RAILROAD ACCIDENT REPORT - REAR END COLLISION OF TWO CONRAIL FREIGHT TRAINS, STEMMERS RUN, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, JUNE 12, 1977

About 11:03 p.m., on June 12, 1977, ConRail freight train WA-4 collided with the rear of ConRail freight train WA-6. A fire began in the lead locomotive unit of train WA-4 and in the caboose of train WA-6. Damage was about $300.000. Two crewmembers on each train were injured. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was the failure of the engineer of train WA-4 to fulfill his responsibility to properly control the speed of the train, as required by the signal indications, to insure that it could be stopped before passing signal 880. Contributing to the severity of the accident was the manner in which the engineer of train WA-4 applied and released the brakes approaching the accident point and the failure of the engineer of train WA-6 to communicate with the tower and train WA-4 when train WA-6 stopped.

• Corporate Authors:

  National Transportation Safety Board

  Bureau of Accident Investigation, 800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20594
• Publication Date: 1978-1-26

Media Info

• Pagination: 24 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Brakes; Braking; Cabs (Vehicle compartments); Communication systems; Crash investigation; Crash reports; Crashes; Design; Fires; Freight cars; Freight transportation; Human factors; Human factors engineering; Locomotive engineers; Locomotive operation; Locomotives; Operating rules; Positive train control; Radio; Railroad trains; Railroads; Speed control; Traffic signal control systems; Train operations; Training
• Identifier Terms: Conrail
• Geographic Terms: Maryland
• Old TRIS Terms: Brake applications; Cargo transportation; Locomotive cab design; Locomotive engineer's tasks; Signal systems; Train radio
• Subject Areas: Design; Education and Training; Freight Transportation; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00175808
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: NTIS-RAR-78-1
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 28 1978 12:00AM