2019 : The Year of the Derailment

NOTE: As if 2019 was not bad enough, here is what happened on the very last day of the year, December 31st at about 9 PM. Amazingly, the crew was saved! Crews working to remove derailed BNSF train leaking fuel into Kootenai River

The Year of the Derailment - 2019 Looking back over 2019, one is struck by all the derailments that have taken place on Class One railroads. It seems like hardly a week went by that there was not some sort of major crash. In fact, our compilation below shows a total of 48, an average of nearly one a week. At least four rail workers were killed and no fewer than a dozen injured all in all. (NOTE: while these numbers are thankfully low, RWU counts more than 20 total rail fatalities for 2019. That will be the subject of a separate email). Why such a spike in derailments and fatalities? We believe the short answer is Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR). With its insistence on running longer and heavier trains, utilizing fewer locomotives, shuttering diesel shops, expediting train and engine inspections, cutting back on track maintenance forces, implementing "super" pools, trimming of extra boards, and cuts to practically every aspect of the operation, PSR is proving to be a disaster. A compliant Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), turning a blind eye to it all and giving the rail industry the green light in effect to "self-regulate", does not help matters. RWU has done our best to collect and document these derailments of the past year. NOTE : It is quite likely that we missed a few, perhaps many. Do you see a glaring omission? Please email us a link to it at info@railroadworkersunited.org . Thanks! Finally, please forward this email to your local media outlets, city council Reps, State Assembly Persons and U.S. Senators and Representatives.

Major Derailments of 2019

WARNING: The following list of 48 major derailments shows a number of graphic depictions of post-accident wreck scenes.

BNSF - Idaho - lead locos - 12/31/19

CN - British Columbia - 23 cars - 12/26/19

CSX - West Virginia - 7 cars - 12/21/19

CSX - West Virginia - 1 killed - 12/16/19

Conrail - Michigan - 15 cars - 12/12/19

CP - Saskatchewan - 34 cars - 12/9/19

UP - Washington X4 - 18 cars - 11/18/19

BNSF - Iowa - 20-30 cars - 11/13/19

NS - Pennsylvania - 3 trains wreck - 11 cars - 11/8/19

BNSF - New Mexico - 23 cars - 10/31/19

BNSF - Arizona - 14 cars - 10/14/19

NS - Georgia - 34 cars - 10/9/19

NS - Ohio - two train collide - 10/8/19

UP - Oregon - 2 locos/3 cars - 9/10/19

UP - Illinois - 16 cars - 9/10/19

CP - Alberta - 23 cars - 9/2/19

BNSF - Kansas - 140 cars - 8/17/19

CSX - Ohio - two trains collide -  25 cars + 1 loco - 8/12/19

BNSF - Iowa - 25 cars - 7/31/19

CN - Alberta - 14 cars - 7/30/19

NS - Pennsylvania - 11 cars - 7/26/19

UP - Missouri - 70 cars - 7/25/19

NS - West Virginia - 20 cars - 7/24/19

UP - Idaho - 7 cars + 2 locos - 7/12/19

UP - Nevada - 33 cars - 7/10/19

CSX - Indiana - 3 locos - 7/10/19

UP - Nebraska - 17 cars - 7/9/19

NS - Pennsylvania - Cars - 7/6/19

BNSF - Wisconsin - 15 cars - 7/1/19

BNSF - California - 9 cars - 7/1/19

CN - Michigan - 40 cars - 6/28/19

NS - Virginia - 36 cars - 6/26/19

UP - Nevada - 25 cars - 6/20/19

UP - 28 cars - Iowa - 6/19/19

UP - Nevada - 33 cars - 6/10/19

Pan Am - Connecticut - 6 cars - 6/10/19

UP - Iowa - 35 cars - 6/6/19

CSX - Ohio - 20 cars + locos - 5/28/19

NS - Mississippi - 25 cars - 5/11/19

NS - Pennsylvania - 6 cars - 4/16/19

UP - Utah - 24 cars - 3/30/19

CSX - Maryland - 9 cars - 3/15/19

CP - Alberta - 2 trains collide - 3/9/19

CN - Manitoba - 37 cars - 2/16/19

CP - British Columbia - 99 cars + 2 locos - 3 killed - 2/4/19

CN - Saskatchewan - 30 cars - 1/22/19

UP - Texas - 7 cars - 1/9/19

NS - Georgia - 37 cars -  1/6/19

In conducting this effort, RWU discovered a number of websites that are documenting derailments. One blogger documents certain train derailments thoroughly. He is incredulous about the recent number. See his blog here ...

Industrial History

Finally, if you learn of a wreck in the coming weeks and months that is worthy of mention, please email it along to RWU. We will add it to the list for this new year.

Email RWU Info on Trains Wrecks for 2020

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