Miscellaneous

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Miscellaneous

Train Accidents and Derailments Decline in 2005

March 24, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – The number of overall train crashes and derailments declined in 2005, according to the latest statistics compiled by the Federal Railroad Administration. Preliminary full year data comparing 2005 with 2004 shows that overall train accidents decreased 7.9 percent, including an 8.4 percent reduction in the number of derailments, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said. In addition, the total number of highway-rail grade crossing fatalities declined 3.5 percent and the grade crossing collision rate reached an all-time record low of 3.81 per million train-miles, he said. “Railroads are making progress, but we still have miles to go with

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Miscellaneous

Cryo-Trans Buys Refrigerated Cars From Greenbrier

January 20, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

OWINGS MILLS, Md. –  Cryo-Trans Inc., a leasing company specializing in the development and leasing of railroad freight cars for transporting frozen and perishable products, has placed an order for 429 new refrigerated boxcars. These state-of-the-art railcars, ordered from The Greenbrier Companies Inc., have an interior length of 72 feet and have the highest cubic capacity in the industry – 7,765 cubic feet. The cars, ordered in November 2005, will be delivered later this year. Cryo-Trans officials cite Greenbrier’s expertise in building these highly specialized cars and its reputation for innovative, quality products as reasons for placing the recent order

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Amtrak

June 2005 Wreck Roundup

July 15, 2005 The Cross-Tie

A Union Pacific coal train derailed June 26 near Glenwood Springs, Colo., and the mishap stranded 200 passengers aboard an Amtrak train using the same tracks. Eighteen cars of the Union Pacific train derailed, but no coal from any of the cars spilled, WLS television in Chicago reported. Amtrak planned on using buses to transport passengers past the derailment. Eleven cars derailed in Jasper County, Texas, on June 24 and caused more than $1 million in damages, KTRE reported. Although the 74 car Watco Co. train had four cars with hazardous materials, none of them derailed, and no injuries or

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Miscellaneous

March 2005 Wreck Reundup

April 10, 2005 The Cross-Tie

On March 18, a 15-year-old boy was killed trying to beat a Long Island Rail Road train, Newsday reported. The boy was walking with five friends along Gillette Avenue headed to a barber shop, according to the newspaper. The boy who was killed ignored warning signals — including bells and flashing lights, authorities said. At least 13 people were killed March 13 in a derailment in the Vietnamese province of Thua Thien-Hue, according to Reuters news agency. Two of a train’s 13 cars derailed killing nine people immediately, according to Reuters. The four other people died en route to the

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Miscellaneous

February 2005 Wreck Roundup

March 15, 2005 The Cross-Tie

The man charged in a deadly January Metrolink derailment pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of murder, according to various news sources. California authorities initially said Juan Manuel Alvarez parked his SUV on train tracks to commit suicide, but changed his mind and abandoned his vehicle. Eleven people were killed in the wreck and hundreds more injured. One person was killed and at least 50 others injured when an express passenger train derailed Feb. 28 in eastern Bangladesh, The Associated Press reported. According to reports, the Joyantika Express derailed en route Dhaka. The train was traveling from Sylhet, a city