The Big Bayou Canot train disaster of September 22, 1993 is the worst train wreck in the history of the United States passenger railroad company Amtrak. In terms of fatalities and destruction, this wreck substantially exceeded the severity of the Chase, Maryland accident that occurred in 1987. is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Train wreck at Gare Montparnasse, Paris, France, 1895 For the American rock band, see Trainwreck (band). ... This is the top-level page of WikiProject trains Rail tracks Rail transport refers to the land transport of passengers and goods along railways or railroads. ... The high-speed Acela Express in West Windsor, New Jersey. ... The Chase, Maryland, train wreck occurred at 1:04 p. ...

This wreck occurred after a CSX Transportation swing bridge over the Big Bayou Canot in southwestern Alabama (about 10 miles northeast of the city of Mobile) was struck at approximately 2:45 AM by a barge being pushed by the towboat Mauvilla, whose pilot had become disoriented in heavy fog. The collision forced the bridge approximately three feet out of alignment and severely kinked the track. CSX redirects here. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... It has been suggested that List of people from Mobile, Alabama be merged into this article or section. ... Self propelled barge carrying bulk crushed stone A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. ... The towboat Angelina pushes a barge in New Orleans. ...

At approximately 2:53 AM, Amtrak's Sunset Limited train, powered by three locomotives (one GE P40DC number 819 and two EMD F40PH, numbers 262 and 312) en route from Los Angeles, California to Miami, Florida with 220 passengers and crew aboard, crossed the bridge at high speed and derailed at the kink. The locomotives slammed into the bridge superstructure, causing its destruction. The lead locomotive embedded itself nose-first into the canal bank and the other locomotives, as well as the baggage car, dormitory car and two of the six passenger cars, plunged into the water. The locomotives' fuel tanks, each of which held several thousand gallons of Diesel fuel, ruptured upon impact, resulting in a massive spill and fire. Forty-seven people, of whom forty-two were passengers, were killed, many by drowning, others by fire. Amtraks eastbound Sunset Limited at the Houston Amtrak station. ... Great Western Railway No. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... This article is about the city in Florida. ... // Sociological concept In social sciences, superstructure is the set of socio-psychological feedback loops that maintain a coherent and meaningful structure in a given society, or part thereof. ... A restored CN baggage car in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. ... Restored passenger cars on display at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, WI. A passenger car is a piece of railroad rolling stock that is designed to carry passengers. ... For other uses, see Fire (disambiguation). ...

Immediately prior to the accident, the Mauvilla had made a wrong turn and entered an un-navigable stretch of water. The towboat's pilot was not properly trained on how to read his radar and thus, owing to the very poor visibility in the fog, did not realize that he was off-course. Although he was aware that he had struck something when his tow collided with the bridge, his initial supposition was that one of the barges had merely run aground. For other uses, see Radar (disambiguation). ...

The bridge span had actually been designed to rotate so it could be converted to a swing bridge by adding suitable equipment. No such conversion had ever been performed, but the span had not been adequately secured against unintended movement. Despite the displacement of the bridge, the continuously welded rails did not break. The result was that the track circuit controlling the bridge approach block signals remained closed and the nearest signal continued to display a clear (green) aspect. Had one of the rails been severed by the bridge's displacement, the track circuit would have opened, causing the approach signal to display a stop (red) aspect and the preceding signal an amber approach indication. This might well have given the Amtrak engineer sufficient time to stop his train or at least reduce speed in an effort to minimize the severity of the accident. A swing bridge is a bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring at or near to its center, about which it can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration below. ... It has been suggested that Rail circuits be merged into this article or section. ... Aspect is a piece of information about a topic, usually on look and appearance. ...

Analysis

An episode of the National Geographic Channel documentary series Seconds From Disaster examined this accident in detail. The National Geographic Channel is a subscription television network that features documentaries produced by the National Geographic Society. ... Seconds From Disaster was a documentary television series that investigates the worst man-made disasters and several natural disasters in modern history, and analyses the causes and events that led up to each disaster. ...

• Although there were signals on the line operated by track circuits, the long welded rails did not break and did not cause the bridge approach signal to change to red. Ironically, had jointed rails still been fitted, the signal may well have dropped to red, as such rails would more likely have broken at the joints.
• The span had actually been designed to rotate so that the bridge could be converted to a swing bridge by installing a motor and control equipment, if it were ever decided that barge traffic warranted this. No such conversion had ever been done and the span's lack of lateral rigidity was a contributing factor to the accident.
• One span of the bridge was pushed so far out of position that the kink in the line caused the derailment. The span was not fitted with "straps" to keep it in reasonable alignment with other spans of the bridge. Had such straps been fitted, the kink in the line might have been less severe and less dangerous.
• Had barge traffic posed a regular hazard, special barge collision detection circuits could have been fitted to shunt the signals to red in case of a collision. But the Big Bayou Canot is not navigable, so this seems nearly pointless.
• Perhaps the bridge could have been protected by sacrificial piers, although the existing piers did not move upon impact.
• It is likely that the size and number of barges pushed by one tug had increased over time in excess of what the bridge could handle in a collision.
• As a result of the accident, barge pilots are now required to be trained in the use of radar.

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into track circuit. ... A swing bridge is a bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring at or near to its center, about which it can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration below. ...

Similar accidents

The NTSB reported about 27 similar incidents involving bridge collisions, including the following.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is a U.S. government organization responsible for investigation of accidents involving aviation, highway, marine, pipelines and railroads in the United States. ...

• December 24, 1953, Tangiwai disaster, New Zealand: 151 died when a bridge over the Whangaehu River collapsed. Trip wires now put the signals to red if the river level rises too high.
• The Granville train disaster of 1977 involved a bridge collapse caused in part by inadequately protected and strapped piers and spans. Program to protect piers of other bridges instituted.
• The Eschede train disaster, as seen on National Geographic cable TV, had flimsy piers like the Granville accident. Lessons from the Granville train disaster were apparently not put in place.
• I-40 bridge disaster A barge collapsed a section of a bridge and several cars and trucks plunged into the Arkansas River.

is the 358th day of the year (359th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 7 - President Harry S. Truman announces the United States has developed a hydrogen bomb. ... The Tangiwai disaster on December 24, 1953 was the worst rail accident in New Zealand. ... On January 18, 1977, Australia experienced its worst ever railway disaster at Granville, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The National Geographic Society was founded in the USA on January 27, 1888, by 33 men interested in organizing a society for the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge. ... On January 18, 1977, Australia experienced its worst ever railway disaster at Granville, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. ... The I-40 Bridge Disaster was a boating accident that occurred in Webbers Falls, Oklahoma on May 26, 2002. ...

External links

• NTSB summary of the accident
• Trainweb page on the accident, including photos

Coordinates: 30.8173° N 87.9932° W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...