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Re: (erielack) Rundel Curve Wreck
Besides this derailment there was a passenger derailment in 61 and about two
years later a east bound and west bound side swiped on the curve resulting
in something like 90+ cars on the ground including a number of loaded auto
ranks out of the Ford plant at Mahwah. No locomotives were derailed in that
incident. It was after the 90+ car derailment that the speed limit on the
curve was restricted to 30 mph. The Geep shown derailed in this years
calendar was near the wood pit curve which was located at the bottom of the
mountain in Tri-States section of town.
The controversy surrounding the accident was whether it was attributable to
speed or track structure failure. Those who new the engineer involved didn't
believe that he would have made a mistake like that. There were a few
engineers that had reputations for being somewhat competitive and bragging
they could get a train over the road faster than anyone else. They
supposedly new where they could run fast and where they needed to slow down.
When a train entered the Otisville tunnel it was my understanding that a
bell would ring in the dispatcher office. So based on when he entered the
tunnel and the approximate time of the accident it was determined his
average speed was in excess of sixty mph. It was also foggy that night and
he might have lost track of where he was. His position and many of his
fellow railroaders supported him was that his speed was down to the speed
limit going into the curve. I don't remember any discussion of speed
recorders. Any event he was dismissed for speeding. To dump four engines and
seventy plus cars certainly does require a lot of momentum.
The rumor surrounding the derailment was that of the 15 - 20 cars that
remained on the track one of them contained a US mint shipment of silver
bars which some of the people on site early to start clean up thought were
lead bars and through a couple down the bank to retrieve later to melt down
to make sinkers for fishing. I think that one was more urban legend than
fact.
- ---- Original Message -----
From: "Terry Dean" <tjdean_@_frontiernet.net>
To: <erielack_@_lists.railfan.net>
Sent: Thursday, August 07, 2008 6:19 AM
Subject: (erielack) Rundel Curve Wreck
> John,
> Could you elaborate on the controversy surrounding the cause of the wreck?
>
> Terry
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