I was browsing through DOT derailment reports and one caught my eye, as Salem, IL was referenced in it - early in my career I worked the night Operator’s position on the B&O at Salem
Amtrak #1 derailed on June 10, 1971 when a traction motor seized and was drug along the rail to develop an over 10 inch flat spots on the wheel set of the seized axle. The incident was fatal to 11 and injured over 100.
Wonder what caused the wheelslip light not to actuate
It gets explained in the report.
Ok, Thanks Balt will look at the report as soon as I can!
It is a part of forming the holes in the Swiss Cheese model of accident happenstance.
How would that happen?
Possibly weight distribution?
Or the Rail ties not being properly secured..
You have to dig deeper!
They say the false flange ‘picked’ the facing point of the crossover switch at Tonti, p.10
Mechanical malpractice.
The #2 engine would not load on the previous trip, so shop forces locked out the reverser to the rear truck with a pin. They neglected to remove this pin when releasing the unit to service.
While that is another Swiss Cheese hole that has been lined up - there are more holes involved.
In the general area, a few years BEFORE Amtrak.
That’s the Swiss-cheese hole that answered his question. But it probably set up another ‘hole’. The first signs of track damage were 30 miles earlier, and the crew had to ‘whip’ the consist to reach 90mph. Can you imagine the flames and smoke from the wheeltreads over 20 minutes? And no suspicion that the slowness might not be #2 'failure to load – because not even a flicker from the differential wheel-speed sensing…
Read deeper into the parts that detail rebuilding/refurbishing bearings and traction motors.
I recall a similar March 5, 1984 incident involving the finish surface on traction motor support bearings on Amtrak F40-PH #378 where the #1 axle overheated and failed derailing #81 the Silver Star.
There’s some discussion regarding bearing surface finish, EMD standards and Amtrak’s maintenance practices at New Haven where 378’s truck was rebuilt.
Cheers, Ed
You can see some of the results of these accidents in the design of the P42
at about 34:40 and 40:20
