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CSX 8888 incident

From Wikipedia, in a visual modern way
CSX 8888 incident
CSXT 8029.jpg
A CSX EMD SD40-2 locomotive, similar to the locomotive involved in the incident
Incident CSX 8888 map.png
The train's path highlighted in blue
Details
DateMay 15, 2001
12:35 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.[1]
LocationWalbridge, Ohio – Kenton, Ohio
66 mi (106 km) South
CountryUnited States
LineToledo Line Subdivision
OperatorCSX Transportation
Incident typeRunaway train
CauseOperator error
Statistics
DamageNone

The CSX 8888 incident, also known as the Crazy Eights incident, was a runaway train event involving a CSX Transportation freight train in the U.S. state of Ohio on May 15, 2001. Locomotive #8888, an EMD SD40-2, was pulling a train of 47 cars, including some loaded with hazardous chemicals, and ran uncontrolled for just under two hours at up to 51 miles per hour (82 km/h).[2] It was finally halted by a railroad crew in a second locomotive, which caught up with the runaway train and coupled their locomotive to the rear car.[3]

As of 2021, the locomotive is still in service, having been rebuilt and upgraded into an SD40-3 as part of a refurbishment program carried out by CSX, although its number is now #4389.[4] It was delivered as Conrail #6410 in September 1987.[5]

Discover more about CSX 8888 incident related topics

Runaway train

Runaway train

A runaway train is a type of railroad incident in which unattended rolling stock is accidentally allowed to roll onto the main line, a moving train loses enough braking power to be unable to stop in safety, or a train operates at unsafe speeds due to loss of operator control. If the uncontrolled rolling stock derails or hits another train, it will result in a train wreck.

CSX Transportation

CSX Transportation

CSX Transportation, known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates on approximately 21,000 route miles (34,000 km) of track. The company operates as the leading subsidiary of CSX Corporation, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.

Ohio

Ohio

Ohio, officially the State of Ohio is a state in the Midwestern United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area. With a population of nearly 11.8 million, Ohio is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated state. Its capital and largest city is Columbus, with the Columbus metro area, Greater Cincinnati, and Greater Cleveland being the largest metropolitan areas. Ohio is bordered by Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the west, and Michigan to the northwest. Ohio is nicknamed the "Buckeye State" after its Ohio buckeye trees, and Ohioans are also known as "Buckeyes". Its state flag is the only non-rectangular flag of all the U.S. states.

EMD SD40-2

EMD SD40-2

The EMD SD40-2 is a 3,000-horsepower (2,200 kW) C-C diesel-electric locomotive built by EMD from 1972 to 1989.

Railway coupling

Railway coupling

A coupling is a mechanism typically placed at each end of a railway vehicle that connects them together to form a train. A variety of coupler types have been developed over the course of railway history. Key issues in their design include strength, reliability, ease of making connections and operator safety.

Conrail

Conrail

Conrail, formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do business as an asset management and network services provider in three Shared Assets Areas that were excluded from the division of its operations during its acquisition by CSX Corporation and the Norfolk Southern Railway.

Timeline

A captioned photo of EMD SD40-2 controls reveals how one can mistake power and dynamic brake settings.
A captioned photo of EMD SD40-2 controls reveals how one can mistake power and dynamic brake settings.

On May 15, 2001, a CSX locomotive engineer was using Locomotive #8888 to move a string of freight cars from track K12 to track D10 for departure on another train at Stanley Yard in Walbridge, Ohio, CSX's primary classification yard for Toledo.[2] The string consisted of 47 freight cars; 25 of them were empty, but 22 of them were fully loaded, including two tank cars containing thousands of gallons of molten phenol, a toxic ingredient used in paints, glues, and dyes. It causes severe chemical burns upon direct skin or eye contact, and is exceedingly harmful when ingested.[3]

The engineer noticed a misaligned switch and concluded that his train, although moving slowly, would not be able to stop short of it. He decided to climb down from the train, correctly align the switch, and reboard the locomotive.[6]

Before leaving the cab, the engineer applied the locomotive's independent air brake. During mainline operation, he would also have applied the automatic air brake, which would set the brakes in each of the train's cars. But, as is normal for intra-yard movements, the air brakes of the train were disconnected from the locomotive and thus were not functional. Furthermore, applying the locomotive's brakes disabled the train's dead man's switch, which would otherwise have applied the train brakes and cut the engine power.[1]

