More Thursday morning rail news:
NTSB issues preliminary report on fatal Decatur & Eastern Illinois accident
The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report into the death of a Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad employee in November [see “Digest: Illinois short line conductor killed in accident,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 12, 2020], setting out the basic events of the fatal accident. The Nov. 11, 2020, accident occurred when a three-car, one-locomotive train was working at an industry in Tuscola, Ill.; preliminary indications are that the conductor was struck by a gate at the facility entrance while riding the rear car of the train. The investigation is continuing and will examine safety rules related to switching operations.
UP deploys ‘avalauncher’ on Donner Pass
Hoping to control what it can’t avoid — avalanches on Donner Pass,which averages 411 inches of snow annually — Union Pacific is now deploying what it calls an “avalauncher” to bring down snow from mountainsides along its California route. The cannon-like device fires a 2-pound charge to bring down snow, working with an avalanche forecast team that monitors snow pack, wind, and other conditions to determine the best time to use the explosives. In an article on Union Pacific’s website, Mike Upton, senior manager-track maintenance, engineering, says railroad acquired the device after research including contact with ski resorts which have been using similar programs for years. Other railroads also use similar approaches; in Canada, military forces coordinate with Canadian Pacific to fire howitzer rounds to bring down snow [see “Avalanche control teams along Canadian Pacific see record action,” Trains News Wire, March 3, 2011].
Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit gets $20 million boost
Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, which had been forecasting a significant budget shortfall in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, may have $20 million more to work with than anticipated. The Marin Independent Journal reports the agency’s chief financial officer told a Wednesday meeting of the SMART board that the unexpected financial boost reflects better-than-anticipated sales tax revenues, as well as savings from service cuts approved last year. SMART plans to set aside $7 million of the funds for the planned northern extension of its line.
