The scene north of Carey, Ohio, after two CSX trains collided early Monday morning.
Scott Jordan
CAREY, Ohio – Two CSX Transportation trains have collided north of Carey, Ohio, on Monday, injuring one person, WTVG-TV reports.
The incident occurred near the north end of double track, at County Road 3. The line is CSX’s Columbus Subdivision, which runs from Columbus to Fostoria, Ohio, and was once the Chesapeake & Ohio route to Toledo.
According to railroad spokeswoman Sheriee S. Bowman, at about 5:15 a.m., an incident involving two CSX trains resulted the derailment of about 25 railcars and one locomotive. Most of the derailed cars contained sand for use in energy production. Preliminary reports indicate that an unknown quantity of diesel fuel spilled from the derailed locomotive. As a precaution, two crew members were transported to the hospital for evaluation.
CSX is investigating the incident and working closely with local first responders to assess the situation as it develops a recovery plan.
An easy fix to this type of train accident , eliminate single track lines make all lines doubled tracked ,this way all trains are going in one direction are on one track and trains going the opposite direction are on a different track, very simple ,very easy!
With 40 years seniority I KNOW THE REST RULES. You have never worked an extra board or have never worked for a class one for weeks on end. YOU NEVER catch up on sleep. With the CSX draconian mark off rules it gets really difficult to just MARK OFF and SLEEP. I used to tell the caller from time to time…NO I AM NOT COMING IN. Mark me off whatever way you want I don’t care we will take it up at the hearing.
The human body can only do sooo much and at the witching hour just before sunrise even a rested mind will wander off.
I went into yard service just to get away from the insanity of the road and the unpredictable call times. Much more pleasant with a regular work schedule and home in your own bed every day.
mr mcfarlane, thank you for posting the rest rules, they are like most laws, a compromise, not all what the unions and lawmakers want, and not what the railroad lobbying groups wanted either, but railroads have deep pockets, deeper than any union. PTC and other devices are tools. yes they help, they are not the answer to fatigue issues, install all the cameras you want, the threat of piss ant company self serving hearings will not stop men from falling asleep. stress and fatigue with poor train lineups lead to impaired judgment, delayed action times, heart, sleep, blood pressure issues, i should know, i ran a red board, i could not explain it, at the time, a couple years of therapy and testing every part of my body, led to some very good people in their respective medical fields. the rules posted are a good start, but still a long way from perfect. thank god no one was killed in this wreck, let the investigators do their job. anybody who is in train service any amount of time and says they have never fallen asleep is a liar, now its time for the companies to admit their really is a problem. my first day in rules class, we were told the rule books are written in blood, never a truer statement
Precision Scheduled Railroading on display for all to see. Maybe they should let go more employees in their safety department?
Daniel Gless,
Sleep deprivation had no part in this accident, under current law there’s a minimum amount of undisturbed rest time mandated:
10-HOUR UNDISTURBED REST PERIOD – The minimum off-duty period of 10 consecutive hours that covered employees are generally required to receive without contact by a railroad or other covered employer. Under RSIA, this period increased for some covered employees from 8 to 10 hours.
276-HOUR MONTHLY CAP – The maximum number of hours in any calendar month that a train employee may spend on duty; waiting for deadhead transportation, or in deadhead transportation from a duty assignment to the place of final release; or in any other mandatory service for a carrier. 49 U.S.C. § 21103(a)(1). Deadheading means the physical relocation of a train employee from one point to another following a verbal or written directive from the railroad.
CREW SCHEDULE CHANGES – Change(s) made in covered employees’ work schedules as a result of RSIA hours of service requirements. For example, a covered employee’s work schedule could change from 11 consecutive days with crew starts and 4 days (96 hours) of rest to 6 consecutive days with crew starts and 2 days (48 hours) of rest.
CONTACT DURING REST PERIOD – Any communication by a railroad or other covered employer with a covered employee, by telephone, pager, or any other means that could reasonably be expected to disrupt the covered employee’s rest during a mandatory rest period.
MONTHLY CAP ON LIMBO OR DEADHEAD TIME- Number of hours per calendar month that a covered employee is permitted to be in a status that is neither on duty nor off duty. Under RSIA, except in certain situations, this time is currently capped at 30 hours per calendar month. Deadhead time is also currently subject to this 30-hour cap.
