(The following story by Mike Wiser appeared on the Rockford Register-Star website on June 21, 2009.)
ROCKFORD, Ill. — The crew of the Canadian National Railway train was reporting high water along the tracks at the moment its cars started to derail.
That was one of the findings released Sunday by National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt during an afternoon news conference about Friday’s fiery derailment that left one person dead and several injured and sent emergency crews from around the region to the scene.
Sumwalt’s comments came after the first full day of investigation by federal transportation officials who are trying to determine what caused the dual-engine, 114-car freight train to derail Friday night.
“We’ve been busy and productive,” Sumwalt said at the news conference at the Residence Inn near Rockford’s far east side. It is expected to be the final briefing NTSB officials will conduct in town.
“But there’s still a long way to go,” Sumwalt continued. “We’re in the fact-gathering phase now.”
High water
So far, speculation about the cause of the derailment has centered on Friday’s heavy downpour and what effect it may have had on the train’s grip on the tracks.
But neither Sumwalt nor lead investigator Steve Klejst could say what caused 18 of the train’s 78 tanker cars to derail at mile post 80 at about 8:35 p.m. Friday. Sumwalt said it will likely take a year or more for any findings to be released.
Still, a good portion of Sumwalt’s presentation dealt with when and where reports of high water were that night. He said an earlier CN train reported high water between mile posts 16 and 57, which is east of the derailment site, around 3:30 p.m. when it passed through that area.
Klejst said federal regulations require train conductors to take “appropriate measures” when there are reports of high water, which can mean “slowing down and stopping, if necessary.”
The earlier train “did not report water where the accident occurred,” Sumwalt said. But there was a report being made from the train that derailed about high water between mile posts 84.5 and 81.
That report was being made just as the first tanker car went off the track “as I understand it,” Sumwalt said.
The train was accelerating at the time, going from a speed of about 19 miles an hour to 34 miles per hour when the cars derailed.
“But I wouldn’t read too much into that,” Sumwalt said. “When they said high water, we don’t know how high the water was.”
Gas line hit
Much of Sunday’s investigation involved site work, such as examining the train cars and about five miles of track leading up to the derailment site.
Sumwalt said investigators did not find any problems with the cars that stayed on the track and plan on examining the cars that derailed Monday.
A small rail bridge was also examined and was determined to be functioning normally. The physical investigation also revealed something that potentially could have been a big problem: A gas line that was buried near the tracks was hit.
“The protective casing was breached, but not the pipe,” Sumwalt said. “It shows that those protective casings do what they are designed to do.”
Sumwalt said the gas pipe, which ran perpendicular to the track, appeared to have been struck by part of the track after the ground softened because of the rain and the weight of the freight pushed it down into the earth.
Winding down
It wasn’t clear how long federal investigators will remain in town, but, Klejst said, Mulford Road near the accident will likely be shut down for another three or four days while investigators continue their work.
Initial interviews with the train crew have been completed, Sumwalt said, and more interviews are scheduled for later his week with dispatchers and others.
Investigators are also looking for eyewitnesses.
“We want to reach out to the people who might have witnessed something before, during or immediately after the derailment,” Sumwalt said.
If you witnessed the accident, please call the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department, 815-319-6300, to make a report.