UP Collision One crewmember dead

[Anonymous]

One Union Pacific train hits another, killing one employee
(The Associated Press circulated the following article on September 15.)

HOUSTON -- A worker died early Thursday when one Union Pacific train hit another, derailing both and causing a fuel spill, a company spokesman said.

Hundreds of area residents were evacuated before dawn, as a precaution, several media organizations reported.

One Union Pacific train with two locomotives and 10 rail cars struck another UP train with two locomotives and three rail cars at 12:15 a.m. Thursday, about 60 miles northeast of Houston, said Mark Davis, spokesman for Union Pacific.

The first train was traveling on a straight track from Pine Bluff, Ark., to Houston when its locomotive struck the second train.

The second train was stopped on the north end of a side track, but its locomotive was on the straight track. The first train had the right of way, Davis said.

Diesel fuel was leaking from the locomotives, he said.

The employee who died was on the second train. The worker's name was not immediately released.

The second train services businesses in the Houston area. Union Pacific owns the tracks.

National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Railroad Administration and Union Pacific investigators were en route to the scene.


Thursday, September 15, 2005

[edblysard]

Happened on the UP's Lufkin sub, in a small town called Shepherd, just north of Houston in San Jacinto county.
From the TV news, the local authorities couldnt figure out what was in the tankcars that derailed, so they evacuated a square mile around the accident.
16 cars plus on the ground, one confirmed dead, four injured...
Ed

[ChrisBARailfan]

Condolences to the family and railroaders.

It sounds as if the engine on the siding was hanging over onto the main line. Wouldn't this be unusual?

I can see how the last car can be left hanging, but wouldn't the engineer of the train on the siding realize he was parked hanging over the main line?

[CSXrules4eva]

I would guess the engineer of the second train was suposed to be heads up enough to realize that one of his/her locomotives was laging behind on the main insetad of the siding.

Best Wishes, and My Blessings to the families of the people hurt.

On another matter I thought the fuel tanks were suposed to be impact resistant. Well, I guess really it depends on the situation and the strength and magnitue of the collision. I just wonder exactly how fast was the first train that had the right of way was traveling. I guess it must of been over 30 or 40 mph to cru***he cab.

[Anonymous]

I hate it when someone gets killed at work. It doesn't matter what they're doing for a living. It's not fair.
mike

[Anonymous]

Another story, same situation...

LC

Train collision kills worker
(The Houston Chronicle posted the following article on its website on September 15.)

SHEPHERD, Texas -- Two Union Pacific trains collided and derailed north of Houston in Shepherd, killing one employee, forcing an overnight evacuation of hundreds of residents and canceling school this morning.

San Jacinto Constable Jerry Everitt said that by daybreak, the diesel fuel spill that sent residents fleeing to two schools had been cleaned up and residents were being allowed to go back home.

The Shepherd Independent School District, however, won't hold classes today because a cancelation announcement was made while residents were stuck in the school gyms.

Although Shepherd residents are now free to come and go, traffic from outside has been diverted around the town, where the wrecked railcars remain. Texas 150 is closed between FM 266 and U.S. 59, while drivers on State Loop 424 must take a detour at U.S. 59.

One Union Pacific train of two locomotives and 10 rail cars struck another train of two locomotives and three rail cars at 12:15 a.m., in downtown Shepherd, about 60 miles north of Houston, said Mark Davis, spokesman for Union-Pacific.

The first train was traveling on a straight track from Pine Bluff, Ark., to Houston when its locomotive struck the locomotive of the second train.

The second train was stopped on the north end of a side track, but its locomotive was sitting on the straight track. The first train had the right of way, Davis said.

The unidentified employee who died worked on the train on the side track. The second train services businesses in the Houston area. Union Pacific owns the tracks.

National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Railroad Administration and Union Pacific investigators were on the scene today.

[Scoobie9669]

SHEPHERD, Texas (AP) -- A train smashed into another train that was parked on a side track early Thursday, killing a worker, derailing more than 20 cars and prompting a brief evacuation in this small Southeast Texas town, a Union Pacific official said.
UP spokesman Mark Davis said someone manually threw a switch that sent the train onto the side track. He said the FBI will help investigate, but that the accident is not believed to have involved a crime. "The focus of the investigation is why this switch was in the position it was to allow the train to go from one track to another," he said. "A person has to manually, physically move theswitch." The Union Pacific hit another UP train that was stopped on a side track at 12:15 a.m. Thursday in downtown Shepherd, a town of 2,100 located 60 miles northeast of Houston. Three locomotives and 16 empty tankers of the first train derailed, Davis said. Two locomotives and as many as five empty flatbed cars of the second train also derailed. The worker who died was on the second train, according to Davis. The worker's name was not immediately released.
Some diesel fuel was leaking from the locomotives, Davis said. Several hundred nearby residents were evacuated as a precaution, until authorities determined the tanker cars were empty. All were allowed back into their homes around 6:30 a.m. Thursday. The first train was traveling from Pine Bluff, Ark., to Houston. The second train serves businesses in the Houston area. National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Railroad Administration and Union Pacific investigators were en route to the scene. Crews with Omaha, Neb.-based UP were dispatched to replace about 360 feet of track to reopen the line, Davis said.

