Tankers In West Virginia Explosion Were Newer, Supposedly Safer Model

The railroad cars involved in the fiery derailment in West Virginia on Monday were a newer model that was supposed to be safer than older tankers blamed in other oil train explosions.

The ruptured cars were built to specifications adopted by the railroad industry in 2011 amid criticism that older tankers were dangerously susceptible to puncture and a risk of explosion. Called CPC 1232 cars, they were also involved in an April 2014 derailment and explosion in Lynchburg, Va.

The specifications for the newer cars were issued by the Association of American Railroads, whose members include major freight carriers in North America. They came amid concerns that older models called DOT-111s, which still carry a majority of the crude oil shipped by rail, were unsafe.

CSX spokeswoman Melanie Cost today confirmed that the ruptured tankers that caught fire were CPC 1232 models.

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http://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2015/02/17/Derailed-CSX-train-in-West-Virginia-hauled-newer-model-tank-cars-oil/stories/201502170171

500 Injured By Blasts As Meteor Falls In Russia

MOSCOW — A meteor that scientists estimate weighed 10 tons (11 tons) streaked at supersonic speed over Russia’s Ural Mountains today, setting off blasts that injured some 500 people and frightened countless more.

The Russian Academy of Sciences said in a statement that the meteor over the Chelyabinsk region entered the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of at least 54,000 kph (33,000 mph) and shattered about 30-50 kilometers (18-32 miles) above ground.

The fall caused explosions that broke glass over a wide area. The Emergency Ministry says more than 500 people sought treatment after the blasts and that 34 of them were hospitalized.

“There was panic. People had no idea what was happening. Everyone was going around to people’s houses to check if they were OK,” said Sergey Hametov, a resident of Chelyabinsk, about 1500 kilometers (930 miles) east of Moscow, the biggest city in the affected region.

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Fire Rips Through Morgan Corp. Building

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

An intense fire swept through an industrial building in Caernarvon Township late Thursday afternoon, spewing a cloud of heavy black smoke and leaving the facility a tangle of twisted metal.

Fire broke out shortly before 4 in a paint shop at Morgan Corp., which manufactures the box, or container, section of delivery trucks for Penske, Ryder and other corporate trucking fleets.

Brian McCafferty, the company’s risk management director, said the cause had not been determined.

No one was injured, he said.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=412401