Train - hazardous cargo "accident"

[Leyenda30]

The terrible part is that this "shortline" runs a 1 man crew


Wow, that says alot about what happened. They saved so much money on crew at the risk of safety. That is a scary practice. JP

 

[bcp]

I've seen a train crew member put a short length of heavy chain across a rail next to a wheel when leaving a train.

Bruce

 

[ericher69]

I understand it was a unit train. All the tanks had the same cargo, crude. The destination was the Irving refinery in St. Johns. Irving has been bringing in LOTS of Brakken crude via train lately.

What they are beginning to think happened was a Bleve Boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Very nasty explosion.

In my line of work a B.L.E.V.E means

Blast Leveling Everything Very Effectively...

Latest report on 2300 news was CEO from MMA rail blaming the Fire Dept for the tragedy!

 

[Scooby074]

Yeah I saw the finger starting to be pointed on an earlier newscast....

OK, lets say that the firemen did turn off the train... Devils advocate. You can see where the company is going to try and shift the blame.

1. Why wasnt there a rep from the rail company there considering they had a fire to ensure the train was safe after said fire?
2. Why wasnt a derailer installed when the train was parked?
3. Why didnt the hand brakes on the car hold? Were they set?
4.Why was the train left alone in the first place, considering they were carrying hazmat?

Any one of those things the company seems to have overlooked would have prevented this accident, regardless of whether the train was turned off by a fireman or not. Sickens me, but im not surprised they are trying to pass the buck.

 

[tcartwri]

There were two MMA Rail reps present during the fire operation. They are the ones that secured the train after the loco fire.

In my interpretation of that article I posted, if the pressure bleeds off slowly enough, the triple valve will not actuate the service nor the e-brakes.... and the train rolls away.

Is that possible JP??

 

[Cub 7274]

story in a nutshell, as of Monday afternoon propane cars were also involved
________________________________________
The details I have so far are a one man crew tied down unit train with 4 engines and RC Cab on the point for the night in Nantes siding, 8 miles uphill from Lac Megantic. Air was probably set throughout the train with a single unit, to keep the air brakes pressurized.

After he checks in the hotel for the night, a fire breaks out in the idling locomotive's engine compartment. Nantes fire responds, and as protocol, shuts down the unit to cut gas flow to burning engine. Nantes fire extinguishes the fire and contacts MMA RR officials to tell them what they did to the engine and which controls they messed with. At this point the ball is in the court of the RR officials to get that train inspected and checked on. That time of night, minimal mention of brakes was discussed.

The fire company remains on site for awhile, then loads up, and finally leaves around 1 am.. Five to ten minutes later, a witness at a campfire outside his Nantes home near the tracks recalls hearing and feeling (not seeing) the train begin rolling away with no lights or power on. Within a few more minutes he sees the skyline light up miles away, followed by large thunderous explosions.

Downline, other witnesses reported a train moving at 60+ mph, no lights, no horn, brakes smoldering and smoking, no activation of crossing gates.

Apparently the lead units and a few tank cars made the curve in the center of Lac Megantic, and rolled right on thru the main point of derailment. The remaining 60 cars picked the switch at the jct, rolled and detached from the head end, and piled-up accordion style. Propane cars parked on a nearby adjacent track may have been struck, causing the massive initial explosions that ignited everything.

Apparently the most casualties were in the world class Music Café/Bistro/Grill&Tap adjacent to the pileup, where witnesses say at least 40 were still inside finishing up a birthday celebration with a live band. Most likely the charred remains will never be found, as most everything but metal, stone, or brick was incinerated from the heat.

 

[RoyJackson]

Yeah I saw the finger starting to be pointed on an earlier newscast....

OK, lets say that the firemen did turn off the train... Devils advocate. You can see where the company is going to try and shift the blame.

1. Why wasnt there a rep from the rail company there considering they had a fire to ensure the train was safe after said fire?
2. Why wasnt a derailer installed when the train was parked?
3. Why didnt the hand brakes on the car hold? Were they set?
4.Why was the train left alone in the first place, considering they were carrying hazmat?

Any one of those things the company seems to have overlooked would have prevented this accident, regardless of whether the train was turned off by a fireman or not. Sickens me, but im not surprised they are trying to pass the buck.

Two questions I have:
1) Who reported the fire?
2) According to some posts in this thread, the engine was shutdown at the emergency lever outside the cab and inside the cab. Who shut the engine down from inside the cab?

 

[Soundguy]

no crossing gates? i figured those would be on some sort of proximity sensor to lower when a train approaches.

lots of stuff wrong here.

brakes that DO NOT or MAY NOT work without power.. and safety controls that rely on a powered train? really?

in this day and age where a plane can almost land itself. there should be a button that can be pushed to make a train stop. just like your tv.. if it's plugged in.. even if the screen is off.. something is alive inside loking for the remote.. same could be done on the train. some system alive when train off.. awaiting emergency commands.. etc.

 

[Leyenda30]

There were two MMA Rail reps present during the fire operation. They are the ones that secured the train after the loco fire.

In my interpretation of that article I posted, if the pressure bleeds off slowly enough, the triple valve will not actuate the service nor the e-brakes.... and the train rolls away.

Is that possible JP??

Yes it could, but it usually would take long for this to happen. It appears that something the firemen did or the fire itself may have compromised the brakes since it only took a short period of time to occur after the firemen left.

As far as safety equipment is concerned most shortline are very cash conscious and buy older engines since they only travel short distances and surfice. Newer engines are more computerized and more safety oriented.

 

[Scooby074]

Two questions I have:
1) Who reported the fire?
2) According to some posts in this thread, the engine was shutdown at the emergency lever outside the cab and inside the cab. Who shut the engine down from inside the cab?

1. Dont know.
2. That quote about both estops being activated came from the rail company. They did not come out and say who, but they are suggesting that it was the Fire Dept.