Derailment Protocal

[imphantum]

If there is a derailment on lets say a double track, for trains to proceed through after the derailment, what would be the protocal? I know there is a speed restriction in the area of the derailment but I've heard of other things such as flares, torpedoes, etc. ae used. Can someone give me the details?

[philmoberg]

I haven't kept up on the details of this in a couple of years, but as a general rule with would depend on how bad the derailment is, whether the train is carrying HazMat and what sort of HazMat it is, whether there is a mass casualty incident of some some degree and probably a range of other factors. As a minimum, in the case of a derailed wheelset or truck at low speed, both tracks would probably have to be closed to traffic briefly in order to re-rail the errant wheels and repair the track, but this would constitute only a minimum delay. If emergency services (e.g. police, fire etc.) are involved, the closure would likely be longer, depending on the severity of the accident. These days, there is a real effort among carriers (both rail and highway), emergency service providers and transportation agencies to develop and all-hazards disaster planning process for the purpose of developing coordinated responses to a broad range of possible disasters. Your best bet is to do a web search to see whether there is an EOP (Emergency Operations Plan) for your area and talk to the people who are working on it. Your local chief elected official's office would be good first contact to find out who is doing the actual work. While my comments pertain to the US and Canada, I'm aware that there are similar efforts in the UK and Europe, but I'm not familiar with the details of their processes.

[imphantum]

@philmoberg Thanks for the info! I mean along the lines of lets say a train derailed due to a rock slide on Marias, a few gondolas derailed off the track now the clean up process would be extensive but like more cliche things involving the derailment. Such as flares set up a few hundred feet before the derailment.

[FourEightFour]

@philmoberg Thanks for the info! I mean along the lines of lets say a train derailed due to a rock slide on Marias, a few gondolas derailed off the track now the clean up process would be extensive but like more cliche things involving the derailment. Such as flares set up a few hundred feet before the derailment.

Flares would really only be used if it just happened, as they would only burn for ten minutes and would be placed about 1/4-1/2 mile depending on the road.

[dfcfu342]

Torpedoes go way back to the good old days of track warrants , no signaling, and limited radio capabilities. Flares are temporary (obviously) and as far as traffic patterns it all depends on what the local road foreman or train master says after a track inspection.

[up_8677]

The problem is that the ensuing pile up in a derailment will often foul both main tracks...