Train Crew Got Alert About Trouble Too Late to Stop

NTSB report says an overheated wheel bearing appears to have cause the wreck in Ohio
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 23, 2023 11:42 AM CST
Crew Was Trying to Stop Train Before Derailment
This photo taken with a drone shows portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train after the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.   (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

The crew of the freight train that derailed in Ohio and caused a chemical mess was trying to slow the train down just before it derailed, say federal investigators. They had received an alert about an overheated wheel bearing and applied the brakes, but it was too late to ward off the disaster, reports the Hill. The finding—which supports evidence that emerged last week—comes in a preliminary report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board. Trackside sensors show the wheel bearing had been heating up for several miles, though it didn't reach a threshold that required an emergency stop until just before the derailment, per the Washington Post.

As NBC News reports, the wheel bearing had heated to 253 degrees hotter than its surrounding temperature, and anything from 170 to 200 degrees necessitates a stop. By the time the 150-car Norfolk Southern train derailed, it was traveling 47mph, which is below the speed limit of 50mph, per the AP. The development comes on the same day that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was visiting the crash site. And his visit comes a day after former President Trump traveled to Ohio and criticized the Biden administration's response. The White House, however, shot back that Trump's deregulation of the train industry "laid the groundwork" for such accidents.

Meanwhile, a union that represents railroad workers accuses Norfolk Southern of prioritizing speed over safety and says automated sensors don't cut it. “Railroads are also relying increasingly on automated wayside detectors to replace—rather than complement—human inspections," says the Transportation Communications Union in a statement, per NBC. "The railroads have sought waiver after waiver to allow in-person inspections to be substituted for automated temperature detectors.” (More derailment stories.)

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