Train Derailment

Follow us 3 as we head down the tracks to see how minor a train derailment can be.

Last month I came back home for the summer from a 9 month stint of work in Victoria. Within my first week back there were a few small fires, 3 thunderstorms, 2 power outages and a partridge in a pear tree. I mean, and a minor train derailment.

The minor train derailment really caught our imaginations. How minor was it? How minor can a train derailment be? Why hasn't this been reported in the news?

Word had come up the Moccasin Trail from Soda Creek that a few cars had gone off the rails somewhere near the Reserve. There was a Rail guy bombing around all the back roads trying to find the one that would take him closest to the derailment. He was noticed right away but it was a bit of time before he finally stopped and asked for some help.

Apparently he had been given all sorts of maps and directions and was sure he could find it on his own. People got to watch him go up and down the roads for a while before he gave up. One of the cars was full of some sort of special pulp and he had been sent out with a load of tarps to cover them and reduce its exposure to sunlight. This was some of the information he gave up in exchange for the location of the road to take him there; as well as the approximate location. There was no word on possible cause though.

This was all going on within my first couple of days back, unbeknownst to me. I was quickly caught up however when Dad and Uncle Kaw-Liga were getting ready for their nightly walk.

“Hey, want to go look at where that train went off?”

Me, “A train went off?”

“Yeah. Supposedly just a couple clicks down the tracks. Want to come Girl?”

Me, “YES. Hold on, I’ll just go washroom real quick.”

By the time I grabbed my phone and found my shoes, Mom had dug out a small camera case for me to take. We started off post haste down the road and turned at the tracks. I was caught up on what was known by then, including that my cousin Ian had heard the crash in the night, but had thought it was a collision on the highway. He was surprised to learn of no big car accidents, but slightly gratified to learn about the derailment - pieces of the puzzle coming together.

We were still catching up on the events of the last few days when there was a faint hissing on the tracks. I was about to say something when Uncle happened to look back and said, “Truck!” Dad and I hopped off the tracks just in time to see a Rail truck go cruising through the space we had just been walking in. All three of us quickly chimed in with how we had heard the tracks hissing and wasn't it nice of that worker to warn us he was coming?

Rail truck bustling away after we got back on the tracks
Pepper keeping watch

Looking back just in case there’s another Rail truck coming

After having a good debrief on the dangers of Rail trucks and that it must be a sign that Something is still going on, we kept going.

Going over the Underpass which goes over the main road to the Reserve as well as the Heritage Site and old highway to Williams Lake

Not long after the Underpass the tracks started getting noticeably rockier. While this didn't pose a lot of trouble for me in my runners, it posed some trouble for Dad and Uncle in their well-worn shoes. Worse though, it created a lot of difficulty for my old dog, Miguel. He’s 16 or so this year, and every year is getting harder on him. This winter we are likely going to put him to sleep so he doesn't have to struggle through another.

Miguel hobbled along faithfully since he loves following us wherever we go. He fell behind and we walked slower so he wouldn't feel like he was being left behind. He’s a prideful dog as well and won’t let us stop just so he can catch up. Uncle made the observation that we could take the old road up the side that connects to the main road to make it easier on Miguel’s paws for the way back. The trail to the old road is to the left and up ahead somewhere. This is generally agreeable and conversation continued in the usual fashion - incomplete sentences and various sounds resembling words.

We’re so inquisitive that it’s hard to hang back and take a picture.
This is a split second before Uncle turns around too and says,

“Whatchya looking at Girl? Oh, just us? Well come on.”

First sighting of the Rail truck that had gone buzzing by a while ago

As we got closer Uncle wondered if we should get any closer.

Me, “I came all this way to have a look so that’s what I’m doing.”

Ringleader in place Dad and Uncle were happy to follow along.

Within a couple car-lengths of the truck we could see that there were two of them there. It’s rare enough to see one along our stretch of track so interest piqued upon seeing Two. Voices could also be heard conversing in the truck closest to us.

