Armitage Derailment

[Kevin]

(Threads merged, split from CTA Rail Alerts.)

https://twitter.com/cta/status/332533099802009602

https://twitter.com/allieleddon/status/332533750493741056

https://twitter.com/ijf88/status/332537421206024192

Brian Steele tells ABC7 it was a "minor" derailment of a southbound Red Line train.

[jtrosario]

To me, this looks like the southbound switch has something to do with today's derailment.

(Thanks to Kevin for posting alert with this picture)

Also, what's the likely route for gap bus service? Would it be a combined Red/Brown shuttle serving Fullerton, Armitage, North/Clybourn, and Sedgwick stations?

[jtrosario]

Suppose this is the answer for shuttle buses:

CTA''s Alert Page has been updated:

No Red Line Trains Between Belmont and Cermak-ChinatownRoute(s): Red Line Length: Thursday, May 09, 2013 - 11:30 AM
to TBD
Impact Level:

Service Disruption

Full Description:

Service on the Red Line has been temporarily suspended between Belmont and Cermak-Chinatown due to a derailment near Armitage.

As a result, trains are operating in two sections:

• between Howard and Belmont, and,
• between Cermak-Chinatown and 95th/Dan Ryan, only.

Shuttle buses will be available to provide connecting service through the affected area, between Belmont and Cermak-Chinatown. Also consider local bus routes such as #8 Halsted, #29 State, #22 Clark, #36 Broadway and #151 Sheridan.

See station personnel for further assistance, and pay attention to announcements on trains and at stations for service information.

We are working to restore service as quickly as possible. Allow extra travel time.

(Mostly duplicate post combined)

[chicagopcclcar]

Bustitution is on Sheffield. Trains are being turned at Cermak and Belmont. By 1230 hrs. NB trains turned at Grand. No injuries reported. When isolation is implemented, service could operate as far as Fullerton.

[jtrosario]

CTA''s Alert Page has been updated:

No Brown Line Trains Between Belmont and Loop Route(s): Brown Line Length: Thursday, May 09, 2013 - 11:30 AM

to TBD

Impact Level:

Service Disruption

Affects Train Tracker prediction availability

(What's this?)

Full Description:

Service on the Brown Line has been temporarily suspended between Belmont and Loop due to a derailment near Armitage.

As a result, trains are operating in two sections:

• between Kimball and Belmont, and,
• around the Brown Line Side of the Loop (Outer Loop Track), only.

Shuttle buses will be available to provide connecting service through the affected area, between Clark/Lake and Belmont. Also consider local bus routes such as #8 Halsted, #22 Clark, #36 Broadway and #37 Sedgwick.

See station personnel for further assistance, and pay attention to announcements on trains and at stations for service information.

We are working to restore service as quickly as possible. Allow extra travel time.

[geneking7320]

I'm up in Rogers Park near the Howard station. If they don't get this corrected by 2:00pm it might be a good time to take the 147 downtown.

[Busjack]

I'm up in Rogers Park near the Howard station. If they don't get this corrected by 2:00pm it might be a good time to take the 147 downtown.

Yep. May be anyway.

Again, tweets may be taking the fore here, as Sandra Solarte (besides Air Fox) was relying on several similar ones, including a photo of between the two trains.

She was also talking about CTA not being able to say when it will be cleared up, and that it might affect the rush hour.

[chicagopcclcar]

A four car train coupled onto the eight car of the "incident train." The five car train is staged NB on track four at Addison. A four car "bumper train" is behind, making for nine cars altogether in two trains....a rare photo opportunity.

[Sam92]

I'm up in Rogers Park near the Howard station. If they don't get this corrected by 2:00pm it might be a good time to take the 147 downtown.

As long as I don't leave at rush hour or so, 147 always seems to be the better way. :lol:

[chicagopcclcar]

1505 hrs...... First normal Brown line SB from Belmont to Loop.

Adt. Edit First normal Red line SB from Belmont to 95th 1510 hours. First normal Red NB left North & Clybourn. Back to the yard work. Be safe.

[SamRoman]

How did the derailment happen

[SamRoman]

Are any of these cars going out of service

[joechicago]

This was posted on Reddit, maybe someone can explain what happened:

[nflyer22]

I'm still not too familiar with the details of the derailment, but I would like describe my commute home coming back from Champaign-Urbana...

I was on the morning Greyhound bus that arrived at 95th at approximately 11:30 AM. I hopped on the Red Line headed home. One thing I thought was out of the ordinary was a good number of CTA personnel at the north end of the platform. I didn't think anything major affecting service was in place, so I dismissed that thought.

Just before reaching 87th the operator came on the speaker system and described of a derailment incident without too much detail. He noted that he will keep us passengers informed as information becomes available. We continued northbound until just south of Sox-35th, the operator told the passengers of a major derailment at Armitage that involves the power shut off at all 4 tracks. He also noted that he was instructed to stay at 35th until further instruction. Thinking I was just one stop away from where I need to go where I didn't want to lose more time, I got off the train and decided to take a 24 to Chinatown.

I did not reach Chinatown until approx. 12:30 PM, roughly one hour after arriving at 95th.

[sw4400]

This was posted on Reddit, maybe someone can explain what happened:

It looks like a power box to the third rail or a power box for a rail switch. My guess is the derailed car hit that and broke it. What caused this derailment is probably the same thing that caused the Red Line derailment near Granville... the switch somehow changed and the car derailed. Why this happens, I don't know.

[Busjack]

It looks like a power box to the third rail or a power box for a rail switch. My guess is the derailed car hit that and broke it. What caused this derailment is probably the same thing that caused the Red Line derailment near Granville... the switch somehow changed and the car derailed. Why this happens, I don't know.

The news reports had something about the signalling system had to be fixed before they resumed service.

