RAILROAD ACCIDENT REPORT. DERAILMENT OF TOLEDO, PEORIA AND WESTERN RAILROAD COMPANY'S TRAIN NO. 20 WITH RESULTANT FIRE AND TANK CAR RUPTURES, CRESCENT CITY, ILLINOIS, JUNE 21, 1970
Train No. 20, an eastbound freight train of the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railroad Company, consisting of a four-unit diesel-electric locomotive and 109 cars derailed the 20th to the 34th cars, inclusive, at the west switch of the siding in Crescent City, Illinois, at about 6:30 a.m. on June 21, 1970. Included in the 15 derailed cars were nine tank cars loaded with liquefied petroleum gas. During the derailment one of the tank cars was punctured, and the leaking propane was immediately ignited, engulfing the other tank cars in the fire. A series of explosions of the remaining tank cars occurred, beginning about 1 hour following the derailment, resulting in the injury of 66 persons and the destruction of a number of buildings within the town of Crescent City. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the breaking of the L-4 journal of CB and O 182544, the 20th car, due to excessive overheating, which permitted the truck side to drop to the track and derail the leading wheels of the car. The cause of the overheating could not be determined. (Author)
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Supplemental Notes:
- Railroad Accident Report
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Corporate Authors:
National Transportation Safety Board
490 L'Enfant Plaza, SW
Washington, DC United States 20594 - Publication Date: 1972-3-2
Media Info
- Pagination: 47 p.
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Crash causes; Crash investigation; Crash reports; Derailments; Explosions; Fires; Hazardous materials; Liquefied petroleum gas; Railroad trains; Tank cars
- Uncontrolled Terms: Overheating
- Subject Areas: Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00037107
- Record Type: Publication
- Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
- Report/Paper Numbers: NTSB-RAR-72-2
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: Nov 10 1976 12:00AM