In #EllicottCity, clean up of the remaining coal seems to be very slow. - #csxderailment #csx #derailment #environment

In Ellicott City, clean up of the remaining coal seems to be very
slow. Trains are being routed through the city & very near the
derailment site. If you are interested in my photos of the
derailment clean up, here are the links.

Ellicott City train derailment clean up
http://proclus-gnu-darwin.posterous.com/ellicott-city-train-derailment-clean-up

Ellicott City train derailment clean up, Follow Up 2 - #ellicottcity
#train #csxderailment #csx #derailment #environment
http://proclus-gnu-darwin.posterous.com/ellicott-city-follow-up-2

Regards,
proclus
http://www.gnu-darwin.org/

Ellicott City train derailment clean up, Follow Up 2 - #ellicottcity #train #csxderailment #csx #derailment #environment

I managed to get out to Ellicott City again today. The water and riverbed near the bridge look OK to my less than expert eyes. It appears that any coal has been cleared away, and the contamination barrier that I showed in a previous blog entry has been removed.  There is much foot traffic on the river bridge that is adjacent to the bridge where the train derailed, likely throughout the day. Here are the photos I took today.

 

 

Some readers, who saw the original aerial photographs of the derailment site, with the overturned coal cars, will recognize this site. It is beyond the bridge on the south side of the river. In fact, it is very near the river, just up a small hill behind some trees in an area that gets less attention.

 

 

This sign is another bit of CSX irony. Ellicott City residents and visitors, who ventured up to this site could clearly read this sign behind a fence. It is a no dumping sign, which is surrounded by coal on the ground.

 

 

Here is another photo of the coal spill at the derailment site. This view is looking down the track, in the direction of the bridge where the train derailment occured, but the bridge may not be visilble in this picture.

 

 

This photo shows more vinyl plastic barriers behind the coal. These barriers are likely intended to prevent coal contamination from running down the hill and into the river water. It is not difficult the imagine that heavy rains could easily overcome these barriers.

A casual observer, such as myself, cannot get easy access to all the areas where coal was spilled. For example, this area was protected by a chain link fence and no trespassing signs.  I got clear shots through and over the fence.

I read today that CSX has spent 2 million dollars on the clean up so far. Hopefully, their efforts will continue, including in areas that are seldom seen by Ellicott City residents and visitors. It is crucial to protect the precious waters of the Patapsco River and the nearby Patapsco State Park.

Regards,

proclus

http://www.gnu-darwin.org/

 

 

 

 

 

Ellicott City train derailment clean up (MORE PHOTOS) #Trapwire #OpTrapwire #csx #train #ellicottcity #derailment #csxderailment #environment

I finally managed to get some more of the photos posted. There are 50%
blowups available for all of these. Just ask. 

 

These two pictures are of a different bridge, presumably downline towards Baltimore. This bridge is very near to one of the entreances to Patapsco State Park. A small footbridge is not far from this location, and people swim in the river below. Patapsco State park is a real treasure, a green gem.  It is likely that the whole coal transport system will receive much attention as a result of the the derailment accident. It passes very near the park.

 

 

CSX - quality in motion. It is likely that the people of Ellicott City had a sense of irony when they saw that slogan.

 

 

In the background is the bridge where the derailment occured, with some cleanup equipment surrounding. In the foreground is the adjacent bridge that crosses the river. I also caught a police officer watching me take the photo at the edge of the shot.

 

 

This is the inside of a twisted coal car as it is being towed away.

 

 

The river looks to me pretty much as it was before the accident.  I'll admit that I am not much of an expert in such matters. I'm just a river lover, going way back.

 

 

This shows the coal car being lifted onto a trailer that is sitting on the adjacent bridge. They were using the cranes or winches to do the lifting.

 

 

This looks like a remote surveillance rig to me.  Some of my #Trapwire, #OpTrapwire friends might find this one interesting. There are 4 solar arrays to power the system. The camera sits at the top of the pole.

 

 

There was definitely a police presence at the site, and they seemed far more interested in us observers than the clean up operation.

 

 

This is another view of the coal car being loaded onto the truck.

 

I previously blogged some more interesting photes of the cleanup. Based on my Coast Gaurd experience, it seems to me that the CSX cleanup team has been taking measures to prevent coal contamination from spreading into the river. If you want to see that, here is the link.

http://proclus-gnu-darwin.posterous.com/ellicott-city-train-derailment-clean-up

Ellicott City is a wonderful place to visit, and I will certainly be returning there again and again.  If there is anything more to report, I will definitely push it out to the GNU-Darwin Spectrum.  All comments welcome.

 

Regards,

proclus

http://www.gnu-darwin.org/