Las Vegas Dodged a bullet Yesterday

[Dave Harris]

This is not about model trains but this is the general talk area so I guess it will be ok.

We got lucky here in Vegas yesterday-- A full tank car of Chlorine gas managed to get loose & rolled free for over 25 miles --right thru the middle of Las Vegas before it was stopped.

It rolled away --not sure why yet --UP is considering it an accident, from the yard in Arden , south of Las Vegas & a good bit higher than the valley , so it hit 50 -60 mph, as it came thru . It eventualy hit an upgrade & slowed enough that someone jumped on it & set the hand brake.
They figure that if it had derailed & hit something & ruptured that there would have been 74,000 to 91,000 fatalities .

 

[Bones]

It's Las Vegas. You get the strange, unusual, and highly dangerous.... when you step out your front door.

The city is lucky some fool didn't get hit by it at a grade crossing. At that speed, it would have been catastrophic.

 

[eightyeightfan1]

What are the ODDS, of that.......

 

[Ralph]

Here's on link to a news report.

Las Vegas SUN: Runaway chlorine train car rolls unattended through Las Vegas

 

[sumpter250]

Now, that imparts a whole new meaning to the phrase "getting tanked on the strip".

Chlorine! Kilroy, if I tol' ya once, I tol' ya a milling times, ya can't bleach the sin outa sin city!

 

[Cannonball]

Another good example of why hazardous checmical routes should be moved far outside populated areas.

 

[UKSteam]

LMAO Sumpter250

 

[MadHatter]

A similar thing happened here in South Africa, except it was a drop side gondola wagon.

They say the wagon was going about 80Km/h and what stopped it was a track vehicle (a lorrie that has both wheels for the road and for rails).

These lorries were brand new when it happened, so it was kinda sad, lol.

Once again luckely no one got hurt.

 

[chooch.42]

Another good example of why hazardous checmical routes should be moved far outside populated areas.

Isn't everywhere 25 miles from Vegas considered "un-populated"? Seriously, if all hazmat routes are moved "far outside populated" areas,how will these materials get to or from the companies that make, need, or dispose of them ? And, how long will it take for the population to encroach on the "isolated" routes ? wall1 We all know something about trains, their purpose and operation. Let's not be taken in by simplistic political buzz. That won't get the answers we all need. Bob C.