How sad... what are the odds of standing on a train trestle when a train for the first time I can remember derails right where one is standing?

wow, thats terrible, I hope all my fam is alright considering we spent ample time down there growin up, please keep me posted...prayers and condolensces...maholo fam!!

That's sad, but what were two people doing on the bridge at 11:45 pm?

Those two being on the bridge may very well been the cause of the derailment. If the engineer saw them he would have put his locomotive into emergency forcing all the brakes to lock up. That creates a lot of different dynamics with a heavy coal train on a downhill grade while negotiating the curves on the Old Main Line. Just speculation on my part.

Really Dave, two people are killed and you are wondering what they were doing out at 11:45pm. Why don't you just live your own life and stop wondering what other people are doing. How sad that this is what you thought of.

I'm thinking it's possible to feel both sadness for the victims and some curiosity about the situation. No need for personal attacks here.

Here's an update on the story: http://catonsville.patch.com/articles/at-least-two-dead-in-ellicott-city-train-derailment-62a55040

Yeah, Roberta, I AM wondering about the coincidence of a train derailment at the exact spot two people were trespassing at almost midnight, being killed in the process and causing who knows how much expense to CSX and inconvenience to everyone within the area.
Why don't you live YOUR own life and stop worrying what other people write on a message board?

Julia-
I agree with you, we can show empathy for those that have been injured or died, but at the same time it is a valid question to ask why these two people were on the tracks in the first place. Too many times we don't ask questions such as this when a tragedy strikes, when many times the tragedy would not have happened in the first place if people were not where they shouldn't have been or were not doing things they shouldn't be doing...doesn't make it any less sad, but it is still relevant.

This is a tragic yet odd story. Will the LEO's possibly find suicide notes in these girls homes? It is just too freaky that a train would derail as they were standing next to the tracks. Looking at the pictures of the second engine stopped near the B&O caboose, that train must have put on the brakes far before the engineer even saw the B&O station. There seems to be more to the story than we have now.

My deepest sympathies to the families of these 2 girls.

Tragic - definitely. Coincidence? Who knows.
Just search her twitter account. I did and she tells everyone what they were doing up there.
I am just very sorry for those who lost their loved ones.

Updated story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post_now/post/two-killed-as-csx-train-derails-in-ellicott-city-overnight/2012/08/21/99d0a810-eb77-11e1-b811-09036bcb182b_blog.html. Unable yet to determine if the girl's presence on the railroad property led to the accident. Says they were drinking and climbing on sign, playing around on the tracks there; wonder if they were served in any of the bars there or just drinking on their own? Time will tell. Tragedy; hope the railroad employees are all right.

We have the same information on our updated article that confirmed the identity of the two girls: http://ellicottcity.patch.com/articles/at-least-two-dead-in-ellicott-city-train-derailment. Also, an update on reactions across Howard County: http://ellicottcity.patch.com/articles/we-mourn-with-you-howard-county-region-reacts-to-train-derailment

I'm so sorry to hear about the deaths of the two young women involved in the train accident. My condolences are with those families.

They were drinking.... she said it on the twitter page....
I feel bad for their families.

Coincidence? Maybe, but Cause and Effect events happen way more often than pure coincidence. Many questions to be answered.

These girls are not the first ones to ever do it. Let us not be naive. Kids go up there and drink all the time and come down just fine. I did it when I was in high school, my sisters who have their own families did as well. They are college kids. Underage drinking happens. This detail should not be the focus of the tragic accident. Help us mourn with the families, not criticize their actions.