LiveSteamer - came upon your query on PNR derailment. There's nothing that had not been aired/printed already. But, here's an nupdate discussion by Philippine daily INQUIRER.....It's the missing SPIKES (not rails) that caused the derailment...please, read on.
Jon, ho do you suggest we go about "PI Modeling"? It must be interesting for those "PNR-Lovers"....
Missing railroad spikes caused Quezon train crash--DoTC
Updated 04:27pm (Mla time) Nov 24, 2004
By Joel Francis Guinto
INQ7.net, Agence France-Presse
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THE THEFT of railroad spikes was the likely cause of a train crash in October in Quezon province that left at least seven people dead and more than 100 injured, the government said Wednesday.
Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza said in a statement that an initial investigation of the November 12 accident showed that the Manila-bound train went off the tracks due to a "shifting" rail as the train negotiated a curve.
Investigations showed that the spikes, which were supposed to have been holding down the railway tracks, were missing, Mendoza said.
"Based on observation, the color and texture of the holes left by the spikes showed that they had long been missing and could not, therefore, be a part of a deliberate act to derail a passing train," he said.
“Hence, the committee, even at this early stage, has ruled out sabotage or terrorist action as possible cause of the accident,” he added.
"The rails themselves may not show any signs of damage but the rest of

the railway track components, especially the wooden ties and metal spikes need replacement or rehabilitation due to ageing, damage or pilferage," Mendoza said, quoting the report of the investigating body.
He added that the trains were suffering from many defects such as defective gauges, including speedometers, defective airbags, and inoperative emergency brakes.
The committee also recommended a “thorough survey” of the entire PNR system to prevent another tragedy, Mendoza said.
Train driver Aurelio Leano tested negative for drug use, he added.
The investigation further revealed that the train was traveling at 27.05 kilometers per hour, above the 25-kph speed limit, said Mendoza.
Four of the five passenger coaches of the Philippine National Railways train with more than 300 people on board, came off the rails at speed near Padre Burgos town, 130 kilometers (81 miles) southeast of the capital.
Railway officials have complained that the theft of railroad tracks, rail spikes, and other railway equipment by people, who sell them for scrap, might lead to accidents.
Related Stories:
The grand deception (Nov 21, 2004)
Remembering the trains of our youth (Nov 21, 2004)
Can the PNR get back on track? (Nov 21, 2004)
And, here a reminiscent of how PNR was or has been. I was able to catch her at her prime and elegance in mid 50's and early 60's
Remembering the trains of our youth
Updated 08:02am (Mla time) Nov 21, 2004
By Manuel and Patria Lorenzo, Retired government employees, Albay District, Legazpi City
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A16 of the November 21, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
THE RECENT derailment of several Philippine National Railways coaches bound for Manila brings to mind a time when the trains evoked happy thoughts instead of sadness and exasperation. It is in Legazpi City where the famous Bicol Express begins and ends its daily run.
There was a time of greatness for the railroad, especially for us who lived in what is usually called the pre-war years. True, we were very young then, first year secondary school students when Pearl Harbor was bombed, but the pleasant memories of the trains of our youth remain with us.
Air of gentility
We readily recall the impression that the trains and the passengers gave us, including those of us in the third-class coaches: there was an air of quiet gentility, of people who were kind to and considerate of each other.
Every number of years, the PNR had the Rolling Exposition, something like a trade fair on wheels, during which several coaches filled with products and handicrafts from the

various regions of the country stayed for several days to exhibit and sell the goods on board. However, we the children and teenagers, were more interested in the food items for sale, especially the ice cream.
Damage to psyche
A big change was apparent right after the war. It seemed that the damage was done not just to the facilities but more so to the people's psyche.
Survival, which was the most important thing during the war, transmuted into many undesirable forms. The gentility and quiet atmosphere of the pre-war years appeared to be lost, maybe not just on the trains but also in many other areas of community life.
But there was a great improvement in the PNR when it was time for us to take our college studies in Manila. The most remembered periods were the stints of Salvador Villa and Nicanor Jimenez as general managers of the PNR. The trains were on schedule, the coaches were clean, and employees were honest.
Uniformed conductors checked our tickets, and similarly garbed inspectors checked the number of passengers in the seats. Somebody, who wanted to get a free ride to Manila by hiding in the toilet every time the inspector entered the coach, was promptly caught and made to pay a fat fine.
Adobo, ice cream
The addition of a dining car to the passenger coaches became a source of much delight, especially for us who had to carefully save our pesos before our train trips so we could take at least one meal in the coach where our favorite chicken adobo and ice cream were available.
On hindsight, maybe it was not so much the food as the feeling that we were in a first class hotel that gave us that excitement of going to the dining car. The waiters were in snappy-looking uniforms and were very polite. That was a thrill for us, the youth of the war that had just ended.
When the night trips of the train became a regular feature of the Bicol Express, many of the young professionals took weekend trips to Manila for shopping, a movie or two, and Ma Mon Luk meriendas in Quiapo. By Monday morning, they would be back in Legazpi.
After the birth of our youngest child in July 1966 at the Manila Doctors Hospital, we brought her home in a "sleeper coach," the newest feature of the night express train.
It had four sleeping berths, double-deck on two sides, with enough space in between for getting in and out of the compartment. It was a smooth and pleasant ride for my mother-in-law, my husband, our baby girl, and me.
Means for progress
We realize now that the trains of those years were more than just a means of transporting people and goods. They were the passage to more productive lives, the means for progress of our region, which even now reels once again in the aftermath of a destructive typhoon.
Will the PNR become a means for a better life for Bicol again? We hope and pray for this to happen in our lifetime, if possible.
(Manuel Lorenzo, a medical doctor, was health officer of Legazpi City [1963-1983] and regional health director of Bicol [1986- 1993]. Patria Lorenzo is the first woman president of Bicol University [1988-1992].)
Related Stories:
Missing railroad spikes caused Quezon train crash--DoTC (Nov 24, 2004)
The grand deception (Nov 21, 2004)
Can the PNR get back on track? (Nov 21, 2004)
Best to all
MhmdFAROUK