via The Messenger Newspaper, Madisonville, Ky

NORTONVILLE — Austin Nance, 22, was struck and killed by a CSX train as he was jogging on the tracks just north of here Thursday morning, according to a report from the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies were dispatched to the tracks in the Little Valley area at 8:21 a.m., after Nance’s body was discovered by an unidentified local resident. It was unclear who summoned authorities, though personnel on the train saw the Nortonville man about to be hit, but were unable to stop. Hopkins County Coroner Dennis Mayfield arrived shortly thereafter and pronounced Nance dead.

Mayfield said Nance was killed on impact as a result of multiple blunt force trauma and that he believes the jogger was struck from behind.

“He was going southbound and so was the train,” said Mayfield.

Authorities have reason to believe Nance was jogging along the tracks based on a statement from the CSX train’s conductor who witnessed the accident. Nance’s family said the tracks were on his regular jogging route, according to Mayfield.

Due to the nature of the case, it was turned over to the Criminal Investigations section of the Sheriff’s Department, said Detective Scott Troutman.

Mayfield said Nance was taken to Reid-Walters Funeral Home in Earlington where funeral arrangements are incomplete.

Part 1 (Part 2 to follow in January edition)

Submitted by Chris Dees

With the movie “Unstoppable” being released in theaters this Friday, I thought I’d share the official investigation by CSX Transportation regarding the actual incident that the movie is based on.

Synopsis

On May 15, 2001, at approximately 12:35 p.m., DST, an unmanned CSX yard train consisting of one model SD-40-2 locomotive, 22 loaded, and 25 empty cars, 2898 gross trailing tons, departed Stanley Yard, which is located in Walbridge, Ohio. The uncontrolled movement proceeded south for a distance of 66 miles before CSX personnel were able to bring the movement under control. At the time of the incident, the weather was cloudy with light rain. The ambient temperature was 55 degrees Fahrenheit. There was no derailment of equipment or collision. There were no reportable injuries as a result of the incident.

Circumstances Prior to Incident

Yard crew Y11615, consisting of one engineer, one conductor and one brakeman, reported for duty at Stanley Yard, Walbridge, Ohio, at 6:30 am, DST, May 15, 2001. After the normal job briefing with the trainmaster, crew Y11615 performed routine switching assignments until approximately 11:30 am, at which time the crew received new instructions and a second job briefing. A few minutes before 12:30 p.m., the crew entered the north end of track K12, located in the classification yard, with the intent to pull 47 cars out of K12 and then place these cars on departure track D10. Locomotive CSX 8888 was positioned with the short hood headed north. The engineer was seated at the controls on the east side of the locomotive.

The locomotive coupled to the 47 cars on track K12, as instructed and planned. The air hoses between the locomotive and the cars were not connected, as is normal during this kind of switching operation. The air brakes on the cars were therefore inoperative. The brakeman notified the engineer by radio to pull north from K12. After the rear or 47th car passed the brakeman’s location, he walked west to position the switch for the reverse movement to proceed into the assigned track D10.

The movement continued north out of K12 passing the conductor, who was positioned on the ground at the “Camera” switch. The conductor advised the engineer by radio of the number of cars that had passed him and received an acknowledgement from the engineer by radio.

The Incident

With eight cars remaining to pass over the “Camera” switch, the conductor notified the engineer by radio to prepare to stop. The engineer did not respond to his communication. The conductor again notified the engineer when four cars remained to clear the switch, but again there was no response from the engineer. The conductor then ordered the engineer to stop movement, but again there was no response from the engineer and the movement continued.

In his interview, the engineer stated that as he pulled north out of K12, he was notified by radio by the conductor that the trailing point switch for track PB9 off the lead was reversed. The engineer understood that it would be necessary for the movement to be stopped short of the PB9 switch in order to line the switch for movement further along the lead. Neither the conductor nor the brakeman were near the PB9 switch, and the engineer intended to stop his train, dismount from the locomotive, and align the switch to its normal position, if necessary. The speed of the movement up the lead had now reached 11 mph. The engineer observed the reversed switch, but due to the wet rail conditions and the number of cars coupled to his locomotive, he foresaw that he could not bring the equipment to a stop prior to passing through the misaligned switch.

