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RAILROAD ACCIDENT REPORT: CHICAGO, BURLINGTON AND QUINCY RAILROAD COMPANY TRAIN 64 AND TRAIN 824 DERAILMENT AND COLLISION WITH TANK CAR EXPLOSION CRETE, NEBRASKA, FEBRUARY 18, 1969

At about 6:30 a.m., on February 18, 1969, Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Train No. 64 derailed the 72nd to the 90th cars, inclusive, at a turnout located on the spiral of a 2 degree curve as the train was entering Crete, Nebraska, at a speed of about 52 miles per hour. The derailed cars struck standing cars on a siding south of the main track and the cars of train 824 standing on a track north of the main track. A tank car in train 824 was completely fractured on impact with the derailed cars which released the lading of 29,200 gallons of anhydrous ammonia into the atmosphere. A gas cloud was formed which blanketed the surrounding area for a considerable time due to the weather conditions. Three trespassers riding on train 64 were killed as a result of the derailment and six people were killed and 53 were injured as a result of exposure to the cloud of ammonia. The Safety Board determined that the derailment was caused by the movement of a rail of the turnout due to lateral forces produced by the locomotive as it moved over track alignment and surface deficiencies of the track. The complete fracture of the tank car on impact was contributed to by the brittleness of the steel of the car caused by the low ambient temperature.

Media Info

  • Features: Figures; Tables;
  • Pagination: 79 p.

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00071747
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: National Transportation Safety Board
  • Report/Paper Numbers: NTIS-RAR-71-2
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Nov 20 1976 12:00AM