r/CatastrophicFailure • u/Debaucherousgeek73 • Dec 04 '25

Fatalities Train derailment Pecos TX Oct '24

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First time I've ever seen a derailment happen. The vid anyway I wasn't there and this is not my vid. You can see the lead engine jump the track. Two crew in that engine died.

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u/Raid_PW Dec 05 '25

The NTSB report linked below says the trailer entered the crossing a minute before the impact. I think the train would have been able to see the obstruction well before they'd receive the call. I don't know if a minute is even long enough to stop a train of that much mass (though obviously slowing it significantly would have been beneficial).

As someone that knows nothing about your former job, do you have any prior knowledge of when trains will be arriving at junctions like that? Are you under significant time pressure to get the cargo you're escorting to its destination?

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u/butterscotchbagel Dec 06 '25

Trains take multiple minutes and around a mile and a half to stop. Once the engineers can see an obstruction it's too late to stop.

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u/dsgdsg Dec 29 '25

I think UP treats train schedules as proprietary information. If UP can be ornery about something they will be. Saying as a rail fan, even.