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 Here is an article that gets into a lot of second guessing about handbrake practice in the wake of the oil train runaway: <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/07/12/lac_megantic_explosion_standards_vary_for_number_of_hand_brakes_required_in_canada.html">http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/07/12/lac_megantic_explosion_standards_vary_for_number_of_hand_brakes_required_in_canada.html</a> Some points from the link:  But that investigation will, as is the case with all runaway trains, home in on the braking systems — particularly the hand brakes. There has been an average of 12 runaway trains a year over the last decade in Canada, according to TSB data. Federal rules require a “sufficient number” of hand brakes to prevent trains from moving, should all else fail. But what is considered adequate varies widely by company and by crew and, historically, has been far from fail-safe. In the 2011 Quebec runaway, safety investigators said 57 hand brakes were needed and only 35 were applied. The minimum required, however, was just 12. Transport Canada’s railroad operating rules set standards, such as “a sufficient number” of hand brakes. It stipulates that crews must test to make sure the hand brakes will hold. Beyond that, railroads operate under their own subset of rules, approved by Transport Canada, that should specify how many hand brakes are required in different circumstances. Those company-specific rules are not public. Railway experts vary widely on what they would consider an appropriate number of handbrakes for the train parked in Nantes, on a downhill grade of 1.2 per cent, suggesting anywhere from eight to 30. The British Columbia Safety Authority railroad manual suggests nine handbrakes for 70-79 cars, with extra if the train is on a slope. Later, he [Burkhardt] said Harding had likely not set the appropriate number of hand brakes for the train, a number Burkhardt identified as 11. The number required would be contained in MMA’s special instructions.    The number Burkhardt refers to might be in the special instructions, but we all agree that there is no “magic number.”  A number in the special instructions can only be a minimum or a recommendation.  How does Burhardt know that 11 handbrakes was the appropriate number?  We all agree that he can’t know the appropriate number unless he does a push-pull test.
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