The CSX 8888 incident, also known as the Crazy Eights incident, was a
runaway train event involving 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. ...
freight train in the U.S. state of
Ohio
Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
on May 15, 2001. Locomotive #8888, an, was pulling a train of 47 cars, including some loaded with hazardous chemicals, and ran uncontrolled for just under two hours at up to .
It was finally halted by a railroad crew in a second locomotive, which caught up with the runaway train and
coupled their locomotive to the rear car.
As of 2021, the locomotive is still in service, having been rebuilt and upgraded into an
SD40-3 as part of a refurbishment program carried out by CSX, although its number is now #4389.
It was delivered as
Conrail #6410 in September 1977.
Timeline
On May 15, 2001, a CSX locomotive engineer was using Locomotive #8888 to move a string of
freight cars from track K12 to track D10 for departure on another train at Stanley Yard in
Walbridge, Ohio
Walbridge is a village in Wood County, Ohio, United States, within the Toledo metropolitan area. The population was 3,019 at the 2010 census.
History
Walbridge was platted in 1874. A post office called Walbridge has been in operation since 187 ...
, CSX's primary
classification yard
A classification yard ( American and Canadian English (Canadian National Railway use)), marshalling yard ( British, Hong Kong, Indian, Australian, and Canadian English (Canadian Pacific Railway use)) or shunting yard (Central Europe) is a rail ...
for
Toledo
Toledo most commonly refers to:
* Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain
* Province of Toledo, Spain
* Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States
Toledo may also refer to:
Places Belize
* Toledo District
* Toledo Settlement
Bolivia
* Toledo, Orur ...
.
The string consisted of 47 freight cars; 25 of them were empty, but 22 of them were fully loaded, including two
tank car
A tank car (International Union of Railways (UIC): tank wagon) is a type of railroad car (UIC: railway car) or rolling stock designed to transport liquid and gaseous commodities.
History
Timeline
The following major events occurred in the ...
s containing thousands of gallons of molten
phenol
Phenol (also called carbolic acid) is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile. The molecule consists of a phenyl group () bonded to a hydroxy group (). Mildly acidic, it ...
, a toxic ingredient used in paints, glues, and dyes. It causes severe chemical burns upon direct skin or eye contact, and is exceedingly harmful when ingested.
The engineer noticed a misaligned
switch
In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type ...
and concluded that his train, although moving slowly, would not be able to stop short of it. He decided to climb down from the train, correctly align the switch, and reboard the locomotive.
Before leaving the cab, the engineer applied the locomotive's
independent air brake. During mainline operation, he would also have applied the automatic air brake, which would set the brakes in each of the train's cars. But, as is normal for intra-yard movements, the air brakes of the train were disconnected from the locomotive and thus were not functional. Furthermore, applying the locomotive's brakes disabled the train's
dead man's switch
A dead man's switch (see alternative names) is a switch that is designed to be activated or deactivated if the human operator becomes incapacitated, such as through death, loss of consciousness, or being bodily removed from control. Originally ...
, which would otherwise have applied the train brakes and cut the engine power.
The engineer also attempted to apply the locomotive's
dynamic brake
Dynamic braking is the use of an electric traction motor as a generator when slowing a vehicle such as an electric or diesel-electric locomotive. It is termed " rheostatic" if the generated electrical power is dissipated as heat in brake gri ...
to slow the train to a crawl; dynamic brakes dissipate momentum (kinetic energy) by using the momentum of the train to drive the traction motors, generating electricity exactly like a
regenerative braking
Regenerative braking is an energy recovery mechanism that slows down a moving vehicle or object by converting its kinetic energy into a form that can be either used immediately or stored until needed. In this mechanism, the electric traction m ...
system does in a hybrid/electric automobile, which slows the train. However, the engineer "inadvertently failed to complete the selection process", meaning that he in effect set the train to accelerate, not to brake. Using the power throttle handle, the
throttle
A throttle is the mechanism by which fluid flow is managed by constriction or obstruction.
