Re: Freight derailment in Sydney

[G.Lambert@unsw.edu.au (Geoff Lambert)]

On Wed, 26 Jul 2000 01:50:36 GMT, dbromage@fang.omni.com.au (David
Bromage) wrote:

>There was a freight derailment late last night somewhere in Sydney, but
>the ABC didn't give many details. Said it was on a "private line" and
>there were no delays to any other services. Reported to be liquid
>naphthalene spilling from one vehicle.

Yes, although the papers spelled it "naphthaline". Variously described
as being at Botany or Matraville, about half a mile from here (Prince
Henry Hosp.). Obviously on the Botany goods lines anyway. Being a high
melting point substance, it cooled and crystallised after the spill.
It was described as "extremely dangerous", but given that it's the
substance in mothballs that we use to keep our socks free of
silverfish, I think that's an over-reaction. There is no smell of
naphtalene in the air around here anyway. And there's a moth sitting
happily on my monitor right now, Supposedly 20,000 litres of it were
spilled. I don't know if it was coming or going, or to/from where, or
how they keep it liquid during transit (insulated tanks?)

Geoff Lambert