At 4 a.m., P.d.t., on May 22, 1981, 39 cars of Southern Pacific Transportation Company's (SP) westbound Extra 9164 derailed at Surf, California, while moving successively through a 2 degree curve, a short length of tangent track, and a 1 degree curve on a 1-percent descending grade. The derailing cars struck and derailed 20 cars of eastbound SP Extra 8874, which was standing on a side track south of the main track, and the locomotive, 3 cars, and the caboose of SP Lompoc Local Extra 1507, which was standing on a side track north of the main track. One employee was injured seriously, and 13 other employees and 3 transients were treated and released at either the local community hospital or a local Air Force hospital for inhalation of plaster dust and of gas formed from residual hydrogen fluoride in an empty tank car. Damage was estimated at $1,552,522. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the derailment of the trailing truck of the 53rd car from the locomotive, an empty boxcar, at the entrance spiral to a 1 degree right curve because of hunting and wheel climb due to track/train dynamics. The derailed car continued on the track structure for about 1,100 feet until it struck a track frog in a crossover. The trailing truck then became detached from the car body and the following 38 cars derailed, striking cars standing on adjacent tracks. Contributing to the cause of the accident was the overspeed movement of the train.


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    Title :

    Railroad Accident Report - Derailment of Southern Pacific Transportation Company Freight Train Extra 9164 West at Surf, California, on May 22, 1981


    Publication date :

    1981


    Size :

    24 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English