Palestine Oh and Wildwoodood train tracks

[Keefelane66]

Any concern on possible train derailments close to The Villages? Not that I except it should happen concerned. No one expects it to happen in their backyard.

[JSR22]

Any concern on possible train derailments close to The Villages? Not that I except it should happen concerned. No one expects it to happen in their backyard.

I do not worry about things that I have no control.

[Bill14564]

Any concern on possible train derailments close to The Villages? Not that I except it should happen concerned. No one expects it to happen in their backyard.

Not worried about it at all. Can't think of any wreck worse than the recent one in Ohio which led to an evacuation of those within one mile - I live over three miles away.

[vintageogauge]

I would be more concerned about truck accidents on the Turnpike and I-75 that seems to be where all the action is around here.

[manaboutown]

Sinkholes, hurricanes, tornados, lightning strikes, crazy drivers, dog poop and meth heads concern me more.

[Tvflguy]

Large rail yard in Wildwood off 301 near 44. Just yesterday I got caught by a train. No exaggeration, it must have had 125+ cars. Many of them were tankers. This train was so long it had another running locomotive in the middle of the thing.

I was very close to the train as it was passing, and Ohio incident was constantly on my mind.

Those poor folks in that town. No doubt the State and Feds would be handling this matter differently if it happened in an affluent area.

[Pairadocs]

Any concern on possible train derailments close to The Villages? Not that I except it should happen concerned. No one expects it to happen in their backyard.

Usually not one to worry about things that "probably" won't happen, but, the Ohio tragedy, made worse by the decisions of the "leaders" to turn the chemicals into deadly gases, etc. DID get me thinking how close we are to the major line in close proximity to Oxford, Churchill golf course, Wildwood, etc. Not at all confident that the "villages", or the local politicians, have any kind of contingency plan. Our plan might be to always keep our auto gas tank topped off, and a bit of cash on hand ?

[Pairadocs]

Not worried about it at all. Can't think of any wreck worse than the recent one in Ohio which led to an evacuation of those within one mile - I live over three miles away.

Concerning the latter part of your post. YES, people (and POLITICIANS, OFFICIALS) definitely DO think no one is capable, or interested enough, to look things up ! Just as ONE small example, look at the number of judges who make horrendous decisions (regardless of what party to belong to, you HAVE to care at least about judges) and yet, year, after year, after YEAR the sheeple go to the poles and do the easiest thing... put an "X" in that box that says "retain" ! On the chemical tragedy, good you live 3 miles away from any tracks, but not sure that gives any of us a guarantee of ground water contamination, etc.

[Number 10 GI]

Hopefully we will be told what caused the derailment. Mechanical failure of one of the train cars or something wrong with the tracks. My money is on poorly maintained rail tracks. A prudent person would have an inspection done of the rail line before a train carrying dangerous chemicals was allowed to move. Unfortunately, does a prudent person exist?

[Bill14564]

Concerning the latter part of your post. YES, people (and POLITICIANS, OFFICIALS) definitely DO think no one is capable, or interested enough, to look things up ! Just as ONE small example, look at the number of judges who make horrendous decisions (regardless of what party to belong to, you HAVE to care at least about judges) and yet, year, after year, after YEAR the sheeple go to the poles and do the easiest thing... put an "X" in that box that says "retain" ! On the chemical tragedy, good you live 3 miles away from any tracks, but not sure that gives any of us a guarantee of ground water contamination, etc.

But what if a satellite loses orbit and a large chunk falls on your garage and ignites your topped-off fuel tank? You will never be safe against the threat of a "what if."

[Hardlyworking]

Hopefully we will be told what caused the derailment. Mechanical failure of one of the train cars or something wrong with the tracks. My money is on poorly maintained rail tracks. A prudent person would have an inspection done of the rail line before a train carrying dangerous chemicals was allowed to move. Unfortunately, does a prudent person exist?

It was a bad axle. They have video of it sparking before the crash.

[JMintzer]

It was a bad axle. They have video of it sparking before the crash.

Yup. A bad bearing that caught fire...

[Worldseries27]

any concern on possible train derailments close to the villages? Not that i except it should happen concerned. No one expects it to happen in their backyard.
gators, sinkholes, trains were here first and yet we came. The die was cast by us

[me4vt]

Any concern on possible train derailments close to The Villages? Not that I except it should happen concerned. No one expects it to happen in their backyard.
Yes, about as concerned as I am of being hit by space debris!

