Derailment and Fatality of a Veteran *Possibly*

[AbdullahD]

Hey guys, it is with an extremely heavy heart I am relaying to you the death of a work buddy of mine, who was a veteran. Now I have been caught out being incorrect regarding information before.. so I won't give his name as of right now until it is formally released.

I will post here later, once it is confirmed I looked for a news article to post regarding it and couldn't find one. The chap was a damned fine railroader, always had a smile on his face and a good sense of humor and was not that old either.

Any rate the information as I understand it right now, is their was a derailment at Watson Island siding (which is at port edward just outside or rupert) and events unfolded which ended his life. I checked assignment reports, call board reports and the local unions word of mouth release.. so I am dang sure.. but I will wait before publicly posting his name... just out of respect and an abundance of caution.

He worked with me out of smithers until he got laid of a month or so ago and dropped his temp in terrace and bid their Rupert yard job. I always loved working with the dude and hell we used to help eachother all the time yard eachothers trains, while being sarcastic sobs.

If you have a veteran friend who works out of smithers, do reach out to them or me if you can't get ahold of them. We have a bunch of veterans working out of this terminal, so hopefully it won't be, christ I can't even say that since he was ah **** nvm.

It's tough guys I am sorry. Once I can find a release I will share it. But for now, God has taken another good old boy home. May he rest easy.

I am posting here because I simply lack the mental fortitude to figure out a better place for it. He was a far better railroader then I and a far safer one then I, by all rights I should be the dead one. Sorry you guys don't need to hear me grieve or whine, he will be missed and if he is buried up here I will take a bottle of the finest scotch to give to the other vets I know up here to share and give him his share as well.

Blah, this is probably better to be deleted, mods feel free to do so, heck even give me a temp ban for posting something this sensitive or hell a permanent one,  I picked a doozy of a time to cut out my meds. I just know eventually it will come out and yeah. If you need to call me if it is a buddy of yours, my phone number will be available via PM, I can tell you a few good stories. Our entire terminal is reeling because his smile and humor was well loved here.

If his funeral is within 500km of here, I will attend out of respect if it is an open one or go to his grave site after if not.

I am just kinda chapped, the dude served our country, put his life on the line to protect me, my rights and way of life.. then he came to civilian life.. which is supposed to he safe and suffers a work place fatality.

I know I am saying a lot for saying nothing, I am sorry.
Abdullah

 

[brihard]

Hey guys, it is with an extremely heavy heart I am relaying to you the death of a work buddy of mine, who was a veteran. Now I have been caught out being incorrect regarding information before.. so I won't give his name as of right now until it is formally released.

I will post here later, once it is confirmed I looked for a news article to post regarding it and couldn't find one. The chap was a damned fine railroader, always had a smile on his face and a good sense of humor and was not that old either.

Any rate the information as I understand it right now, is their was a derailment at Watson Island siding (which is at port edward just outside or rupert) and events unfolded which ended his life. I checked assignment reports, call board reports and the local unions word of mouth release.. so I am dang sure.. but I will wait before publicly posting his name... just out of respect and an abundance of caution.

He worked with me out of smithers until he got laid of a month or so ago and dropped his temp in terrace and bid their Rupert yard job. I always loved working with the dude and hell we used to help eachother all the time yard eachothers trains, while being sarcastic sobs.

If you have a veteran friend who works out of smithers, do reach out to them or me if you can't get ahold of them. We have a bunch of veterans working out of this terminal, so hopefully it won't be, christ I can't even say that since he was ah **** nvm.

It's tough guys I am sorry. Once I can find a release I will share it. But for now, God has taken another good old boy home. May he rest easy.

I am posting here because I simply lack the mental fortitude to figure out a better place for it. He was a far better railroader then I and a far safer one then I, by all rights I should be the dead one. Sorry you guys don't need to hear me grieve or whine, he will be missed and if he is buried up here I will take a bottle of the finest scotch to give to the other vets I know up here to share and give him his share as well.

Blah, this is probably better to be deleted, mods feel free to do so, heck even give me a temp ban for posting something this sensitive or hell a permanent one,  I picked a doozy of a time to cut out my meds. I just know eventually it will come out and yeah. If you need to call me if it is a buddy of yours, my phone number will be available via PM, I can tell you a few good stories. Our entire terminal is reeling because his smile and humor was well loved here.

If his funeral is within 500km of here, I will attend out of respect if it is an open one or go to his grave site after if not.

I am just kinda chapped, the dude served our country, put his life on the line to protect me, my rights and way of life.. then he came to civilian life.. which is supposed to he safe and suffers a work place fatality.

I know I am saying a lot for saying nothing, I am sorry.
Abdullah

Damn, man, I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. You've done nothing wrong by sharing this here, and obviously it's hitting you to some extent. You need to talk at all, you've got us.

 

[mariomike]

The chap was a damned fine railroader, always had a smile on his face and a good sense of humor and was not that old either.

Abdullah

That's a nice way to remember your lost friend to those of us who never had the pleasure, Abdullah.

I would like to ride with you for one hundred miles.

 

[Good2Golf]

Abdullah, sorry to hear about your colleague’s death. It is truly unfortunate when those with smiles, or who put them on others’ faces are lost.  My condolences.

 

[AbdullahD]

Here is a release from CN. Thanks guys.

I believe Dan was a Sonar Operator from 2005-2014. I am sure you guys have ways to confirm his service etc.

