WASHINGTON — The probable cause of a yard collision that fatally injured a Norfolk Southern engineer in January 2024 was a conductor’s failure to ensure that hand brakes were set on a cut of cars, which allowed them to roll away and strike the engineer’s locomotive, the National Transportation Safety Board says.
The incident occurred in the NS yard in Decatur, Ala., on Jan. 31.
“The locomotive was occupying the lead track at the west end of the yard and shoving railcars onto track 10 when 35 railcars rolled west on track 7 from the east end of the yard where crew 2 was working,” the NTSB’s final report says. “The 35 railcars fouled the lead track and impacted the rear of crew 1’s locomotive, raking along the side of the locomotive, and ultimately striking the operating cab where the engineer was located. The engineer was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.”
NS rules for Decatur Yard require a member of each yard job to verify that equipment on every track is secured with hand brakes set on a minimum of three cars before beginning switching operations.
“Crew 2 had kicked two railcars to track 9 and were returning west on track 7 when the conductor noticed the 35 railcars previously left on track 7 were rolling west toward the lead track. The NTSB reviewed the radio recording and confirmed that the conductor had alerted the engineer of crew 2,” the NTSB said. “About the same time, the crew 1 brakeman also noticed the railcars moving and alerted the engineer of crew 1, warning him to clear track 7 as quickly as possible. The engineer of crew 1 responded that he was trying to clear the track, seconds before the collision.”
In a re-enactment of the events that led to the collision, the NTSB found that when hand brakes were set as required the cut of cars rolled at a slow speed and stopped within 50 feet. In another re-enactment without hand brakes set, the 35 cars moved “in a manner similar to what occurred in the accident,” the NTSB said.
The investigators concluded, based on these tests, that hand brakes had not been applied before the accident.
In the days following the accident, NS and the Federal Railroad Administration issued bulletins reminding employees of the importance of securing equipment in line with operating rules.
The wreck claimed the life of Christopher Wilson, 55, of Muscle Shoals, Ala., who had been a Norfolk Southern engineer for 28 years.
The Rules are written in blood.