Western Railroad Discussion > Southern Pacific 1985 wreck question

Hello,
I wanted some information about the Southern Pacific train hauling trona that ran away near Cajon Pass and wrecked. What town did the accident happen in? Also which locomotives were involved? I appreciate any information regarding to this horrible accident. Thank you,
Matt

Actually it was May 1989. IT derailed in Rialto (San Bernardino). I think Pentrex put out a video on it some years ago...

germanshepherd wrote:

> Hello,
> I wanted some information about the Southern Pacific train
> hauling trona that ran away near Cajon Pass and wrecked. What
> town did the accident happen in? Also which locomotives were
> involved? I appreciate any information regarding to this
> horrible accident. Thank you,
> Matt
>
> [%sig%]

If i remember correctly these were the numbers......

7443
7549
7551
8278
9340
9317

7443 was on the rear with another unit and i think it was the only one not destroyed

Matt, here are most of the units involed:

Sscrapped:
SPSF 7551
SP 7549
SP 9340
SP 8317

Repaired:
SP 7443

I think there was one more unit, but I'm at work and don't have my notes with me.
I hope this helps.
Tony

Great thanks guys,
Matt

I worked in the town of Trona in the 50's. At that time, we were loading cars some 20 tons over as long as they were not going off SP rails, which had been strengthened especially for the overload. When I heard about the wreck, I thought that someone didn't get the word.

germanshepherd wrote:

> Hello,
> I wanted some information about the Southern Pacific train
> hauling trona that ran away near Cajon Pass and wrecked.

Here's some info from the NTSB about it (given as part of the Chairman's testimony to Congress):

The second accident that led to NTSB safety recommendations on the power brake regulations occurred near San Bernardino, California. About 7:30 a.m., local time on May 12, 1989, Southern Pacific Transportation Company freight train 111, which consisted of a four-unit locomotive, 69 hopper cars loaded with trona, and a two-unit helper locomotive on the rear of the train, derailed at milepost 486.8. The entire train was destroyed as a result of the derailment. Seven homes located in the adjacent neighborhood were totally destroyed and four others were extensively damaged. Of the five crew members on board the train, two on the head end of the train were killed. A third crewman on the head end received serious injuries, and two crewmen on the rear end of the train received minor injuries. Of eight residents in their homes at the time of the accident, two were killed and one received serious injuries as a result of being trapped under debris for 15 hours. Local officials evacuated homes in the surrounding area because of a concern that a 14-inch pipeline owned by the Calnev Pipe Line Company, which was transporting gasoline and was located under the wreckage, may have been damaged. Residents were allowed to return to their homes about 24 hours after the derailment.

About 8:05 a.m., on May 25, 1989, 13 days after the train derailment, the 14-inch pipeline ruptured at the site of the derailment, released its product, and ignited. As a result of the releases and ignition of gasoline, two residents were killed, three received serious injuries, and 16 reported minor injuries. Eleven homes in the adjacent neighborhood were destroyed, three received moderate fire and smoke damage, and three received smoke damage only. In addition, 21 motor vehicles were destroyed. Residents within a four-block area of the rupture were evacuated by local officials. Total damages as a result of the train derailment and pipeline rupture exceeded $14 million.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the train derailment on May 12, 1989, was the failure to determine and communicate the accurate trailing weight of the train, failure to communicate the status of the train's dynamic brakes, and the Southern Pacific operating rule that provided inadequate direction to the head-end engineer on the allowable speed and brake pipe reduction down the 2.2-percent grade.

As a result of the San Bernardino accident, the Safety Board made two recommendations to the FRA regarding dynamic brakes:


Study, in conjunction with the Association of American Railroads, the feasibility of developing a positive method to indicate to the operating engineer in the cab of the controlling locomotive unit the condition of the dynamic brakes on all units in the train; and

Revise the regulations to require that if a locomotive unit is equipped with dynamic brakes that the dynamic brakes function.

The Safety Board feels very strongly that dynamic brakes should be operational when locomotives are dispatched. Dynamic brakes are an extremely important tool for train handling. Engineers are taught to control the speed of their train through throttle modulation and the use of the dynamic brakes. Engineers are also taught that dynamic brakes are the "first" brake to be used when slowing a train. Therefore, dynamic brakes should be considered primary safety devices which must work properly when a locomotive is dispatched.

Anyone know the speed just before it left the rails? I heard anywhere from 90 to 110 mph, incredibly fast.........imagine seeing that

Germanshepherd:

There is a very good, very detailed and very well-researched article in the New Yorker magazine, some time in 1990. I happened to pick up that copy at my local library, in the freebie box, just because I like to look at the cartoons and read the whimsical blurbs, and what should I discover but a long article about that derailment, by George W. S. Trow - an excellent writer. He talked to many of the people involved in that tragic incident. You will have to go to a library to look up the article. It is very well worth reading.

Margaret

Two addenums to this thread...
I recently ran into a retired SP locomotive engineer who said he was working a helper job over Beaumont at the time of the wreck. He stated that the engineer on the trona train never returned to work.
Second, there are many wrecked DRGW open top hoppers in a scrapyard in Barstow. My guess is that these cars were invcolved in the wreck, and transported to Barstow because it is relatively close.

UpDate: 6-27-2006, the (head-end) Engineer has been working for years since the wreck... still is, out of Bakersfield. He only works flat ground, he will not work on grade territory.

Take Care, Stay Safe, Have Fun!

Larry

I thought they billed the cars with estimated weights (a clerk at Mojave estimated the weights based on a car in the yard), therefore the tonnage the crew got was several thousand tons LIGHTER than the train was. They didn't realize the problem until they went over the top at Hiland

WAF Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I thought they billed the cars with estimated
> weights (a clerk at Mojave estimated the weights
> based on a car in the yard), therefore the tonnage
> the crew got was several thousand tons LIGHTER
> than the train was. They didn't realize the
> problem until they went over the top at Hiland


That is correct. With the paperwork they had, they assumed they were allowed maximum speed down the hill (30) instead of their restricted speed (20).

JDE

Yes . . I have that Pentrex video. More detailed footage not contained in the documentary originally broadcast on The Discovery Channel. I got it at a discount through Pentrex. A good addition to your RR Library. 'Dogh

Tonnage 'estimate' was 70 tons . . for 100 ton loads.
And a crewman on the helpers did not report to the engineer
he had no dynamics on one of the rear units. 'Dogh

Topper Wrote: " ... the
> Safety Board made two recommendations to the FRA
> regarding dynamic brakes:
>
>
> Study, in conjunction with the Association of
> American Railroads, the feasibility of developing
> a positive method to indicate to the operating
> engineer in the cab of the controlling locomotive
> unit the condition of the dynamic brakes on all
> units in the train; and
>
> Revise the regulations to require that if a
> locomotive unit is equipped with dynamic brakes
> that the dynamic brakes function.
>
> The Safety Board feels very strongly that dynamic
> brakes should be operational when locomotives are
> dispatched. Dynamic brakes are an extremely
> important tool for train handling. Engineers are
> taught to control the speed of their train through
> throttle modulation and the use of the dynamic
> brakes. Engineers are also taught that dynamic
> brakes are the "first" brake to be used when
> slowing a train. Therefore, dynamic brakes should
> be considered primary safety devices which must
> work properly when a locomotive is dispatched.
>
> [%sig%]


And sadly to say, it seems we are no closer to this in 2007 than we were in 1989.