Executive Summary
About 7:36 a.m., Pacific daylight time, on May 12, 1989, Southern Pacific Transportation Company freight train 1-MJLBP-111, which consisted of a four-unit locomotive on the head end of the train, 69 hopper cars loaded with trona, and a two-unit helper locomotive on the rear of the train, derailed at milepost 486.8, in San Bernardino, California. The entire train was destroyed as a result of the derailment. Seven homes located in the adjacent neighborhood were totally destroyed and four others were extensively damaged. Of the five crewmembers onboard the train, two on the head end of the train were killed, one received serious injuries, and the two on the rear end of the train received minor injuries. Of eight residents in their homes at the time of the accident, two were killed and one received serious injuries as a result of being trapped under debris for 15 hours. Local officials evacuated homes in the surrounding area because of a concern that a 14-inch pipeline owned by the Calnev Pipe Line Company, which was transporting gasoline and was located under the wreckage, may have been damaged during the accident sequence or was susceptible to being damaged during wreckage clearing operations. Residents were allowed to return to their homes within 24 hours of the derailment.
About 8:05 a.m., on May 25, 1989, 13 days after the train derailment, the 14-inch pipeline ruptured at the site of the derailment, released its product, and ignited. As a result of the release and ignition of gasoline, 2 residents were killed, 3 received serious injuries, and 16 reported minor injuries. Eleven homes in the adjacent neighborhood were destroyed, 3 received moderate fire and smoke damage, and 3 received smoke damage only. In addition, 21 motor vehicles were destroyed. Residents within a four-block radius were evacuated by local officials.
Total damages as a result of the train derailment and pipeline rupture exceeded $14 million.
The major safety issues include:
Railroad
- the means by which the shipping weights were determined for the shipment of the trona laden hopper cars;
- the dispatching of locomotives without operable dynamic brakes on mountain gradients;
- the information received by the road engineer regarding the weight of the train and the number of operable dynamic brakes;
- the communication between the road and helper engineers regarding the operation of the train, and communication with the dispatcher;
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