Originally Posted by
RatherBeOnATrain
I don't think the switch was picked.
It's hard for me to tell for sure from the pictures I've seen so far, but it appears to me that the final four cars all flipped onto their sides. The last three of those cars are actually separated from the rest of the train and I think where those cars ended up is prior to the switch, so I think the derailment happened prior to the switch.
I am also surprised that the fatality count is the same as the 2017 Cascades derailment, which looked to be much more severe. The Cascades derailment caused Amtrak to scrap the Talgos. Perhaps the Empire Builder's derailment will expedite the Superliners' retirement? The first Superliners were built in 1975, so they will start turning 50 years old in 2025.
As to the first, yes, one of the very few things the NTSB has stated as fact thus far is that the derailment initiated prior to the switch.
As to the Talgos, the issue with the Talgos was not age. As it stands, the retired Talgos were newer than any Superliner and much newer than the Superliner Is. The Talgo 6 series were retired because they were not fully FRA-compliant and were operating under a waiver, as the NTSB pointed out in recommending their retirement, which Washington DOT acted on. The FRA compliant Talgo 8s remain in service. The Superliners were and are fully FRA compliant. In looking at pictures of the wreck, there was very little if any crumple ("reduction of survivable space"), all cars appear structurally intact, all wheelsets were retained. No telescoping and little "accordioning" of the cars. I'd say the Superliners performed admirably in this high-speed derailment.
PS, the Superliner Is were delivered 1978-1981. They were ordered in 1975. The first Amfleets entered service in 1975.