Train Derails in Sacramento: Two Dead, Diesel Fuel Spilled
By Tom Chandler on Nov 10, 2006 in Environment, News
The next time you’re fishing the Upper Sacramento and a train rolls by, see if this news doesn’t give you pause: on Thursday, a Union Pacific train derailed east of Sacramento, killing two workers, spilling thousands of gallons of diesel fuel, and igniting a small forest fire.
Plenty of alarming details here, and while you’re waiting for that page to load, give a thought to what a couple thousand gallons of diesel fuel would do the the Upper Sac…
The two dead workers were employed by a company contracted to repair the tracks, and dental records will be needed to I.D. the remains. The cause of the derailment was being investigated.
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jeffh | Nov 10, 2006 | Reply
Rail grinding train; my guess an inexperinced operator on a heavy grade and over heated brakes.
Any diesel in any river would be another tragedy.
Constant inspection of tracks and trains, money to fix any condition found not in compliance, training for train-men and track-men……the railroad is not going to go away, yet. We just cannot allow attitudes that put the bottom line as the only priority to prevail. Trains need to move safely first and foremost.
Tom Chandler | Nov 10, 2006 | Reply
I agree. There will always be risks to having a rail line alongside the Upper Sacramento River, but the railroad has to minimize those risks.
There are still a lot of unanswered questions about the composition of the trains (they’re built in Roseville), but the railroad seems interested in challenging the regulations designed to safeguard the river instead of adhering to them.