Lake Megantic Quebec - The engineer from Montreal Maine & Atlantic Railway (MMA) whose train derailed and crashed in Lake Megantic last summer, killing 47 people and destroying the downtown core, did not believe it was his train that was the source of the tragedy until at least two hours after the derailment.
 
Radio traffic control transcripts obtained by the Globe and Mail depict a distressed Thomas Harding, the engineer working that night, as he communicated with MMA offices in Farnham and Maine.
 
Harding phoned a dispatcher following the crash to say that an emergency was happening in Lake Megantic after he had been woken up when his hotel was being evacuated.
 
He told the dispatcher that "everything is on fire".
 
When the dispatcher asked him if MMA's train was involved, he answered "no".
 
He then told the dispatcher that police had been asking him questions because they knew he worked for the railway.
 
At that point, shortly before 02:00, Harding frantically asked the dispatcher if they had any tankers in the yard.
 
He was told they didn't.
 
"OK, so, so it's not us?" the dispatcher asked.
 
"It's not us, RJ, but talk to whoever you need to talk to, RJ, it's incredible," Harding answered.
 
It was only in a separate conversation at 03:29 that Harding first heard the news.
 
"OK, but it's worse than that, my friend," the dispatcher told him.
 
"Why?" Harding asked.
 
"It's your train that rolled down."
 
"No."
 
"Yes, sir."
 
"No, RJ."
 
"Yes, sir."
 
"Holy f---," said Harding.
 
The two men then spoke about how the train was secure when Harding left it in Nantes, some 11.6 kilometres away, before going to his hotel for the night.
 
MMA, Harding, and two of the railway's other employees were charged earlier this year with criminal negligence in connection with the accident.

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