Coal train derails in Mesa, WA

[RoadRailer]

Monday evening (7/2) at about 6:30pm, C-NAMRBE-52 derailed right in the middle of the samll town of Mesa, WA, littering 20-36 cars along the Lakeside Sub.
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2012/07/02/2008486/coal-train-derails-in-mesa-in.html

Tuesday Morning I headed north to check out the mess in Mesa.
By 0700, the coal gons were moved free of the ROW, BNSF was setting panel track in place on the Main while the work train was using the siding.
Hulcher was removing some of their equipment while they and Apollo Construction (local contractor) was moving the piles of coal off the tracks.

After an hour of walking around the public areas taking pictures (unlike some idiots climbing all over/through the damaged railcars) the BNSF Police arrived to secure the area.

Here are shots I was able to get:
http://raolson.rrpicturearchives.net/archiveThumbs.aspx?id=81182

As I left, I heard crews mentioning other trains may start to use the siding, although is looked to be in rough shape, but this maybe why there wern't many trains stacked up around Pasco.

 

[Ballard Beaver]

i heard they are detouring bnsf trains down the ayer sub. is this true? where do bnsf trains get back on their own trackage?

 

[RoadRailer]

I only heard about one eb (northbound) empty grain train that went up the Ayer sub at about noon Tuesday. They would get their UP Pilot at Wallula after they head through the Pasco grain yard, across the Snake River and through Villard Jct.
It appears at least the Chicago-Portland z-trains went through Seattle.

 

[RacerTodd]

It appears at least the Chicago-Portland z-trains went through Seattle.

I can confirm that. I was shooting a Z-train this afternoon that identified itself as the Chicago to Portland. I was confused as I'd never heard a Chicago-Portland train coming through Seattle. I guess I now know why it was here...

Todd

 

[westbnsf]

Hmm..a Z-PTLCHC came into Spokane from Pasco this afternoon about 5pm so apparently they let through some trains. Other than that one train and the empty grain train off the UP Ayer sub it was dead on the Lakeside Sub.

 

[RoadRailer]

Well Amtrak 28 went through this evening so progress was made to open the line.
It's odd that the BNSF website has not posted a Service Advisory for this incident (maybe everyone was already on vacation).

 

[RoadRailer]

I found a short youtube video of the derailment right after it occurred Monday night:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrgxI0bbIdM