Articles
 

Runaway on the Mountain Sub
By Phil Mason

  Preface

The Canadian Pacific Railway has hauled coal for as long as I can remember. Even before unit coal trains started operating plenty of coal was moved in those black coloured triple hoppers. Some even labeled for dedicated Coleman-Port Moody service. Now ghost towns, Michel and Natal, British Columbia, had large producing coal mines at one time serviced by Canadian Pacific. In the 1960s demand by Japan for low sulphur coal initiated unit trains dedicated to carrying only coal. The trains came into service with shiny new red bathtub gondolas and multi-mark paint scheme. It wasn't long before the cars were re-painted black. They might as well be black as coal dust soon turns them black very quickly. Trains leave the mines in southern British Columbia, travel north up the Windermere Valley to join the main line at Golden, continue over the mountains, then follow the Thompson and Fraser Rivers into Vancouver with their final destination at Roberts Bank Super Port. As you read this, unit coal trains run continuously day and night, 7 days a week, 365 days a year... loads to the port... empties back to the mines... loads to the port... Over time the bathtub gondolas have given way to modern aluminium cars as thousands, no, millions of tons of coal is delivered in a constant flow to the dumpers at the port. Normally all goes as planned but one day in 1977 operations took a turn for the worse.

A Vancouver Magazine article titled Runaway in the Rockies by Daniel Wood, first published in October 1981, told the story about the runaway. It was subsequently republished in Jimmy Gullickson's autobiography, "Ballast Scorchers on the High Iron" in 2011.
 
The actual investigation report is now held by Library & Archives Canada and is available as 2003-02234-1 box 2 flagged file "A report of an inquiry under section 226 of the Railway Act. Derailment of Canadian Pacific Railway Freight Train designated as 803/464/25 at Mileage 94.5 MOUNTAIN SUBDIVISION, near Flat Creek, in the Province of British Columbia, on 26 Nov 1977."
 
Phil Mason after 33 years of railway service retired as a Canadian Pacific locomotive engineer in 2005. Below you can read his story about the events that happened that day in 1977, but first, examine this grade chart and timetable for Canadian Pacific's Mountain Subdivision:

  Mountain Subdivision Grade Chart

  Time Table No. 93 - 15 November 1981

  Phil Mason's Story

Other accounts of this incident have been published concerning the coal train that was ahead of us on 25 Nov 1977. As time passes and the story gets retold, it changes and becomes more of a legend than a factual account. What follows is what the railroaders in the area experienced that day in 1977.
 
On 25 Nov 1977 I was the head end trainman on CP freight 923, a Calgary-Vancouver freight consisting almost entirely of tank cars of LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) bound for export to the US via the Burlington Northern interchange at Huntington, British Columbia, Sumas, Washington, USA. At Field we changed off with the Calgary crew and proceeded westbound for the 125 mile run to our home terminal of Revelstoke.
 
It was an evening run. For the first 33 miles of our run, we followed the Kicking Horse River down the western slope of the Rockies to Golden. This part of British Columbia shares the same climate as western Alberta, the weather was below zero, and snowing lightly. We had three SD40-2s on the head-end of our train. The engineer, Barney was a steam era veteran, a friendly and soft spoken fellow.
 
On our caboose was Norman, the conductor, a tough old Okanagan rancher, and Joe, a big friendly man from New Brunswick was the tail-end trainman. We had been a regular train crew for some time and worked well together.
 
As we approached Golden, we could hear radio conversations, and became aware that we would be following a westbound coal train which was joining the mainline from the south at Golden. (Junction of the Windermere Subdivision.)
 
In 1977 all the through freights, including the coal trains on the Mountain Subdivision, were manned through a common pool. We had worked east in the morning with the engineer ahead of us, Timmy, who had an engineer trainee, Clarence. Somehow, there was an imbalance in the number of train and engine crews laying over at Field, so we were heading home with Barney.

Both our trains would require a pusher to help is up the east slope of Rogers Pass, which meant a stop at Rogers siding at the base of the climb, which would take about forty minutes. Rather than follow the coal train on "approach" (clear to stop) signals for thirty miles, we slowed down and let them get ahead. So far, it was just a typical evening on the Mountain Sub. I don't recall much eastbound traffic coming against us. I'm sure there was, but the meets must have taken place smoothly on that mostly single track railway, because I don't recall any of them.
 
