CSXT Head-on Cattlettsburg, KY

Anyone heard about the head-on at Catlettsburg, KY on 10/24/06? One train was a coal train that had come off the Big Sandy Subdivision, ran around it's train and was headed east on the Kanawha Subdivision, setting still or moving unknown. The other train was a set of light power headed westbound towards Ashland/Russell. A Conductor on one of the crews jumped and injured himself by doing so. The head-on was at a slow speed apparently as well. Two wide bodies sustained damage and a fuel tank was ruptured and leaked about 100 gallons of fuel. Anyone else know anything?

Dave

I went on Google and typed in Catlettsburg News----it shows two locomotives with damage. CW44AC #500 (Spirit of Grafton) and SD70AC #4798

CSX Eng I went onto wsaz.com a local news channel and that was the locomotives I saw as well. Now the question IS...was there a Dispatcher error, a signal malfunction, or did the crew pass a Stop Signal.

Additional questions ?, courtesy of the UTU.

www.utu.org/worksite/detail_news.cfm?articleid=31317

And they honestly think they can run these trains with one guy?? Five people involved in this action and it still happened.

Oh, thats not that bad, not something a little welding and steel can't fix. It looks likt It could have ben worse.

Engineer James wrote:Oh, thats not that bad, not something a little welding and steel can't fix. It looks likt It could have ben worse.

Yeah, like maybe someone could have gotten killed........

That was just a little Love tap-----I have hit trees on the track that has done more damage than that!

CSX ENG> Yeah, I have seen and heard of worse collisions. Like my Granddad was in Livernois Yard, with a CR train and was hit head on at almost 50 mph, by another train, he and his crew barely escaped.....

All right-I heard this while in Corbin, Kentucky today-----One train had permission from the dispatcher to slack away and run around his train to put his power on the other end. Another crew was given permission past a red signal. It is in a area that has alot of fog. Somehow they both did not know each other was there. It seems like everyone was at fault-dispatcher and all crew members.

If both crews were adhering to Restricted Speed it may have been avoided, dam Restricted Speed gets people in trouble again. However, fog would have been a factor too if there was any in the area. Just by hearing that the dispatcher gave both moves to occupy the same track we can assume he/she was found mostly at fault.

Btw, what the heck is "Slack away"? lol

Yeah sounds like dispatch to me, but also as CSX Cond. also stated the Restricted Speed should be followed.

CSX Conductor wrote:If both crews were adhering to Restricted Speed it may have been avoided, dam Restricted Speed gets people in trouble again. However, fog would have been a factor too if there was any in the area. Just by hearing that the dispatcher gave both moves to occupy the same track we can assume he/she was found mostly at fault.

Btw, what the heck is "Slack away"? lol

Fog or not adherring to the actual definition of retricted speed should of avoided this situation. How do you miss seeing a CW44AC or a SD70MAC which should of had headlights/ditch lights on bright on the head and dim on the rear. It sounds to me after I read about this incident last week that excessive speed had to be involved the definition states not EXCEEDING 15 mph it takes common sense to know what is actually a safe speed which might only be 7-8 mph or less in dense fog if visability is deminished. We had a crew run over a stickman during a banner test running restricted proceed signals the download showed they were doing 18 mph their excuse they thought they were just following a train. A few years ago in W.Virginia a light set of engines plowed in to the rear of a train while running restricted proceeds the speed was 40 mph on impact. I can't comprehend anyone screwing up on light engines, much less a train but it appears to happen.

What is considered a "light" set of engines? COEN, but you are right, just think if that would have happened way back when with steamers, man their would hav been one heck of a mess...

Engineer James wrote:What is considered a "light" set of engines? COEN, but you are right, just think if that would have happened way back when with steamers, man their would hav been one heck of a mess...

Light engines are locomotives with no cars attached. I'm sure it has happened in all era's of railroading including steam. Human error is the factor. In this case it appears to be a combination of the train dispatcher and train crews. A lot of people take for granted their surroundings the 15 mph is exceptable in perfect conditions visibility is good knowing you can see a distance and you are able to stop one half the range of vision from any obstructions ect...just because a train dispatcher gives you permission does not relieve you of using common sense. Running 15 mph around a blind curve or in dense fog is unacceptable. Your only on light locomotives your ability to slow down, stop, and regain speed is just a matter of seconds it's not like running a loaded 20,000 ton coal train where you have tonnage shoving you. Common sense is the rule. So, in this case it most likely will come down to everyone involved being cited as the factor. Were the crews calling signals on the radio? Were the headlights on bright? What was the weather conditions? Was one set of engines stopped or were both moving? That information is unknown for anyone to make an accurite assesment of the events in this forum.