On Thursday, December 7, 2006 Norfolk Southern Train 30T 9905 was traveling south on the Canadian Pacific Railway (Delaware and Hudson) Freight Main Line, NEUS-North Division at MP 728.6 near East Bloomsburg, PA (adjacent to the Susquehanna River) when an emergency brake application occurred at 12:17 am EST. The train consisted of three locomotives and 60 cars of mixed freight. There were 52 loads and eight empties for a length of 4,073 feet and a trailing tonnage of 5,998 tons. There were 21 cars derailed, four of which were hazardous material; two loaded sodium hydroxide and two methanol (empty-residue). The train was traveling at the designated timetable speed of 40 mph prior to, and at the time of, the derailment. The weather was dark, with clear skies, and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It was determined that the 12th head car GATX 90757, a load of sodium hydroxide, was the first to derail. The car was significantly damaged and released approximately 14,000 gallons of the product which was contained by an existing drainage ditch on the east side of the track away from the river. There were no fatalities, injuries or evacuation. The area of the derailment was secured, however, and the National Emergency Response Center was notified. No investigative personnel (CP, NS, FRA, State, etc.) were permitted on site until it was determined to be safe to do so by the emergency responders and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The State- Route 487 bridge that crosses over the railroad and the Susquehanna River just south of the derailment site was closed to the public until Saturday morning December 9th to allow for the staging of various repair and recovery vehicles. The spilled hazardous material was contained and taken from the site by the NS contractor REACT from Philadelphia, PA under the direction of the Pennsylvania DEP, the CP and NS Environmental Departments. CP contractor Op-Tech from Binghamton, NY also participated in this operation. The services of both Hulcher-Gettysburg, PA and R.J. Corman-Albany, NY were used to clear the derailment and assist in the track restoration. The damages were estimated as follows: equipment $695,200, lading $208,000 and track $ 23,500. The probable cause was a broken rail under movement; a failed field-weld on the north end (receiving end) on a short piece of rail that was field-welded into the track. A probable contributing cause was an old bolt-hole defect on the same end of the rail and an old failed field-weld on the opposite (south) end of the rail. This was supported by the field investigation and statements from the train crew. The CP has sent this rail to their Research and Tests Department in Winnipeg, Canada for analysis and the results have not been obtained yet at the time of this report.


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    Titel :

    Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Safety Headquarters Assigned Accident Investigation Report HQ-2006-97, Norfolk Southern, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, December 7, 2006


    Erscheinungsdatum :

    2006


    Format / Umfang :

    7 pages


    Medientyp :

    Report


    Format :

    Keine Angabe


    Sprache :

    Englisch