EL PASO, Texas — A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board says a Union Pacific conductor was killed last month when riding on a car that struck a derail during a switching move near UP’s Alfalfa Yard in El Paso.
Train ISIEP-29, consisting of a locomotive and 61 cars, was making a reverse move at about 9:14 p.m. with the conductor riding on the lead car when it encountered a derailing device that had been placed on the track to protect maintenance-of-way employees installing a switch at the east end of the yard. The first two cars derailed, with the lead car landing on its side, sliding into a residential property, and severing a natural gas line, leading to a brief evacuation [see “Crew member dies in Union Pacific derailment …,” Trains News Wire, Aug. 30, 2022].
The investigation is ongoing, with further activity focusing on UP communication procedures relating to train movements from controlled to non-controlled track, as well as operating practices.
At 9:14pm it’s possible that the derail had been forgotten and left in place when the day shift went home, although track work is sometimes done at night.
Isn’t PTC supposed to prevent incursions into M/W projects?
Yard tracks are not protected by PTC. James is correct. Seems like that track should have been out of service with MOW working on it. There was a breakdown in communication somewhere. The switch accessing that track should have been lined preventing access to that track with a MOW lock on the switch.
You’re correct about the lock James. We always locked ourselves into the track we were working in, although there were times where we put down portable derails on any tracks accessible to the one(s) we were working in after communicating to the yardmaster what we were going to be doing and when. A good example would be when we were replacing a yard switch. This sounds like a breakdown in communication and unfortunately for the conductor, the protection worked as it was supposed to.
Indeed, a hand throw switch should have had a special MoW lock, differing from the switch locks normally used which trainmen/yardmen have keys to access. However, a power switch could have been the access to the yard lead with the portable derail and in that case some type of electronic lock should have been applied by the dispatcher (or control operator). Having no experience dispatching, I’m not sure of the precise procedures but I know dispatchers have the ability to apply locks on switches and control points in their territory.
Seems like the track should have been out of service if MoW had needed to install a portable derail on it to protect their equipment or any work they were in the process of doing.