Other than that, there is no indication whether that is cause or effect. Looks like the wheels splintered something.

[jtrosario]

From the following article, an account from perhaps car 7(of 8) which derailed:

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/05/09/red-line-train-derails/

Two passengers, who are students at DePaul University, were on the derailed train and feared the car was going to fall over the edge of the elevated tracks. They told CBS 2′s Susanna Song that it took about 45 minutes before they were able to get off the train.

“It got really bumpy,” said John Zermeno. “Then it started getting smoky and then it started rocking back and forth. That’s when we got scared.”

[geneking7320]

As long as I don't leave at rush hour or so, 147 always seems to be the better way.

Yesterday I boarded that 147 around 2:00pm and it was full before we reached Hollywood and Sheridan.

Many other folks must have thought the same thing.

[sw4400]

The news reports had something about the signalling system had to be fixed before they resumed service.

Other than that, there is no indication whether that is cause or effect. Looks like the wheels splintered something.

Again, just speculation. But this photo kinda leans toward my thought that somehow a switch activated while the train was passing through, causing the derailment. Notice how the splintering begins shortly after a split-off of Red to Brown Line tracks. I pretty much am sure that off to the right of this photo is a switch track.

I posted a second picture of the derailment site to show where the switch where I believe the first picture is located(marked with a yellow circle).

[trainman8119]

I'm thinking the switch did not move. What happens a lot of the time is that there is a wheel problem with the car. Sometimes a flat wheel (CTA cars do thump a lot) or what is called a high flange. The flange is what keeps the wheel on the rail. When the round is off often times, the wheel "picks the switch". If a wheel is out of round or the flange is cracked or over worn, it may catch the switch even if it is lined correctly and cause a derailment. I would be willing to bet this and what happened at Clark Street on the Brown line a little while back is the same thing. A wheel problem causing the wheel to pick the switch and derail.

[Busjack]

I'm thinking the switch did not move. What happens a lot of the time is that there is a wheel problem with the car. Sometimes a flat wheel (CTA cars do thump a lot) or what is called a high flange. The flange is what keeps the wheel on the rail. When the round is off often times, the wheel "picks the switch". If a wheel is out of round or the flange is cracked or over worn, it may catch the switch even if it is lined correctly and cause a derailment. I would be willing to bet this and what happened at Clark Street on the Brown line a little while back is the same thing. A wheel problem causing the wheel to pick the switch and derail.

Since the pictures don't seem to indicate that the place of loss of contact was the switch, nor different cars heading in different directions, I would go along with your guess.

Maybe they have to send Kevin O'Connor back out to the wheel lathe.

Or maybe the Wolverine Transportation Safety Board will file a report. Or even the National Transportation Safety Board as they did with the Blue Line subway derailment/fire.

[sw4400]

In the Granville Red Line derailment here that was caused by a train splitting a switch, only one car actually went to a different track while the others remained on the correct track. Even the Derailment at 59th that really came close to having a train dangle off that embankment at 59th & Prairie only really had one train go onto a different track for the same reason... split switch. The second car started to derail because there was no more give on those stretchy-things(my technical term for the straps that hold the married pairs together ) and the train was still moving.

Flat spot on the wheel is likely not able to rule out, but I think the split switch possibility is a greater likely of being the cause. I'm sure CTA pulls sets of these cars out of service every few months for safety inspections, especially after that Blue Line derailment that the NTSB said was the CTA's fault for negligent maintenance in 2006.

[Busjack]

... I'm sure CTA pulls sets of these cars out of service every few months for safety inspections, especially after that Blue Line derailment that the NTSB said was the CTA's fault for negligent maintenance in 2006.

I'm sure that that track inspector, Big Baby, who was fired as a result of the NTSB investigation, will be glad to become a member here and clarify things.

Which is basically why I said to leave it to the NTSB, but considering that that's the third incident on the north Red Line in about the past year, they should be pretty busy.

Also, if this was a switch issue (and as noted above, I don't think so, but I am not on the NTSB), all those crossovers should have been replaced as part of the Three Track project, so they are, maybe, 9 years old.

If you want to stew over something, go to the CTA Tattler, which had a post a couple of days ago that the slow zones were not eliminated because, according to Brian Steele, they are part of the "vision"--i.e. hoping in 10 years to get the $1 billion to get the line rebuilt, of course, on top of the $1 billion for the extension, and everything else that doesn't have a source of funding. Sounds like the 2005 Dan Ryan job in reverse.

[Amtrak41]

Why does CTA have such an issue with flat wheels ?

I'd say the 3200's are less likely to have them, but overall, it is much like the 1970-'s-80's maintenance malaise in NYCTA.

[sw4400]

Why does CTA have such an issue with flat wheels ?

I'd say the 3200's are less likely to have them, but overall, it is much like the 1970-'s-80's maintenance malaise in NYCTA.

Flat wheels are a common occurrence as the wheels get more and more miles on them. It's the lack of maintenance and upkeep to watch for these and repair/replace them. The 3200's are less likely than the 2200's, 2400's and 2600's because of age. They are the newest D/C-powered railcars with less miles than their other D/C counterparts. But now as they are coming into the 20-year age bracket, flat spots are more and more likely, requiring more maintenance and upkeep to watch for it. The railcar that derailed was 2951-2952, a 1985 Budd unit which is now 28 years old. The derailments at Granville last year were 2711-2712, a 1982 Budd unit which was 30 years old then, and the second derailment was 2537-2538 and 2803-2804 as the unit that caused it(only one, not both, but the pictures were inconclusive as to which) 2537-2538 is a 1978 Boeing-Vertol unit that was 34 years old at the time, and 2803-2804 is a 1983 Budd unit that was 29 years old at the time.