Train carrying beer derails in western Montana

[mahatmakanejeeves]

At least 25 cars of a freight train derail in western Montana

By Mitchell McCluskey, CNN
Updated 8:29 AM EDT, Mon April 3, 2023



A train sits derailed near Quinn's Hot Springs Resort west of St. Regis, Montana, on Sunday.
Ben Allan Smith/The Missoulian/AP

CNN — A freight train derailed in Paradise, Montana, on Sunday, according to the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office. ... Approximately 25 cars were derailed around 9:20 a.m. near Highway 135, dispatcher Bill Brown told CNN.

The train derailed on the banks of the Clark Fork River, approximately 200 miles northwest of Bozeman. Images from the scene show some of the cars in the river.


A group of fishermen claim a bottle of beer from the derailed railcar.
Ben Allan Smith/The Missoulian/AP

The sheriff’s office did not provide information on what the train was hauling. However, Brown said there did not appear to be any hazardous materials onboard.

The Sanders County Fire Department was on the scene responding to the derailment, Brown said. The office of emergency management and the Montana Rail Link have also been notified of the incident. ... There have been no injuries reported. The cause of the derailment is under investigation.

[Hiawatha Pete]

1. Montana Rail Link

I was fortunate enough to ride that route as a passenger back in 2003:



From my website: https://northamericabyrail.info/usa-west/the-montana-daylight/

Folks in the boat pictured in the article don't seem to be complaining about the derailment...

[CrispyQ]

2. Too bad it's Coors, but that boater seems pretty happy!

I'm not enough of a beer connoisseur to ID the other brand.

[sl8]

3. Blue Moon?

https://www.kpax.com/news/western-montana-news/train-cars-derail-into-river-near-quinns-hot-springs

[sl8]

5. Nothing new for Coors Light, it's aways been near water. nt

[IjustDontlikeRepugs]

6. Head for the mountains!

Blue Moon is my favorite beer. I’m ashamed it is made by Coors.

[moose65]

7. Yee Haw!!

I'll bet Kavanaugh was on the scene in record time

[Hugh_Lebowski]

8. That looks like a nightmare to clean up due to the geography there.

One side is river, the other a forested hillside ... how do you get the equipment needed into that spot I wonder?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

9. A train carrying 737 fuselages derailed a few miles away about ten years ago.

They got them out.

https://www.google.com/search?q=fuselage+derail+montana

Sat Jul 5, 2014: Train derailment west of Missoula closes river, spills Aircraft bodies

Sat Jul 5, 2014: Boeing fuselages in Montana river after train derails

Sat Jul 5, 2014: "This picture illustrates an absolute bungle in safety management at the BNSF. W. Buffet should ..."

The incident occurred on the Montana Rail Link, not the BNSF. MRL Owner Dennis Washington is surely concerned, but Warren Buffett, who owns the BNSF, not so much, other than about the delays to his trains that run over the MRL along the way.

Montana Rail Link

Montana Rail Link (reporting mark MRL) is a privately held Class II railroad in the United States. MRL, which operates on trackage originally built by the Northern Pacific Railway, is a unit of the Washington Companies, and is headquartered in Missoula, Montana.

The railroad runs between Huntley, Montana and Spokane, Washington, largely within Montana, and the main line passes through the towns of Missoula, Livingston, Bozeman, Billings, and Helena. Montana Rail Link connects with the BNSF on both ends and also in Garrison, Montana. The railroad has over 900 miles (1,400 km) of track, serves 100 stations, and employs approximately 1,000 personnel. The main yard is in Laurel, Montana, while a smaller yard is in Missoula.

{snip}

Work begins to remove Boeing fuselages from Clark Fork River

6 hours ago {9 a.m., Missoula time} • By DILLON KATO of the Missoulian

{snip}

Nineteen train cars derailed about 10 miles west of Alberton at 4 p.m. Thursday. Thirteen cars were carrying aircraft components, soybeans and denatured alcohol, and half a dozen were empty.



