BONNERS FERRY, Idaho — BNSF Railway’s main line to the Pacific Northwest is still closed, more than a day after a derailment sent a locomotive into a frigid Idaho river.
On Wednesday night, a westbound manifest freight derailed on BNSF’s Kootenai River Subdivision near Katka, about 10 miles east of Bonners Ferry. Three locomotives and six cars went off the rails. The lead locomotive ended up in the Kootenai River and first responders had to erect a rope system to rescue the crew. No one was injured in the wreck [See: “BNSF crew briefly trapped after train derails into Idaho river,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 2, 2019].
The derailment was the result of a rockslide.
BNSF spokesperson Gus Melonas tells Trains News Wire that the railroad is currently working with state agencies on a plan to safely remove the locomotive from the river. BNSF crews had to deploy containment booms around the wreck because fuel from the lead locomotive has leaked into the river. Local officials say it’s unclear how much fuel got into the river.
Melonas says the railroad hopes to have the main line reopened Saturday.
The derailment has brought rail traffic in the area to a standstill. Some trains are being detoured via Montana Rail Link and others were parked along the line. Multiple high-priority trains were stationed in Whitefish, Mont., early Friday morning waiting for the route to reopen.
The derailment has also impacted Amtrak’s Empire Builder between Chicago and Portland-Seattle. On Thursday, Amtrak turned westbound No. 7 at Whitefish after servicing the train at the BNSF yard and resupplying it from local grocery stores. Chartered buses took passengers west of Whitefish. Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari tells Trains News Wire that eastbound trains Nos. 8 and 28 will depart Seattle and Portland tonight as normal. Westbound train No. 7, which departed Chicago on Thursday, will be held in Whitefish tonight until the line is clear.
So, if freight is being detoured via MRL, but high priority freight is being held, and Amtrak has a bus bridge, what’s going on? Is it that MRL can’t take more traffic? Are there bridge/tunnel issues restricting the height of double stacks and superliners? Or, at least for Amtrak, is the MRL a FRA excepted track?
Recently rode the Builder Milw.-Portland, Starlight to SF, CZ to Chicago, Hiawatha to Milw. By far the roughest track was BNSF, best was Chi.-Milw, then Milw-StP. Read CP (old Milw. Rd).
So… locomotives apparently still need floaters when they go swimming
Curtis Larson:
See the earlier post about this derailment—it was caused by a boulder on the tracks. The BNSF keeps their main lines in excellent shape, especially on an AMTRAK route.
Retired Class 1 from Northtown.
Those with long memories recall the Milw. Rd’s issue with derailments on Lines West due to, supposedly, increased traffic combined with deferred maintenance in order to pay dividends, leading to loss of shipper confidence, embargo, and bankruptcy. Could that scenario have been avoided?
Anybody know a way to lift a couple of 200+ ton locomotives out of a swift moving river with no road access? A cold river. With currently available equipment.