WASHINGTON — A Coastal Carolina Railway conductor was seriously injured when struck while walking next to railcars during a gravity-drop move, the National Transportation Safety Board says in its preliminary report on a Nov. 19, 2024, incident in Rocky Mount, N.C.
The incident occurred about 2:55 p.m. during switching moves on the Nash County Subdivision. Two cars had been released for the gravity drop, and the conductor was walking beside them when he was struck by the second car. The train’s engineer could not see from the locomotive that the conductor had been hurt; the conductor was able to radio the engineer to call 911. Emergency medical services transported the crewman to a local hospital.
The ongoing NTSB investigation will focus on safety oversight, employee training, and procedures for gravity-switching movements.
I’m curious. Gravity drop?
Another name: Drop a car, accelerate loco, Pull the pin, accelerate the loco onto the siding, then switch the momemtum driven “dropped” car onto the main. Isn’t that called “dropping a car”? Practice probably is against the rules nowdays to prevent this very accident.
OTHERWISE: were cars to be “dropped”, had brakes applied, uncoupled, engine takes the siding. ALL RR equipment at full stop. Then the “to be dropped cars” have brakes released, GRAVITY then accelerates the “kicked” car. No one riding for braking when coupled w/standing cars? No fatal = no NTSB report? Sure would be interesting to know EXACTLY how this move was made. endmrw1220241055