This Sunday, July 6, 2014 photo by Jerry Compton provided by Wiley E. Waters Whitewater Rafting shows part of a freight train that derailed near Alberton in western Montana, sending three cars carrying aircraft components down a steep embankment and into the Clark Fork River on Thursday, July 3. Removing three Boeing 737 fuselages could take until Tuesday. Montana Rail Link spokeswoman Lynda Frost said on Sunday a crew of 50 with eight heavy equipment machines is working in conjunction on the steep bank. (AP Photo/Wiley E. Waters Whitewater Rafting, Jerry Compton)

The MRL splits up going west from Missoula at DeSmet. One line goes up and over a range via Ravalli. The other follows the Clark Fork River. The two lines come back together at Paradise.

You said:

The new cement tracks crumble and crack so fast there are places where trains have slow orders to decrease speed because of track safety breach. What is really an outrage is those slow orders are taken of the daily reports when FRA or OSHA does inspections. Yep, sad but true at the Union Pacific rail road those slow orders disappear when inspections by the government happen.

OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, does not inspect railroad tracks. The Federal regulatory agency that has jurisdiction for rail safety is the Federal Railroad Administration. Its track inspectors go out to see what sort of work the MRL is doing. To view the Track & Rail and Infrastructure Integrity Compliance Manual online, go to FRA Track Division.

There are a few pictures of trains at Alberton on the 'Net. Here's one from April:



Leasers: Nine of Montana Rail Link's SD45-2s are earning their keep this spring by being leased to BNSF Railway. Most of the engines, like MRL No. 329 and its sister seen here at Alberton, Montana, are sticking close to home and moving BNSF traffic over MRL, but three of the engines are allowed to go offline.

Photographer: Justin Franz
Railroad: Montana Rail Link
Locomotive: EMD SD45-2
Location: Alberton, Montana, USA
Locomotive #: MRL 329
Train ID: H-KCKSPO1-13A
Photo Date: April 20, 2014

Best wishes.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

10. I'm sure they'll pull it off but I bet it's not an easy lift

If it had been 1/2 a mile back or so guessing it'd be a lot easier as you'd have a large staging area. This spot looks real narrow.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

11. That's why they make the big bucks.

And good morning.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

12. Also, directly across the river is a pretty tall-looking embankment and a bunch of houses

along the edge. Not sure if that matters as I don't know how these things are done but seems like it might complicate it.

Morning!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

13. I know there's a big sawmill right around a curve or two, so there's room for a staging area.

That's a pretty part of the world, if you don't mind it getting forty below during the winter.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

17. Looks freaking gorgeous :)

But there's similar spots in the Sierra's, and they don't get nearly that cold

[mahatmakanejeeves]

14. Here are some pictures taken on that other railroad that used to go through St. Regis.

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/459723/

https://www.railpictures.net/showimage.php?id=459723&key=7247245



» Milwaukee Road (more..)
» GE EF-4 (more..) » Unknown
» St. Regis, Montana, USA (more..)
» August 09, 1973
Locomotive No./Train ID Photographer
» MILW E76 (more..)
» Unknown » Steve Patterson (more..)
» Contact Photographer · Photographer Profile
Remarks & Notes
MILW Little Joe E76 powers up and leads three SD40-2s (3009, 3018, 3000) eastward out of St. Regis, Montana across the namesake St. Regis River on August 9, 1973. Following the river was the Northern Pacific.

Let's do that again, this time, all-electric.

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/316183/

https://www.railpictures.net/showimage.php?id=459723&key=7247245

» Milwaukee Road (more..)
» GE EF-4 (more..) » MP 1716 Montana Div.
» St.Regis, Montana, USA (more..)
» June 15, 1973
Locomotive No./Train ID Photographer
» MILW E-75 (more..)
» Eastbound (more..) » Bill Hooper (more..)
» Contact Photographer · Photographer Profile
Remarks & Notes
Eastbound double Joe with dead boxcabs in tow crosses the Clark Fork River and BN's former NP Main. The BN station is visible on the right

[Hiawatha Pete]

15. Stuffed and mounted:

My own pic from rp.net...



Thx for posting the in-action pics.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

16. I could have seen them. If only I had known what I was missing. Sigh. NT