Collision of Two Burlington Northern Santa Fe Freight Trains Near Clarendon, Texas May 28, 2002
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Collision of Two Burlington Northern Santa Fe Freight Trains Near Clarendon, Texas May 28, 2002
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Railroad Accident Report
NTSB/RAR-03/01
PB2003-916301
Notation 7558
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Railroad Accident Report
Factual Information
Accident Synopsis
At 8:57 a.m., central daylight time, on May 28, 2002, an eastbound Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) coal train collided head on with a westbound BNSF intermodal train near Clarendon, Texas. (See figure 1.) Both trains had a crew of two, and all crewmembers jumped from their trains before the impact. The conductor and engineer of the coal train received critical injuries. The conductor of the intermodal train received minor injuries; the engineer of the intermodal train was fatally injured. The collision resulted in a subsequent fire that damaged or destroyed several of the locomotives and other railroad equipment. Damages exceeded $8 million.
〔图〕BNSF toPowderAccidentNRiver BasinSiteBNSFto Los AngelesRoute ofOKLAHOMACoalTrainAlbuquerqueOklahomaAmarilloCityClarendon
Figure 1. Accident location.
Factual Information
Railroad Accident Report
〔图〕WestEastCollisionLocationMaldenAshtolaTo Amarillo←HedleyTo Estelline-ClarendonMP 280.1MP 304.5MP 288.6MP 335.7MP 263.1MP
Figure 2. Operational diagram.
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Factual Information 5 Railroad Accident Report
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Figure 3. Wreckage of coal train.
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Figure 4. Wreckage of intermodal train.
Factual Information
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Railroad Accident Report
Injuries
The coal train engineer received critical injuries. The conductor of the coal train was struck by the debris of the derailing equipment of his train and partially buried in coal. He received critical injuries and required extensive hospitalization and rehabilitation. Although the intermodal train conductor received minor injuries, the engineer of the intermodal train was fatally injured when he was struck by the derailing equipment.
Damage
The postcollision fire consumed most of the combustible material in both locomotive cabs. The first six platforms of the intermodal train were also damaged by fire.$^{8}$ Both locomotives at the head end of the coal train were derailed. The coal train's lead locomotive was destroyed. In addition to being damaged by fire, the cab section was separated from the frame and crushed into an unrecognizable shape. The second locomotive was also severely damaged. The first 23 cars of the coal train were derailed and destroyed. The distributed power locomotive at the rear of the coal train was not damaged. The two locomotives of the intermodal train were derailed; the lead locomotive was destroyed. The first four intermodal cars, a total of 12 double-stack platforms, were also derailed. The first 3 intermodal cars, each with 3 double-stack platforms, were destroyed, along with the 18 loaded containers that were carried on these cars.
The cost of the collision included:
| Equipment | $6,401,192 |
|---|---|
| Lading | 427,000 |
| Track | 331,189 |
| Environmental cleanup | 202,765 |
| Wreck clearing | 763,506 |
| Total | $8,125,652 |
Personnel Information
Coal Train Engineer
The coal train engineer, 51, was hired by the Fort Worth & Denver Railroad on April 10, 1973, in Amarillo as a clerk-operator. In August 1975, he became a staff assistant to the general manager and moved to Fort Worth. He returned to Amarillo to begin training as a locomotive engineer in April 1976 and has an engineer's seniority date
Factual Information
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Railroad Accident Report
〔图〕(Suggested Form)Track Warrant.19NO.At:ToIs Vold1.口Track Warrant NO.ToOnTrack2.0Proceed FromTrackToOn3.Proceed FromTrackA
Figure 5. Track warrant form used by the General Code of Operating Rules.
Using this track warrant form, a train can be authorized to proceed from one location to another with the issuance of authority, referred to as a “Box 2,” that is contained on line 2 of the track warrant. The crew is instructed to mark an “X” in the box for line 2 and fill in the locations “from” and “to.” Upon a proper read-back of all of the instructions and the track warrant being put into effect by the train dispatcher, the train is authorized to proceed from one location to another. The end point of the train’s authorized segment of track is referred to as the track warrant “limit.”
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