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Ohio train de-railment, massive chemical spill/burn what's going with that?

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Is true now that residents were approached with a contract to sign, saying that they could not hold the rail company and a safety contractor liable? I heard that in the middle of a glenn beck video. What do you guys think of that?

If it's from a Glenn Beck video, I would be very skeptical.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Well my car is from 2020, and the dealer explained that there is nothing mechanical in - between my brake pedal and the actual brakes.
Your dealer is wrong. Even "fly by wire" brake
systems still have their non electrical portion
that applies the brakes. Regenerative brake
systems have mechanical back-up brakes.
Pneumatic brakes are reliable. I wonder how
well adding electronics to a high-G wet dirty
environment would work.
Pneumatic control takes time to travel the
length of a train. Electrical controls could
speed that up, but I'm skeptical that signal
speed is a problem. I dint run across that
at Knorr Bremse (the German company I
worked for).

I wanted disk brakes on Mr Aluminum Trailer
cuz I sometimes drive in mountainous areas,
but the company wouldn't do it. No brake fade,
but they're spendier than drum brakes. Much
of that due to an electric over hydraulic converter.
 

amorphous_constellation

Well-Known Member
Your dealer is wrong. Even "fly by wire" brake
systems still have their non electrical portion
that applies the brakes. Regenerative brake
systems have mechanical back-up brakes.
Pneumatic brakes are reliable. I wonder how
well adding electronics to a high-G wet dirty
environment would work.
Pneumatic control takes time to travel the
length of a train. Electrical controls could
speed that up, but I'm skeptical that signal
speed is a problem.

I wanted disk brakes on Mr Aluminum Trailer
cuz I sometimes drive in mountainous areas,
but the company wouldn't do it. No brake fade,
but they're spendier than drum brakes. Much
of that due to an electric over hydraulic converter.

What about situations where heavy semi's have brake failure, what kind of brakes are we talking about there. Too much speed and heat occurs, when they go down a steep grade too fast, right
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
What about situations where heavy semi's have brake failure, what kind of brakes are we talking about there. Too much speed and heat occurs, when they go down a steep grade too fast, right
A competent driver uses engine braking in addition
to their service brakes. (But sometimes local laws
prohibit engine braking.) Even disk brakes can fail
if overheated. Those are always pneumaticly controlled
& applied (augmented with anti-lock systems). If the
service brake lines fail, then they have only spring-applied
(parking/emergency) brakes, which have much less force.

BTW, I recall that some European trains running in
mountains would have brakes glow red. That always
struck me as very bad.
 

The Kilted Heathen

Crow FreyjasmaðR
It is hard to say. They may have done a risk assessment and decided that was the safest way to treat those chemicals. If they entered the ground water that could be a problem for many years.
If you can't put out the fires without washing a load of chemicals into the ground/water, it might be the lesser of 2 evils to let them burn out.
So, revisiting these as I've got friends and many customers in the area, and have learned a little more.

It was already in the water before someone decided to burn it off. Over 1,000 fish and numerous small wildlife had died whilst people were being forcibly evacuated from their homes for a while, then being told it was safe to return. (spoiler: it wasn't) Now they've got this "controlled burn" that is releasing all of those chemicals and will result in literal acid rain, as well as the chemicals that had already been lost in the water system that flows down to meet up with the Mississippi and other waterways.

329172845_1263864084482936_2686590199802048823_n.jpg
 

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
So, revisiting these as I've got friends and many customers in the area, and have learned a little more.

It was already in the water before someone decided to burn it off. Over 1,000 fish and numerous small wildlife had died whilst people were being forcibly evacuated from their homes for a while, then being told it was safe to return. (spoiler: it wasn't) Now they've got this "controlled burn" that is releasing all of those chemicals and will result in literal acid rain, as well as the chemicals that had already been lost in the water system that flows down to meet up with the Mississippi and other waterways.

View attachment 71741
Yes, there is "acid rain". That is what happens when you burn chlorofluorocarbons. But that is verry temporary and was expected. HCl is a relatively minor problem compared to all of the rest that they were facing. They had a fire that could not be put out. A controlled burn was thought to be superior to an uncontrolled one. I now acid rains sounds bad, but HCl is not a complex chemical that hangs around for a long time. You have it in your stomach naturally. It is not a cancer causing substance where some of the other products were a threat that way.
 

The Kilted Heathen

Crow FreyjasmaðR
They're still also dealing with polluted water and chemicals in the air that are killing animals and doing gods know what to them. As well, while HCl might be temporary, what's it going to do to crops? On top of the polluted water?

Was there a fire before the "controlled" burn? I know there was concern of raised temperatures in the train cars, but hadn't heard of an uncontrolled fire.
 

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
They're still also dealing with polluted water and chemicals in the air that are killing animals and doing gods know what to them. As well, while HCl might be temporary, what's it going to do to crops? On top of the polluted water?

