Hinton train collision
Hinton train collision | |
---|---|
Details | |
Date | February 8, 1986 8:40 am |
Location | Dalehurst, Alberta |
Coordinates | 53°29′47″N 117°22′11″W / 53.49645°N 117.36970°W |
Country | Canada |
Line | Edson Subdivision |
Operator | |
Incident type | Train collision |
Cause | |
Statistics | |
Trains | 2 |
Passengers | 94 |
Crew | 24 |
Deaths | 23[1] |
Injured | 71[1] |
On 8 February 1986, twenty-three people were killed in a collision between a
After 56 days of testimony at a public inquiry, a commission concluded that the collision was caused by the freight head end crew failing to stop their train because of incapacitation or other unknown factors, while the conductor in the caboose failed to use the emergency brake to stop the train. The report also highlighted serious flaws in the culture and safety practices at Canadian National Railway.
Background
The collision occurred on a stretch of
Passenger train
On the morning of 8 February 1986,
- FP7 Diesel locomotive number 6566
- F9B Diesel locomotive number 6633
- Baggage-Dormitory 617
- Coach-Snack Bar 3229
- Skyline Dome car number 513
- 4-8-4[4] Sleeping car 1139 Ennishore
- 4-8-4 Sleeping car 1120 Elcott
- FP9ARM Diesel locomotive number 6300 (inoperative)
- Steam generator car15445
- Baggage car 9653
- Daynighter Coach 5703
- Cafe-Lounge 757
- 4-8-4 Sleeping car 1150 Estcourt
- Steam generator car 15404
The train's unusual composition was the result of two separate scheduled services from British Columbia being coupled together at Jasper. The front section, which had originated in Vancouver, consisted of two locomotives and five cars while the second (rear) section from Prince Rupert was led by one locomotive and five cars. A steam generator was coupled to the end of the train at Jasper for transfer to Edmonton depot for maintenance.
Freight train
Collision
The freight train left
At about the same time, the Super Continental was stopped at
The crash investigation found that the freight train was traveling at 59 mph (95 km/h) as it passed the approach signal—9 mph (14 km/h) over the 50 mph (80 km/h) speed limit. No attempt was made by the crew of the freight train to slow down before or after passing the approach signal.[7]
The freight train proceeded past the Dalehurst control point, running through the switch and into the section of single track. At 8:40 am, approximately 18 seconds after the lead locomotive of the freight train entered the single section, it collided head on with the oncoming Super Continental.[1]
Both lead locomotives were destroyed, killing their crews. The front cars and freight wagons derailed. Diesel fuel from the locomotives ignited, engulfing them, the baggage car, and the day coach in flames; 18 of the day coach's 36 occupants died. Due to momentum, the cars on the freight train piled up on each other resulting in a large pile of debris. All three freight locomotives followed by 76 hoppers and tank cars were either destroyed or severely damaged.
On the passenger train, one coach was crushed by a freight car after it was thrown into the air by the force of the collision, killing one of its occupants. In the dome car, others were able to escape either through a window in the dome that had been broken by passengers, or through the hole left by the freight car. The two sleepers following the dome car jackknifed into each other and were thrown on their sides causing injuries but no deaths. The mid train locomotive (6300) was severely damaged (It was repaired with a new cab section from a KCS EMD F7).[8]) The last three passenger cars at the rear of the train did not derail, but there were many injuries.
After the rear of the freight train came to a halt, Conductor Smith, still in the caboose, attempted to contact the front of the train before contacting emergency services after seeing the fire.
Investigation
The Canadian government set up a
The inquiry concluded that no one individual was to blame; instead it condemned what Foisy described as a "railroader culture" that prized loyalty and productivity at the expense of safety. As an example of lax attitudes to safety, Foisy noted that engineering crews that took over trains at Edson did so "on the fly". While the locomotive was moving slowly through the yard, the new crew would jump on and the previous crew would jump off. While this method saved time and fuel, it was a flagrant violation of safety regulations which required stationary brake tests after a crew change. Management claimed to be unaware of this practice, even though it was quite common. In regards to engineer John Hudson, the Foisy Commission concluded it was a possibility that the collision happened because he had either fallen asleep at the controls or had suffered a heart attack or stroke due to his extremely poor health.
