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Last edited by LB&SCR E2 (talk | contribs) 20 days ago. (Update) |
| 1996 Cajon Pass runaway train | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Date | February 2nd, 1996 4:10 am |
| Country | United States |
| Line | Cajon Pass |
| Operator | Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway |
| Incident type | Runaway train and derailment |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 (ATSF HBALT1-31) |
| Deaths | 2 |
The 1996 Cajon Pass runaway train was a train derailment that had occurred northwest of San Bernardino, California on the Cajon Pass.
Accident edit
On February 2nd, 1996, at 1:00 am, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway manifest train HBALT1-31 departed Barstow yard in Barstow, California. The train consisted of four locomotives, which were ATSF GP60M #157, ATSF GP50 #3853, ATSF GP60B #342, ATSF GP60 #4031. The train had 49 freight cars was carrying goods which were general merchandise, iron coils, lumber, plastic pellets, tires, pipes, filler board and hazardous materials such as pesticides which were loaded in seven tanker cars.
The engineer tested the brakes on the locomotives at Victorville, California coming to a stop so they could comply with the timetable instruction that they were assigned with requirements to make an air brake test at the location. The brakes were working well at the time, so the train continued on until stopping again at Summit, California. After a second test with the brakes and after being cleared at 3:40 am, the train had set out toward the Cajon Pass. As the train began to descend down the grade the engineer initiates the dynamic brakes on the lead locomotive, the engineer realize that the train begins to accelerate, and he applies the air brakes into full emergency but as a result, the train rolled to a speed of 45 miles per hour (72 kilometres per hour). The conductor and brakeman bail out of the lead locomotive while the engineer stayed onboard before throwing the locomotives into reverse.
At 4:10 am, the train derails on a curve and crashes into a dry creek bed, #157 skidded onto its right side, mostly intact, while the other three units ended being crushed by 45 of the 49 freight cars that were derailed and smashed up behind them. The engineer climbs out of the cab of the lead locomotive #157, two locals who heard the crash came to help the badly injured engineer, the conductor had jumped the wrong way, and he smashed his head into a rock, killing himself instantly. The brakeman survived form jumping the train but later died from carbon monoxide poisoning from the fire.[1] The tanker cars eventually exploded and became an inferno. As a result from the fire, the Interstate 15 was shut down as it was close to the wrecksite while firefighters battled the flames and locals near the area were ordered to evacuate.[2][3]
Due to the chemicals from the smoke and fire, firefighters had to be hosed down after exposure to the fumes, after many hours passed it was found that one of the tanker cars that was containing a flammable liquid was found to have its internal temperature rising from the heat creating the risk of BLEVE. At 9:44 pm on February 5th, 1996, the car was ventilated using plastic explosives that was no longer a threat and both Interstate 15 along with California State Route 138 were reopened at 11:47 pm.
Investigation edit
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that the probable cause was the same reason that the Santa Fe intermodal PBLA1-10 had rolled down the grade and collided with the Union Pacific coal train CUWLA-10 in 1994. It was determined that there was a kink in the air hose that triggers the brakes, when the engineer applied the brakes on ATSF #157, the brakes were at 81 pounds per square inch (0.56 megapascals; 560 kilopascals; 560,000 pascals) instead of 90 pounds per square inch (0.62 megapascals; 620 kilopascals; 620,000 pascals).
When HBALT1-31 had descended down the grade, the couplers and draft gear had bunched together which bent the air hose and pinched off the air flow for the locomotives to the rear of the train which resulted in a loss of air brakes.
Aftermath edit
After the accident, GP50 #3853 and GP60 #4031 were damaged beyond repair and scrapped after the wreck, meanwhile GP60M #157 and GP60B #342 were repaired and returned to service and still operate today with the BNSF Railway following the merger of the Burlington Northern Railroad and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway into BNSF.
References edit
- ^ United States National Transportation Safety Board (1996). Annual Report to Congress. National Transportation Safety Board. pp. 104, 105.
- ^ Gorman, Tom; Malnic, Eric (1996-02-02). "2 Killed in Fiery Train Wreck in Cajon Pass". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
- ^ "NTSB BLAMES REGULATORS, RAILROAD IN CALIF. ACCIDENT". Washington Post. 2024-01-07. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-05-04.