West of Golden, the railway follows the Columbia River for twenty or so miles of "river grade". The mountains of Alberta and BC form an effective barrier against precipitation coming in from the Pacific Ocean. Each range of mountains catches more moisture, and as a result, a train passing through the mountains can encounter significant weather changes. West of Donald, the weather changed from light snow and sub-zero temperatures to heavy snowfall just below freezing. Barney noted that although the coal train was only 45 minutes ahead of us the tracks ahead of our train were buried in snow.
 
He noted another change. With warmer temperatures, the leakage of air in the brake pipe to the tail-end decreased, a definite improvement but all the snow was building up on the brake shoes, which required more frequent brake applications to prevent ice buildup.
 
Although we were in a virtual "white out" his knowledge of the route was such that he knew the signal locations and track profile so well that we proceeded with confidence.
 
We were monitoring the radio to keep track of the progress of the coal train ahead of us. Once he departed Rogers siding, our pushers would head east from the back track to the wye, and once they were clear in the wye, we would get a signal into the siding. Our conductor would contact the pusher crew by radio telling them where to cut into the train. At Rogers, our tail-end trainman would walk up and make the cut, and switch the pushers into the train.
 
This all happened a little slower this night, because each track switch would have to be swept out of accumulated snow before lining. We were conscious of what was happening ahead of us, we were listening to the radio conversations between the coal train engineer and the pushers climbing the hill. They were well ahead of us. Typically, with one train following another, both with pushers, there was a clever "ballet" of train movements on the hill. The pusher on the first train would cut out of the train at Stoney Creek, and proceed back east down the hill to Griffiths, a siding half way up the grade.
 
If the second train timed its departure to a message from the pushers that they were head "engines light" down the hill toward them, there would be a perfect "headlight" meet at Griffiths with the loaded train getting a clear signal.
 
Such was life this night, we roared out of Rogers with the power of eight SD40-2s, three on the head-end, and five cut in mid-train (a total of 24,000 horse power for a 75 car train). The pusher crew, two engineers, were true veterans. Theirs was the senior job in the BC district, high paying with meals and lodging supplied. Most were veterans of the Kettle Valley Division, well accustomed to mountain railroading. They were from the era before radios, so much of the switching and pusher operation was done by feel. All we had to say on the head-end was "let's go" and away we went.
 
As predicted, we met the pushers from the coal train at Griffith without having to slow down. We were expecting the coal train to be delayed by an anticipated meet with an eastbound coal empty at Stoney Creek, however the RTC (Rail Traffic Controller - Dispatcher for you American readers.) decided to take the coal train west through the five mile long Connaught Tunnel and hold the meet at Glacier, the summit of the Rogers Pass on the railway. More "ballet", we would cut out our pushers at Stoney Creek and be clear in the siding by the time the eastbound empties arrived. I remember getting off our locomotive to PK the eastbound (Pins and Knuckles - to inspect the approaching train while it passed.) and being almost waist deep in powder snow.

Following that meet we proceeded west toward the Connaught tunnel. It was predictably full of smoke from the previous trains, however we were proceeding on a clear signal which meant the track was clear at least as far as Glacier, the other end of the tunnel. The warm exhaust in the tunnel melted all the snow off our locomotive. We knew there were other eastbounds coming at us, based on the now several hours old printed line up of trains we had picked up at Field. We half anticipated a double meet at Glacier between the coal train ahead and ourselves with an eastbound, but the mid tunnel intermediate signal and the signal at the east switch of Glacier was clear. It was always a relief to exit the tunnel and regain radio communication. Our train was about half way out of the tunnel when we heard the conductor on the coal train ahead of us say "We're stopped back here". Oh, oh. That meant just one thing. The train ahead of us was apart between the engines and the caboose. At the very least we would be delayed while they put the train back together. Still, it was nothing to be alarmed about.
 