[Worldseries27]

yes, about as concerned as i am of being hit by space debris!
still waiting for explanations or lies

[midiwiz]

Any concern on possible train derailments close to The Villages? Not that I except it should happen concerned. No one expects it to happen in their backyard.

you're better off asking that about the turnpike. it has a history of that.

[RICH1]

another worry to keep me up at night ,Turnpike tanker trucks along with chemical carrying railroad tankers bursting into flames with a south wind blowing… possibly at the same time..

[Sabella]

another worry to keep me up at night ,Turnpike tanker trucks along with chemical carrying railroad tankers bursting into flames with a south wind blowing… possibly at the same time..

I would worry more about the government lying about the danger to the residents and Declaring there is no danger WHEN there is. The EPA declared the air safe after 9-11 - I lost count how many people died from cancer and serious respiratory issues and how many are still alive today and ill.

[MandoMan]

Usually not one to worry about things that "probably" won't happen, but, the Ohio tragedy, made worse by the decisions of the "leaders" to turn the chemicals into deadly gases, etc. DID get me thinking how close we are to the major line in close proximity to Oxford, Churchill golf course, Wildwood, etc. Not at all confident that the "villages", or the local politicians, have any kind of contingency plan. Our plan might be to always keep our auto gas tank topped off, and a bit of cash on hand ?

Plenty of gas and cash are great ideas. You might also keep a case of bottled water in your car. You could also keep a “go bag” ready. If there were an immediate evacuation notice, if you can be on the road in five minutes instead of an hour, you may be ahead of the worst traffic. You might even purchase a good detailed road atlas of Northern Florida and plot and mark escape routes going various directions. There are back roads where you can travel fast when the Interstate is blocked, but you need to know them in advance. You could scout them as nice day drives.

What should be in your “go bag”? Here’s a useful idea list published for people worried about forest fires in California a couple years ago.
Build a Personal Go Bag - Sonoma County Emergency and Preparedness Information (https://socoemergency.org/get-ready/build-a-kit/personal-go-bags/)

[wawriwwawriw]

Is not the Villages responsabilizó, it is the County, State and Feds. For years, I was a member of CERT that stand for Community Emergency Response Team, which a number of counties and cities around the Nation do have this program. when I move to TV I noticed that there is no such a thing. In the event of a derailment or truck accident the authorities are responsible for immediately notifying residents to Bunker in-place until a decision is made whether or not you need to evacuate the area. It is all dependent on weather conditions particularly the wind direction and the chemicals involved in the incident.

[Hardlyworking]

you're better off asking that about the turnpike. it has a history of that.

There are no train tracks on the turnpike and a single tanker truck won’t cause the same level of harm as a 3 mile long train.

[daca55]

Don’t you think that Mayer Pete the secretary of transportation will be all over the issues associated with this train wreck so we can feel safe?

[Hardlyworking]

Don’t you think that Mayer Pete the secretary of transportation will be all over the issues associated with this train wreck so we can feel safe?

Yep, soon. Or maybe never. He is too busy blaming others right now.

[Rodneysblue]

Any concern on possible train derailments close to The Villages? Not that I except it should happen concerned. No one expects it to happen in their backyard.
About as concerned as I am about aircraft falling out of the sky over Lady Lake. Not. The sky is falling, the sky is falling.

[Get real]

I would worry more about the government lying about the danger to the residents and Declaring there is no danger WHEN there is. The EPA declared the air safe after 9-11 - I lost count how many people died from cancer and serious respiratory issues and how many are still alive today and ill.

Thank you.

[Bill14564]

I would worry more about the government lying about the danger to the residents and Declaring there is no danger WHEN there is. The EPA declared the air safe after 9-11 - I lost count how many people died from cancer and serious respiratory issues and how many are still alive today and ill.

Has it been determined exactly what was in the air after 9-11 that caused those cancers? What did the EPA measure as dangerous but then lie about when they declared the air safe?

[Bill14564]

There are no train tracks on the turnpike and a single tanker truck won’t cause the same level of harm as a 3 mile long train.

Of course, not all three-miles of train derailed or burned. It seems like five of the derailed cars carried the toxic material that was intentionally burned. No, it is not likely that there would be a crash on the turnpike involving five trucks carrying this particular toxic material. On the other hand, the frequency of accidents on the turnpike involving trucks is much higher than the frequency of train derailments and there is always the possibility that one of those trucks could be carrying something toxic.

