Perhaps the mile long oil trains are here to stay:
http://www.npr.org/2013/10/28/24138...to-transport-crude-oil-in-the-u-s?ft=1&f=1001
http://www.npr.org/2013/10/28/24138...to-transport-crude-oil-in-the-u-s?ft=1&f=1001
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The thing about the wreck in Canada is that crude is not supposed to act as it did, it is not supposed to explode under those conditions.
John
According to some investigations this was not just crude oil but some other combination of petro chemicals and the freight cars were rated marked improperly by the shipper (probably to avoid the duties and taxes on the high risk shipment).
John
This is news to me ... as I heard the locos remained at the top of the grade ... and the severed, unignited, consist rolled downhill, without engines attached, and the consist was not on fire, and was not a rolling inferno ... and the ignition point only occured as the dozens and dozens of speeding runaway unignited tank cars piled up on one another, into a twisted mass, and then burst into flames, as a result of the concussion of metal on metal causing sparks.snip~ the chairman of the now defunct railway company has withdrawn his allegations that the fire services were responsible for the accident. He now acknowledges that the locomotive had a damaged piston which caused it to smoke heavily and shower sparks and ignited oil backwards over the freightcars while it was in transit
Bill
Hi John and Everybody.
John, the train was in fact carrying Bakken light crude oil which is of similar chemical composition to British light Brent crude. This type of oil is as combustible as gasoline under certain conditions and has to be graded and labelled when in transport with markings and handling standards far higher than normal with Gulf crude oil. Unfortunately this train was not.
The problem with Bakken crude is that it contains hydrogen sulphide which has a very low flashpoint and when being transported these gas molecules can rise to the top of the crude oil, combine and become a highly hazardous concentration whether that is in a pipeline or rail/road tanker. The hazards with hydrogen sulphide are not just its low flashpoint dangers. Anyone breathing in the toxin/gas will immediately have problems of breathing, dizziness and nausea which can be life-threatening at that time. However, hydrogen sulphide also has very long term effects in that the human body cannot completely expunge the toxin from its system. Not only will anyone contaminated have long-term chronic symptoms and sickness from the contamination throughout their lifetime but the toxin can also be passed from generation to generation through a victim’s offspring. Therefore all those near the scene of the accident in Lac-Mégantic may live with the consequences of the tragedy for several generations to come.
I see that the chairman of the now defunct railway company has withdrawn his allegations that the fire services were responsible for the accident. He now acknowledges that the locomotive had a damaged piston which caused it to smoke heavily and shower sparks and ignited oil backwards over the freightcars while it was in transit . He now advises that the engine should have been shut down much earlier in the day when that was first noticed.
In my view, all those responsible for this catastrophe should be locked up and the key thrown away, as the key to a normal life has been thrown away by the victims in this tragedy both deceased and living
Bill
I read that it was a 1.8% grade, and the runaway consist may have been traveling far in excess of 45 mph ... some things will never be known for sure ... the exact location of the locos on the grade ... where exactly the runaway railcars became decoupled from the locos, and why they became decoulpled from the locos ... as the locos were (In Fact) no where near, or in the scene, of the balled up mess of the accordianed tankcars.snip~ The train derailed at a speed of 45mph on rails where there was a 10mph & 25mph speed restriction through curves, going down a grade of a least 1.3%.John