Rough Weekend For The Empire Builder

From the Seattle Times:

Chicago-bound Amtrak train derails near Spokane
By The Associated Press

SPOKANE, Wash. — A Chicago-bound Amtrak passenger train derailed early Saturday near Spokane, but there were no serious injuries.

Minor injuries to a few of the 86 passengers and six crew members on the eastbound Empire Builder were treated at the high school gymn in the town of Sprague, near the accident site about 45 miles west of Spokane, said Amtrak spokeswoman Tracy Connell.

Passengers were then bused to hotels in Spokane, where they will hope to resume their journey on Saturday night's Empire Builder, which travels between Chicago and Portland, Ore. There is one westbound and one eastbound train on the route daily.

The derailed train's engine and four cars remained upright after leaving the track, and equipment was brought in before dawn from Spokane and Pasco to rerail them, said Seattle spokesman Gus Melonas for Burlington Northern Santa Fe, which owns and maintains the tracks.

Fort Worth, Texas-based BNSF expected to have the damaged single main-line track reopened within 24 hours, he said. In the meantime, some freight traffic will be detoured on alternate lines within the state.

Amtrak passengers will be bused between Spokane and Portland, Ore., during the interruption, Melonas said.

The cause of the derailment was under investigation, he said.

Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company

A couple of notes:
First, this was only the Portland-Spokane section of the Empire Builder. It combines with the larger Seattle-Spokane-Chicago section at Spokane, and continues east as one train. That is why the train is so small - one locomotive and four cars. The combined Builder is probably three locomotives and 8-10 cars.

I don't know what track BNSF is planning to detour on. The only ways to detour trains is either go all the way up to Seattle and over a very congested Stevens Pass, or detour on the Union Pacific line between Pasco, WA, and Spokane. My guess is probably detour a couple of high-priority trains on the latter. Incidentally, the old BN used to have a well-engineered second line between Pasco and Spokane - and abandoned it in 1987.

Rough weekend up in Washington State. And lloks like it will be a while before it gets better - according to this Seattle Times article, BNSF maintenance-of-way crews have had their hands full, with multiple slides between Seattle and Everett and between Tacoma and Chehalis, as well as the Empire Builder derailment.