ORNEVILLE, Maine — Three locomotives and six cars of a Canadian Pacific train derailed early this morning (Wednesday, Oct. 19) in Orneville, an uncorporated area also known as Southeast Piscataquis.
WABI-TV reports the incident occurred about 3:15 a.m. and is attributed to a washout. The crew was not injured and no public safety issues have resulted, although asphalt is reportedly leaking into a bog at the scene. A small amount of diesel fuel was also spilled, WGME-TV reports. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Milo, Maine, Fire Department have responded.
The accident location, on the former Central Maine & Quebec, is about 30 miles north of Bangor.
Congratulations to CP for the derailment of the week. Who will be next week’s winner?
I’m thinking maybe that hurricane that made it all the way north to Canada might have impacted the roadbed. I’m glad that CP has bought this line and is in the process of rehabilitation. No reasons today for shoddy trackwork. This is going to be an important transportation artery again. The plan for Lac Megantic by-pass is a clever move on CP management under Mr. Creel’s forward thinking watch.
Just to correct a few things. This is the Bangor Sub not the Moosehead. CP has done only minor maintenance here, which was stipulated in a contract CMQ signed when they got grants to get it back to 25 a few years ago. It could be a busy railroad, but CP has run it into the ground since they bought CMQ. At the end of the year, this will be the only branchline they still own that CMQ had. All the others have been sold or subbed out, and the customers haven’t been happy with the shoddy service by CP. And given how poorly CP has treated employees here, they are barely able to run two road jobs a day, let alone the 4 they want to run. So many people have left, they have been forced to drag in conscripts from out west who flunk out after a few months. And the Lac-Megantic bypass has nothing to do with CP or Creel. CMQ did all the heavy lifting with that between 2015 and 2019, and would have been nearly complete or in the process of being built had CP not bought them, creating a legal nightmare that will take years to untangle. Overall, anyone from Maine can tell you the CP takeover of CMQ wasn’t anything close to resembling a good thing.
I agree with Mr. Shoemaker. We have had a lot of rain in recent days and this area is prone to flooding. The roadbed may have weakened under the passage of previous trains and just gave out under this one. CP has done a lot of work on this line since they bought it from CM&Q.
Not poor maintenance. If you look closely at the pics one can see a lot of new looking ties. CP is upgrading this line. I agree with Alan but it depends on the weather conditions. It’s possible the line was inspected but how long ago. There has been heavy rains in that area. Could be the right of way underneath was being weakened and no noticeable from a hi-rail. It was in a bog so it’s possible the right of way just gave way under the weight of the train. Doesn’t look like speed was much of a factor. And it was 3 am. Visibility not the greatest.
There you have it. Send the NTSB home. Greg and Alan have it all figured out already. Greg, I take it you live near the line and personally know what every inch of the track looks like?
More likely poor inspections. Flooding waters IMO should have a hi rail to preceed any train.
Thankfully those tank cars on the head end didn’t explode like Lac Megantic. Poor maintenance and operations.
Sounds like at least one of the tank cars up front was carrying asphalt according to the report. No buffer car seen, why assume there flammables aboard?