Hijacked train derails

[chad thomas]

From Altamont Press:

Hijacked train derails

It’s a crime that has railroad crews puzzled and concerned.

Police are investigating a train derailment Saturday night that happened when an unknown person climbed into an unlocked BNSF Railway Company locomotive near downtown Lawrence, Kansas and started the engine moving. It got up to 14 miles per hour and traveled about 200 yards before hitting a derailing lock and going off the tracks.

According to an event recorder in the engine, someone began tinkering with controls inside the engine at 21:59. By 22:04, the engine was moving.

“We’re surprised somebody could figure out how to do all that and get it going,” conductor Ira Breece said.

BNSF spokesman Steve Forsberg said it’s not unusual for engines to be left idling, especially during cold weather. Engines also are left unlocked and running at times, he said, but in those cases crews normally remove a piece of equipment from the engine that will keep it from running properly.

“Had procedures been followed fully, ideally this should not have been able to happen,” he said. “That’s part of the investigation. We’ll see where that leads us.”

The railroad company is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to the person responsible. Anyone with information is asked to call [phone] and refer to complaint case No. 179.

Forsberg said about $1,000 damage was done to the engine, which was lifted back onto the tracks with a crane and taken to Topeka for repairs. - Eric Weslander, The Lawrence Journal-World, courtesy Larry W. Grant

[mudchicken]

Safety devices (and gravity) work.

[Anonymous]

This is not a very good sign. A new Video tape from Bin laden today. Who knows.
Allan.

[tatans]

What has bin laden got to do with someone (and we can guess who) that takes a train for a ride, goes 200 yards at 14 mph, and this would NOT be classified as a "hijacking" but someone will get a slight talking to for leaving the loco unattended. relax, just relax.

[coborn35]

He means, the railroad companies will be even more stingey with railfans.....

[trainfan1221]

Im sure many of us could get a locomotive moving. That doesn't make it a good idea. Thankfully it hit the derail. I am guessing whoever did it got away.

[dwil89]

According to the article, it took the culprit 5 seconds to get the engine moving....this person must have been up in a locomotive cab before to figure it all out that quick...either a vandal, or perhaps someone disgruntled that has some basic knowledge of a locomotive....

[nssr9169]

It is not at all ard to move a locomotive, even on our tourist line we ALWAYS REMOVE THE REVERSER BEFORE LEAVING A LOCOMOTIVE UN OCCUPIED, why can a little 23 mile museam operation remember somthing that I thought was a manditory safety procedure?

[Anonymous]

beginner's luck maybe.

and the bin laden garbage is all propaganda. bush with all his low approval ratings and other assorted bad press...hmm, lets throw a video out there about bin laden keep people 'scared'..."we're gonna get him!"

[coborn35]

QUOTE: Originally posted by trainfan1221

Im sure many of us could get a locomotive moving. That doesn't make it a good idea.

No, probably about 2% of the non railroad employees could get moving and operate a tied down train. Yes, btw, I know how. It is a long process involving non msts stuff.

[kenneo]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mudchicken

Safety devices (and gravity) work.

Gravity is the Mother of All Safety Devices. The laws of motion (physics) is the father.

[rrnut282]

dwil
one minor point, according to the post it took the perpetrator 5 minutes, not 5 seconds to get the locomotive moving after they started trying the controls. So I would say it wasn't someone with experience, as it took some experimentation. If the reverser was removed, and the person was trying to jimmy the control stand, then I would start looking closer to the railroad.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by farmer03

and the bin laden garbage is all propaganda. bush with all his low approval ratings and other assorted bad press...hmm, lets throw a video out there about bin laden keep people 'scared'..."we're gonna get him!"

??? I guess we own Al Jazera? But really how does this statement relate to a hijacked engine?

[FJ and G]

Bin Laden Hijacks Train

Now that would be news

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by nssr9169

It is not at all ard to move a locomotive, even on our tourist line we ALWAYS REMOVE THE REVERSER BEFORE LEAVING A LOCOMOTIVE UN OCCUPIED, why can a little 23 mile museam operation remember somthing that I thought was a manditory safety procedure?

As a fellow railroad employee, I fully agree that there is simply no excuse for not taking the reverser out of the locomotive (or at least out of plain view). It's very unlikely that a suspect like that would happen to have a reverser on him / her.

[AntonioFP45]

A shame that railfans will be scrutinzed even more.

Farmer93,.......of course terrorists wouldn't be dumb enough to pull a stunt like this off. However, don't dismiss the Bin Ladin threats as propaganda.

Even the "anti-Bush" journalists in Europe are warning us that the threats are credible and not to overlook them as we did back before 9/11/01 when the French warned us.

[Mookie]

Lawrence KS, hmmm? Jayhawks? Has a familiar ring to it.

I can't imagine a Cornhusker doing any such thing......[:O]

[ChrisBARailfan]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie

Lawrence KS, hmmm? Jayhawks? Has a familiar ring to it.