[tvbound]

Taking emotion and fear-mongering out of the equation, the simple fact is that freight train operations are safer than ever.

Freight Rail Facts & Figures - Association of American Railroads (/facts-figures)


"Between 2000 and 2021, the train accident was down 33%. The rail employee injury rate in 2020 was an all-time low."

More than 99.9% of all hazmat moved by rail reaches its destination without a release caused by a train accident. Between 2012 and 2021, the hazmat accident rate was down 55%.

[BostonRich]

Hopefully we will be told what caused the derailment. Mechanical failure of one of the train cars or something wrong with the tracks. My money is on poorly maintained rail tracks. A prudent person would have an inspection done of the rail line before a train carrying dangerous chemicals was allowed to move. Unfortunately, does a prudent person exist?

Yes, as mentioned it was an overheated bearing on one car. CSX has upgraded the tracks here at least twice since we moved here 5 years ago. In fact they just did a major tie upgrade and you can see the old ties along the tracks driving on 301. They rebuilt the grade crossings and also closed the crossing at 105 which was a high hump that often causes trucks to get hung up and can lead to a collision and derailment. The tracks near the Villages are very well maintained.

[MrFlorida]

I'm more worried about my golf game.

[PugMom]

I'm more worried about my golf game.

😜👍 love it!

[Villagesgal]

The train tracks have been there for over 100 years. No problems. If it keeps you awake at night you should have thought of that prior to moving to the Villages.

[Geodyssey]

There are no train tracks on the turnpike and a single tanker truck won’t cause the same level of harm as a 3 mile long train.

Three-mile long train? lol, no.

That's Drudge Report material.

[Veiragirl]

Any concern on possible train derailments close to The Villages? Not that I except it should happen concerned. No one expects it to happen in their backyard.

You have WAY too much time on your hands to worry about things that probably wont happen.

[Hardlyworking]

Three-mile long train? lol, no.

That's Drudge Report material.

Nope. GAO.

Rail Safety: Freight Trains Are Getting Longer, and Additional Information Is Needed to Assess Their Impact | U.S. GAO (https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-19-443)

“Thirty-eight cars in the 141-car train, stretching two miles long and operated by Norfolk Southern, were carrying a variety of chemicals including vinyl chloride.”

And just for the record, I do not read The Drudge Report.

[Timeweaver1]

Taking emotion and fear-mongering out of the equation, the simple fact is that freight train operations are safer than ever.

Freight Rail Facts & Figures - Association of American Railroads (/facts-figures)


"Between 2000 and 2021, the train accident was down 33%. The rail employee injury rate in 2020 was an all-time low."

More than 99.9% of all hazmat moved by rail reaches its destination without a release caused by a train accident. Between 2012 and 2021, the hazmat accident rate was down 55%.

Wait--we are comparing numbers to 2020-2021 during covid when the economy slowed down. Thank God the rate was down then -- nothing was moving.

[Keefelane66]

You have WAY too much time on your hands to worry about things that probably wont happen.
Say the same to the East Palestine residents I'm sure they didn't expect it to happen either. Let’s worry about dog poop.

[Pairadocs]

Large rail yard in Wildwood off 301 near 44. Just yesterday I got caught by a train. No exaggeration, it must have had 125+ cars. Many of them were tankers. This train was so long it had another running locomotive in the middle of the thing.

I was very close to the train as it was passing, and Ohio incident was constantly on my mind.

Those poor folks in that town. No doubt the State and Feds would be handling this matter differently if it happened in an affluent area.

The truth is probably "yes", depending also on the predominate political philosophy of the area also. I've posted I don't live my life thinking what "might" happen, but you are correct, how can one be the first car stopped down by the Oxford crossing where so many LONG, LONG, trains go through at least once, usually more, each day... a MAJOR route. The sad "drip, drip, drip" has started; seems the railroad employees have been alarmed for some time at the length railroads are going to to save money, lengthening trains to dangerous levels, putting off track repairs as often as possible, and NO contingency planning (even it it never happens) on the part of railroad officials, officials of the communities close to such major tracks (The Villages, Oxford, Wildwood, etc. etc), and the Federal and state governments. Do you think the leaders of these communities (Villages does not even HAVE a mayor or city council so would be dependent on each of the counties to KNOW what do) would be at the top of their game and have FACTUAL information on what to do ? The whole situation in Ohio and Pennsylvania just highlights how expendable human life is to the political class regardless of philosophical direction. Hopefully, as usual, religious organizations, volunteer organizations, etc. will step in and give some REAL help in this disaster.