SAFETY RISK REDUCTION PROGRAM – A program developed and used by railroads to identify and mitigate risks to safety, including risks associated with covered employee fatigue. RSIA requires that all Class I railroads, selected “at risk” railroads, and intercity and commuter railroads develop a safety risk reduction program, including a fatigue risk management plan (FRMP), by October 2012. 49 U.S.C. § 20156.
CSX knows if one or both trains had PTC active -and it’s probably one of the first things senior mgt asked when informed of the wreck. This is basic information. Somebody needs to ask them.
CSX is such a mess. The only thing that is a kind of light at the end of the tunnel is that their volumes are falling fast and that may give them a respite from the chaos created by “precision railroading.” IMHO, that and “contemporary dining” are the two stupidest catch phrases in railroading today. Meaningless pap from PR departments that simply annoy customers who know the reality.
Looks like the northbound train had a single motor leading. I’ve seen CSX freights lately with a single motor leading and a single DPU either mid-train or on the rear.
I reckon we can all speculate as to the cause but; I think I’ll wait to see what – if anything – CSX makes public.
How long was the train that got hit? Was it another of EHH’s “super-freights” that was too long for the passing siding?
That’s right, kids. For all the things Gerald outlined, fatigue is now physically, mentally and metaphysically, impossible and, as such, cannot be a factor in anything.
A precisely scheduled meet?
@Gerald McFarlane
Did you take into account crew call times? Whether that employee is on the extra board? What periods they went on duty after last being on duty? Example 00:00hrs to 12:00hrs? Then getting called back to go on duty from 21:30-09:30… From my personal accounts talking with T&E crews they say otherwise.. That fatigue is still an issue. So fatigue can’t be ruled out..
CSX….a mess thanks to Harrison and his gang.
From the linked “Toledo Blade” article, furnished by poster Larry Wilson: [in part]:
https://www.toledoblade.com/local/transportation/2019/08/12/csx-trains-collide-near-Carey-derailing-cars-and-spilling-fuel/stories/20190812145
FTA “…The railroad declined to state if both trains were moving at the time of the collision or divulge any other details, but a report filed by the Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office stated that the northbound train had run past the waiting point and struck cars in the southbound train.
“CSX is currently investigating the incident and working closely with local first responders to assess the situation as we develop a recovery plan,” the railroad’s media office said.
The southbound train’s engineer told deputies he tried to alert the northbound train that it was fouling the single track by flashing his engine’s lights, blowing his horn, and calling on the train radio, according to the sheriff’s report. The northbound train’s engineer said he only remembered his engine rolling on its side after impact.
Sheriff’s deputies cleared the scene after CSX police arrived…”
Well that pretty much ‘splains it! As Ricky Ricardo would have noted. 🙁
Sometimes we just get tired to our bones what a mess we have to read about on these pages …..
Lucky the farmer cut down his corn right up to the edge of the debris field. Must of had a premonition. 🙂
Well ….Another one…
You guys are right, before Mr. Harrison there never were any derailments. As a matter of fact he added a chapter in his book explaining them cause nobody ever heard of them until he started ordering them…
It kinda looks like one train was entering the siding and that train was struck about 15 cars in. As best I can see is the switch is set for the train going into the siding.
As I’ve said before I’m not an expert just a worn out truck driver offering my personal opinion. As before the standard disclaimer applies.
Obvious from the Toledo Blade pic that the trash train ran the signal. I believe PTC is on the line but there are periods of PTC outages and teething problems.
A little more explanation can be found here…
https://www.toledoblade.com/local/transportation/2019/08/12/csx-trains-collide-near-Carey-derailing-cars-and-spilling-fuel/stories/20190812145
Rather incomplete article, but typical for a railroad spokesperson to give to the press as the average person knows very little about railroading. Was the territory CTC or ABS-TWC or dark? I would like to know more about the territory.
CSX needs to cut more jobs Hatchet Harrison lives on !!!
Any PTC on that line ? Or the same answer- were working on it.
Yup, no sleep deprivation problems….experts agree, everything is fine. (not that that is what happened mind you…wink)