Very sad news.

Hopefully all those who were injured will recover quickly and when the dust settles, the railroad's damage can be repaired without too much trouble and the blame (and inevitable law suits) will be placed firmly where it belongs.

All of us who have served on train and locomotive crews will definitely have this crew in our thoughts and prayers. They will have to live with the painful memories of this incident.

I would hope there is counseling available for the crew, passengers, and other witnesses, whether provided by the Durbin & Greenbrier or other agencies. All these people need it, even if they think they're OK.

These things can happen so easily, and there's no way to protect yourself from idiots driving huge trucks.

Steve Hunter

To cut the driver some slack, a lot of these local trucking companies operate on the margins of safety. It's not uncommon in most media markets every year or so to see a story about the large numbers of unsafe trucks plying our highways. My first thought when I heard about this was brake failure on the truck. I've driven those roads in Pocahontas County in the Fall, and let me tell you, the locals in their monster pick-ups, and the coal and log truck drivers don't have much patience with the leaf peepers from out of state when it comes to getting out of their way on the road. My guess is that he was busting down Rt. 250, not expecting to see the train at the crossing, and his brakes failed.

BTW, for those of you who have driven U. S. 250 in other states, you have no idea just how "challenging" a road it can be in rural WV. A lot like the Pacific Coast Highway you see in the car commercials, only in the woods.

He ain't kidding.

When I have driven to and from Cass and environs, I've made half-serious jokes about stopping at each summit to "turn up the retainers", and I have, indeed, pulled over halfway down some of those runs to cool off the brakes, lest they start the brake fluid boiling. Lots of downshifting ("dynamic braking") as well.

My biggest concern, aside from the financial damage done to the railroad and the passengers' injuries, is that it appears at least one of the cars involved was an authentic, and rare, WM coach that D&GV had repatriated from the RR Museum of Pa. or elsewhere, not an "expendable" open car, Lackawanna MU or LIRR "Ping-Pong." (The other car does appear to be a Lackawanna MU.) Corrections or confirmations appreciated....

Western Maryland coach 835 belongs to the WMRHS and is a guest at the D&GV. Also 835 is green and both of the cars on the ground are red, so I think we dodged a bullet....I mean log truck in that respect.

the Ignorance in this statement, make's me want to Puke.

Railroads are my love, but trucking is my Life............

35 yrs sitting in a cab of a truck, trying to be the best I can, at what I do....... and I still hear and see Trash like this out of some one's mouth.

A reputation earned is a reputation that's hard to lose.

Apparently, this is the spot:

http://here.com/38.6165337,-79.8682129,18,0,0,hybrid.day

https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=cheat+bridge,+WV&hl=en&ll=38.616485,-79.869769&spn=0.005424,0.010214&sll=44.33986,-76.473194&sspn=0.317735,0.653687&hnear=Cheat+Bridge,+United+States&t=h&z=17

Google StreetView:

https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=cheat+bridge,+WV&hl=en&ll=38.615913,-79.869372&spn=0.002729,0.005107&sll=44.33986,-76.473194&sspn=0.317735,0.653687&hnear=Cheat+Bridge,+United+States&t=h&layer=c&cbll=38.615913,-79.869372&panoid=8uyBdaE00Wu0iYVHzoGyyQ&cbp=12,344.54,,1,0&z=18

https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=cheat+bridge,+WV&hl=en&ll=38.617361,-79.869854&spn=0.002729,0.005107&sll=44.33986,-76.473194&sspn=0.317735,0.653687&hnear=Cheat+Bridge,+United+States&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=38.617565,-79.869897&panoid=VTA3v_9evAEeh30_PUC5YA&cbp=12,167.16,,0,11.26

Steve Hunter

The train was heading south through this crossing. The lead F unit, Geep and WM coach made it across safely. The truck nailed the consist at the connecting vestibules of the two red DL&W coaches, coach 2 completely turning over into the ditch and coach 3, 3/4s over onto the road...the power car remained upright.

The vestibule on coach 3 appears to have taken the brunt of the impact as it is completely crushed to the crash post, as is the corner of the coach pushed in.

The train was obviously already occupying the crossing, so comments I've seen made on other boards about signal systems working or not working are a moot point.

One can only assume there either was a health related problem or complete mechanical failure or driver error...

Thanks, Junior, for confirming the train's direction.

While the sight lines are poor for a southbound train at the crossing due to trees, the signage, road painting, and crossing flashers appear to give pretty good warning that a train is approaching:

https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=cheat+bridge,+WV&hl=en&ll=38.61503,-79.869109&spn=0.002729,0.005107&sll=44.33986,-76.473194&sspn=0.317735,0.653687&hnear=Cheat+Bridge,+United+States&t=h&layer=c&cbll=38.615164,-79.869158&panoid=1XU2G_t32zmCXfe6Ov--0Q&cbp=12,3.63,,0,5.67&z=18

https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=cheat+bridge,+WV&hl=en&ll=38.616289,-79.869503&spn=0.001364,0.002553&sll=44.33986,-76.473194&sspn=0.317735,0.653687&hnear=Cheat+Bridge,+United+States&t=h&layer=c&cbll=38.616289,-79.869503&panoid=I5g2u2lePmw__6m3DmIEbg&cbp=12,357.99,,0,0.31&z=19

In one of the articles, a police source is quoted stating the crossing flashers were working.

Hopefully, the autopsy and police investigation will be able to pinpoint why he didn't stop. I certainly feel sorry for the driver's family, not only losing a husband and dad, but trying to understand how this could have happened.

Steve Hunter

I found yet another advance warning sign, a considerable distance back from the crossing, beyond the curve:

https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=cheat+bridge,+WV&hl=en&ll=38.613111,-79.867854&spn=0.002729,0.005107&sll=44.33986,-76.473194&sspn=0.317735,0.653687&hnear=Cheat+Bridge,+United+States&t=h&layer=c&cbll=38.613016,-79.86779&panoid=I7i-7J_dpbqSCXEOzAacsg&cbp=12,341.35,,0,10.47&z=18

Steve Hunter

I'm only an "armchair quarterback" here, but when I read humor books by Patrick F. McManus, I learned that in Idaho, lumber trucks don't brake for passenger cars, possibly because the logs would keep going if the brakes were applied. Does this mentality apply in West Virginia, and are passenger cars of all kinds supposed to get out of the way, according to the trucking company's lawyer?

Jim, I wouldn't say they don't brake for cars, though they certainly aren't meek and mild mannereed, but there is a grain of truth about the load not stopping. Many a log truck driver, possibly including this one, have been killed when the load came forward during a crash. Headache racks (heavy roll bar type structures behind the cab) can only do so much.

Of course we only notice the worst drivers, the rest fade into the scenery. The bigger the vehicle, the more noticeable they are.

This crossing is at the bottom of a long grade (probably a fair bit steeper than Google images suggest), and it's very possible he could have been struggling with bad or marginal brakes, otherwise distracted by outside factors, or had a medical emergency. We shouldn't be too critical until we know why he hit the train.

Hopefully the investigation will uncover the cause, but this guy isn't coming back and the victims are still hurt. Hopefully the survivors will come through it OK.

Steve Hunter

New video update on this ...............
http://www.wdtv.com/wdtv.cfm?func=view&section=5-News&item=Aftermath-of-Fatal-Logging-Truck-and-Train-Collision-Still-Shocking-Community12274

Hit those cars pretty hard. Never touched his brakes..........

passengers said they looked right at him till the impact, said he appeared to be alert and aware (38 yrs old)

video shows the cars back upright, lot of damage to one of them.