The report highlighted that there was no evidence that either train made any attempt to brake prior to the collision. Analysis of the line showed both trains would have been visible to each other for only the final 19 seconds before the collision. No conclusive reason could be found for the failure of the passenger train crew to react, neither was there any evidence that the Super Continental crew had made any errors before the accident. No evidence could be found to explain why the freight train failed to stop at the absolute signal at the Dalehurst control point. After a
The serious nature of Hudson's medical condition...raises a strong possibility that it was a factor contributing to the collision of February 8...The Commission therefore concludes that engineer Hudson's medical condition possibly contributed to his failure to control Train 413. The Commission also concludes that there are serious deficiencies in the manner in which CN monitored and reacted to that condition. The Commission finds that both the policies and procedures that permitted a man in Hudson's medical state to be responsible for the operation of a freight train on the CN main line to be unacceptable.[2]
Another frequently ignored safety regulation mentioned in the report was the "
The report also noted that although the front-end and rear-end crews should have been in regular communication, that did not appear to be the case in this accident. As the freight train reached Hargwen, Engineer Hudson radioed back to Conductor Smith that the signals were green, a communication that was heard by a following freight. As it ran towards Dalehurst there was no evidence of further communication. The conductor is in charge of the train, so if Smith felt that the train was out of control or there were serious problems, he should have activated the emergency brake in the caboose to stop the train. However, Smith, who appeared to be nervous while testifying, said that he did not feel that the freight was ever out of control, misjudging its speed. He also testified that he attempted to radio Hudson on two radios and several channels, but neither seemed to be working, even though immediately after the crash Smith was able to contact the dispatcher by radio. In any event, on the failure to receive communication from the head end, regulations required him to activate the emergency brake.
Aftermath
Most of the rolling stock and almost all of the locomotives were damaged beyond economical repair from the collision, and they were subsequently sold for scrap. Only the inoperable Via Rail unit, FP9ARM 6300, was repaired after the collision. It returned to service following a rebuild with an entire new cab from a Kansas City Southern F7 locomotive 4062. It was the last FP9 in service on Via Rail before it was retired in September 2011, and it was subsequently acquired by the British Columbia Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.[9] As of 2023, 6300 resides at the Heber Valley Railroad in Heber City, Utah.[10]
Dramatization
The disaster was featured in "Head-on Collision", a Season 3 (2005) Crash Scene Investigation episode of the Canadian TV series Mayday[11] For broadcasters that do not use the series name Mayday, this is one of three Season 3 episodes labelled as Crash Scene Investigation spin-offs, examining marine or rail disasters.
Similar accidents
- 1987 Maryland train collision, in which a freight also disregarded signals and was rear-ended by an Amtrak passenger train at full speed; the crew of that freight was also found to have limited mental capacity due to marijuana use and had disabled safety features as well.
- 2008 Chatsworth train collision, in which a Metrolink commuter train disregarded signals and collided head on with a Union Pacific freight train; the engineer of the commuter train was concluded to have been distracted by text messages.
- 2018 freight train.
See also
- List of rail accidents (1980–89)
- List of rail accidents in Canada
References
- ^ a b c d e "Canada recalls deadly passenger-freight crash 20 years later". Trains Magazine. 8 February 2011. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
- ^ OCLC 17230999. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ "Via Rail". canadianrailwayobservations.com. Canadian Railway Observations. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ Sleeping car fitted with 4 sections, 8 duplex roomettes and 4 double bedrooms
- ^ a b "Composition of the Via Rail Train". Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Head-On Collision" (Also "Train Collision" and "Impact on the Rails." Mayday (Crash Scene Investigation)
- ^ "Case No. 1677 - Canadian National Railways and United Transportation Union". Canadian Railway Office of Arbitration. 16 July 1987.
- ^ "RailPictures.Net Photo: Via 6300 Via Rail EMD FP9u at Montreal, Quebec, Canada by pierre fournier". www.railpictures.net. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ "Canadian Railway Observations - Canadian Railway History". www.canadianrailwayobservations.com. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ Strack, Don. "Heber Valley RR Equipment from British Columbia". utahrails.net. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- National Geographic Channel.
External links
- Foisy commission investigative report
- Halliday, Hugh A. (1997). Wreck! Canada's Worst Railway Accidents. Robin Brass Studio, Toronto. ISBN 1-896941-04-4.
- Clip from Head-On Collision