Abdullah

 

[Colin Parkinson]

This is the new siding at Watson Island for the unloading of LPG? Responsibility will be complicated, Watson Island is owned by the City of PR, but the original track predates that on it's own ROW, not sure if they have to lease extra land from the City to lay their 2nd track? The LPG siding should all be on land leased from the City to Pembina.

 

[AbdullahD]

This is the new siding at Watson Island for the unloading of LPG? Responsibility will be complicated, Watson Island is owned by the City of PR, but the original track predates that on it's own ROW, not sure if they have to lease extra land from the City to lay their 2nd track? The LPG siding should all be on land leased from the City to Pembina.

Watson Island siding has existed for years. We process propane in RTI the coal/coke terminal and that is new.. the LPG tracks are still being built that can be accessed beside watson island sdg just west of the controlled location on the west end and looks like they will have another entry point towards to the east end off the main again just west of the controlled location.

My suspicions and they are only that, so again I stress the term "SUSPICIONS". Is that they were working on the shop tracks that the carmen use to fix up cars etc, multiple backtracks exist that can be accessed off of the SDG or subdivision track (but usually the sdg). He was on the yard gig and pulling/spot bad order cars is a normal move any given day. So multiple switches, derails, less then stellar track, possible track units working, possibly cars in both tracks to each side of him etc.. basically a higher risk scenario.

But again this is all just my guesses, the union and crewmembers have not made known what happened due to the seriousness of the situation. Which I completely respect. Let the facts come out, not guys like me guessing.

But for context, for the first say 5 and half months the west pool was my assignment going to rupert multiple times a week.. so I feel my guess is well founded.. but no idea exactly what happened... he was to good of a railroader to make the simple mistakes in my opinion.. but who knows.. it is just a bad situation.

Abdullah

P.s I was under the impression CN owned all the track at watson Island

P.s.s Unions release of Dans passing.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

There was a siding to load barges and another that allowed chemical cars into the mill. Last time I was there (Nov 2018 as i recall) the plant tracks were all gone, but the siding on the marine terminal side was still there. I know that the plan to double track the area and build a parallel bridge over the rapids falls partly onto City land, not sure exactly how much. The City does not have a lot of love for the CN, so likley they will ensure CN pays for it. I am not sure of the legal status of the siding, if it was owned by the mill, then it would now be owned by the City.
One project i reviewed was loading bunker cars at the Aquatrain facility, closer to town, at Higher Highwater, the hinge point of the ramp is underwater, must make the train operator feel great.

 

[AbdullahD]

There was a siding to load barges and another that allowed chemical cars into the mill. Last time I was there (Nov 2018 as i recall) the plant tracks were all gone, but the siding on the marine terminal side was still there. I know that the plan to double track the area and build a parallel bridge over the rapids falls partly onto City land, not sure exactly how much. The City does not have a lot of love for the CN, so likley they will ensure CN pays for it. I am not sure of the legal status of the siding, if it was owned by the mill, then it would now be owned by the City.
One project i reviewed was loading bunker cars at the Aquatrain facility, closer to town, at Higher Highwater, the hinge point of the ramp is underwater, must make the train operator feel great.

Aye some of those things I can't comment on, I simply do not know. But knowing the income the port brings in for the city of prince rupert and RTI's, DP worlds desire to expand.. I think CN holds all the cards. Right now they are double tracking from m87 all the way out to sockeye m77 over the next couple years. The bridge has been rumored to be going in since I hired on. Kaien sdg that feeds DP world is getting triple tracked...

The backtrack we use to load out the barge is between DP world and Rupert yard... by the ferry terminal. So I guess you may be talking about something else. The old mill, that used to be at watson Island was gone before I hired on, so cant speak to that. Will have to chat with the old heads. But I trust you and what you recall, so I'll assume another barge used to exist etc.

If the incident had happened at the barge that is downtown, it would make a lot of sense.. I have never done that job. It is Terrace work since they run the rupert yards... but everything I have heard makes it sound undesirable. Any rate that is neither here nor there.

The work they have accomplished in the last little bit is quite amazing. If you want some photos of it, I am catching the ferry out of rupert with the family in july to go to the island to Sail for my Vacation. I'll try to remember to take some if I have time (can't take them at work easy way to get fired ^^).

Since I hired own CN has laid roughly... 35,000ft worth of track between PG and Rupert. Have plans to put a 12k sdg east of Hazelton at bulkley Canyon and another 12k sdg 30 miles east of rupert at skeena and 10 miles from sockeye to Nemoto.

I could discuss CNs attractiveness as an investment as of right now, but that would derail the thread.
Abdullah

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I have been one of the regulators involved in all the marine construction up there since 1998. The doubling of the tracks required fill in the ocean and I worked closely with the City on the Watson Island conversion. All the docks in Port Edward/Watson Island were by the US in WWII, who then realized they should got permission first and got an Order in Council after the fact. Watson Island was a huge ammo dump in WWII and the dock there used to have a circular rail loop, so trains loaded with ammo could go straight to the dock and load the ships going to the Alaskan war directly. After you pass by Watson Island headed to Fairview and you round the bend with the ocean on one side, there is the Barrett Point Battery above you, that had 3 9.2" guns, further along you might see a small fort on the hillside, that covered the anti-sub nets that stretched across the mouth of the harbour. The US also had a spur line for 3 8" railguns at Fairview (possibly Ridely Island)
As for CN, they controlled the waterfront of Prince Rupert for generations and did nothing with it, waiting to sell it during a boom, but until they started releasing land there could be no boom. I see CN as a real estate company with an interest in railroads.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrett_Point

Sorry for the thread drift, miss the place.