An engine's power can be increased or decreased by the restriction of inlet gases (by the use of a throttle), but usually decreased. The term ''throttle'' ...
for the
traction motor
A traction motor is an electric motor used for propulsion of a vehicle, such as locomotives, electric or hydrogen vehicles, elevators or electric multiple unit.
Traction motors are used in electrically powered rail vehicles ( electric multipl ...
s was set at notch 8. If the dynamic brakes had been properly engaged as intended, the locomotive would have used the motors against the momentum of the train as generators, causing it to slow down. Instead, the train began to accelerate. Therefore, the only functioning brake was the air brakes on the locomotive, and this was not enough to counteract its power.
The engineer climbed down from the cab, aligned the switch, and then attempted to reboard the accelerating locomotive. However, he was unable to do so and was dragged by #8888 for about , receiving minor cuts and abrasions. The train rolled out of the yard and began a journey south through northwest Ohio unmanned. Attempts to derail the train using a portable
derailer Derailer may refer to:
* A railroad derail, also called a ''derailer'', used to prevent fouling of a railroad track
* Derailleur gears
Shimano 600 front derailleur (1980)
A derailleur is a variable-ratio bicycle gearing system consisting of ...
failed; the portable derailer was thrown off the track by the force of the train when struck. Police officers attempted to engage the red fuel cutoff button by shooting at it; after three shots mistakenly hit the larger red fuel cap, this ultimately had no effect because the button on former Conrail SD40-2s like CSX 8888 must be pressed for several seconds before the switch is activated, causing the engine to starve of diesel fuel and shut down.
A northbound freight train, Q636-15, was directed onto a
siding where the crew uncoupled its locomotive, CSX #8392 (another EMD SD40-2), and waited for the runaway train to pass. #8392 had a crew of two: Jesse Knowlton, an engineer with 31 years of service; and Terry L. Forson, a conductor with one year's experience. Together they chased the runaway train. An
EMD GP40-2
The EMD GP40-2 is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division as part of its Dash 2 line between April 1972 and December 1986. The locomotive's power is provided by an EMD 645E3 16-cylinder engine which generate ...
, CSX locomotive #6008, was prepared farther down the line to couple to the front of the runaway to slow it further, if necessary.
Knowlton and Forson successfully coupled onto the rear car and slowed the train by applying the dynamic brakes on the chase locomotive. Once the runaway had slowed to , CSX
trainmaster Jon Hosfeld ran alongside the train, climbed aboard, and shut down the engine. The train was stopped at the
Ohio State Route 31 crossing, just southeast of
Kenton, Ohio
Kenton is a city in and the county seat of Hardin County, Ohio, United States, located in the west-central part of Ohio about 57 mi (92 km) northwest of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus and 70 mi (113 km) south of Toledo, Ohio, Toled ...
before reaching locomotive #6008. All the brake shoes on #8888 had been completely burned off by the heat, since they had been applied all throughout the runaway trip.
[
CSX never made public the name of the 35-year veteran engineer whose error caused the runaway, nor what disciplinary action was taken.]
Preservation attempts
Several railway museums tried to buy #8888, but CSX officials replied that they did not feel the locomotive was worthy of preservation and that it would be rebuilt as part of the SD40-3 rebuild program in late 2014 and early 2015. The locomotive remains in service as of 2022 but now operates as CSX SD40-3 #4389.[
]
In film
The incident inspired the 2010 movie '' Unstoppable''.
References
External links
WUPW FOX36 Toledo story on ''Unstoppable'', including video of 2001 incident
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203122449/http://chic.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/1919130/real_unstoppable_event_anti_climactic, date=2013-02-03
Transportation in Hancock County, Ohio
Transportation in Hardin County, Ohio
Accidents and incidents involving CSX Transportation
Railway accidents in 2001
Railway accidents and incidents in Ohio
Transportation in Wood County, Ohio
2001 in Ohio
Runaway train disasters
May 2001 events in the United States