Cleveland Park train derails; one killed, at least 20 inj.

tuffenough · **Joined:** Sun May 30, 2010 2:16 pm **Posts:** 2

http://www.goupstate.com/article/20110319/ARTICLES/110319692/1112?Title=Cleveland-Park-train-derails-child-killed-nearly-30-injured

A children's train ride at Cleveland Park derailed Saturday afternoon, killing a 6-year-old Gaffney boy and sending nearly 30 people, mostly children, to the hospital. The extent of their injuries is unknown.

filmteknik · **Posted:** Sun Mar 20, 2011 10:49 am

The Cleveland Park referred to is a park within the city of Spartanburg, SC.

This article contains a few photos:
http://www2.counton2.com/news/2011/mar/ ... r-1601719/

Steve

Steven Ashley · **Posted:** Sun Mar 20, 2011 1:24 pm

I live in Spartanburg and have ridden the park train many times when I was a child. I have a lot of good memories from there and it deeply saddens me to hear about this tragedy. The park train has been there since 1953 and they purchased a second identical train set for backup several years ago as well. To make matters worse, the train derailed on a trestle that sits probably 10-15 feet above a creek lined with large rocks. If the wreck had happened anywhere else on the loop of trackage, I do not know if the injuries would have been as severe or would have resulted in a fatality. It is too soon to guess what may have happened. At any rate, my thoughts and prayers go out to all of the individuals affected by this tragedy and especially to the family of the 6-year old boy who died. Here is more local coverage from the Spartanburg Herald-Journal and WSPA NewsChannel 7 (a CBS affiliate) both here in Spartanburg.

http://www.goupstate.com/article/201103 ... 19692/1112

http://www.goupstate.com/article/201103 ... /103201030

http://www2.wspa.com/news/2011/mar/20/2 ... r-1601189/

Steven Ashley
Spartanburg, SC

boilerwash · **Posted:** Sun Mar 20, 2011 3:10 pm

This is why the 7.5 gauge club I'm a member of doesn't do public run days and only brings in the outside public on an invitation basis. Plus if you're an operator you don't show up with your train until you've taken a proper engineers exam, toured the track with a cleared engineer, and show you have full grasp of operating rules and the signal system. Even then EVERYONE who even steps foot on the property signs a waiver.

If you run a miniature train in the east be prepared to close up shop or have regulators up your butt between now and doomsday. The Louisville Zoo crash, the TinyTown wreck, and now this all in the course of a year doesn't look good to begin with. Now that a kids dead legislators WILL HAVE to do something and it's going to be your operations butt thats going to pay for them having to actually get up and do something.

But this isn't about "big bad government" now going to mess with our train rides. The problem we should be addressing is that THREE wrecks like this in a year is a problem that NEVER should have occured in the first place to get their ears up. If you run something like this for gods sake remember PEOPLE ARE STUPID and you have to hammer correct operating procedure into their heads. Louisville and Tinytown were both the results of operator error grounded in incomplete training and this incident will most likely show the same.

trolleyira · **Joined:** Fri Jul 22, 2005 11:22 pm **Posts:** 219

OK, everyone, take a deep breath and stop speculating.
I have owned/operated both 24" and 16" trains. Mere track gage is only one small part of the equation. 71/2" is another whole topic and yes, I currently have one of those.
Until there is a completed investigation, the guessing game serves no purpose. I know the engineer, but I make no conclusions. The rest of you should do the same.
Keep all in your thoughts and let time do its job.
Ira Schreiber
Aurora, CO

Chris Webster · **Joined:** Sat Aug 25, 2007 12:45 am **Posts:** 1096

A RYPN contributor was involved in the derailment.

I hope that, out of respect to him, that posters will refrain from speculating on the cause of the derailment.

whodom · **Posted:** Mon Mar 21, 2011 12:31 pm

Chris Webster wrote:

A RYPN contributor was involved in the derailment.

I hope that, out of respect to him, that posters will refrain from speculating on the cause of the derailment.

I noticed the name in one of the articles and wondered if it was him. I'm sorry for all involved.

brandi_n_la · **Posted:** Mon Mar 21, 2011 4:20 pm

This doesn't do anything to explain what happened to cause the crash, but is not a good development.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/03/21/6- ... atestnews#

"Inspector Fired for Allegedly Falsifying Report on Miniature Train Before Crash That Killed Boy

A South Carolina agency says an inspector falsified a report on a miniature train that derail Saturday at a park, killing a 6-year-old boy.

