Bridge collapses; worker missing

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Omaha World Herald

By Nancy Gaarder

NORFOLK, Neb. -- Two railroad employees were rescued and a third remains unaccounted for following the collapse of railroad bridge at Norfolk.

The bridge collapsed at about 1 p.m. Tuesday, according to Al Roder, Norfolk city administrator.

Roder said further details weren't immediately available.

The search was ongoing late Tuesday afternoon.

Read more: http://www.omaha.com/article/20100615/NEWS01/100619820#bridge-collapses-worker-missing

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Photo at link too.

[Oldtimeralso]

1. K & R and sadly I am # 5

As a retired railroad worker I pray that the missing worker is safe!

[emmadoggy]

2. I hope he's found safe and sound, but

by the looks of that picture, chances may be slim. Very sad.

[Strelnikov_]

3. Pier Scour

Aerial view of the site. Really bad. Horrible angle of attack, velocity vectors were probably nearly perpendicular to the long axis of the pier.

The facilities for some of these smaller railroads are not maintained to the highest standards due to lack of funds. If this were a (State) highway bridge, due to the extreme risk, it would have been out of service. A small railroad, they try to ride the asset as long as they can. Unfortunately people were on it when the inevitable happened.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=firefox-a&q=norfolk+ne&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Norfolk,+Madison,+Nebraska&gl=us&ei=IxQYTM6SOI3WM7m6nbEL&ved=0CCAQ8gEwAA&ll=42.004168,-97.443227&spn=0.001453,0.002232&t=h&z=19


This looks like it was the spur line going to Nucor Steel.

http://www.rgpc.com/Maps/NCRC8x11.pdf

[awoke_in_2003]

5. from the link you posted...

I am not seeing the near perpendicularity- do I need to move the map up or down to see it?

[Omaha Steve]

4. Update: Search Continues For Missing Railroad Worker

http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/96468589.html

Officials had not yet found a man who fell into the raging Elkhorn River after a railroad bridge collapsed Tuesday afternoon.

Norfolk Fire Chief Shane Weidner said Wednesday that air searches were being done because the area was too dangerous to search on the ground or by boat. Ground and boat searches will begin once the river recedes enough to make searches safe.

Weidner says he would not guess whether the man was still alive.

Three Nebraska Central Railroad workers were checking the bridge when it collapsed. One worker was able to reach safety by himself and the second was rescued by emergency workers who floated a boat to him.

The railroad's attorney says he believes the three were checking the bridge without being assigned the task. Their names were not released.

[Omaha Steve]

6. Update: No way out in bridge collapse

http://www.omaha.com/article/20100617/NEWS01/706179914#no-way-out-in-bridge-collapse

By David Hendee
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

NORFOLK, Neb. — The quickly cascading death throes of a collapsing railroad bridge made escaping it impossible for three railroad workers who were dumped into the raging Elkhorn River, witnesses said.

The tumbling bridge creaked and groaned as steel girders strained. Rails seemed to stretch — and momentarily hold the spans — before ripping out of the ground on the south bank, said brothers Raun and Randy Matteo of Norfolk.

Two Nebraska Central Railroad Co. workers survived the collapse Tuesday. One remained missing Wednesday. The railroad has not identified the employees.

“Those guys just took off running as much as they could, but they didn't have a chance,'' said Raun Matteo, who witnessed the bridge tumble as he was watching to see if the rising waters would threaten his business.

Two of the railroad workers ran toward the north end of the bridge. One ran south.

Randy Matteo said the falling spans dropped all three men into the flood-swollen river.

“They kind of disappeared,'' he said. “You think you see them, and then you don't.''

FULL story at link.

[myrna minx]

7. How awful.

:-(