The next communications heard on the radio really got our attention. From the head-end of the coal train, Clarence, the trainee asked "Are either of you hurt back there?", to which the reply, "Jimmy got banged up a bit, but he's OK". (Jimmy was the tail-end trainman). We said to ourselves, "More than a break apart ahead of us." The next thing we hear is the engineer on the coal train who had gone for a walk with a portable radio. "I don't know what happened to our trailing unit, there's nothing here but the drawbar. I can't see the train anywhere", a few more moments and "Oh, Jesus Christ, I can see the trailing unit, upside down and on fire in the ditch.", followed by sounds of his heavy breathing and footsteps as the mike on his radio stuck open. Finally, "the whole valley is filled with coal cars".
 
Listening to all this converted Barney and myself on our following train to babbling idiots.
 
Finally, the RTC comes on the point to train radio and asks what has happened. With amazing composure, Clarence the trainee said, "We ran away out of control from Glacier and are derailed west of Flat Creek. No one is seriously injured." The RTC said, "Did you hear all that 923?", so we replied, "What do you want us to do?" The RTC said, "I've lost my CTC from Flat Creek west. Flag yourself into the siding at Flat Creek, tie down your train, and go rescue the tail-end crew on the coal train. I have no idea what shape the tracks are in behind the runaway so watch for overturned rails."
 
We did this tying virtually every handbrake on our train because the LPG was sloshing back and forth, causing the cars to move. Finally, we proceeded west engines light to find the tail-end of the coal train. It had continued to snow heavily while this whole drama unfurled. With snow covering the tracks ahead, we couldn't have seen an overturned rail in front of us. Barney said, "I don't think they would blame us if we went on the ground picking up the guys from the coal train". It was a strange eerie feeling, creeping ahead, half expecting to derail at any moment. On hearing that help was on the way, conductor Bill and tail-end trainman Jimmy from the coal train decided to walk toward us. They kept us posted of their progress by radio, and both lit red fusees when we were close to them. It was a strange sight, a red glow ahead of us in the whiteout of the blizzard.
 
Of course, we were anxious to know what happened, but when they climbed into our cab, there was very little conversation. Just, "How are you doing?", and such. I went back to the other end of the power consist, then we backed up and coupled onto our train. By that time, our tail-end crew had walked up. It's funny how crews stick together, Norm, Joe, and myself settled down in the cab of the trailing locomotive and waited for instructions about what would happen next. After all the excitement, we were exhausted, and fell asleep. There was lots of radio traffic, but so far no one was trying to contact us. Finally, after an hour or so, we were told to clamber out toward the Trans-Canada Highway and wait for a taxi. The snow was almost up to our armpits hiking out toward the road.
 
It seemed so strange to see the familiar face of the taxi driver after all that had happened, a face of normal day-to-day life amid all the bizarre events. Through the steamed up windows of the cab we caught a glimpse of the wreckage as we drove by, heading for home.

  Wayne's Story

There's still more to this story, but from the perspective of a piglet named Wayne. (A hogger in training officially known as an engine service brakeman.)
 
Wayne is a friend who was also took part of this drama. He had recently transferred from Schrieber, Ontario, because as an engine service brakeman, he would be promoted to a hogger (locomotive engineer) much sooner in BC than in Ontario.
 
He was the head-end trainman on an eastbound freight east out of Revelstoke that evening. I think the freight was 772, a catch all general freight from Vancouver to Calgary which bore a chemical train 700 number because it was carrying a few chemical tank cars used in the pulp and paper industry. It was a short train, mostly pulp boxes, and anything else Vancouver wanted shipped east. They had two SD40-2s, ample power for this sixty car freight.
 
The engineer was Bill, a tiny man, perhaps 4 foot 10 inches tall, and weighing about 125 pounds. He had spent much of his career as a locomotive fireman at a branchline terminal in Manitoba until Canadian Pacific closed the terminal down. They offered him a job in BC, and to pay moving expenses. By his own admission, he was somewhat afraid of the mountain grades and was extra cautious and slow.
 
On the tail-end of 772 was conductor Chester and tail-end trainman Helmut.
 
So far, their journey eastbound from Revelstoke had been uneventful, meeting no westbound traffic. As they were climbing upgrade between Albert Canyon and Illecillewaet sidings, they heard a radio conversation which instantly caught their attention.
 
"Clarence, have you got it?" (meaning control of the train), from the tail-end of the coal train to the head end. "No, Jimmy, we are out of control and doing sixty miles an hour.", was the answer. "We'll never make the curves at Illecillewaet."", was the next transmission.
 
