Wind derails train in Patagonia

The Argentine 'Trenes' e-group today reports that a steam-hauled tourist train on the Esquel line in Patagonia ('La Trochita') was blown off the rails by high winds.

Photos on the 'Los Andes' website at <http://www.losandes.com.ar/notas/2011/4/23/descarrilo-la-trochita-esquel-hubo-turistas-heridos-564043.asp> show what appears to be the whole train blown over, with the loco, Baldwin 2-8-2 no 16, almost upside down. Fortunately, there seem to have been no serious injuries though around twenty passengers (out of 150) were taken to hospital. Reading between the facts, the lack of serious injuries or fatalities seems to imply that the train must have been travelling extremely slowly at the time. This may mean that damage to the loco and coaches is less than might be feared, whilst the engine being an oil-burner may also mean that there might be less damage to the firebox and boiler, as long as the burner was shut off immediately.

A quick auto-translation of the 'Los Andes' report follows:

The intense winds that affected today the Patagonian mountain range caused this noon the derailment of the historic train "The Trochita", in Esquel, with more than 150 passengers on board, of which at least 20 suffered light injuries and they should be attended to in the local hospital, was reported officially. The train, called "The Old Patagonian Express", derailed in the section that unites the Station Nahuel-pán with Esquel.

Witnesses to the local press said, there were derailed the locomotive and three freight cars. The tourists left via the windows and were attended by voluntary firemen and by the regional hospital in Esquel, they added.

Américo Austin, coordinator of the Old Express Patagonian, said that "none of the passengers or of the personnel on board suffered serious injuries". The coordinator of The Trochita, mentioned in a communiqué of the government of Chubut that "as a result of the strong gusts of wind, called 'vuelta del huevo', the formation of the train derailed".

"Using a plan of contingency, within five minutes of the derailment assistance was offered to the passengers", with participation of "the Direction of Forests and Parks of Esquel, the Firemen, the Police, the Argentine Army, and Civil defence".

Likewise, he emphasized that "of the 150 passengers aboard The Trochita,there were no serious injuries. Between 20 and 25 were transported to the hospital in Esquel for to be assessed and treated, suffering only some light blows".

"After they to had been assessed and treated, they were discharged from the local hospital as none had suffered serious injury".



Martin Coombs

 

Another report is on the Clarin.com website aat <http://www.clarin.com/sociedad/rafagas-viento-kilometros-descarrilo-Trochita_0_468553256.html>.

A quick translation gives:

"A gust of wind that blew at 120 kilometers per hour caused the derailment of La Trochita, the tourist train that travels through the mountain range of Chubut. There were no serious injuries amongst the 150 people that were aboard the 8 cars. Only some passengers with bruises who received attention in the hospital of Esquel, and already they were discharged.

The upset occurred just after noon yesterday. During the long weekend of Holy Week, the train that circulates on one of the narrowest railways of the world was running extra journeys. In one of them it carried on board 150 people including tourists, operators, tour guides and buffet staff. When it completed the journey between the stations of Nahuelpan and Esquel and in the middle of a curve, a tremendous gust of wind removed it from the track.

Fortune was on the side of the train and of its passengers: it remained overturned on its right side above a ravine. Therefore it did not it roll over further, which would have been far more serious.

The task of evacuating the passengers and the personnel was difficult: it that location, the wind blew 70 kilometers per hour with gusts of 112, as reported the weather service at the airport of Esquel. Fire service personnel, police officers and volunteer firemen were present in the place of the upset to give aid. Also numerous neighbors who wanted to know what had happened to the train "most beloved" of the region.

"Nobody turned out to be injured, by good fortune", said Américo Austín, coordinator of the "Old Patagonian Express", as it is also known. And he confirmed that the upset was produced "by a huge gust of wind when the formation arrived at the place known as "la vuelta del hierro". He confirmed also that of the total of the passengers, around 20 or 25 were passed to the hospital of Esquel "but only as a precaution".

In turn Carlos Omen, one of the experienced operators of the train, said that upon arriving at the curve he felt the machine tugged at, and when he looked to see what could be occurring, they said good-bye to the track (?) and the formation overturned, except for the last freight car that remained on the line. "But I fell on the ground and only I have a bruise", he assured me.

In the (freight) cars of The Trochita there were tourists from different parts of the country. Also an Italian wedding party and some visitors from France. The journeys of La Trochita planned for the afternoon of yesterday remained suspended. Now the damages will be evaluated, above all to the steam locomotive that remained almost hanging above the ravine, which is the one that suffered the greatest consequences of the upset. It is very difficult to obtain replacements for the old locomotives.

It was expected that the wind would stop blowing with so much intensity, so as to be able to begin the task of rescue of the freight cars, which would be done with the aid of a crane (called "feathers" ??) offered by a construction firm in the area. It is the first time in its long history of travel through by the mountain range of Chubut that the train has an accident of this type. "


I don't the final statement is true. Keith Taylorson's book on the Esquel line reports a case when at least one car of a train was turned over by the wind.

Martin

 

The Argentine press have started to assess the longer term impact on La Trochita. From La Nación in Buenos Aires today:

(A fairly rough and ready translation, rather than a literal one)

"The authorities of Chubut hope to put the Old Patagonian Express quickly back into operation, the tourist train known as La Trochita that derailed the day before yesterday owing to strong gusts of wind.

In recent hours began the rescue of the rolling stock and the first evaluation of damage, that would appear not to be seriously structural, but more focussing on exterior and interior details that suffered in the derailment.

Also the conditions of the weather phenomenon will be studied that led to the derailment of La Trochita, an abnormal situation, but one that the authorities expect to avoid with measures of precaution.

The locomotive and eight of the nine cars derailed the day before yesterday in the afternoon, when some 150 tourists enjoyed the narrow gauge journey between El Maitén and Esquel.

Despite the overturning of the train, the passengers did not suffer any serious injuries, commented the Chubut authorities to the local media.

The information delivered to the press indicated that at least 20 people were attended in the hospital in Esquel, but that only cuts and bruises were reported in this incident.

After the evacuation of the passengers, a task that was in charge of various agencies, from the local firemen to the provincial Civil defence and the Army, the main worries were redirected to ascertain the state of the railway material. The train is one of the icons of Patagonian tourism and transports thousands of tourists each year.

The evaluation of damages will be carried out in the workshops at El Maitén, where the the locomotive of 1922 are repaired that are a symbol of La Trochita.

A week ago, were sent to those workshops one of the locomotives, two freight cars and a van to evaluate possible structural failures in the materials. Now it should be verified the potential damage suffered in the train derailed.

Though there are several locomotives that operate the system of La Trochita, not all are in service. La Trochita ran on May 25, 1945 for the first time the journey of 402 kilometros between Ing. Jacobacci and Esquel, that was the maximum length of this line, that began to be constructed in 1922. In 1995 its focus was redirected towards tourist services."


Martin