News Wire: CP considers building new siding on Kicking Horse Pass following fatal derailment

[Brian Schmidt]

CALGARY, Alberta – Canadian Pacific President and CEO Keith Creel says the railroad is considering building a new siding on the Lagan Subdivision where trains can be inspected prior to descending the 2.2 percent Kicking Horse Pass, site of a fa...

http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2019/05/08-canadian-pacific-considers-building-new-siding-on-kicking-horse-pass-following-fatal-derailment

[BaltACD]

The derailment indicated that better air brake maintenance and more effective hand brake application rules should be instituted - not the need for a siding.

A siding is locking the side door to the barn after the horse escaped from the front doors.

[Euclid]

QUESTION:

It has been widely publicized that Transport Canada established a new handbrake rule because of the experience of this latest wreck near Field, B.C.  However, I have yet to learn absolute clarification of what the operating practice was prior to this new rule.  I have found just one published blog article that says this about there being an old rule that preceded the new rule imposed by Transport Canada and protested by CP:

“No hand brakes were applied in the Field disaster because regulations [prior to the disaster] allow trains to be parked for up to two hours without hand brakes.”

 

Can anybody here provide solid verification that there was a previous handbrake securement rule, but it allowed a train to be stopped and held by only an emergency application for up to 2 hours; after which it required handbrakes to be set to secure the train?

If it is true that there was such a rule prior to this latest accident, it opens the door a lot of new information concerning what occurred during the development of this wreck scenario.  A lot of pieces fall into place if there was such a 2-hour grace period in which handbrakes were not required.   

Somebody must know the answer to my question.  Look at the Newswire article.  Look at the sentence I have highlighted in red.  Look at the word “immediately.”  Might that mean immediately, as opposed to waiting 2 hours?

From the Newswire article:

“During a question and answer period toward the end of the meeting, a shareholder asked how new Transport Canada rules regarding the application of hand brakes on trains in mountainous territory was impacting the railroad. The rule, which requires the application of hand brakes immediately following an emergency brake application, was implemented just four days after the derailment.” 

[AgentKid]

Everything old may be new again.

When my father worked up there in steam days, before dynamic brakes, Stephen, at the summit, was a required standing brake test stop for WB trains.

Somewhere along the way, maybe due to urging of Parks Canada, the sidings at both Stephen and Hector, 2.8 miles west of there, were removed. I'm not sure of where a new siding will be situated, given geograhic, regulatory, and operation requirements.

But you get the idea.

Bruce

 

[Justicar]

So they only really care about being able to run trains while they deal with the huge, deadly problem they have had for years or decades? Air problems? Clear the main!

[Paul of Covington]

   Instead of investing in a new siding, maybe they should consider putting in a couple of runaway tracks.

[Euclid]

So, Mr. Creel says he doesn't want to set more handbrakes than necessary.  How many handbrakes would have been necessary to prevent the recent runaway disaster?

Suppose his siding was there during this last disaster.  The train came down the grade experiencing inadequate braking power and was unable ho hold its speed to the prescribed limit.  So the engineer made an emergency application which stopped the train on the mainline on which it was running.  So what does Mr. Creel do at that point to release the emergency application so the train can move off of the mainline and into the siding?

[blue streak 1]

A new siding?  The lessons of LaMengic, the Colonial,  and Saluda if applied would just about prevent any runaways.  All west bounds enter siding and stop.  A split rail derail permanent set for derail a low spot.  + After all braking and other inspections complete dispatcher would set derail for running abd release train. 

So if train started moving it would just pile up at end of dderail not on main line.

EDIT the frog at the derail could be a low speed one to reduce maintenance. 

[AgentKid]

AgentKid

sidings at both Stephen and Hector

After this, as well as reading about Asa Packer over on the Classic Trains forum, I though I would make my own brief "Heritage Minute" for our US readers.

Sir James Hector is the guy who was kicked by the horse in 1858, which led to the name Kicking Horse Pass.

Bruce