The derailment and accident report.

[Junctionfan]

Hello everybody.

This is a thread I would like to see going for a long while that talks about and reports railroad derailments and accidents that have happened and why they have happened or why they might of happened.

[Randy Stahl]

Are you talking about the accidents and derailments that meet the FRA reporting thresh hold, personal reportable injurys, or the stuff that makes the news papers ?
Randy

[Junctionfan]

everything and anything.

[mvlandsw]

I don't know if this really happened but it's a good story. Subject: Incident on Canadian National

Proving once again that in railroading there are bad days and worse days!

CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILROAD

Telegraphic Report of Accident

Filed at 1455, at Thunder Bay Ontario, July 21st, 1977

Occurred at: 1400, July 21st, 1977 at Neebing Avenue Lead, West Fort
William
(Joint Area).

Train involved: Yard diesel 7018; 1 load, no empties.

Type of occurrence: Derailments and collisions (multiple)

Cause of accident: Failure of yard crew to notify CNR yard crew
approaching
from Montreal Street Siding to stay clear until running switch had been
completed.
Occurrence details: Yard diesel 7018, Engineer N. Tanchik, no fireman,
Yard
Foreman R. D. Lane, Helpers B. Wyrozub and H. Powell, working on the
regular
Farm Assignment had pulled CP 313005, Subway Car destined Toronto, from
the
Canadian Car Company's Industrial track, and when reaching the Neebing
Avenue gate, the yard crew decided to make running switch so that the car
could be handled on the west end of the diesel for pulling to the Island
Wye
and its eventual turning. In doing so, the movement was lined up for the
diesel to go into the stub track located inside the Canadian Car Company's
fence and CP 313005 was to go westward on the Neebing Avenue lead towards
the North Western Elevator.

Just at the time that the running switch was being made, a Canadian
National
yard movement, diesel 7083 was moving from the Montreal Sreet siding and
pulling 3 loads behind their diesel, came out foul on the Neebling Avenue
lead, sideswiping CP 313005 which had, by now, been cut off and was moving
freely on the Neebling Avenue lead in a westerly direction. The impact
caused the Subway Car to come loose from its moorings on CP 313005 and
catapult off the car, clearing the ditch on the North side of the track
and
striking the Jenkins Funeral Home Hearse, a 1975 Cadillac, license 3476-J
(Ontario) and driven by H. Gillman which was heading a funeral procession
and also moving slowly in a westerly direction. The Subway Car hit the
middle of the hearse and this resulted in the coffin being dislodged from
the damaged hearse, striking the roadway and the body of the late Mr. A.
Brown, a well-known pioneer of the City was dislodged from the coffin and
landed laying facing-down in 6 inches of water in the ditch on the north
side of the roadway. Mr Gillman received a gash on his head, and was
transported to hospital by another motorist from the funeral procession
who
had already been commandeered to take Mrs. A. Brown to the hospital as she
had suffered a heart attack after seeing the preceding occurrence. Mr. N.
Jenkinson, director of the Jenkins Funeral Home and driver of the
automobile
following the hearse was unable to assist in this respect as he and the 6
pall-bearers were injured by flying glass when they were unable to avoid
running into the damaged hearse. CP 313005, the flatcar which had had the
Subway Car on it ran free down the Neebing Avenue lead when Yardman B.
Wyrozub was knocked off the car when it came in contact with the Canadian
National diesel 7083. The flat car ran into #4 track at the North Western
grain elevator demolishing the stop-block and came to rest, hanging half
over the trestle over the Kam River.

Canadian National diesel 7083, when struck by CP313005, had all wheels
derailed at the point of impact, and Engineer R. Smith had several teeth
knocked out when he hit his head on the air valve in the diesel cab when
the
diesel stopped suddenly. The third, or last car of the drag being pulled
by
the Canadian National diesel 7083 was CN 660042 containing concrete blocks
loaded at the Terra-Krete outfit on Montreal Street. This car was exactly
on
the Montreal Street crossing when the incident occurred, and when it
stopped
suddenly, 11 concrete blocks toppled off CN 660042 and landed on a 1976
Chevrolet Sedan, License 64T33, (Minnesota) owned and driven by Mr.. W.
Wytoruk of 1822 Hillsdale Drive, St. Paul, Minnesota, who had been on
Montreal Street at the crossing to allow the Canadian National movement to
clear. Damage to Mr. Wytoruk's automobile was estimated to about $6,000,
and
Mr. Wytoruk sustained 2 broken legs and was taken to hospital.

Yard diesel 7018, which was involved in making the running switch in the
first place was lined up to go into the stub track inside the Canadian Car
Company's fence and became derailed. It was discovered that the Roadmaster
had shortened up this track to about 100 feet in length but had neglected
to
put out any advice in this regard. All wheels on unit 7018 are derailed,
and
the unit is listing at a 45 degree angle. The track that unit 7018 entered
is quite overgrown, with weeds, and it has hard to see that the track had
been shortened.

Dedicated to those who have ever written, been the subject of, or read a
railway accident report.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't!