UNION PACIFIC TRAIN ACCIDENTS

Office of Railroad Safety

---

Synopsis

Union Pacific Railroad (UP) train 1-CVCPP-23, consisting of 2 locomotive units, 102 coal loaded hopper cars, and traveling eastbound at a recorded speed of 48 mph, derailed 27 cars (the 56^th through the 87^th of the train) at milepost 204.3 of the River Subdivision on UP St. Louis Division, near Marshall, Missouri. The accident occurred at 7:35 p.m., central daylight time, on May 27, 1997.

The engineer was operating the train in the 7^th throttle position, when the train air brakes applied in emergency. The train was walked by the conductor, who discovered the derailed cars on tangent track, just east of a 1 percent left curve.

Seven hundred feet of the track structure was destroyed and the 27 aluminum coal hoppers were destroyed during the derailment.

There were no injuries associated with this accident.

A piece of rail displaying end batter, a transverse defect, and located 2 3/8" from a field weld was found in the area of the derailment.

The rail involved had been tested ultrasonically on March 14, 1997. Two transverse defects were reportedly discovered between milepost 204 and 205, and repaired on that date.

Injuries to Persons

INJURY TABLE

Damage

Damage was estimated by the UPRR to be $1,279,700.

Issues

• The major safety issue in this accident is the inadequacy of defect detection equipment to discover pending rail failures.