UNION PACIFIC TRAIN ACCIDENTS

Office of Railroad Safety

CHI 97 FR 003
Derailment
Union Pacific Railroad
Gurnee, Illinois
February 7, 1997

Synopsis

On February 7, 1997 at about 2:38 a.m., central standard time, Union Pacific Railroad (UP) train ITPR-05 was traveling southward from Butler Yard, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Chicago, Illinois, when it derailed in Gurnee, Illinois. The 34^th through the 47^th head cars derailed at about milepost (MP) 38.5. All 14 freight cars were loaded.

The drawbar from the 32^nd head car, GACX 48115, was found about 400 feet north of the general derailment. The drawbar cross key was found intact at about MP 40. However, the cross key retaining pin was not found. The hole in which the retaining pin fit into had surface rust on its surfaces. The inspection and repair history for GACX 48115 was requested.

The dragging equipment and hot box detector located at MP 44.2 did not detect any train defects.

Injuries to Persons

INJURY TABLE

Injury Type	Train Crew on ITPR-05	Others	TOTAL
FATAL	0	0	0
SERIOUS	0	0	0
MINOR	0	0	0
TOTAL	0	0	0

Damage

According to the UP, damages were estimated at:

Equipment $370,000
Lading $54,000
Track $159,000
Signal $5,000
Structures $40,000
Clearing and Wrecking $30,000

Total: $618,000

Issue

The potential major safety issue emerging from the investigation of this accident is:

• Inspection procedures for captive cars by train crews instead of mechanical crews.

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