[CShaveRR]

Over on Trainorders.com is a version of the collision that seems far more plausible than the media account:

The train that was in the siding had shoved their train into the siding because they were about to die on the hours of service. The conductor rode the point in then walked back up to the locomotive to gather his grip and then they loaded into the carryall and left to go tie up. Unfortunatly he forgot to line the switch back to the main. The relief crew arrived shortly after and started to take control of the train when the relieving conductor saw a headlight coming at them up ahead. He and the brakeman then got down on the ground to roll by the oncoming train. At this point one of them noticed the switch keys hanging in the switch lock and noticed [that] the switch was lined wrong. They ran for the switch but the oncoming train was too close, so they dove into a ditch and the oncoming train went into the siding and slammed into the other engine at 37mph, killing the engineer on the train in the siding. The conductor who had left earlier noticed his switch keys were missing while they were heading to the yard office then realized what he had forgotten to do. They turned around and headed back, but got there about the same time as the emergency responders did...too late.

Not to be flippant, but that's one tired conductor who will never again get another good night's sleep.

Ed, I still haven't found out the identity of the road train.

[Rustyrex]

My Prayers go out to the family of the fallen crew member. I read some of the accounts over and didn't see anywhere what type of authority was out there for these trains or did I miss it somwhere? Seems 37 MPH is alittle hot for yard limits and in ABS or CTC, the mislined switch would have knocked down a signal or did the dispatcher talk him by? Just wondering about some more details of this tragic situation.

[edblysard]

I think its dark territory, single track main....it the Lufkin sub, old SP.
And the conductor who left his key in the lock is one fired SOB...on my road, our work number is engraved into our switch keys....for the obvious reason.

Carl, I think it was PBPT...we get a Pine Bluff daily into the port.
Am on my off days, so havent been in to check.

Ed

[jeaton]

That is a tragic story, and for those of you walking the stones it has to be of special concern.

This morning I wonder. If EOT devices can transmit information to an engineer a mile away, why would it not be possible to equip mainline switches in dark territory with a black box that could transmit the status of the switch to an approaching train. Make the receiving unit a portable device brought on the train by the crews running dark territory and the need to equip the entire locomotive fleet is not there.

Even the most consciences person can have a lapse.

Jay

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jeaton

That is a tragic story, and for those of you walking the stones it has to be of special concern.

This morning I wonder. If EOT devices can transmit information to an engineer a mile away, why would it not be possible to equip mainline switches in dark territory with a black box that could transmit the status of the switch to an approaching train. Make the receiving unit a portable device brought on the train by the crews running dark territory and the need to equip the entire locomotive fleet is not there.

Even the most consciences person can have a lapse.

Jay

You could probably do that, but for what it would cost you might as well go the next step to ABS or even CTC with at least cab signals and perhaps cabs and waysides.

LC

[jeaton]

LC-Was just my idea with the thought that it might be less expensive than ABS or CTC.
A WAG as I wouldn't claim to have any real numbers to work with.

Jay

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jeaton

LC-Was just my idea with the thought that it might be less expensive than ABS or CTC.
A WAG as I wouldn't claim to have any real numbers to work with.

Jay

Jay -

I can't pretend to have accurate numbers today either. What I can tell you is that my informed sources tell me that something similar was considered for the B&A by Conrail and they opted for cab signals without waysides as the cost differential wasn't that great...

LC

[Junctionfan]

I'm sorry but I just don't understand crashes because the train doesn't quite clear the siding. It might be just me but wouldn't you think that somebody should take a look at a sheet somewhere and check the length of the train then check the length of the siding? If you aren't sure that you can fit that train in, tell dispatch "WE HAVE A PROBLEM". Make it clear before you pass the point of "S*&t! too late" to dispatch and maybe those kinds of accidents won't happen as much, at least for that reason.

[Anonymous]

Based on the accuracy of past stories on train wrecks, I would take any news report with a grain of salt. Most reporters know nothing about trains, the railroad isn't going to release a whole lot of information right after a wreck happens, what information the reporter gets probably won't be understood and then the roporter has to repackage it into an article. Based on a video clip and other news reports I saw, I would say the car counts given in the quoted article were probably the number of cars damaged or invoved in the wreck, not the number of cars in the trains. The same with the positions of the trains. CSHaveRR's post appears to have more detail than the befuddled AP wire story, and there is no mention of the other train fouling the main.

Smith

[oskar]

FYI NS 9669 was involved in the wreck




kevin

[Anonymous]

So much for RR communication.

I specifically remember reading a rulein the red book about how,when a sensitive peice of RR equipment is changed, it msut be called out,vocaliazed, outloud between surrounding crew, followed by a checking of the watch.

SO let's say that was me- moved into a siding, And it was 1: 16 PM And I moved the switch, i'd say- Main line fire, thirteen sixteen. The Engineer over the radio would confirm Main line fire one three one six.

Main line fire is nothing more then somehting red on the main line. An adverse switch should give a red plackcard.

Then once finished- Let;s say i'd forgotten, like T-rex over here, the engineer should ask Main line fire? over the radio, which would prompt me to re-allighn the switch, and then give audio confirmation of such:

High-ball switch thirteen twenty-two

High ball switch one three two two from the engineer.

That's all their is to it.

I'd hate to be caught moving a switch without making a verbal note on a radio.

that'll buy you 15 days of home-time.

[cstaats]

My heart goes out to the fallen crew members family and the survivors of both crews.

[Anonymous]

Well...it sound like dark territory to me...i thought in dark territory you have to surender track warrant and or report when in the clear.....switches lined and locked for main track movement??? usually you proceed with another track warrant after a meet.....did the crews have their portable radios on their person???a small train can stop pretty fast and a warning from the mainline train ...hotrail !!! etc. might of at least lessened the collision.....whenever i approach a train in ctc or cab sig territory i announce my train is coming.....whistle and verbally....too bad...too often....stay safe out there folks and use that radio and your whistle when approaching and ring bell when passing.....