NTSB: Bad axle caused BNSF collision
Written by Railway Age StaffA broken axle led to a collision between two BNSF trains that touched off a crude oil spill and fire, a National Transportation Safety Board probe has found.
Several covered hopper cars in BNSF grain train no. 6990 derailed near Casselton, N.D., on Dec. 30, 2013 due to a broken axle on one of those cars and was hit by crude oil train no. 4934, which was moving in the opposite direction on a parallel track, the NTSB said Tuesday.
The collision derailed no. 4934, spilling 476,000 gallons of oil from 18 of 20 derailed tank cars that caught fire. There were no serious injuries in the incident.
The tank cars were the type DOT-111, which are required to be removed from service by 2029. The NTSB reiterated its recommendation that the cars be pulled from service as quickly as possible.
The investigation revealed a void in the broken axle, which had been used previously on another car. At the urging of the NTSB, the Association of American Railroads wants to require testing of secondhand axles.
Click the arrow below to view the NTSB video of the wreck derived from the onboard forward-facing cameras of both lead locomotives.