The engineer responded by applying the locomotive’s independent brake to full application. The independent brake applies the brakes on the locomotive but does not apply the brakes on the individual freight cars. In addition, he reduced brake pipe pressure with a 20 psi service application of the automatic brake valve. The automatic brake is pneumatic braking system designed to control the brakes on the entire train. Still certain he would not stop short of the switch the engineer attempted to place the locomotive in dynamic brake mode. The dynamic brake utilizes the locomotive propulsion system to brake the train. Dynamic braking is analogous to down shifting a truck or automobile. Unfortunately, the engineer inadvertently failed to complete the selection process to set up the dynamic brake. Under the mistaken belief that he had properly selected dynamic brake, the engineer moved the throttle into the number 8 position for maximum dynamic braking. The engineer believed that the dynamic brake had been selected and that additional braking would occur. However, since dynamic brake set up had not been established, the placing of the throttle into the number 8 position restored full locomotive power, instead of retarding forward movement of the train.

While the train was still moving at a speed of approximately 8 mph, the engineer dismounted the locomotive and ran ahead to reposition the switch before the train could run through and cause damage to the switch. The engineer was successful in operating the switch just seconds before the train reached it. The engineer than ran along side the locomotive and attempted to reboard. However, the speed of the train had not decreased as the engineer had expected but had increased to approximately 12 mph. Due to poor footing and wet grab handles on the locomotive, the engineer was unable to pull himself up on the locomotives ladder. He dragged along for approximately 80 feet until he released his grip on the hand rails and fell to the ground.

Unable to reboard and stop the movement of his train, the engineer ran to contact a railroad employee, not a member of his crew but in possession of a radio, located at the north end of the yard. This employee immediately notified the yardmaster of the runaway train. The yardmaster promptly notified the Stanley tower block operator and the trainmaster. The Toledo Branch train dispatcher located in Indianapolis was also notified. The movement was now proceeding southward on the Toledo Branch (Great Lakes Division) governed by Traffic Control System (TCS) Rules. The time was approximately 12:35 p.m.

The brakeman observed the train depart the yard but did not initially see the engineer on the ground. The brakeman and another employee used a personal vehicle to pursue the train to the next grade crossing to attempt to board the train. Their immediate concern was for the safety of the engineer, who they feared may have suffered a heart attack while at the controls of the locomotive. At the grade crossing, the two employees were unable to board the train as the speed had increased to approximately 18 mph as it passed the mile post 4. Local authorities and the Ohio State Police were notified of the runaway train at approximately 12:38 p.m.

Attempts to Stop the Runaway

At a siding called Galatea, near mile post 34, at approximately 1:35 p.m., the train dispatcher remotely operated the switch for the train to enter the siding. Previously a portable derail had been placed on the track in an attempt to derail the locomotive and thereby stop the movement. The portable derail was, however, dislodged and thrown from the track by the force of the train passing over it, and the movement of the train was not impeded.

Northbound train Q63615 was directed by the dispatcher into the siding at Dunkirk, Ohio. The crew was instructed to uncouple their single locomotive unit from their train and wait until the runaway passed their location. at approximately 2:05 p.m., the runaway train passed Dunkirk, and the siding was lined for the crew of Q63615 to enter the main track and to pursue the runaway train.

At Kenton, Ohio, near mile post 67, the crew of Q63615 successfully caught the runaway equipment and succeeded in coupling to the rear car, at a speed of 51 mph. The engineer gradually applied the dynamic brake of his locomotive, taking care not to break the train apart. By the time the train passed over Route 31 south of Kenton, the engineer had slowed the speed of the train to approximately 11 mph. Positioned at the crossing was CSX Trainmaster Jon Hosfeld, who was able to run along side the unmanned locomotive and climb aboard. The trainmaster immediately shut down the throttle, and the train quickly came to a stop. The time was 2:30 p.m. and the runaway train had covered 66 miles in just under 2 hours.

An examination of the controls confirmed that the locomotive independent brake had been fully applied, automatic brake valve was in the service zone, and the dynamic brake selector switch was not in the braking mode. All brake shoes had been completely worn to the brake beams. The railroad was prepared to place an additional fully manned locomotive ahead of the runaway south of Kenton, if necessary, to further slow the train. This rather hazardous option was fortunately not required.

