(The following story by Matthew Ramsey appeared on The Province website on April 25.)
VANCOUVER — The search for a missing CP Rail engineer ended late yesterday afternoon with the discovery of his body underneath a derailed locomotive in Trail.
CP spokesman Mark Seland said it appears the engineer stayed with his train until the end. Two other crew members bailed out before the train derailed Monday near the Teck Cominco lead-zinc smelter.
Two locomotives and eight cars left the tracks, spilling ammonium sulphate fertilizer.
A review of data in the train’s equivalent of a black box will show what the engineer tried to do before his death, Seland said. The long-time CP Rail employee showed tremendous bravery to stay with the apparently out-of-control train as it barrelled into Trail from Warfield, Seland said.
It’s not clear if the engineer died as he tried to jump or if he was killed while still inside the locomotive. A coroner will conduct an examination to determine the exact cause of death.
Early indications are the derailment may have been caused by faulty brakes.
Witnesses reported hearing a roaring sound and one blast of the train’s whistle before the massive crash.
Mark Duckworth said dense black smoke was pouring from the train as it crossed the trestle above his autobody shop, the last building along the track before the derailment.
“I have never seen a train going that fast [by the shop]. It just came screeching across the trestle. You could hardly see the trestle or the train because of all the smoke,” he said.
The Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.