25 March 2009
Report on Fatal Train Wreck in Trail, B.C., Calls for Braking Retrofit
Trail British Columbia - A train engineer lauded
for heroic actions in an accident two years ago that took his life was in part responsible for the crash, a Transportation Safety
Board report says.
A report into the deadly rail crash near Trail, B.C., describes a terrifying final ride for engineer Lonnie Plasko as the train
hurtled down a steep mountain with smoke pouring from its brakes.
Plasko worked for Kootenay Valley Railway, which operates a short line within the Canadian Pacific Railway network.
The board's report released Tuesday concludes the train was going too fast, its braking systems failed, and the engineer may not have
understood the importance of closely following procedures on steep hills.
Plasko was hailed as a hero after the crash for urging his two co-workers to jump from the speeding train just before it
left the tracks.
The two men survived, but Plasko's body was found under the wreckage shortly after the 23 Apr 2007 crash.
Two locomotives and eight cars loaded with granular ammonium sulphate derailed, spilling almost 44,000 kilograms of the material and
about 2,300 litres of diesel fuel.
The board's report said the train was already going too fast when it hit the top of the steep hill. Then one braking system failed and
another couldn't carry the extra load.
The train continued to pick up speed and was travelling at about 70 kilometres and hour when it left the track, more than 50
kilometres an hour faster than the maximum permissible speed limit on that stretch.
"The dynamic brake cut out and the locomotive engineer increased the locomotive independent brake to the
fully-applied position; however the train speed continued to increase," the report states.
The report concluded there was considerable friction fade in the braking system, a phenomenon where heat build-up in the
wheels results in a loss of braking capacity.
"Smoke emanating from the train during the descent of the grade, blueing (heavy braking) of the wheels on the locomotives... and
the condition of some brake shoes post-accident indicated that some of the brake shoes had been heavily applied,"
says the report.
The report says Plasko, who had 25 years of experience, had been involved in prior incidents in which train handling was cited as
being deficient.
After the crash, Transport Canada conducted a review of the procedures used by Kootenay Valley Railway crews and "discovered a
significant failure rate of retainers to maintain brake-cylinder pressure."
The board recommended all Canadian railways retrofit the brake system of older trains. Transport Canada is considering a safety rule
change to ensure trains used on steep hills have the proper braking system.
Canadian Pacific also issued a special directive for train-handling procedures for the same steep hill where the accident
occurred, including brake tests and four other safety checks.
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