A CSX Transportation train derailed 33 cars, on August 2, 2017 in Hyndman Borough. Monday, a preliminary report on this incident was released.
According to the report, 15 of the derailed cars contained hazardous materials including propane, molten sulfur, asphalt and phosphoric acid residue. Three of these cars were breached in the accident and two caught fire.
Approximately 1,000 residents within a 1-mile radius were evacuated and several highway-railroad grade crossings were closed. The evacuation was lifted on August 5.
There were no reported injuries or fatalities.
Prior to the incident, two train crews were involved in the movement of the train. The first crew stopped the train earlier after they encountered a leak in the train’s air brake. The issue was repaired, but by the time it was, the crew did not have enough remaining duty time to complete the trip and were relieved and replaced with a new crew. During the repair and inspection, 58 hand brakes were applied to the train.
A second crew then took over conducting the train. Worried that there may still be issues with the air brake, they kept all 58 hand brakes applied. When they were unsuccessful at moving the train down the hill, the released the first 25 brakes and applied a minimum air break application.
The engineer subsequently braked three times before the train derailed.
The first car to derailed had one set of wheels leave the track along a curve. As the train moved further towards the highway-railroad crossing, the car moved further off the rail, initiating the derailment of the other cars.
The report says that National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators discovered several wheels on either side of the derailed cars that had flat spots and built-up tread from the hand breaks not allowing the wheels to rotate.
The NTSB will continue it’s investigation into different factors they believe may have caused the derailment including the length, make-up, and operation of the train, as well as the conditions of the railcars and track.