The effect on the crew of the eastbound was immediate. Bill the engineer opened the throttle and got the train going as fast as possible into the siding at Illecillewaet. As soon as they cleared Bill stopped the train. Wayne wasn't waiting around to see what happened next. A fit 25-year-old, and very tall, he headed up the nearby hillside to get as far away as possible. It was at least a thirty degree upslope, covered in fresh snow. Finally, when he was far above the tracks, he stopped to catch his breath. By now, he realised that the runaway had not reached their location before derailing. He looked at his footsteps up the hill, and it seemed he had been taking giant strides at least five feet apart. He realised he was not alone on the hillside. Engineer Bill was right beside him. On the other end of the train, conductor Chester had also chosen to climb the bank. He was another tall and fit person. However when he stopped climbing, he was alone. He too figured out that the coal train wasn't coming. In time, he clambered back down to the caboose. Here he found tail-end trainman Helmut sleeping contently in the cupola. He had slept through the whole drama.

  The Tally

Train number 803, Extra 5820 west, derailed at 00:30, 26 Nov 1977, at milepost 94.4 of the Mountain Subdivision. The main line was closed for a week. Three locomotives, a "Robot" car, and sixty seven loaded coal cars were destroyed. The usual consist of a coal train was four SD40-2s on the head end, two mid-train SD40-2s, plus a Robot car cut in behind 45 cars of the 109 car train. A bridge was shifted off it's footings and part of a snowshed was damaged. Most of the damaged equipment was cut up on the spot. Even today, there are small pieces of freight car equipment visible in the Illecillewaet River where it happened.
 
Phil Mason.

  There's Still More to the Story - August 2013

The crew on the Mountain Sub runaway faced much hardship following that incident. A second runaway on the Fording Sub with the subsequent inquiry brought much to light about both runaways. Please note that no real names are used in the following addendum to this story.
 
CP had a dedicated group of shop staff employees and supervisors who worked to keep "Locotrol" equipment working. When the wrecked Robot Car (a radio receiver car which converted radio signals to air brake commands) was uncovered, "Milt", one of the technicians examined the interior of the car and found the radios, logic cabinets, and air brake manifold to be undamaged.
 
The carmen on the auxiliary helped him take these items out of the wrecked car, and load them into a CP box van.
 
Bert's Story
 
In the following weeks and months, the cause of the runaway was closely examined, and those involved got to recount what happened many times. The crew were out of service for some time. Sadly, they didn't have any clear answers as to how the train got away on them, and for awhile, all the blame was assigned to them. It took another coal train runaway on the Fording Subdivision near the mines in Crowsnest Pass to uncover some of the details.
 
In that case, Bert, the engineer knew exactly what he did and when, and was unshakable under questioning. Not that Transport Canada and the CPR didn't try. It turned out to be a technical glitch in the air brake controls. CP had known about it for some time, but had kept quiet about it. Finally, Milt the technician decided that rather than subject the engineer to more unwarranted cross examination, he yelled out at the Transport Canada hearing, "Stop harassing this man, half the people in this room know it was the number 5A check valve sticking open that caused this runaway." Bang, bang, bang went the hearing officer's gavel. "We will adjourn for lunch now." They never re-convened. A CP road foreman of engines met up with the employees attending the hearing in Cranbrook and told them to go home and "thanks for your valuable input." (They hadn't had a chance to speak).
 
Milt's Story
 
The undamaged Locotrol equipment from the Robot car, and from the lead locomotive in the runaway was taken to Ogden Shop in Calgary, and tested. It was found to be operating properly as far as the railway and Transport Canada was concerned. The Locotrol technicians had their own shop and test rack, plus a storeroom of spare components. They decided to "red tag" the equipment from the runaway, and subject it to more testing when they had time.
 
Meanwhile, the official report of the runaway was published, blaming the incident on improper train handling and severe weather conditions. Research Canada did an extensive study into the performance of fibre brake shoes in powder snow conditions which resulted in revised air brake procedures when operating in powder snow conditions.
 
