Near Disaster At Milepost CAB 146.3

 

The City of Lynchburg Va. avoided a huge disaster today (April 30, 2014) when loaded CSX crude oil train No. KO80-28 bound for Yorktown, Va. derailed approximately 16 tank cars on CSX's James River Subdivision (three of which ended up in the James River) at milepost CAB 146.3 located along the city's downtown riverfront around 2:00 pm and burst into flames. The eastbound train was running on No. 2 Main Track with two locomotives (led by BNSF 7485) and 105 cars. 

Two photos above from Amherst Co. side of the swollen James River  

Two photos above from downtown Lynchburg's new "Bluffwalk"

First (eastern most) derailed car.  Photo from new "Bluffwalk"


 CSX Crude Oil Train No. KO80-28 stretching west past Griffin Pipe

CSX Crude Oil Train No. KO80-28 stretching east towards derailment site at milepost CAB 146.3 on CSX's James River Sub. through downtown Lynchburg, Va.

 

We lucked out on this one....we really lucked out!  This could have been another Lac-Megantic, Quebec.  With this derailment, the fire was out in several hours, there were no injuries and seemingly the damage was confined to the tank cars involved and the roadbed. Lac-Megantic can not say the same. Crude oil did spill into the James River with a good amount burning off, however it is yet to be seen if there is any major environmental damage.  Time will tell....and time will also tell when and where the next crude oil train leaves the rails....the next community may not be so lucky. 

 

It's way to early to tell what caused this derailment...but the cause will be found.  Shipping crude oil by rail is needed and is not going away.....and 99.9 percent of the time it is shipped safely....it's that .1 percent that we must do something about.... we obviously must get safer....safer equipment (rolling stock) and safer roadbeds.  Railroads are a highly technical and innovative industry....and they will find a way to handle these shipments safely 100 percent of the time...I just hope it's before the next train passes through my beautiful town.

 

-Rick 

 

My thanks to Rick-2 Johnson, Garland Harper, Norris Deyerle, Skip Hansberry, Denise Mays and Momma Johnson for the heads-up and feeding me info through out the day.

Winter Storm Elektra

Winter Greetings,

As winter storm Elektra brings us rain here in Appomattox as it heads up the east coast (I was wishing for snow), I couldn't help but think of a winter storm I photographed almost four years ago on December 19, 2009, and a beloved Robert Frost poem to accompany it. 

Enjoy...

 

STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING

 

                                   Whose woods these are I think I know.

                                   His house is in the village, though;

                                   He will not see me stopping here

                                   To watch his woods fill up with snow.

 

                                   My little horse must think it queer

                                   To stop without a farmhouse near

                                   Between the woods and frozen lake

                                   The darkest evening of the year.

 

                                   He gives his harness bells a shake

                                   To ask if there is some mistake.

                                   The only other sound's the sweep

                                   Of easy wind and downy flake.

 

                                   The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

                                   But I have promises to keep,

                                   And miles to go before I sleep,

                                   And miles to go before I sleep.

 

                                                                          ~ Robert Frost

 

Merry Christmas...

Rick

 

I'm Just A Squirrel...Trying To Get A Nut

"Well maybe not a nut...but how 'bout a pumpkin?  Maybe I can use it to decorate the nest for Thanksgiving...but how am I gonna get this thing up the tree?  Guess I'll just eat it!"

This chubby little guy and his buddies have "carved" most of our pumpkins used for Fall decorations on our front porch this season....in addition to raiding the cat's food bowl and chewing through the plastic trash can top and bottom in search of food due to an acorn shortage.  Imagine that....a nut shortage!!!  One needs look no further than our highways for plenty of non-driving, left lane poking, no turn signal giving NUTS!!!  But that's another blog or two or three....

Guess my little furry buddy was preparing for the cold weather brought in by winter storm Boreas overnight.  Temperatures hovered around 33 degrees most of the early morning allowing ice to form on some surfaces like the bird feeder.

Later guys.....

Rick

Sunset At Lee

Friend and fellow photographer Skip Hansberry called yesterday and the conversation went something like this......"Are you in Appomattox?" "Yes...." "Well get trackside....23G is on its way to you with the Interstate Heritage unit as the DPU !"

I was actually working.....cleaning out a garage with a truck bed full of junk.....and needing to drop this stuff off at the landfill before it closed.  I didn't plan to drive around the remainder of the weekend with this all this crap decorating the truck!

Anyway....got to the landfill......filled up the dumpsters and headed home to get my camera gear.  In the mean time, I called my son, Rick-2, who also planned to head out to get a shot.

I made it home, grabbed the gear and headed trackside to the only spot that I knew would catch the last rays of light, if there would be any at all, with wind clouds forming.  It was getting considerably colder and the wind was picking up as I pulled in at "Lee" the control point and west end of double track at Appomattox, Virginia.

Rick-2 called and said the train was by him in Lynchburg so no time to waste for me to hike in a take a few test shots with the glint light.  Walking into the location, I was trying to determine how I wanted to shoot the "coming to me" shot.....this was going to be the toughest since the "going away" shot with the Interstate DPU unit would be bathed in whatever light was available.

After a couple of test shots 23G was rounding the curve in front of me and the sun ducks behind a cloud!  Well.....press the shutter and hope for the best! 

The sun came back out for the Interstate DPU!!!  What a way to end the day!!!

Later.....

Rick