[Stu from NYC]

Hopefully we will be told what caused the derailment. Mechanical failure of one of the train cars or something wrong with the tracks. My money is on poorly maintained rail tracks. A prudent person would have an inspection done of the rail line before a train carrying dangerous chemicals was allowed to move. Unfortunately, does a prudent person exist?

Yes but obviously does not work for the govt

[retiredguy123]

Why do my Federal tax dollars need to pay for everything?

[tvbound]

Wait--we are comparing numbers to 2020-2021 during covid when the economy slowed down. Thank God the rate was down then -- nothing was moving.

Sorry, but 'cherry-picking' not allowed. lol

Which is the only explanation for ignoring this part...

"Between 2012 and 2021, the hazmat accident rate was down 55%."

That's 9 years, for the math challenged. lol

[tvbound]

Nope. GAO.

Rail Safety: Freight Trains Are Getting Longer, and Additional Information Is Needed to Assess Their Impact | U.S. GAO (/products/gao-19-443)

“Thirty-eight cars in the 141-car train, stretching two miles long and operated by Norfolk Southern, were carrying a variety of chemicals including vinyl chloride.”

And just for the record, I do not read The Drudge Report.

Thanks for introducing facts, to a very uninformed comment/opinion.

A very close friend of mine, who has about a half-century in the railroad industry (many years at the executive level), told me that before CSX sold the line from Pensacola to Baldwin a few years ago, they had experimented with trains from between 15,000'...all the way up to 19,000' long.

They used DP's (distributed power), which are locomotives positioned back toward the middle of the train to reduce in-train stresses (buff/draft), that are caused by just having locomotives on the head-end. The reason they chose this portion of their system to experiment with, was because of the relatively flat grade and minimal curvature.

I've been a railroad 'fan' for many years, but not to be confused with being a - "railroad foamer." LOL

[Keefelane66]

Yes but obviously does not work for the govt
It's corporately owned RR Tracks, RR cars
“ America's freight railroads are almost entirely privately owned and operated. Unlike trucks and barges, freight railroads operate overwhelmingly on infrastructure they own, build, maintain and pay for themselves. Approximately 630 freight railroads operate across the nearly 140,000-mile U.S. freight rail network.”
“ In short: railroad tracks. More specifically: the rail service doesn’t own many of them, a situation arising from the its origins, as a product of the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970, when it was created largely because railroad companies could not make passenger rail profitable anymore. But while that law put hundreds of passenger lines under Amtrak’s control, it did not give them ownership over the vast majority of country’s railroad tracks, meaning that unlike nearly every other country in the world, the American government largely doesn’t own its own intercity rail infrastructure.”

[JMintzer]

You have WAY too much time on your hands to worry about things that probably wont happen.

Hmmm...

I seem to remember a famous Floridian singing about that...

[Hardlyworking]

Another train derailment today near Detroit. One hazmat car was in the lineup. That car was derailed but did not lose its load.

[dwoodley1975]

It's can happen anywhere.

[Veiragirl]

Any concern on possible train derailments close to The Villages? Not that I except it should happen concerned. No one expects it to happen in their backyard.
Hey how about spending your time worrying about getting every kind of disease you see in ads on television, Aliens from space landing IN YOUR backyard, The Loch Ness monster floating in one of the ponds. Live in the now,not was has happened in the past or what is going to happen in the future

[Haggar]

Wait--we are comparing numbers to 2020-2021 during covid when the economy slowed down. Thank God the rate was down then -- nothing was moving.


Since 1975 through 2022 the number of derailments averaged 1000 a year. In 2022 there were 1044.

Some because of infrastructure, some due to train defects. Spending money on railroad infrastructure hopefully will reduce this number.

[MJCtalk]

Not to worry. The Chinese will ensure it does not matter in the long run!

[Hardlyworking]

Since 1975 through 2022 the number of derailments averaged 1000 a year. In 2022 there were 1044.

Some because of infrastructure, some due to train defects. Spending money on railroad infrastructure hopefully will reduce this number.

Train tracks are privately owned and maintained. Not something that tax dollars should be spent on fixing.

[Tvflguy]

Train tracks are privately owned and maintained. Not something that tax dollars should be spent on fixing.

