them? Just a way to vent?
June 10, 2008
11:46 a.m.
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Ztliano writes:
A tree? Seriously? LOL.
June 10, 2008
11:54 a.m.
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dilligaf writes:
People you have to understand that MarineGrunt is a brain dead redneck that is a member of the hate party. They say stupid things.
June 10, 2008
12:07 p.m.
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Who_Me writes:
Like you?
June 10, 2008
12:42 p.m.
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rg writes:
It is very serious, and sinister if it was not an accident, and the happening generates jest amongst the bloggers. The person(s) causing the derailment finds good company among some of the bloggers herein. It is a tragedy and could have been multiplied a thousand times depending on the train's cargo. Richard Grimes, deicide.
June 10, 2008
12:54 p.m.
Suggest removal
Diff writes:
Close the road and affect 1000's of drivers because of rubber-neckers!
Why not station a couple of Westminster patrol units - and put up message signs for traffic to keep moving at speed, and stop and ticket those who do not...
- Further more - I live with in a mile of the site, and Wadsworth was not closed but cut down to one lane in the north bound side - further adding to the slow down of traffic that would have on-lookers?
Is there no good sense in our government agencies any more?
Thankfully this was a train of toxic materials!
June 10, 2008
12:56 p.m.
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Diff writes:
opps - was not toxic materials
June 10, 2008
1 p.m.
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TheDenverB writes:
"The Liberal T.V stations do the same thing but it is still amazing that FOX news has more viewers than all of Liberal stations combined.
Goes to show ya that people want to hear the real news and not someones biased opinions."
so, from what you posted i take it that you think fox news is conservative (by default) and THEN in the same post say it isn't someone's biased opinion even though they present their news in that slant?
talk about delusional...
and more viewers? lets see those facts, please. because last i saw CNN has way more viewers than Faux news.
June 10, 2008
2:06 p.m.
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dilligaf writes:
Grunt my posts weren't the ones removed by the RMN. So yes what I said about you was proved by the RMN>
June 10, 2008
3:35 p.m.
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RBN writes:
Some people go such lenghts to take shots at Obama, I can't understand why people hate the guy so much. Grunt is some no talent as*clown, I am sure he was never a marine, just some poor shclub who sits in his moms basement and makes comments between episodes of Golden Girls.
June 10, 2008
4:17 p.m.
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Scott writes:
BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES! A p!$$ed off jarhead is about the explode. Go get'em Grunt!
Scott
June 10, 2008
9:11 p.m.
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rdamurphy writes:
Before laughing, some folks might want to read about the train derailments that released chlorine gas clouds in Texas, killing several people.