(To be continued in January 2011)

I received the following email from Billy Byrd’s granddaughter a few weeks back:

Hello Mr. Thomas,my name is Billi Jean Rayner. My grandfather was Billy Byrd. I am sure you remember him. I am writing to ask about your website. Jim Pearson told me about it and gave me the email address. What I was wanting to know is if there are any pictures or articles about my grandfather on this site.If there are not,could you tell me where to find some? I really do not have much of a collection,I am trying to start one. I am very proud of my grandfather and feel so blessed to have been named after him and my grandmother. I hope to hear back from you when you can. Thanks in advance.

If you have any information about Billi Byrd you can send to his granddaughter, I invite and encourage you to do so.  Her email address is billirayner@hotmail.com.

Beginning January, 2011, we will discontinue the paper printing of our monthly newsletter, The PennyRail.  The publication will be available in Portable Document Format (pdf,  Adobe Reader) via email and  on the chapter’s website (as presently available there).  Adobe Reader is available as a free download to any computer.  The chapter is striving to be a good steward of our resources thus the decision made in the July meeting.

As editor of this work, I do not wish this to be a hardship on any of our members who do not have internet/email access.  If you do not have access to the internet or email, we will make arrangements for you to receive a paper copy in black and white print.  Just let us know.  All we ask is that members not take advantage of this offer and use the electronic medium if possible.  If you do not have a computer, many free public libraries offer computers with internet access as part of their services.

I will need all chapter members to update your email addresses with me so that you receive your email with the newsletter pdf file attached.  You may also want to check with your internet service provider (ISP) to make sure attachments are not filtered and you are set up to receive emails sent out in distribution lists.

I am glad to offer any suggestions, help, etc. if you need it, but remember, most internet/email issues are best handled directly with your ISP.

You can email me at bill@fbcmadisonville.com, call 270-825-4623 (home), call or text me at 270-339-9482 (cell), or look me up on Facebook.

For those of you who do not have a computer at home, let me encourage you to secure one if possible.  You may have a relative or friend with a gently used machine that could be used for internet browsing, email, and light word processing.  There are many rail-related sites with information, videos, discussion groups, and sale items right at your finger tips.

Remember the basic requirements for receiving the PennyRail via email: 1) Internet/email account access; 2)  An internet service provider (ISP) which allows for attachments to emails; 3) Adobe Reader for opening the pdf file when it arrives. Adobe Reader is available for free download at www.adobe.com.

We had a great meeting last month with some great slides by Dr. Fred Ripley and wonderful refreshments from Thomas and Jim Bryan. HMMM!

Last week my wife and I visited the Paducah Railroad Museum. They have done a lot of improvements to an already large and interesting collection of railroad historical items along with photos, displays, and hands-on displays. The IC, GM&O, NC&StL, Burlington, and BNSF are all represented nicely. There are several places for kids to see and learn, tools, lanterns, track maintenance vehicles, dispatching controls, locomotive boiler fronts and headlights, and a nice interactive video library of train videos and books.

There is a great HO train layout that is operated by members of a Paducah model railroad club, quite large and fully landscaped and even using command control. The Museum is open from 1-4pm on Fridays and Saturdays and also when a riverboat docks and also by appointment. They are at 200 Washington Street near the Carson Center and the IC steam locomotive. More info can be found at their website, www.paducahrr.org or call 270-519-7377, 270-559-5253, 270-442-4032. There is a nice gift shop, too. My wife liked it a lot.

There is still time to get your name on the ballot to serve as an officer for next year. All offices are open each year and we already have at least one nominee for each office.

I hope to see all of your smiling faces at the meeting on Monday, November 22d, at 7pm at The Center in beautiful downtown Madisonville.

Rich

CSX announced its timetable for transitioning from wideband (25 KHz) to narrowband (12.5 KHz) railroad radio operation, the American Short Line & Regional Railroad Association reported on September 21, 2010. It is the first Class I railroad to furnish this information for dissemination. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has mandated the end of wideband two-way radio transmission for non-military purposes in the U.S. after Jan. 1, 2013. [See Technology, October 2010 TRAINS] The CSX timetable presently calls for the changeover to be completed entirely in 2011.  Submitted by Chris Dees

Saturday November 6 –  Is this a great day for a train ride or what??  We are about a half dozen or so miles out of Antonito Colorado on our way up to Toltec Gorge and the top of Cumbres Pass.  #488 is really working hard and the “stack music” is being enjoyed by all, through mostly raised windows and open-air cars.  No one seemed to mind a few cinders.

