# Freight train carrying hot asphalt, molten sulfur plunges into Yellowstone River **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 25, 2023, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077 "2023-06-25T11:25:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/77aa72/32.png) [@Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fluffy_PickleSniffer)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077/1 "2023-06-25T11:25:12Z")
Lovely. Just lovely. Why can’t it ever be a train car full of ping pong balls or something that crashes, rather than cars full of hazardous materials? [Freight train carrying hot asphalt, molten sulfur plunges into Yellowstone River as bridge fails](https://www.weau.com/2023/06/24/bridge-over-yellowstone-river-collapses-sending-freight-train-into-waters-below/) The part that gets my goat is this: > An old highway bridge that paralleled the railroad bridge — together, they were called the Twin Bridges — was removed in 2021 after the Montana Department of Transportation determined it was in imminent danger of falling. It wasn’t immediately clear when the railroad bridge was constructed or when it was last inspected. How can they not know when a bridge was constructed or at least last inspected? Don’t they keep records of this stuff? ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077/2 "2023-06-25T11:32:32Z")
Well, to be fair, this all just happened yesterday morning, and it’s the weekend. The article states the investigators have “requested” those documents; it didn’t say they weren’t available or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/77aa72/32.png) [@Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fluffy_PickleSniffer)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077/3 "2023-06-25T11:34:12Z")
Good point. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077/4 "2023-06-25T11:35:21Z")
> [@Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](#): > > How can they not know when a bridge was constructed or at least last inspected? Don’t they keep records of this stuff? - > **[TWIN BRIDGES RD over STILLWATER RIVER Flathead County, Montana Bridge...](https://data.freep.com/bridge/montana/flathead/twin-bridges-rd-over-stillwater-river/30-S00424015+08491/)** > > Get data on a variety of issues pertaining to Detroit and the rest of Wayne County, Michigan.Bridge Inpsecitons Last inspected:2020. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077/5 "2023-06-25T11:36:41Z")
It’s a riveted truss style bridge. Probably 1910-1920. Nothing wrong with that necessarily, my first thought, wasn’t there some flooding there in the last year? Maybe problems with the bridge piers? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077/6 "2023-06-25T11:39:36Z")
Just noticed the picture. N/M ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077/7 "2023-06-25T11:44:18Z")
Sounds more like whoever was writing the report meant “the person being interviewed could not answer that right when they were asked”. At least asphalt and sulphur would seem to be pretty straightforward materials to deal with. ---
**Author:** ![Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/77aa72/32.png) [@Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fluffy_PickleSniffer)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077/8 "2023-06-25T11:46:00Z")
Yeah, that’s probably what it was. It really surprised me when I read it, though. Running Coach found the answer quick enough 🙂 I hope the asphalt and sulphur are cleaned out of the river quickly, so there isn’t too much environmental damage. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077/9 "2023-06-25T12:10:37Z")
It says 1988, that can’t be right can it? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077/10 "2023-06-25T12:25:40Z")
Not same bridge, that is apparently the data sheet for a newer **road** bridge on Twin Bridges Road. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077/11 "2023-06-25T12:36:33Z")
And the Yellowstone River already has a fair amount of sulfur in it. The don’t have to get every last atom of it out, just down to normal background levels. ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077/12 "2023-06-25T12:44:15Z")
Won’t be having train through Bozeman any time soon I guess, unless they’re local deliveries and deadhead back. Most of our lumber comes by train. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077/13 "2023-06-25T18:40:25Z")
The asphalt will be in large lumps. What about sulfur, is it soluble in water? If so, how can it be filtered out? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077/14 "2023-06-25T18:53:32Z")
I’m pretty sure it’s not very soluble in water. Sulfur’s typically kept in big piles like you’d keep gravel, etc… In fact, there is one in Galveston that I know about- open to the elements and everything. https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=%213m2%212sen%214v0%216m8%211m7%211sKlkLUSW4BXRtHQmUS-DT-g%212m2%211d29.3095131%212d-94.8241922%213f120.63%214f9.008%215f0.75 Same thing with asphalt; they mix it with aggregate and make roads out of it- they’re just _there_ in whatever weather. The good news I suppose, is that both materials are typically transported hot. So when the cars fell into the river, they almost certainly solidified quickly and are a lot less likely to leach into the environment. ---
**Author:** ![Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/77aa72/32.png) [@Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fluffy_PickleSniffer)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077/15 "2023-06-25T21:58:07Z")
That sounds promising for cleanup, at least. I was imagining the stuff dissolving in the water. Glad to hear it’s pretty solid stuff that won’t travel too far. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077/16 "2023-06-25T23:21:27Z")
> [@Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](#): > > Why can’t it ever be a train car full of ping pong balls or something that crashes, rather than cars full of hazardous materials? Until fairly recently, when they started to make ping pong balls out of ABS plastic (not exactly a non-hazardous material) they were made of celluloid (an extremely hazardous material). There’s an insert that comes with the slabs of celluloid that are used for making knife handles. It recommends that while power sanding or buffing one should keep a bucket of water at hand. Not to put it out if it over heats and catches on fire, but so that while it burns the flames are contained. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077/17 "2023-06-25T23:40:32Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > The asphalt will be in large lumps. What about sulfur, is it soluble in water? If so, how can it be filtered out? “The solution to pollution, is dilution.” This is a well known industrial phrase. They aren’t going to be filtering anything out. To try and recover anything from the water will probably cause more harm than good. > David Stamey, the county’s chief of emergency services, said there was no immediate danger for the crews working at the site, and the hazardous material was being diluted by the swollen river. [Freight train carrying hot asphalt, molten sulfur plunges into Yellowstone River as bridge fails - ABC News (go.com)](https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/bridge-yellowstone-river-collapses-sending-freight-train-waters-100356663) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077/18 "2023-06-26T01:09:10Z")
> [@Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](#): > > Why can’t it ever be a train car full of ping pong balls or something that crashes, rather than cars full of hazardous materials? > **[Truck Carrying Gaming Dice Spills Onto Highway, Rolls A Perfect 756,000](https://kotaku.com/truck-carrying-gaming-dice-spills-onto-highway-rolls-a-1838218869)** > > On Friday, September 13, a truck bound for the Georgia-based tabletop and video game company Trivium Studios took a turn too sharply, spilling 216,000 gaming dice onto Interstate 75 in Atlanta in what could be the biggest unintentional dice roll... ---
**Author:** ![Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/77aa72/32.png) [@Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fluffy_PickleSniffer)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077/19 "2023-06-26T01:54:33Z")
That’s funny! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077/20 "2023-06-26T02:18:35Z")
I like this especially: > The truck was undamaged, having made its saving throw. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freight-train-carrying-hot-asphalt-molten-sulfur-plunges-into-yellowstone-river/986077.md?page=2)