Four years went by. Milt was offered a job with the manufacturer of the radio components used in Locotrol, and left the railway. In the years since the runaway, the Locotrol equipment from the train had been tested repeatedly, and it was discovered that magnetic check valve 5A would occasionally stick in the open position. This could cause a "brake pipe rise" which in turn could cause the pressure maintaining feature of the locomotive and Robot Car to release the train air brakes. Milt notified the CPR, and the air brake manufacturer of this possible defect. They chose to do nothing about it, in fact the air brake manufacturer was threatening to him. The equipment from the first runaway went back into storage, still red tagged.
 
One cold spring day in 1981, a very similar runaway took place on the Fording Sub with very similar results. Although Milt had left the CPR, he made sure his former colleagues rescued the equipment from this wreck also. That equipment was also thoroughly tested and in time, a fault with the same magnet valve was detected.
 
Bert, the engineer in the second runaway was a big, husky, no-nonsense fellow, and a very competent engineer. He was un-phased by the increasingly hostile cross-examination at the hearing from the CPR lawyers and Transport Canada. He finally got angry and said, "You guys are intent on firing me for just trying to do my job. I have nothing more to say, just fire me and let me get on with my life." "Jack", the Transport Canada commissioner, was a former locomotive engineer himself and told the lawyers to back off. One of the lawyers came back with some smart ass response so Milt decided to speak up. Within a week, all the 5A check valves had been replaced on every locomotive and Robot Car. The official report of the Fording runaway remains incomplete pending further investigation, now, over thirty years later.
 
In time, newer Locotrol equipment replaced the equipment used in the 1970's.

Everyone out there that night in November 1977 has retired. All had full careers with CP, some interrupted briefly after the runaway. Some have passed away of old age. But it still remains etched into our collective memories.

  There's Even More to the Story - March 2019

The report records crew error in regards to train handling. I realize that this sort of finding is not popular with craft unions and personnel, who inevitable feel that their member should not be embarrassed or held to account and that there will be systems deficiencies that contributed to the incident being able to occur (and this is, indeed, very often the case). The result is often concocted coverage that inevitably tends to favour the craft member and, in the case of fatalities, shies away from personal criticism in the interests of such things as family sensitivities. This is understandable.
 
However, Phil Mason's report seeks to mention a person by the name of "Milt" and also to accord certain performance and activity to him. Milt Deno was Master Mechanic, Revelstoke, at the time of the Flat Creek derailment (then eventually Assistant Chief of Motive Power before leaving CP). I worked for Milt on Locotrol crew training in Western Australia in the 1980s and then on an installation project in India in 1989 and have maintained a close relationship with him ever since. Milt now lives in retirement in Florida, and I have visited with him a number of times. He's now 86.
 
Back in July 2013 he emailed me with this:
 
Thought I'd apprise you of a train wreck that I investigated in 1977 on Canadian Pacific Mountain subdivision. If you Google, Canadian Pacific runaway train at Flat Creek Mountain subdivision, you'll get a story by a magazine writer done in 1981. It doesn't tell it all, some parts are true, some are completely inaccurate, but it's a good read.
 
Thacker the engineer, mishandled the train brake, also claimed the remote locomotives never went into dynamic brake, stayed in motoring and pushed them down the hill, also emergency brake did not function. The whole crew had their story pat, Jimmy Gullikson the tail-end Trainman was just a kid, the son of one of my road-foreman when I was Master Mechanic at Revelstoke. He broke first, then Bill Belton the conductor. I had the electronic boxes taken from the remote car and the master unit, put on the simulator, they worked flawlessly.
 
The engineman's story about dynamic braking not functioning, was easy to discredit, I crawled down the bank and looked at two of the remote units that were still kinda' together. The switch gear in the electrical cabinet was in the dynamic brake position, that of course happens when the jumper cables are pulled out such as in a wreck, the switchgear stays in the last command position before the circuit was broken. The lead engine and the one behind it survived, and only stopped because the brake beam itself was on the wheel providing some braking action, the brake shoes, brake shoe holders, all bolts, and mechanism were burned off.
 
