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National Steel Car 'Exonerated' in NS Springfield, Ohio, Derailment
April 19, 2023 | Freight Cars
National Steel Car ‘Exonerated’ in NS Derailment (Updated April 19 with NTSB Information)
Written by Stephen C. Host
National Steel Car-built coil steel cars for Norfolk Southern are equipped with hoods from Trenergy Inc. Finished cars without hoods are transported by CN to short line Trillium Railway (TRRY) in Welland, Ont. TRRY delivers them to Trenergy in St. Catharines, Ont. (pictured). Following hood installation, TRRY returns them to CN, which delivers them to NS in Chicago.
Train consist makeup, not defective wheelsets, apparently caused the March 4, 2023 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in Springfield, Ohio. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) on April 14 cancelled EI (Equipment Instruction) 0033, which had directed a complete wheelset changeout on new coil steel railcars manufactured by National Steel Car, Hamilton, Ont., for NS and other carriers. Despite this, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has removed National Steel Car as a party to its derailment investigation, citing procedural violations.
Following the incident, NS zeroed in on three coil steel cars involved in the multi-car accident, one of which was the first to derail. The AAR WABL (Wheels, Axles, Bearings & Lubrication) Committee on March 9 issued EI-0033 to have wheelsets from these cars removed and inspected, as it thought they may have been “loose,” improperly mounted. However, after the NTSB, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and other organizations reviewed all data, including 7,000 records from National Steel Car of all 2,700 wheelsets installed on these cars, it was determined that all had been properly mounted. As a result of what National Steel Car called “mounting evidence,” the NTSB, FRA and AAR confirmed April 10 that the WABL Committee had voted, in an emergency meeting, to cancel EI-0033.
National Steel Car said it “did not agree with the AAR EI, but nevertheless immediately began collecting all relevant data for review because of our concern for safe railroad operations.” The company provided copies of its wheel mounting data for all 2,700 wheelsets applied to the 675 cars marked NS 162390 to 162749 and NKLX 400000 to 400314. The data “confirmed, without exception, that all of the subject wheelsets complied with the AAR GII Wheel Mounting Requirements.”
National Steel Car, calling NS’s claims about defective wheelsets “misleading,” pointed to an FRA Safety advisory on train makeup that cited the March 4 derailment: “Through the use of laser scan data, the three wheels that moved on their axles were proven to be a direct result of an enormous impact being applied to the wheelsets during the Springfield derailment,” National Steel Car owner Gregory Aziz said. “Further, the FRA on April 7 released Safety Advisory 2023-02, which stated that the FRA had ‘significant concerns related to train makeup and to ensure that all railroads exercise due diligence and recognize the importance of taking proactive measures to address potential safety risks related to operating train builds with varying configurations, load and empty placement, distributed power arrangement, and other factors.’
{snip}
National Steel Car ‘Exonerated’ in NS Derailment (Updated April 19 with NTSB Information)
Written by Stephen C. Host
National Steel Car-built coil steel cars for Norfolk Southern are equipped with hoods from Trenergy Inc. Finished cars without hoods are transported by CN to short line Trillium Railway (TRRY) in Welland, Ont. TRRY delivers them to Trenergy in St. Catharines, Ont. (pictured). Following hood installation, TRRY returns them to CN, which delivers them to NS in Chicago.
Train consist makeup, not defective wheelsets, apparently caused the March 4, 2023 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in Springfield, Ohio. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) on April 14 cancelled EI (Equipment Instruction) 0033, which had directed a complete wheelset changeout on new coil steel railcars manufactured by National Steel Car, Hamilton, Ont., for NS and other carriers. Despite this, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has removed National Steel Car as a party to its derailment investigation, citing procedural violations.
Following the incident, NS zeroed in on three coil steel cars involved in the multi-car accident, one of which was the first to derail. The AAR WABL (Wheels, Axles, Bearings & Lubrication) Committee on March 9 issued EI-0033 to have wheelsets from these cars removed and inspected, as it thought they may have been “loose,” improperly mounted. However, after the NTSB, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and other organizations reviewed all data, including 7,000 records from National Steel Car of all 2,700 wheelsets installed on these cars, it was determined that all had been properly mounted. As a result of what National Steel Car called “mounting evidence,” the NTSB, FRA and AAR confirmed April 10 that the WABL Committee had voted, in an emergency meeting, to cancel EI-0033.
National Steel Car said it “did not agree with the AAR EI, but nevertheless immediately began collecting all relevant data for review because of our concern for safe railroad operations.” The company provided copies of its wheel mounting data for all 2,700 wheelsets applied to the 675 cars marked NS 162390 to 162749 and NKLX 400000 to 400314. The data “confirmed, without exception, that all of the subject wheelsets complied with the AAR GII Wheel Mounting Requirements.”
National Steel Car, calling NS’s claims about defective wheelsets “misleading,” pointed to an FRA Safety advisory on train makeup that cited the March 4 derailment: “Through the use of laser scan data, the three wheels that moved on their axles were proven to be a direct result of an enormous impact being applied to the wheelsets during the Springfield derailment,” National Steel Car owner Gregory Aziz said. “Further, the FRA on April 7 released Safety Advisory 2023-02, which stated that the FRA had ‘significant concerns related to train makeup and to ensure that all railroads exercise due diligence and recognize the importance of taking proactive measures to address potential safety risks related to operating train builds with varying configurations, load and empty placement, distributed power arrangement, and other factors.’
{snip}
US Department of Transportation
Safety Advisory 2023-02; Train Makeup and Operational Safety Concerns
Action:
Notice of Safety Advisory.
Summary:
FRA is issuing Safety Advisory 2023-02 to emphasize significant concerns related to train makeup and to ensure that all railroads exercise due diligence and recognize the importance of taking proactive measures to address potential safety risks related to operating train builds with varying configurations, load and empty placement, distributed power arrangements, and other factors. FRA has noticed a rising trend in recent incidents where train build and makeup have been identified as a potential cause or contributing factor. In response, FRA incorporates train simulations into its investigative process when it is suspected that high in-train forces may have contributed to train accidents. To address these concerns, FRA is providing recommendations for freight railroads to improve the safety of their train build processes and practices.
View PDF
Authority:
Details
Published Date:
04/11/2023
Effective Date:
N/A
Comment By:
N/A
Federal Register:
2023-07579
RIN:
N/A
Docket Number:
FRA-2009-0031
Safety Advisory 2023-02; Train Makeup and Operational Safety Concerns
Action:
Notice of Safety Advisory.
Summary:
FRA is issuing Safety Advisory 2023-02 to emphasize significant concerns related to train makeup and to ensure that all railroads exercise due diligence and recognize the importance of taking proactive measures to address potential safety risks related to operating train builds with varying configurations, load and empty placement, distributed power arrangements, and other factors. FRA has noticed a rising trend in recent incidents where train build and makeup have been identified as a potential cause or contributing factor. In response, FRA incorporates train simulations into its investigative process when it is suspected that high in-train forces may have contributed to train accidents. To address these concerns, FRA is providing recommendations for freight railroads to improve the safety of their train build processes and practices.
View PDF
Authority:
Details
Published Date:
04/11/2023
Effective Date:
N/A
Comment By:
N/A
Federal Register:
2023-07579
RIN:
N/A
Docket Number:
FRA-2009-0031