The Amtrak disaster in Cayce, SC was a planned disaster just waiting to happen. The CSX mainline is single track in the accident area. The sidetrack the freight train was on was on the West side of the mainline. The yard that those cars would ultimately go to was on the East Side of the mainline, so every time cars were moved the railroad had to use and cross the mainline. Had the mainline been the most westerly track most such movements would never have involved the mainline. The switch for the side track was 200' North of a switch for another passing track and I surmise that the wrong switch was aligned for the Amtrak train. The possibility for a fatal error was exacerbated because safe switching alternatives had not been studied beforehand. The best corrective solution would be to upgrade the sidetrack to mainline standards and add about 1/2 mile to the passing track. No where near the many million dollar fix required for the Tacoma Washington accident area.
Paul in PA
I don't get that. When they throw a switch to the siderail, isn't there a semaphore to warn the engineer where they're headed ?
If there is an indication for the switch, I'll bet it isn't visible soon enough for them to stop the train.
