Amtrak train derails in Vermont
Posted: 06 Oct 2015, 05:49
This was on the news, here, yesterday.
The term landslide which is used by the press is a bit misleading. What seems to have happened and is quite common around here is that some rock has split off due to weathering and fell onto the track. Cold winters and hot summers cause this 'calving' of the rock through expansion and contraction. I often see events like this when travelling around here, especially in road cuttings. Fortunately a car car avoid the fallen rock.
Train speeds on our local lines is also fairly slow. Track is old - the railway near here (which John Ashworth has traveled) even has the clickety-clack still. This is probably why casualties are small.
It seems our Vermont trains are becoming more popular. I can understand why. It is so much easier to get to New York on the train than to drive by car and you have no parking hassles at the destination. It is also quicker, taking into account the traffic congestion as you get into the city.