I can't imagine a Cornhusker doing any such thing......[:O]

LOL Mookie, but just in jest, at least a Jayhawk could get it moving, I doubt a Husker could.

[coborn35]

This must have been extensively planned out and researched, and/or he must have been a railorad employee, because as I said above, normal people, even railfans, can not get tied down trains rolling!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by nssr9169

It is not at all ard to move a locomotive, even on our tourist line we ALWAYS REMOVE THE REVERSER BEFORE LEAVING A LOCOMOTIVE UN OCCUPIED, why can a little 23 mile museam operation remember somthing that I thought was a manditory safety procedure?

I have to agree with you myself. You always need to take the reverser out, that needs to be a FRA Rule.

[Anonymous]

Next thing ya know, CNN will do a cover story on the Conductor Training Schools (who should be allowed in?) HAHAHA

[tree68]

Given enough gravity (ie, a grade), I think most folks with a little knowledge of locomotives could probably get one moving, even without the reverser. Maybe not in the direction they would like to go, but it could be moving. Even if the diesel quit. Think about it.

[route_rock]

All one has to do is knock off the handbrake. Coborn probably knows what I forgot to do even when I have the reverser in place and cant get the *** thing to move!!!!!!
Hes also right on about the whole MSTS comment. Only real life locomotive easy to move is a steam loco. And even then you have certain things you have to do to keep her going.
I am guessing kicked off the handbrake and kicked off the independent and off she rolled. A joy rider would have had it in run 8 going like a bat out of hades when he hit that derail.
BTW I work for BNSF we take the reverser out of the slot and put it where every other train crew puts it. In a holder or hidden somewhere where only other crews know. Plus if your a good engineer you always carry a few to spare.This whole crack that a small tourist line knows more than actual rairoaders is a farce( and before anyone jumps on me I belong to two tourist line orginizations and were with them before I got on here as are about 5 other people I know on my division)We have very profesional people working here.
One thing not stated is if it was a remote unit. Ever think of that?

[Anonymous]

Do we know what kind of unit it happened to be?

[Anonymous]

One thing all the railroad employees and for that matter non-railroad guys on this board. Most people who would spend the time to read this board or post here cares enough about the railroad and safety of their co-workers not to mention the general public to secure trains and locomotives left unattended. It's really not hard if you are expert on the subject like some web-railroaders are to get on the thing and move evern if the hide the reversor thing and all the breakers are down etc. Now if someone who leaves their engine out in the boondocks and the management gestapo is not as bad as it is here well maybe not securing the power is the normal way? Not the right way but just the way it is. Whenever i leave just engines somewhere i tighten the handbrake then test it with the throttle that way if little johnny takes the brakes off and makes for town with em on the download it'll show that my rear end is in the clear. That way if johhny or osama wants a ride i did all i could

[chad thomas]

How hard would it really be to enguage the reverser without a proper handle? Couldn't someone do it with a screwdriver? Or mabee a long bolt?

[Anonymous]

You can get a reverser on ebay- item # 6597402829. Though maybe just a tad vintage!
Like someone mentioned previously, one COULD make do with a little creativety and knowledge of locos. If someone wants something bad enough they will usually find a way.

[Anonymous]

As I said in my previous post on this topic, it is UMLIKELY that a potential train hijacker happens to have a reverser on him. Obviously, without knowledge of all of the details of the case, my statement was based on the assumption that the reverser was still in the control stand, in which case the crew did not take all "reasonable measures" to secure the locomotive. If they did in fact take the reverser out, and the hijacker was one of a few railfans that was savvy-enough to acquire a reverser through E-Bay or some other alternative source, then of course the train crew should not bear the responsibility for the incident.

Furthermore, it is long overdue time that the AAR developed a national standard padlock for using on locomotive cabs. We use such padlocks on our locomotives on our Class III shortline, but of course we can do that because our locomotives are never leased out or used on other railroads. Obviously the Class I's and II's don't have such a luxury as their locomotives travel all over the country, which is why there needs to be a standardized lock.

Also, just as an FYI, hopefully anyone selling switch locks, switch keys and employee manuals realizes that they are potentially criminally liable for property theft if the respective railroad catches them, as obviously these items were not obtained through any lawful means.

[Anonymous]

"Furthermore, it is long overdue time that the AAR developed a national standard padlock for using on locomotive cabs."

The problem with this is eventually they will end up on ebay also just like switch keys and reversers.
And yes, it is criminal unless it fits a model no longer in service. Then it's just a piece of history.

[kfleeman1]

Well whadaya know? It happened. I posted a topic about this very thing about a month ago and was basically told that it was no big deal and that nobody could figure out how to move a sitting locomotive and so on and so forth. Wrong.

Here is the link to that post. Check it out.
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=1&TOPIC_ID=53945