Eastern Railroad Discussion > Finalized FRA report on the CSX oil train derailment in WV

“The cause of the derailment – the vertical split head broken rail - was missed in at least two separate rail inspections in December 2014 and January 2015. Data from both inspections show evidence of the defect, but neither CSX or CSX’s contractor, Sperry Rail Service, discovered the defect which led to the broken rail. FRA has issued $25,000 fines against both CSX and Sperry Rail Service for failure to verify a potential rail defect.

The broken rail was also near the location of a previous broken rail discovered by an FRA inspector and repaired in May 2014.”
https://www.fra.dot.gov/eLib/Details/L17123

Any idea why there are multiple breaks in this area ?

elu34ch Wrote:
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> Any idea why there are multiple breaks in this
> area ?

Considering that many (most?) of the oil train derailments have been in the winter or when the weather is cold to very cold I would say weather plays a major roll.  There are TO readers that understand how very cold weather effects steel rails...I don't claim to know much. 

I know railroads have "heat restrictions" that lower maximum speed limits...do they have "cold restrictions" as well?


Allen

The NY Times article points to several operational failures, both on CSX's part and on Sperry's part.  The FRA intends to issue  rules making address the problems the industry has been "discussing" since 2012.

In particular, the rail was near its maximum wear level allowed under CSX's policy. The Sperry operator twice detected failures, and twice didn't get out of his vehcile and check with a hand held ultra-sound. He made the decision that the problem was a surface issue that produced a false reading.  CSX responds by saying its derailments due to track issues are the lowest among the majors.

FRA chief Sarah Feinberg observed that railroads may not contract out the responsibility for safety and inspections. And, training needs to be better.


NY Times


EDITED TO  ADD  This link is also referenced in the post by Ray_Murphy on new FRA standards



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/09/15 13:24 by Lackawanna484.

elu34ch Wrote:
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> Any idea why there are multiple breaks in this
> area ?

more than likely the same rail, if not then from the same lot when purchased ... came that way from the manufacturer with some slight undetectable defect that occurred during the manufacturing process ... if i was CSX, i would change out that whole lot and place it on some non haz-mat carrying secondary route ... the $25000 fine is an insult to the public but the highest fine on the books for that incident ... some of these fines are from the mid 60s and never updated to today's inflation rates

Maybe someone with more expierence can address the increasing frequency of broken rails as a function of imported rail. Is there a quality issue at work? Or has metalurgical technology not kept up with the increasing weight of locomotives AND cars? Just wondering...

Posted from Android

a737flyer Wrote:
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> Maybe someone with more expierence can address the
> increasing frequency of broken rails as a function
> of imported rail. Is there a quality issue at
> work? Or has metalurgical technology not kept up
> with the increasing weight of locomotives AND
> cars? Just wondering...
>
> Posted from Android

I kinda doubt that in this case the broken rail was imported, and the report didn't mention that, but rather domestic rail that had lived past it's prime in a heavy traffic zone.  And as stated in the report the defect had been missed on two seperate occasions by Sperry.  Cold weather would be a factor for sure also as the cold will shrink the steal and cause it to become brittle and snap like a twig under a heavy strain.  And if there was already a defect in the rail and it was cold one or two heavy trains would be enough to finish what age and a defect had started.

If I remember correctly, this was in a curve in a 50 mph stretch that was just outside a 25 mph permanent speed limit. The curve was engineered for 50 mph going back decades, but trains were never getting up to that speed due to the 25 mph near there. Due to the low speed, more weight was being placed on the low rail versus the high rail, causing defects in the low rail. That curve, and others in similar places, have since had elevation taken out in order to balance the weight where trains aren't able to reach the speed engineered for those curves.

Posted from iPhone

Tim Rich
S. Ogden, UT



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/09/15 17:42 by TrainChaser.