It was about this far out of town when the hostess in our parlor car brought around fresh fruit servings for us. They do know how to pamper the tourists.

Soon the terrain will change from open sage to rocky aspen and evergreen covered mountains.  There is no let-up in the grade from town to the top, about 50 miles.   We’ll stop for water in Sublette, about 20 miles.  This was home for the section gangs, the men who maintained the right-of-way, ties, ballast and rails.   Our train met the downhill train at Osier, and we all enjoyed dinner choices.  I chose turkey, with all the dressings.       Gary O. Ostlund (submitted by Jim Futrell)

Muncie Newspaper says CAT to open facility in Indiana…

* Report says 650 jobs could be created

* Not clear whether facility will manufacture locomotives

* Caterpillar currently assembles those in Canada only

CHICAGO, Oct 29 (Reuters) – Caterpillar Inc (CAT.N), the U.S. heavy equipment maker that has been moving aggressively into the rail business, will announce plans on Friday to open a railcar facility in east central Indiana, the (Muncie) Star Press newspaper reported on Friday.

Citing unnamed sources, the paper said Caterpillar’s Progress Rail unit would take over a huge vacant factory in Muncie which has doors in the rear that allow trains to enter and exit.

The newspaper did not say whether the plant would be used to service locomotives and other railroad rolling stock or to manufacture new equipment. It said the facility would eventually employ 650 workers.

A spokesman for Peoria, Illinois-based Caterpillar, best known for its yellow construction and mining equipment, declined to comment on the report.

Until recently, Progress Rail was focused strictly on the business of repairing and remanufacturing existing rail equipment made by other manufacturers, including General Electric (GE.N).

But that changed this summer, when Caterpillar purchased Electro-Motive Diesel, a locomotive manufacturer spun out of General Motors, for $820 million in cash from the private equity firms Berkshire Partners LLC and Greenbriar Equity  LLC.

EMD’s headquarters, engineering facilities and parts-manufacturing operations are located in LaGrange, Illinois, just west of Chicago. But final assembly of the passenger, freight and road-switching locomotives EMD makes is performed at a plant in London, Ontario, Canada.

That has effectively stopped EMD from selling its locomotives to the many regional commuter rail lines in the United States, because they often require that the equipment they buy be assembled in the United States.  Over the past four years, Caterpillar, which is also a big maker of diesel engines and gas turbines, has spent about $2 billion in the rail sector.

It was an industry that was viewed as important but dull until last year, when Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) (BRKb.N) bought Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp for $26 billion.

It was Buffett’s biggest acquisition in the 44 years he has run Berkshire and one he characterized as “an all-in wager on the economic future of the United States.” (Reporting by James B. Kelleher, editing by Dave Zimmerman)

FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF RAILFANS ONLY

  • West Kentucky NRHS Chapter Meeting – October 25, Madisonville, L&N Depot.
  • Clayton/Watts Open House – Saturday, November 13, 7pm, 750 Wilson Drive, Madisonville, KY 42431.
  • Indiana RR Excursion – see page 7
  • Chapter Christmas Dinner – Monday, December 13, 2010, at The Center – details forthcoming.

Brian Banta, in cooperation with the Railfans of Indianapolis is hosting a diesel powered excursion on the Indiana Railroad.  Date is Sunday, November 14, 2010 (Subject to Change)

Route is the Indiana Railroad: Segment 1: Jasonville, Indiana to Fayette, Indiana (just across the Wabash River from North Terre Haute) and return.  Segment 2: Jasonville, Indiana to the new Bear Run Mine Loop (largest surface mine east of the Mississippi River) then to the Indiana RR mainline.  Segment 3: Bear Run Mine junction to Elnora, Indiana then back to Jasonville.

Seating is sold only to fill 70% capacity.  Departure 9:00 am from Jasonville.  Return by 5:00 pm.  Cost $65.  No one under age 16 allowed.  Checks only.  Must be prepaid before October 30, Full refunds up to October 29.  Checks deposited November 1. Price includes all the food & drinks you want.  Send check made out to BRIAN BANTA (not to the Banta Train) as follows:  Banta Train, PO. Box 56, Edinburgh, IN 46124.

Map to boarding site will be mailed a week before trip, in case boarding site changes.  No alcohol permitted, No smoking permitted. Sorry no coffee provided.  You may bring your special drinks (NO Alcohol) and food.  Restrooms on board.  – submitted by Chris Dees