No depleted brake shoes on the train, no blue wheels... I told Thacker, Mister, you better go to church every Sunday and thank the Lord, if that's who you pray to, that you're still alive! He had the audacity to ask me, "how come the emergency brake hadn't functioned?" As I recall, I said, partner you're never going to have to worry too much about emergency brake anymore because you're going to spend the rest of your career on a yard engine. However, for your information you mishandled the train brake, causing undesired releases, to the point where you pissed away all your air to the point that you got the brake pipe pressure somewhere below 47 PSI, at which point emergency brakes will not function.
 
I ate Belton's ass out also, he should have dynamited her before she ever got to 15 miles an hour, instead of asking Clarence Thacker "have you got a hold of her?" The only good thing about this was the fact that they all lived. You never have seen such a pile up in all your life. We made history in a stupid way.
 
Right after the mishap, I issued orders for every coal train to be accompanied incognito by a Road-Foreman, if the speed of the train exceeded 19 miles an hour at the west switch of Glacier, 19 miles an hour is the allowable track speed between Glacier and Albert Canyon, they were immediately to put the train into emergency, and upon arrival at Revelstoke the entire train crew was to be pulled out of service. We didn't have any more runaways on the Mountain Subdivision.
 
The Canadian Transport Commission report at the end of the story does not depict the actual facts. As a matter-of-fact I never did see anyone from that commission out and around the wreck, or at the Revelstoke shops when I was testing the Locotrol equipment, and I was there for approximately 3 weeks. Take care. MCD
 
This was a personal email to me, and I've never shared it with anyone. Now that I have with you, you may use it however you feel appropriate... or not at all. My view is that, in the interests of factual accuracy, and since a character called "Milt" (who did indeed move to work for the manufacturer in Florida) has been publicly mentioned, the material deserves to be out there.
 
Fergus Moffat - 19 Feb 2019

  Typical 1970-1980s Equipment

Below you will find photographs of typical equipment used on Canadian Pacific's unit coal trains on their Mountain Subdivision in the 1970s and 1980s:

CP 5708 - Typical power in 1970 was the General Motors built SD40-2 producing 3,000 horsepower for its C-C trucks. The SD40-2 was the best selling model in General Motors history becoming a standard across North American railways.	CP 4551 - Montreal Locomotive Works built the M-630 which produced 3,000 horsepower with an ALCO V16 4-cycle 251 turbocharged engine. Locotrol 1 and Pacesetter slow speed equipment was installed in 1971. All were retired by 1995.	CP 349379 - is an early bathtub gondola of 105 ton capacity with tapered sides, ends, and a rounded bottom designed specifically for unit train coal service and manufactured by Hawker Siddeley in Trenton, Nova Scotia - 2001 Grahame Morris.	Robot 1027 - Robot cars contained radio equipment enabling a head-end locomotive to control mid-train slave units. Eventually radios were fitted into locomotives eliminating a need for robots. This is the robot destroyed in the runaway - 18 Nov 1976 Claude Prutton.
CP 434534 - was an extended vision caboose. Extended vision cabooses were first introduced in North America in the 1950s and quickly became the mainstay design of the modern caboose.	CP 434412 - Canadian Pacific built 435 extended vision cabooses at their Angus Shops in Montreal between 1970 and 1981. This interior photo shows one of the cupola crew seats.	CP 434412 - A second photo displays the galley of this Angus built extended vision caboose. In some parts of Canada a caboose is also called a van.	CP 5802 West - Four head-end units pull a unit coal train comprised of twelve SD40-2s, including pushers, across Stoney Creek bridge - 15 Sep 1981 Photographer unknown.

May 1969 - CP Rail Gondolas Designed for Advanced Unit Train Operation
 
March 1987 - Route Change Controversial to This Day
 
July 1987 - CP Rail Coal Trains Feed the "Giant"
 
November 1987 - Golden Shop Officially Opened
 
April 1988 - Heavy Haul Handles Record Amount of Coal
 
December 1988 - Railway Sets Record for Moving Coal
 
January 2005 - Phil Mason's Last Run

  Bibliography
 
Runaway in the Rockies
Wood, Daniel
Vancouver Magazine
1981
 
Ballast Scorchers on the High Iron
Gullickson, Jimmy
Kettle Valley Press
2011.

  Associated Web Sites
 
Canadian Pacific Railway
 
Runaway at Flat Creek
 
Canadian Black Gold
 
The Last Pushers - DVD