AVRail 288 Accident

The 1985 AVRail 288 train derailment was an incident involving a single 20-car inter-county train loaded with 503 people during the lunchtime rush hour of June 3rd, 1985, in the Crespin Grove Railway Station due to a lubrication and brake malfunction. The train derailed as it crossed the switches before the station, wrecking when the derailed car collided with the platform and ceiling supports for the open-air portion of the station. The forward cars of the train derailed inside, causing a diesel fuel fire that consumed most of said forward railcars. 339 people were killed on the train and on the platform through the actual wreck and the following fire. The incident was the first involving the Dakerstown rail system that resulted in more than 50 fatalities and remains as the deadliest incident that occurred in the system.

Background

The Quicksilver was a popular cross-country train in the 1940s, but strong competition with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad[1] forced the train to become the premier inter-county train of Dakerstown in the mid to late 20th Century. The train's popularity waned in the sixties as motor vehicles became more affordable and the city bus system was implemented. It was halted altogether in early 1986 after it crashed in 1985. It usually consisted of A and B units of an EMD F7[2] locomotive, 2 luggage cars, 1 sleeper car, 1 observation car, 2 dining cars, and 4 passenger cars, one with a glass ceiling for observation. The train was aluminum silver and sported a navy blue lightning bolt that started on the nose of the A unit and ended on the rear observation car.

The train was well known for its exemplary service, and at one time was the pride of Dakerstown. The train had flawless operation and safety records up until the accident, successfully carrying thousands of passengers a year without any significant injuries. The Quicksilver is also distinguished as the first cross-county passenger train service that had taken steps to ensure that people with disabilities could ride the train; a select few of her cars had wheelchair accommodations for boarding and disembarking, and wheelchair-compatible restroom facilities.

The train held a perfect maintenance and safety record, with no serious injuries or accidents ever having been recorded. The train began operation in 1923, with a Challenger locomotive and pullman passenger cars. In the 50's the service was updated with the diesels and more modern passenger cars. By 1984, the diesels and cars were deemed out of date and were slated for replacement in December 1985, the train's slowest month.

On the morning of June 3rd, 1985, while the Quicksilver was preparing for the daily trips through the city, she received her standard inspection from the rail crew of AVRail. Several of the workmen made note of a cracked lubrication reservoir on the 5th car of the train. The notes made by the workmen indicated that the crack was perceived to be superficial at the most, and that they believed the reservoir would withstand normal use until the train cars were replaced. After a check of the braking system, the Quicksilver departed the roundhouse. For the rest of the morning, the train operated smoothly.

Accident

The axels on railcars require continuous lubrication to keep the axels from overheating and melting. This is the purpose of the lubrication reservoirs, which supply lubrication continuously to the axels of the railcars. During the standard operation of the train that morning, the crack in the rearmost reservoir of the 5th railcar widened considerably. The cause for this was never found, but many theories exist, including several inventive conspiracy theories involving drug smuggling and a gang war. The crack widened and caused the remaining lubricant to drain, leaving only the lubrication that was on the axels at the time. The axels began to overheat on a particularly long section of track before Crespin Grove. Survivor accounts say that an 'odd smell' filled the fifth and sixth railcars, and some witnesses on the jogging track beside the rails reported seeing smoke pouring from the rear truck of the fifth car. The heat from the axels made the air brake[3] hose supple, causing the hose section in that truck to kink and prevent most of the brakes on the train from functioning correctly.

When the train neared the switches for Crespin Grove, the engineer informed the dispatcher that the brakes didn't appear to be functioning correctly. As the train rounded the corner for the station, the extra pressure on the axels caused the axels to lengthen and bend, derailing the rear end of the fifth car. The conductor of the train managed to inform the engineer seconds before the accident, but by that time it was too late.

The rear of the fifth car hung over the edge of the track so far that it caused the sixth car to derail as well. The rear right corner of the fifth car impacted the edge of the platform, and then caused it to swing to the left and knock out the center supports for the roof that had been placed between the platforms. This caused the roof of the station to hang precariously on the edge supports. The sixth car rode up on the platform and struck no less than 15 people, seriously injuring 3 and killing the other 12. The cars behind the sixth and in front of the fifth derailed as well, causing the cars to accordion in the station. During the crash the fuel tanks of the locomotive's B unit were punctured, releasing large amounts of fuel and flammable gasses into the station. The investigators later surmised that a broken electrical line between cars ignited the gasses, causing a large gas explosion in the station, injuring an additional 10 on the platform. The fuel ignited, and burned from car to car.

Many inside burned to death since many of the windows were blocked by other cars, and the door frames of several coaches had bent in a way that prevented the doors from opening. The cars outside of the station got evacuated timely, preventing further deaths. The fire was out in another three hours, after several failed attempts by the fire department and the collapse of the free-hanging section of ceiling. Fire fighting foam[4] was needed to extinguish the blaze. 327 on board and 12 in the station were killed; 83 were injured.

Aftermath

The investigators placed blame on the rail crew that inspected the cracked reservoir and permitted the car to be used. Another car was on standby that could have been cut into the train in that car's stead, but they refrained because of the paperwork and time involved. The investigators agreed that station designs needed to be modified in such a way that firemen could easily get to a fire on the platforms, and that load bearing supports shouldn't be within 12 meters of the rails. Because of this accident The Crespin Grove Railway Station was highly renovated, implementing a new roof that used suspension bridge-like wires under tension instead of metal supports. The yellow safety line on the platforms was moved back, and emergency entrances for first responders were constructed. Since the AVRail 288 accident, no fatal rail accidents have taken place in Crespin Grove Railway Station.

Similar Incidents

Zagreb train disaster [5] August 30, 1974.

Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne derailment[6], December 12, 1917.

Ciurea rail disaster [7], January 13, 1917.

Bihar train disaster [8], June 6, 1981.

Quintinshill rail disaster [9], May 22, 1915.

Malbone Street wreck [10], November 1, 1918.