NTSB issues preliminary report on NS hot

NS changed its hotbox and dragging equipment instructions the day after the wreck in Virginia

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WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board today released its preliminary report about a Norfolk Southern coal train that derailed in Virginia on July 6 after a wheel bearing failure.

The railroad’s response to hot bearing alerts has been under scrutiny since the disastrous Feb. 3 hazardous materials wreck in East Palestine, Ohio.

In this case, eastbound loaded coal train 814V404 derailed 19 cars on the railroad’s Whitethorne District at milepost 263.7 near Elliston, Va. [see “NTSB to investigate …,” Trains News Wire, July 7, 2023]. No one was injured in the 7:42 p.m. wreck.

At 5:29 p.m., a hot bearing detector at milepost 276.3 transmitted a critical alarm message for an axle on the 71st car of the 105-car train. A critical alarm is triggered by an axle temperature that’s over 170 degrees above the ambient temperature.

After the train stopped, the conductor told the Advanced Train Control desk in Atlanta that the axle was at least 169 degrees or higher and that there was grease coming from the back of one of the axle bearings — a telltale sign of a bearing failure.

The ATC desk in Atlanta instructed the crew to confer with the dispatcher, who gave the crew permission to move the train 13 miles to Riverside siding where the 71st car could be set out. The train derailed en route to the siding.

“On July 7, the day after the derailment, NS issued an operations bulletin providing clarification of the requirements for responding to hot bearing and dragging equipment alarms,” the NTSB said. “The bulletin states that upon receiving a critical hot bearing alarm, the crew must immediately stop the train for inspection. If the overheated condition is confirmed, the crew must inform the ATC desk and seek guidance on moving to the next available set out location. Any authorized movement must not exceed 10 mph, and the defective railcar must be reinspected at least every 3 miles until set out. The bulletin further states that a visual inspection of the indicated bearing and its associated components must be performed. If this inspection reveals exceptions (for example, leaking grease or visible damage), the ATC desk must be notified, and NS mechanical department personnel must perform an inspection before the railcar is moved.”

The 814V404 was moving at 25 mph at the time of the wreck.

While on scene, the NTSB investigators recovered burned-off bearing components, wheels, and axles from the 71st coal gondola.