Was there a fire before the "controlled" burn? I know there was concern of raised temperatures in the train cars, but hadn't heard of an uncontrolled fire.
It is hard to say. But that is not a major farming area. At least not from what I have seen. Also that HCL will be quickly diluted. Locally when it occurred there were problems, but that is not a major concern for a large area at all.

And yes, it was burning for the better part of a week before the controlled burn. I thought that I needed a refresher too. The derailment was on the 3rd 12 days ago. The fire started at the time of the derailment. They could not put it out. The "controlled burn" was done because they were afraid of possible explosions of the material that was very hot, but not yet leaking. How long can a tanker car withstand high temperatures and pressures? I don't know if they Rufus just shoot a few holes in the cars, but that may be what they did.

50-car train derailment causes big fire, evacuations in Ohio

So derailment on the 3rd. A fire that could not be put out starts. Ten days later they started a controlled burn . And the problems with fish etc. appears to be from the fire and leakage before the controlled burn.
 

averageJOE

zombie
I live about a hundred miles from where this happened. It's even under reported even here in Ohio. You would think it would be the #1 story all over the new, not many even know it happened or just learned about it.

They literally distracted everyone with a balloon.
 

amorphous_constellation

Well-Known Member
The "controlled burn" was done because they were afraid of possible explosions of the material that was very hot, but not yet leaking.

It's just kind of difficult to visualize what exactly they did, unless someone can find footage. Was it getting hot in the tanker, pressurized, or both? How long did it take to the dig the trenches/ditches, because it seems like they would have had to be very big to contain all of the material, once it poured out. But from there, some of it could not siphoned to a tanker a long ways off? Or was there some kind of major groundwater issue with it sitting too long in the ditch they created?

So derailment on the 3rd. A fire that could not be put out starts. Ten days later they started a controlled burn .

Does that seem like kind of a long interval though?
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
They literally distracted everyone with a balloon.
The balloon is bigger news IMO.
Sure the train disaster is real, & immediately worse.
But relations with China pose greater danger.
I don't think distraction is a reasonable accusation.
That smacks of conspiracy.
 

amorphous_constellation

Well-Known Member
A competent driver uses engine braking in addition
to their service brakes. (But sometimes local laws
prohibit engine braking.) Even disk brakes can fail
if overheated. Those are always pneumaticly controlled
& applied (augmented with anti-lock systems). If the
service brake lines fail, then they have only spring-applied
(parking/emergency) brakes, which have much less force.

BTW, I recall that some European trains running in
mountains would have brakes glow red. That always
struck me as very bad.

I know that from when I ran the farm dump truck for a while. You have to downshift once you start descending hills.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
I know that from when I ran the farm dump truck for a while. You have to downshift once you start descending hills.
That's one occasion that I dislike having an
automatic transmission. So at the start of
a big descent, I pull over, wait for traffic to
clear, put it in a lower gear, & begin my
descent at a very slow speed.

I know some locomotives have resister banks
to provide some electrical braking. But they
offer little capacity compared to the weight
of a long line of rail cars.
 

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
That's one occasion that I dislike having an
automatic transmission. So at the start of
a big descent, I pull over, wait for traffic to
clear, put it in a lower gear, & begin my
descent at a very slow speed.

I know some locomotives have resister banks
to provide some electrical braking. But they
offer little capacity compared to the weight
of a long line of rail cars.
Fifty cars does not see all that long of a train to me. But then I live on a port city. By the time the train is heading into the port they are extremely long. So I may have a bias here. The trains get longer and longer the closer that they get to the port. And I have to wonder how many of these cars are empty. More is coming in than is going out.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Fifty cars does not see all that long of a train to me. But then I live on a port city. By the time the train is heading into the port they are extremely long. So I may have a bias here. The trains get longer and longer the closer that they get to the port. And I have to wonder how many of these cars are empty. More is coming in than is going out.
50 cars is a whole lotta weight compared to the
locomotives. Increased brake sophistication
would be most useful in the control area (IMO)
Dealing with application optimization, driver error,
& central office interface has some potential.
Putting electronics on the cars....I'd be surprised
if we're there yet for cost-reliability-benefit yet.
 

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
50 cars is a whole lotta weight compared to the
locomotives. Increased brake sophistication
would be most useful in the control area (IMO)
Dealing with application optimization, driver error,
& central office interface has some potential.
Putting electronics on the cars....I'd be surprised
if we're there yet for cost-reliability-benefit yet.
I am sure that it is. I had to look up how many cars in a freight train and it can be 200 or more. I have definitely seen some of hose "or mores". I might need to count them some day. That is why 60 seemed short to me. And I can hear the brakes being applied. I do not know how it is done, but each car does have its own set of brakes.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
I am sure that it is. I had to look up how many cars in a freight train and it can be 200 or more. I have definitely seen some of hose "or mores". I might need to count them some day. That is why 60 seemed short to me. And I can hear the brakes being applied. I do not know how it is done, but each car does have its own set of brakes.
This explains things that I've long ago lost from memory.
Railway air brake - Wikipedia
 
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