The engineer also attempted to apply the locomotive's dynamic brake to slow the train to a crawl; dynamic brakes dissipate momentum (kinetic energy) by using the momentum of the train to drive the traction motors, generating electricity exactly like a regenerative braking system does in a hybrid/electric automobile, which slows the train. However, the engineer "inadvertently failed to complete the selection process", meaning that he in effect set the train to accelerate, not to brake. Using the power throttle handle, the throttle for the traction motors was set at notch 8. If the dynamic brakes had been properly engaged as intended, the locomotive would have used the motors against the momentum of the train as generators, causing it to slow down. Instead, the train began to accelerate. Therefore, the only functioning brake was the air brakes on the locomotive, and this was not enough to counteract its power.[1]

A portable derailer
A portable derailer

The engineer climbed down from the cab, aligned the switch, and then attempted to reboard the accelerating locomotive. However, he was unable to do so and was dragged by #8888 for about 80 feet (24 m), receiving minor cuts and abrasions. The train rolled out of the yard and began a 65-mile (105 km) journey south through northwest Ohio unmanned. Attempts to derail the train using a portable derailer failed; the portable derailer was thrown off the track by the force of the train when struck. Police officers attempted to engage the red fuel cutoff button by shooting at it; after three shots mistakenly hit the larger red fuel cap, this ultimately had no effect because the button on former Conrail SD40-2s like CSX 8888 must be pressed for several seconds before the switch is activated, causing the engine to starve of diesel fuel and shut down.[5][7] A northbound freight train, Q636-15, was directed onto a siding where the crew uncoupled its locomotive, CSX #8392 (another EMD SD40-2), and waited for the runaway train to pass. #8392 had a crew of two: Jesse Knowlton, an engineer with 31 years of service; and Terry L. Forson, a conductor with one year's experience.[8] Together they chased the runaway train. An EMD GP40-2, CSX locomotive #6008, was prepared farther down the line to couple to the front of the runaway to slow it further, if necessary.[9]

Knowlton and Forson successfully coupled onto the rear car and slowed the train by applying the dynamic brakes on the chase locomotive. Once the runaway had slowed to 11 miles per hour (18 km/h), CSX trainmaster Jon Hosfeld ran alongside the train, climbed aboard, and shut down the engine. The train was stopped at the Ohio State Route 31 crossing, just southeast of Kenton, Ohio before reaching locomotive #6008. All the brake shoes on #8888 had been completely burned off by the heat, since they had been applied all throughout the runaway trip.[1]

CSX never made public the name of the 35-year veteran engineer whose error caused the runaway, nor what disciplinary action was taken.[10][11]

Discover more about Timeline related topics

Railroad car

Railroad car

A railroad car, railcar, railway wagon, railway carriage, railway truck, railwagon, railcarriage or railtruck, also called a train car, train wagon, train carriage or train truck, is a vehicle used for the carrying of cargo or passengers on a rail transport network. Such cars, when coupled together and hauled by one or more locomotives, form a train. Alternatively, some passenger cars are self-propelled in which case they may be either single railcars or make up multiple units.

Classification yard

Classification yard

A classification yard, marshalling yard or shunting yard is a railway yard found at some freight train stations, used to separate railway cars onto one of several tracks. First the cars are taken to a track, sometimes called a lead or a drill. From there the cars are sent through a series of switches called a ladder onto the classification tracks. Larger yards tend to put the lead on an artificially built hill called a hump to use the force of gravity to propel the cars through the ladder.

Phenol

Phenol

Phenol is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula C6H5OH. It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile. The molecule consists of a phenyl group bonded to a hydroxy group. Mildly acidic, it requires careful handling because it can cause chemical burns.

Railroad switch

Railroad switch

A railroad switch (AE), turnout, or [set of] points (BE) is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another, such as at a railway junction or where a spur or siding branches off.

Railway air brake

Railway air brake

A railway air brake is a railway brake power braking system with compressed air as the operating medium. Modern trains rely upon a fail-safe air brake system that is based upon a design patented by George Westinghouse on April 13, 1869. The Westinghouse Air Brake Company was subsequently organized to manufacture and sell Westinghouse's invention. In various forms, it has been nearly universally adopted.

Dead man's switch

Dead man's switch

A dead man's switch is a switch that is designed to be activated or deactivated if the human operator becomes incapacitated, such as through death, loss of consciousness, or being bodily removed from control. Originally applied to switches on a vehicle or machine, it has since come to be used to describe other intangible uses, as in computer software.

