I think the speed limit on the CW is 25 MPH, but I'm not 100% certain. Sometimes (in the past) it has been dropped all the way down to 10 MPH during the spring thaw because of soft track conditions. I believe that's one of the reasons the "old" operators of the line only used GP locomotives in a 4-4 wheel arrangment. I kind of wonder if these bigger SD 40-2s put too much weight on the roadbed.

Richard O. mentioned that the 3001 blew a turbo Wednesday before the derailment. Here it is heading west out of Davenport on the 17th.


That's more smoke than "normal" I think.

A good friend of mine just happened to be in the area when the derailment occurred. She thought there was something wrong with her car because she heard the noise. When she realized the car was okay, she noticed the train derailment and drove over to inspect. She didn't see anyone in any of the locomotives, so she climbed up to see if the crew of the lead unit was okay. I guess she opened the door and asked, "Are you alright?" The response was "I hate my job. I hate my job. . . ." But I guess that means they were okay. I've never ridden out a derailment, so I can only imagine the potential for terror there.