...

Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation chief Catherine Templeton said Monday the inspector who OK'd the Spartanburg ride could not have tested it because a battery in the train was dead, making it inoperable.

She said the inspector has been fired.
..."

Brandi

Matt Bumgarner · **Posted:** Mon Mar 21, 2011 4:25 pm

Two things:

a) On a Yahoo! group that the engineer of the ill-fated train posts on, his wife reported to us that he is doing ok physically, banged up and bruised, but is having a very hard time emotionally. He refused medical care until the kids were taken care of, and was then taken to the hospital himself, where he was later released. He does not know what happened, just that the train failed. Please keep Matt and the accident victims and families in your thoughts and prayers.

b) The state inspector, a 20-year veteran, came forward and admitted that he could not test the train's speed control due to a dead battery. Nevertheless, he did pass the train. Excessive speed has NOT been determined (neither ruled in, nor ruled out) as a cause of the accident, but the inspector was relieved of his job immediately for falsifying records. All park trains in SC have been shut down by the state effective immediately.

For more:
http://www2.wspa.com/news/2011/mar/20/5 ... r-1601189/

Again, please keep Matt and the families in your thoughts and prayers.

Matt Bumgarner
Alexander Chapter-NRHS

RCD · **Posted:** Mon Mar 21, 2011 6:51 pm

boilerwash wrote:

Now that a kids dead legislators WILL HAVE to do something and it's going to be your operations butt thats going to pay for them having to actually get up and do something.

Uhhh... I think most of us can take the "Amtrak or GTFO" approach, that being if you don't regulate Amtrak then get out. These are amusement park rides, not real trains.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:17 pm

RCD wrote:

boilerwash wrote:

Now that a kids dead legislators WILL HAVE to do something and it's going to be your operations butt thats going to pay for them having to actually get up and do something.

Uhhh... I think most of us can take the "Amtrak or GTFO" approach, that being if you don't regulate Amtrak then get out. These are amusement park rides, not real trains.

An exceedingly foolhardy approach to take. Would someone please introudce this chap to the concept of the Federal Railroad Administration? Whether you agree with the concept or not, there IS Federal oversight of the railroad network. In many states, there is also state oversight.

Jeff A. · **Posted:** Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:54 pm

I haven't seen the gauge mentioned anywhere. In a couple of pictures where there is something to compare to it looks like it might be 15 inch. Anyone know for sure?
J

RCD · **Posted:** Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:56 pm

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

RCD wrote:

boilerwash wrote:

Now that a kids dead legislators WILL HAVE to do something and it's going to be your operations butt thats going to pay for them having to actually get up and do something.

Uhhh... I think most of us can take the "Amtrak or GTFO" approach, that being if you don't regulate Amtrak then get out. These are amusement park rides, not real trains.

An exceedingly foolhardy approach to take. Would someone please introudce this chap to the concept of the Federal Railroad Administration? Whether you agree with the concept or not, there IS Federal oversight of the railroad network. In many states, there is also state oversight.

As I said if you don't regulate Amtrak then get out. The FRA DOES REGULATE AMTRAK, you really need to fully read something before you post. Does the Consumer Product Safety Commission or the DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE inspect Amtrak if not then they should be kicked out when they start poking around.

trolleyira · **Joined:** Fri Jul 22, 2005 11:22 pm **Posts:** 219

The train in question is an MTC G-16.
16" gage with an F- unit, two coaches and an observation. Usually powered by a Wisconsin V-4 engine.
This later evolved into the common C.P. Huntington, usually 24" gage, seen world wide.

Chris Webster · **Joined:** Sat Aug 25, 2007 12:45 am **Posts:** 1096

WSPA, a CBS affiliate covering parts of SC and NC, has an interesting article posted on its website:
WSPA.com LLR: Inspector Fired After Incomplete Inspection

Here's a quote of the seventh and eighth paragraphs:

Quote:

"[The head of South Carolina's Labor, Licensing, and Regulation Board] says [the fired inspectors]’s national certification, along with national
certification for six other inspectors, was lapsed. All seven inspectors, however, still had basic state certification.

Monday night, LLR told News Channel 7, all sites inspected by [the fired inspectors] will be re-inspected."

I wonder how many inspectors SC has? Could those seven inspectors with expired certifications have been all of them?