During October, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) published a proposed rule that will require railroad to provide an escape breating apparatus (EEBA) to members of train crews when transporting a hazardous material posing an inhallation hazard.  The FRA proposal was in response to the deaths of tow train crew member resulting from exposure to chlorine gas.
The two fatalities occurred during separate derailments releasing chlorine gas. The first occurred in Macdona, Texas in 2004 and the other in Graniteville, South Carolina in 2005. In addition to the two crew fatalities, there were more than seven chlorine related deaths involving individuals living near site of the derailments.

A review of train derailments during the last fifty years showed that crew injuries and fatalities are somewhat rare. Between 1965 and 2006 more than two million tank cars of chlorine gas were transported across the country, with only 788 accidents reported.  This represents an incident rate of only 0.00036 when all tank car chlorine shipments are considered.  There only eleven incidents reporting the loss of all or nearly all of a 90-ton rail car of chlorine.   Only four incidents resulted in fatalities due to the inhalation of chlorine gas.
The proposed rules called for train crews carrying loads of chlorine gas and other materials representing a toxic inhalation hazard (TIH) to be provided with EEBA’s.  The new rules also require that training in the proper use of the EEBA be provided and that the units be checked prior to each trip. A person wearing an EEBA has been described as “looking something like an Alien.”
An EEBA consists of a transparent hood connected to a five or ten minute supply of oxygen.  The purpose of the EEBA is to allow an individual time enough to escape a toxin environment. Railroad operators are already required to provide EEBA’s for train crews traveling routes having tunnels.  In the event that the train stalls inside a tunnel the EEBA would provide protection from the rapid buildup of carbon monoxide and other poisonous inhalation materials.
The FRA asked the rail industry, unions, professional groups and individuals to provide comments and recommendations on the proposed rule changes before final publication.  Following are just a few of the comments received. The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (“ASLRRA”) said that “the EEBAs will not significantly improve safety. The statistics FRA presents speak for themselves: one fatality in 3.67 billion ton miles, the equivalent of one fatality in 5.7 million shipments.” The ASLRRA went on to say; “While the cost of each individual EEBA may be modest, ongoing costs for inspection, maintenance, replacement and enforcement penalties for the inevitable shortcomings associated with them will result in a permanent new ongoing new expenditure stream for small railroads with no gain in safety…” The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) agreed with the ASLRRA; “the proposed pre‐trip inspection and related documentation is unnecessary and overly burdensome.”
One individual provide the FRA with the following advice on the proposed rule; “Considering the low fatality rate documented for HAZMAT releases, I suggest the ARA and FRA best put their resources in continuing to minimize the number and consequence of rail accidents involving hazardous materials. Since more members of the public were killed than rail employees in the accidents noted, I draw little comfort from this proposed rule.  I do not believe this proposed rule is in the best interests of the train crews it purports to help.”
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen Labor Union provided the following comments; “We fully support the FRA’s decision. Train employees are constantly exposed to this danger and we believe it is appropriate for FRA to prescribe regulations that protect these exposed employees from inhalation hazards.”
The FRA will be reviewing all the comments and recommendations received during the next few months.  It is expected that final rules will require EEBAs be provided to train crews carry toxin gases such as chlorine.  If you live near a rail road you might want to consider buying your own respirator.

They were taken about two days after a railroad accident at Brandtsville, a railroad station between Carlisle and Dillsburg PA.  At the time this was a busy track and the railroad quickly cleaned up enough to restore the track and get traffic moving again on one track.  This accounts for both the smoke coming from some of the wreckage, the crane and the piles of trucks in the one picture.  

Map from Google Earth

Looking at the map Carlisle is to the left and up, Dillsburg to the right and down.   The map is from Google Earth with a path drawn on it to show the area of the wreck.  This was the second wreck in this area in less than 10 years and there was another bad one some years later.  The road along the railroad track is called York Road.  It begins in York as Carlisle Road and passed through Rossville, Dover, Dillsburg and Brandtsville,  on it’s way to Carlisle.  In Rossville the name changes.   The building between the tracks and the York Road near the center of the picture is the old Brandtsville Railroad station.  These were not unusual in farm country.  Trains stopped for passengers, and to load and unload freight.  Brandtsville had a siding that cars could be pushed off on to allow the train to continue while they were unloaded and loaded.  That siding is still there, the switch still in the line to allow shunting off cars but a derailer sits on the siding to derail anything that would go on that track.  You would think that railroads would want to keep cars on the track not derail them.  But at one time the siding had a bumper, a device to stop a car if it got to the end.  That has rusted away and without it cars would just go off the end and out on the road if accidentally shunted there.  The bumper was replaced by the derailer.  Imagine coming across the bridge on York Road from Carlisle and have a railroad car come off the end of the siding in front of you.  It could ruin your whole day!

