The Brooks derailment was a

rail accident Classification of railway accidents, both in terms of cause and effect, is a valuable aid in studying rail (and other) accidents to help to prevent similar ones occurring in the future. Systematic investigation for over 150 years has led to the r ...

that occurred in

Brooks Brooks may refer to: Places ;Antarctica *Cape Brooks ;Canada *Brooks, Alberta ;United States *Brooks, Alabama * Brooks, Arkansas *Brooks, California *Brooks, Georgia * Brooks, Iowa * Brooks, Kentucky * Brooks, Maine *Brooks Township, Michigan * ...

Bullitt County, Kentucky Bullitt County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 82,217. Its county seat is Shepherdsville. The county was founded in 1796. Located just south of the city ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, about 15 miles south of

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

. At 08:43 EST on January 16, 2007 a

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

train pulling 80 cars from

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, to

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, derailed. The accident caused a fireball to explode over 1,000 feet into the sky. The cars were carrying several hazardous materials that resulted in an evacuation of the immediate area. The derailment was determined to be the largest in Kentucky's history. The responders to the accident were Zoneton Fire Protection District and several Louisville fire districts. The residents affected by the accident reached a settlement with the rail company.crash information site
On March 30, 2012, the

National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incid ...

released their conclusion regarding the probable cause: :The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was the failure of the 18th rail car to properly negotiate a curve because of the inadequate side bearing clearance of the B-end truck assembly, likely due to a broken side bearing wedge plate attachment bolt, which caused a wheel to climb the rail, which derailed the car. Contributing to the derailment was (1) the undesirable contact of the truck bolster bowl rim with the car body center plate and (2) the hollow worn wheels on the 18th car, which further diminished the steering ability of the truck assembly.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Kentucky train derailment Brooks, Kentucky Train Derailment, 2007 Bullitt County, Kentucky Derailments in the United States Railway accidents in 2007 Train and rapid transit fires Fires in Kentucky Railway accidents and incidents in Kentucky Brooks, Kentucky Train Derailment, 2007 Accidents and incidents involving CSX Transportation January 2007 events in the United States