IP: Fwd: first-hand account of yesterday's Great Locomotive Chase in Ohio

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

>Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 14:39:04 -0400
>From: Richard Jay Solomon <rsolomon@dsl.cis.upenn.edu>
>
>
> >
> >15/05/01 16:18  Firsthand Account of the Ohio Runaway
> >by k8dti  [cross posted from NSFans Yahoo List]
> >
> >I was up north chasing the CSX Operation Lifesaver Special today, which
> >operated on the former Conrail Toledo Branch between Columbus and Toledo.
> >After getting my last northbound shot north of Bowling Green, I decided to
> >grab some lunch. After lunch, I proceeded back north to Trombley to await
> >the return southbound Operation Lifesaver train. While on I-75, I heard
> >some VERY UNUSUAL radio chatter, culminating in,"Well where is the
> >engineer?" "Right here in the crew room!" A train had somehow gotten out of
> >Stanley Yard in Toledo and was running southbound with no one aboard. I saw
> >the train at North Trombley running at about 30mph. It was a solo SD40-2
> >#8888, an ex-Conrail unit with about 47 cars. It tripped the detector at
> >North Trombley with dragging equipment, but none of the others further
> >south. I then heard the CSX "IE" Dispatcher call the maintainers along the
> >road that the train had run through the switches at CP 14 and were likely
> >damaged. The pursuit by CSX employees, police, and myself began at this
> >point. Folks, the Good Lord was watching over north central Ohio today!
> >
> >Thankfully, due to the Operation Lifesaver Special, there was a very high
> >police presence along the railroad. This was crucial! Almost every grade
> >crossing was protected when the train passed. Keep in mind, nobody was
> >aboard to sound the horn and bell. The headlights were not on either. I
> >caught up with the train again at Mortimer (North Findlay). Here, a CSX
> >maintainer had placed a derail on the track to derail the train. Everyone
> >was out of the way, expecting a horrific wreck. Amazingly, the train RAN
> >THROUGH the derail, kicking it out of the way! Now, the city of Findlay lay
> >ahead. By this time, all police and emergency personnel along the line had
> >been alerted. NS & other CSX dispatchers had been alerted to prevent any
> >intersecting lines from passing traffic through railroad crossings at grade
> >(Galatea, Mortimer, Findlay, etc.). They were going to attempt to put the
> >train in the siding at Whirlpool, just north of Findlay, but the fear of
> >the hazardous material cars on the train nixed that move. It was then
> >decided to put the train in the siding at Blanchard, south of Dunkirk.
> >However, another idea arose. There was a northbound Q636 waiting at Dunkirk
> >in the siding. Dunkirk has probably never seen so much excitement since the
> >big wreck of some years ago. There was Q636 in the siding and an eastbound
> >local on the PRR, waiting at the diamond with a clear signal. Thankfully
> >the word had gotten out. The train accelerated going down the hill from the
> >US 68 crossing to the diamond at Dunkirk. When the train passed, the great
> >locomotive chase began.
> >
> >The crew of Q636, in the siding at Dunkirk, had taken their lone SD40-2 off
> >their train and through arrangement with the "IE" train dispatcher,
> >prepared to pull out of the north end of the siding after the runaway had
> >passed and begin a pursuit. The train got by at about 45 mph, the
> >dispatcher immediately threw the switch and 636's power got out on the
> >main. After a few tense seconds, the switch lined and the chase began! The
> >crew on 636 were incredible. Gung ho, they WANTED to catch that train by
> >the sounds of their voices on the radio. They caught up with the runaway
> >just south of Blanchard. The city of Kenton, with its sharp curves laid
> >ahead. The lone SD40-2, now coupled to the runaway, kicked the dynamic
> >brakes on full and got immediate results, bringing the train down to a
> >curve safe 20mph and less. The dispatcher then arranged for the Kenton
> >local, with a lone GP38 and a covered hopper, to get in front of the
> >runaway, if necessary, to pace, couple up, and buffer the train to a stop.
> >The Q636's crew and Kenton local were placed in direct contact. Q636 gave
> >the train speed every few seconds and the Kenton local got in a tangent
> >where they could get a jump and engage the runaway as safely as possible
> >under the circumstances.
> >
> >Finally, the runaway was slowed to 12mph. At State Route 31, a CSX
> >trainmaster heroically, swung aboard and shut the throttle off on the
> >errant locomotive and train. The Kenton local was just ahead and did not
> >have to couple to the runaway. The situation in the cab reported by the
> >trainmaster: run 8 throttle, 20lb reduction on the automatic, and full
> >application on the independent.
> >
> >Amazingly, NOBODY WAS INJURED in this! The CSX folks deserve a tremendous
> >pat on the back and congratulations for their handling of this
> >extraordinary situation. I was there for almost the entire pursuit, never
> >being more than 6 miles away and always in radio range. No one lost their
> >cool and everyone was on the same page. There was some great crisis
> >railroading being performed by the men out there today!
> >
> >A few THANK GOD things worth mentioning:
> >
> >1. The train had its brakes applied and was dragging along, preventing
> >higher speeds from being achieved.
> >2. The derail at Mortimer did not work. A hazmat disaster would have likely
> >resulted in a semi populated area, right next to I-75.
> >3. No one was involved in a collision with the train. Remember, nobody was
> >aboard to sound the horn and bell.
> >4. The cities of Findlay and Kenton have some significant curves. The train
> >did not derail!
> >5. There were ample personnel along the line thanks to the OLS special
> >today.
> >
> >As to how all of this got started, that is up for the investigators and I
> >cannot speculate as I have no idea what happened in Toledo. What is typed
> >above is my own account and any errors are mine alone. I have a recording
> >of the radio traffic during the entire locomotive chase. I will make an mp3
> >tonight and post it someplace for all to hear. Will advise when it is
> >complete.



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