How much of our tax dollars for “infrastructure” went to private entities? So many public black holes/pockets. I read a report the vast majority of derails are due to track degradation. Per our gvt there are about 1,200 derails in the USA in a year. Why not enforce maintenance and support wisely with our tax dollars?

[Hardlyworking]

How much of our tax dollars for “infrastructure” went to private entities? So many public black holes/pockets. I read a report the vast majority of derails are due to track degradation. Per our gvt there are about 1,200 derails in the USA in a year. Why not enforce maintenance and support wisely with our tax dollars?

Railroads are union controlled. Says it all.

[Andyb]

Low level terrorist attacks can happen anywhere. Ummmmm, connect the dots.

[jimjamuser]

The truth is probably "yes", depending also on the predominate political philosophy of the area also. I've posted I don't live my life thinking what "might" happen, but you are correct, how can one be the first car stopped down by the Oxford crossing where so many LONG, LONG, trains go through at least once, usually more, each day... a MAJOR route. The sad "drip, drip, drip" has started; seems the railroad employees have been alarmed for some time at the length railroads are going to to save money, lengthening trains to dangerous levels, putting off track repairs as often as possible, and NO contingency planning (even it it never happens) on the part of railroad officials, officials of the communities close to such major tracks (The Villages, Oxford, Wildwood, etc. etc), and the Federal and state governments. Do you think the leaders of these communities (Villages does not even HAVE a mayor or city council so would be dependent on each of the counties to KNOW what do) would be at the top of their game and have FACTUAL information on what to do ? The whole situation in Ohio and Pennsylvania just highlights how expendable human life is to the political class regardless of philosophical direction. Hopefully, as usual, religious organizations, volunteer organizations, etc. will step in and give some REAL help in this disaster.
So, the solution to the train crashes is for "religious organizations " to pray to an invisible symbol from centuries before. to somehow (?) force the Railroad Corporations of today to become less GREEDY and do more maintenance and inspections.THAT is expecting a whole lot from prayer.
......Meanwhile, the wealthy Corporations are praying to their GOD.........of greed.

[jimjamuser]

Hey how about spending your time worrying about getting every kind of disease you see in ads on television, Aliens from space landing IN YOUR backyard, The Loch Ness monster floating in one of the ponds. Live in the now,not was has happened in the past or what is going to happen in the future
Let's ALL "live in the NOW". The future need NOT be planned for and the Past can NOT help with predictions.

[jimjamuser]

Low level terrorist attacks can happen anywhere. Ummmmm, connect the dots.
I thought about that possibility. It would be easy to pull off without getting caught by a highly trained spy. it makes the current administration look weak. And those agents are likely here in large numbers.

[Pairadocs]

Hopefully we will be told what caused the derailment. Mechanical failure of one of the train cars or something wrong with the tracks. My money is on poorly maintained rail tracks. A prudent person would have an inspection done of the rail line before a train carrying dangerous chemicals was allowed to move. Unfortunately, does a prudent person exist?

A rarely used term (prudent) these days. Seems since this post was made, the usual "drip, drip.... drip" has started. Reports of the train exceeding limits in the interest of hauling MORE for LESS expense, "drips" of rail road employees who have been warning that something of this proportion was inevitable due to disregard for rules governing transportation of dangerous substances, and now finally our nation's head of transportation making a public statement that "this a common thing (derailment of cars with dangerous chemicals ?), it happens over 1,000 times a YEAR, this one just got an exceptional amount of media attention." Wow !

[JMintzer]

A rarely used term (prudent) these days. Seems since this post was made, the usual "drip, drip.... drip" has started. Reports of the train exceeding limits in the interest of hauling MORE for LESS expense, "drips" of rail road employees who have been warning that something of this proportion was inevitable due to disregard for rules governing transportation of dangerous substances, and now finally our nation's head of transportation making a public statement that "this a common thing (derailment of cars with dangerous chemicals ?), it happens over 1,000 times a YEAR, this one just got an exceptional amount of media attention." Wow !

They have video of one of the wheel bearings ON FIRE...

It melted, causing the train to crash...

https://youtu.be/DHiXZUgQEwc

[mtdjed]

Why do my Federal tax dollars need to pay for everything?

They don't. They pay for illegals crossing the border because of claims that they are threatened by their government. Walk across the border and the Government will, feed you, house you and transport you. Be a US citizen in a disaster area, you are on your own.