I found a picture of a bonafide Derailer. Note the red piece will both divert the wheel and raise the flange on the wheel to effect a derailment.  It is locked to prevent it being deactivated.  This is on the siding that remains at the Brandtsville site.  It will be needed for parking supply and recovery cars including cranes if there is another derailmant in this area.  They are thinking ahead.

DSC_0082-6.jpg

Picture by Author

DSC_0084.jpg

Picture by Author

This shows the line leading up to the accident area.  In fact many of the derailed cars were between the curve and the place I stood to take the picture.  There were two sets of tracks at the time of the accident. One has been removed.  The dual tracks shown in the foreground is a switch that allows diverting to the siding that has the derailer above.  It is to the right of this picture.  Note the little green sign which tells the switch is in the open position for through traffic. Also if you look carefully you will note that the through line is polished steel, the siding rails are rusty from lack of use.

DSC_0081-5.jpg

Picture by Author

This shows the accident scene. The building was once a bustling train station.  The trees in the background were not there at the time of the accident.

DSC_0080-4.jpg

Picture by author

This home was there at the time of the accident and remains today.  It is one of two that were in the area at the time.  These houses narrowly escaped the fire – partly because the fire companies hosed them to prevent them catching fire in the heat.  The occupants were evacuated before the chlorine tanker ruptured and spread the deadly gas.  It bleached and killed corn in the adjacent field.

DSC_0085-9.jpg

Picture by author

The above is a picture of the main line (note the polished rail) with spikes not driven home or more likely working out.  This weakens the track structure. A few like this isn’t a problem as there is a safety margin.  Many of us thought the reason for the repeated accidents was something like this. Note that the rail is welded to the left of the picture, something that makes a smoother ride and if done properly is stronger however sufficient expansion joint space is needed to handle temperature change..

DSC_0086-10.jpg

Picture by author

This is on the siding and is far less important but it sets a tone.  The fish plate (the term for the piece under the rail that the spikes go through) has no spikes in it.  The wire on the rail is to make electrical continuity through the rail, something the railroad uses for many things including warning of approaching trains.  Aa an example, a recent fatal accident in the Washington DC subway system was caused by a voltage being set too high – the train did not short it to low enough to signal it was coming.  The plate with the bolts allows for expansion as mentioned above. 

The force of the accident can be seen in the following pictures.  

Picture by Author

You can see the torn up track under the cars, the newly constructed track with the new ballast and the damaged cars pushed back far enough to clear trains.

Picture by Author

Here is one of the things EMS units fear, the tank car. One of the tanks involved was loaded with Chlorine which escaped.  A second was loaded with Propane which escaped and exploded.   The crane in the background is working to clear the accident.

Picture by Author

This shows the bottom of one of the tanks.  Note that the trucks (the wheels and the holders for them) are missing and framework is bent.  The the tank was then on its own and it was breached.

Picture by Author

Here you see another tank and the crane.  Note the cars along the road.  These are mid 50’s ford and Chevrolet. I believe the one on the left edge is a Buick, possibly 53 or 54.  This is York Road.  The chimney of the railroad station can be seen just above the Buick.

Picture by Author

Some of the cars were pushed into the creek by the accident.  This one still smolders

Picture by Author

This is another view of the two cars in the previous picture.  Look under the car to the left you will see bent railroad rails.  These are solid steel.

Picture by Author

The trucks of the damaged cars were stacked to later be hauled away.  For now the main thrust was to get the traffic flowing.  To do that the crane had to clear the area to replace the track and a switch and siding had to be fixed to get the crane out of the main line so it could be used for through traffic.

Picture by Author

Note the wheels of the box car under it, the axle is broken.  These axles are 4-6 inch diameter steel.

Although there were three accidents on this small stretch the reason for all three accidents was faulty rolling stock, i.e. one of the trucks or axles on one of the cars failed, not the track.  Put another way, these accidents could have happened somewhere else.  That somewhere else could have been in a town or populated area not out where there were only two homes close by at the time.  

Emergency and Disaster services see a rail line as a disaster waiting to happen.

Other articles and pictures by Ralph Brandt

Episcopal Church: York Springs, PA

Once a Church in York Springs, PA

Dr. Flickinger Home and Office: York Springs, PA

Smiling Female Biker at Gettysburg Bike Race

Home and Office in York Springs Pa

President Obama, a Victim of The Right

Obama – Misuse of Presidential Power