Train Cars Possibly Sinking Into Bow River

[DRock]

Can you believe this. As if the flood wasn't enough. Now a fuel spill to top it off. I don't know how the bow would bounce back from a diesel spill

[SilverDoctor]

Watching this on global news. Nothing has spilled as yet but the potential is huge, these are massive diesel cars.

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CALGARY – Calgary Police, EMS and fire crews are investigating the structural failure of the Bonnybrook train bridge over the Bow River.

Officials say the bridge in Ogden is compromised and failing, and warn it is in danger of collapsing.

There are five train cars on the bridge, and there are fears that the structural damage could cause it to fall into the water – or that its cargo could leak.

 

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If this spill happens they could not contain it by booms, water is too high.

[Hawgstoppah]

No words can describe the knot in my stomach. Please let this end well. Hopefully they can get some sort of a hose attached to the cars and get them emptied.

[bcubed]

guess we should get the fish rescue to start putting the fish back into the ponds....

 

can only wait and see..

[maxwell]

for this who havnt seen this could be catastrophic... we though the flood qas bad. cp well known for cutting corners. the guy who claims to have inspected te bridge should be tossed in jail!!! bruuuuttalll!! http://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/canada/the-bridge-is-failing-train-in-danger-of-falling-into-calgary-s-bow-river-1.1343758

[maxwell]

didnt see this post.. posted similar in another area. not sure if I'm going to cry passout or puke! would take a flood any year over this. only positive I can see is the high flows possibly helping if the doom happens. I hope cp and the city actually have a plan for this. not sure if bumping dragging or hoisting is the plan. in hitching might cause the tail end to rock back and collapse forsure? this is totally insane!!!

[ÜberFly]

I heard from a member who's bro-in-law works for CP, that it is Jet fuel in the containers!! Yikes!!

[DRock]

Some quality mayhem going on in Calgary these days. I'm moving back to Vancouver

[BBBrownie]

incredibly tragic. I sure feel helpless, I hope the rivermakes it through all this. Its going to take something incredible to pull these cars up without compromising em. makes me sick.

[Jayhad]

On top of everything else I read the sky may fall today as well.

[plumeja]

Have they said what is in the cars. Either way that bridge should have be inspected way better. This could be so much bigger then too much water. This is bigger then just fishing.

[ÜberFly]

Tru dat Jay... Tru dat!

 

LoL

[Brunsie]

Apparently it's diesel fuel

[Roast]

They said it is some kind of petroleum product:( Fingers crossed they can solve this...

[DRock]

i hope the engineer who inspected this bridge and gave it the A-OK is sweating bullets right now. This guy will most likely get fined and lose his license. Wonder where he got his credentials from. mickey mouse university.

[maxwell]

u would think common sense would tell you that water makes wood mushy I'm pretty sure railway ties are used in lots of those bridges and why woul they not try non hazardous material? I get having it in the end of the train just seems so odd this city can catch a break! could be the beginning of the end for some of our career and people's lives... the damage will e unreal so many homes below...

[bgudmundson]

How was this bridge protected during the peak? Often when flooding is expected, railways place loaded cars of non toxic material to maintain weight on the bridge making it more stable to the water pressure. Then after the water goes down testing with empty rail cars move across the bridge while inspections are taking place. There are a lot of questions to be asked.

 

Retired CPR employee

[Hawgstoppah]

I am almost wondering if the flood waters eroded the gravel / rock underneath that bridge piling enough to cause this collapse. I hope it holds until they drain the cars. The Bow River as a world class fishery depends on it.

[bcubed]

How was this bridge protected during the peak? Often when flooding is expected, railways place loaded cars of non toxic material to maintain weight on the bridge making it more stable to the water pressure. Then after the water goes down testing with empty rail cars move across the bridge while inspections are taking place. There are a lot of questions to be asked.

 

Retired CPR employee

 

 

I remember seeing pictures of a train on this bridge (or at least i think it was this bridge) during the flood.

[Hawgstoppah]

I saw what I think may be the same picture (two engines and some cars behind them) and to me it looked like the tracks coming south from Edmonton that cross the Bow by where Nose Creek comes in. I did not see this particular bridge myself in any of the flooding coverage.

[bcubed]

"According to Uzeloc, there are six cars on the bridge - one is an empty crude oil tank, and five others are a flammable liquid similar to diesel."

 

I think they're trying to mitigate fear a bit, but that sure sounds like Jet Fuel to me

[KingSalmon]

Yes Jet fuel is pretty much the same as diesel...give or take a couple of additives so that's what a "flammable liquid similar to diesel" would be for sure.

[Roast]

The globe and mail reports "Five of those six are carrying petroleum distillate, a type of diluent used to water down oil sands bitumen for shipment. It’s also used as a solvent in metal polishes, paint thinner, oil-based stains and paint, the rail company said." I feel sick.

[fishinglibin]

Leaves a pit in my stomach

[Hawgstoppah]

They are saying they think they have the train cars stabilized and they should NOT fall into the river.

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2013/06/27/calgary-flood-train-derailment-bonnybrook-bridge.html