Another Open Switch Collision CSX Banks, AL

Trains Magazine General Discussion
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From BLET Site

Two CSX engines collide in Banks
(The following story by Russell Sellers appeared on The Messenger website on January 12.)

TROY, Ala. – A CSX freight train collided with a stationary CSX train Tuesday morning around 5 a.m. in the Banks community. The wreck occurred in front of the Banks Primary School.

Neither train had any hazardous materials on board and no injuries were reported.

Neither train derailed in the accident. The moving train sustained little, if any damage. The stationary train, which was unmanned, was heavily damaged.

The main question from the scene centered on a switch that may not have been set correctly. This caused the trains to end up on the same track.

“We can’t speculate about what may or may not have happened,” CSX spokesman Misty Skipper said. “After our investigators determine what happened we’ll certainly take all steps necessary to prevent a similar accident in the future. But we really can’t give a timetable for the investigation. It will be very thorough.”

In a safety advisory issued Tuesday, the Federal Railroad Administration expressed concern about other accidents caused when railroad employees didn’t return hand-operated track switches to their normal position.

“An improperly lined switch invites disaster and can be easily avoided,” said Robert Jamison, the FRA’s acting chief.

There were 23 train accidents caused by improperly aligned switches during the first nine months of 2004, of a total of 2,577 incidents, according to FRA data.

The FRA notes that most trains operate on tracks that have electronic signals that indicate when a switch is in a position to divert a train off the main track. However, the FRA also said that 40 percent of railroad tracks in the United States are in territories that do not have signals.

In accordance with the safety advisory, inspectors from the FRA will be looking into accidents that w

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Switches have locks or something preventing a kid or something from throwing it the wrong way, right?

When my father was younger, one of his classmates attempted to derail the IC’s Green Diamond by putting metal on the track. The FBI was sent out and everything. I am not saying that is the case here, but I am saying that it shows the disposition of people and I wonder how railroads prevent this.

Gabe

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All main track switches have locks, and are always supposed to remain locked.

My guess is someone on the train crew forgot the align the switch back to normal, or they pulled in from the other side of the siding and never bothered to see how the switch in front of them was aligned and took off.

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Locks on the switch stand and in most cases, locks on the switch points.

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why would they care what the switch in front of them looked like if they pulled in from the other side. they never ligned that switch or touched it in any way. so they have no reason to look at it. or care.

here is a case in point i am running a train that is 3/4 mile long i take siding ( all are sidings are at least 2 miles long) we are taking siding cause we wont make it in and are about to go on the law so about a mile into the siding is a road where the cab that is picking us up is at… I stop the train and tie down the engines the conductor lines the switch we used to come in the siding and walks up after we unload are things we lock the engines and leave. was there any reason to know or care what the condition of the other end switch was…NO.

same thng only alittle differant we line in the cab is at the same in we start into. i go all the way to the other end and stop cab brings conductor around to the head end and we gather are stuff secure the train and leave. no reason to worry about the switch again as we didnt use it. but we will look at it. out of habit. but if their is a road before that swtch that we stay clear of that is where we secure the train and leave again no need to look at that switch and we wont go out of are way to go look at it.

In other words what i am saying is that you are putting the blame on crews that had nothing to do with that switch regaurdless. that is like saying i was the last thru freight that went over that switch at 60mph we should have made sure the thing stay closed behind us. and if we had a caboose yes but that is not how we railroad