Uncle called out, “Excuse me! We’re Representatives from Triple N and would like a word with you about the train that supposedly derailed in the vicinity. If you don’t mind, we also have our Photographer with us to take any pictures of the Event.”

“Triple N?”

“Native News Network.”

Laughs all around. He had said it so authoritatively that surely whoever was in the truck would at least come out and meet us.

Closer inspection revealed the truck to be empty except for the chatter from the radio. It must have been a good radio because it had really sounded like people. It was also a little disappointing because Uncle’s Triple N bit had been exceedingly clever. Ah well.

Going around the truck I could spot what looked like a train car on its side. The investigation of the Rail trucks was quickly abandoned with the purpose of our little trip coming to a head.

Up close the carnage went as far as we could see. From this vantage point we could count about 8 cars amongst their contents. Underneath those tarps is presumably the pulp that the Rail worker had been trying to salvage the day before. Barely visible is a yellow crane down the way on the rails.

A breakdown of likelihoods ensued. General consensus figured that there are two most likely scenarios:

1. The driver had been going too fast and may not have known that this was the start of a few S bends before the big Train Bridge

2. His train was longer than the driver estimated and he began speeding up upon reaching the straight stretch of the Train Bridge not knowing his tail end was still coming through the S bends

Scenario 2 seems most likely based on our visual observation. The car closest to us looks like it was whipped off of the tracks while the cars in front of it are closer to the tracks as they go along the way. This is our assessment of the first derailment that we've ever seen.

After a good long look and talk we decided to head back.

Rail trucks from the other side

Just as we get closer to the Rail trucks to have a better look at them, a great clanging and grinding started up behind us. This immediately re-engaged our attention and we turned back lickety split.

Turning around to see what's going on

The crane was joined by other machinery and an even bigger crane around the corner. The workers started moving around importantly getting everything ready so they could start clearing the wreckage. We watched for a half an hour or so but they were still setting up. Attention waning, heading back was again the plan. We stopped at the two Rail trucks to crawl around them, take pictures of the various attachments and marvel at their tires.

Not far from there we found a place that Uncle said looked like the trail that connected to the road at the top. I couldn't see a trail but I decided to take his word for it " it did seem the most passable. If passable has a lower classification of " Not going to immediately make you fall and possibly break something. Less vegetation and not so taught barb wire fencing also made it a decent candidate.

And so began the clambering up the hillside. The following pictures do not quite capture how steep this hill/small mountain really is. There were many points where I could reach straight out with my arms and touch the trail without bending.

Miguel, for whom this impromptu quasi-mountain climbing was intended, was indeed very happy with the change in terrain. He no longer hobbled along but seemed to almost trot up the way along what Uncle kept insisting was a trail. Miguel easily outpaced me since I am no longer as adept to off-road trekking as I once was. Dad stayed behind a bit, probably to catch me in case I fell.

Uncle with his mountain goat legs - saying that he sees the top. Sure Uncle. Sure.

Here it is, the road - Hurray!

Yep, those two indentations in the brush count as a road. At this point I was feeling very grateful for having the foresight to take my allergy pills to help thwart all of the Nature trying to get at me.

From here it winds back down the other side towards the main road and ultimately the House. Me? I make it home looking worse for wear than good old Miguel. But we have many pictures and theories to share which I leave to Dad and Uncle while I catch my breath.

And finally, a view of the hill we crossed over on our way back.

© 2014 Marion Finnerty

Author's Note

A quick traipse through one of our little adventures in the Cariboo. This piece was inspired by a talk with friends in Victoria about dedication to finding out what's going on and having a look with our own eyes.

This is my first short story to be accompanied by pictures, so let me know what you think! Concrit always welcome :).

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Reviews

Norma M Sutton

I enjoyed reading this and looking at your photographs of the area. The topography is extremely similar to how it is here in the North Carolina foothills. You have more pines then we do, but the lay of the land looks very familiar.