Runaway Train Travels Over 70 Miles
June 21, 2001
When a CSX engineer climbed off a locomotive to adjust a switch, he thought he had activated all three brake systems. He was wrong. Two of the three brake systems were set correctly, but the engineer mistakenly pulled the throttle lever instead of the brake for the third system. Unmanned, the 47-car train traveled more than 70 miles before another CSX employee was able to board the locomotive and bring it to a stop.
Although the engineer who caused the problem has not been named, CSX reported that he is an excellent employee with over 35 years of service and has always maintained an exemplary record. The engineer has admitted his mistake.
The train, which was being assembled on a local track in Ohio, was supposed to then be moved to a departure track. Instead, it traveled from Toledo, Ohio to Kenton unmanned until railroad employee Jon Hosfeld was able to jump aboard. At the time, the train was traveling between 10 and 15 miles per hour, but previously had been traveling at speeds in excess of 50 miles per hour. The train contained 25 empty cars, 22 cars filled with lumber and paper, and two cars of molten phenol, a nonflammable product used to make dyes, paints, and other disinfectants.
No injuries were reported, but some of the cars required repair. The National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Railroad Administration, and other organizations are investigating the incident.
-- Article Courtesy of InjuryBoard.com
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