Dynamic braking

Dynamic braking

Dynamic braking is the use of an electric traction motor as a generator when slowing a vehicle such as an electric or diesel-electric locomotive. It is termed "rheostatic" if the generated electrical power is dissipated as heat in brake grid resistors, and "regenerative" if the power is returned to the supply line. Dynamic braking reduces wear on friction-based braking components, and regeneration lowers net energy consumption. Dynamic braking may also be used on railcars with multiple units, light rail vehicles, electric trams, trolleybuses, and electric and hybrid electric automobiles.

Derail

Derail

A derail or derailer is a device used to prevent fouling of a rail track by unauthorized movements of trains or unattended rolling stock. The device works by derailing the equipment as it rolls over or through it.

Siding (rail)

Siding (rail)

A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line, branch line, or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end. Sidings often have lighter rails, meant for lower speed or less heavy traffic, and few, if any, signals. Sidings connected at both ends to a running line are commonly known as loops; those not so connected may be referred to as single-ended or dead-end sidings, or stubs.

EMD GP40-2

EMD GP40-2

The EMD GP40-2 is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division as part of its Dash 2 line between April 1972 and December 1986. The locomotive's power is provided by an EMD 645E3 16-cylinder engine which generates 3,000 horsepower (2.24 MW).

Ohio State Route 31

Ohio State Route 31

State Route 31 (SR 31) is a 32.12-mile-long (51.69 km) Ohio State Route that runs between Marysville and Kenton in the US state of Ohio. The southern terminus of SR 31 is at an intersection with SR 38 in downtown Marysville and the northern terminus is at an intersection with U.S. Route 68 (US 68), in downtown Kenton. None of the highway is listed on the National Highway System. Most of the route is a rural two-lane highway and passes through both farmland and residential properties.

Kenton, Ohio

Kenton, Ohio

Kenton is a city in and the county seat of Hardin County, Ohio, United States, located in the west-central part of Ohio about 57 mi (92 km) northwest of Columbus and 70 mi (113 km) south of Toledo. Its population was 7,947 at the 2020 census. The city was named for frontiersman Simon Kenton of Kentucky and Ohio.

Preservation attempts

Several railway museums tried to buy #8888, but CSX officials replied that they did not feel the locomotive was worthy of preservation and that it would be rebuilt as part of the SD40-3 rebuild program in late 2014 and early 2015. The locomotive remains in service as of 2022 but now operates as CSX SD40-3 #4389.[4]

In film

The incident inspired the 2010 movie Unstoppable.[10]

Source: "CSX 8888 incident", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, January 15th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSX_8888_incident.

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Further Reading

CSX Transportation

Southern Pacific Transportation Company

Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad

EMD SD40-2

EMD SD40

EMD SDP40

EMD SDP40F

Slug (railroad)

Mendip Rail

San Bernardino train disaster

Indiana Southern Railroad

Appalachian and Ohio Railroad

Unstoppable (2010 film)

July 2013 Spuyten Duyvil derailment
References
  1. ^ a b c d Kohlin, Ron. "CSX 8888 Runaway Investigation". Kohlin. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Station: Stanley Yard, Ohio". Michigan's Internet Railroad History Museum. Archived from the original on 2015-11-01. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Runaway train stopped after uncontrolled 2 hours". CNN. May 16, 2001. Archived from the original on February 11, 2006. Retrieved February 24, 2007.
  4. ^ a b Lambert, Jason (2016-06-01). "Canadian Railway Observations: South of the Border". canadianrailwayobservations.com. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
  5. ^ a b Kohlin, Ron. "CSX 8888 - Play by Play". Kohlin. Archived from the original on 2007-12-14. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
  6. ^ "CSX #8888: The Real Story of "Unstoppable"". Rare Mileage. November 12, 2010. Archived from the original on 22 Jun 2019. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  7. ^ "Train Movies - Unstoppable". TrainBoard.com. Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  8. ^ Worden, Amy (November 12, 2010). "Pennsylvania man lived the drama that inspired 'Unstoppable'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 16 Jun 2013.
  9. ^ Feehan, Jennifer; Lecker, Kelly (16 May 2001). "Disaster avoided during hours of panic, 66 miles of terror". The Blade. Archived from the original on 4 Aug 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
  10. ^ a b Patch, David (November 12, 2010). "Hollywood widens truth gauge in runaway train flick". Toledo Blade. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  11. ^ "Human error blamed for runaway train". CNN. May 16, 2001. Archived from the original on 5 Oct 2010.
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