EMMETT, Ark. —Ten cars of a Union Pacific freight train derailed Saturday afternoon, May 25, at Emmett, Ark., about 7 miles northeast of Hope, Ark. The track continued to be blocked Sunday afternoon as crews worked to remove cars and repair the damage, according to spokeswoman Meg Siffring. A second train had derailed a day earlier on another UP route through Arkansas
As a result, Amtrak cancelled both the eastbound and westbound Texas Eagle enroute at Fort Worth, Texas, and St. Louis, respectively, on Saturday.
Amtrak reports that because of ongoing track work, Amtrak had buses ready to carry customers between Longview, Texas and Ft. Worth. None were available for the remainder of the canceled route. Passengers who boarded train No. 22 of the 24th between Los Angeles and Arkadelphia, Ark., were rerouted through Oklahoma City to Newton, Kan., where they caught train No. 4 into Chicago.
UP’s Siffring confirmed a news report that the 10 cars that left the track were carrying beer.
Although the Eagle remained cancelled between Fort Worth and St. Louis today (Sunday, May 26), both trains hadn’t departed their originating station when the cancellations were announced.
In situations where a route is interrupted, Amtrak managers may “freeze” inventory — showing a train is completely sold out between all destinations—in the reservation system on service that could become a possible alternative for otherwise stranded travelers. This was the case for Sunday’s westbound Southwest Chief out of Chicago, which appeared as being “sold out” between every city pair on Sunday.
The equipment for that train was involved in a very minor derailment of its own early Saturday morning just east of Emporia, Kan. One truck of the eastbound Chief’s second P42 locomotive derailed at about 3:45 a.m., before the train was switched to the Topeka Subdivision, BNSF’s Kendall Sloan reports.
There was no head-end power interruption until a BNSF locomotive pulled the passenger cars away from the power back to a highway crossing so passengers could board chartered busses, according to accounts from those aboard the train and coverage by KVOE-TV.
Amtrak spokeswoman Kelly Just tells Trains News Wire, “There were no reported injuries to the 157 passengers and 20 crew members. Passengers were provided alternate transportation from Emporia to Kansas City, Mo., and on to Chicago.” Passengers expecting to board train No. 4 at Kansas City and Galesburg, Princeton, and Mendota, Ill., were notified in advance to take other trains.
Since there was no damage to the Chief’s passenger cars, Just tells News Wire the equipment was deadheaded without revenue passengers to Chicago later Saturday, enabling the westbound Chief to leave Chicago on time today.
Though no Amtrak trains were directly affected, a more extensive Union Pacific freight derailment occurred Friday when about 40 cars of a stack train derailed in “straight-line winds” at Stuttgart, Ark., KARK-TV reports.
The accident occurred on the former Cotton Belt line through Pine Bluff, Ark., that parallels the route the Texas Eagle uses through Little Rock further west. Union Pacific spokeswoman Siffring says there were hazardous materials on the train but none were involved in the cars that derailed and blocked Arkansas highway 79 for two days.
— Updated at 10 p.m. CT with additional information on Texas Eagle cancellations.
Wait, what about the status of the beer cars???
Although not familiar with all rail lines between St. Louis & Ft. Worth aren’t there
other trackage between the two cities, or are they missing the necessary signals’
for passenger consists
Bill Grant
Cols, OH
Assuming Amtrak will continue to run long distance trains over the tracks of freight railroads that give their money makers priority, in my next life I am going to buy a bus company and sign a contingency contract with Amtrak to provide dependable transportation.
Because numbskull management at Amtrak was hell-bent and financially rewarded for cost cutting, there was no backup power available. Brilliant!
I’m certain that the passengers that were stranded or stiffed on their accommodations will be more than willing to share their experience on social media as well as avoiding any and all future travel via Amtrak. This is so reminiscent of when Penn-Central was purposely discouraging passenger patronage in an effort to validate discontinuing passenger trains.
I’m a bit confused by the wording of the “freeze inventory” paragraph. Is this to accomodate otherwise stranded passengers or deny them the alternative choice?
George,
Sorry for the confusion: it is to keep any new passengers from booking a train until those displaced en route who might want to use it art taken care of.