Switch malfunction caused Simsboro train derailment

A malfunction with a rail switch on the east side of Hwy. 563 near Simsboro was the cause of October’s train derailment there.

Lincoln Parish Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Kip Franklin said Wednesday an official with the Canadian Pacific Kansas City rail line confirmed the switch was the culprit in the 19-car pileup.

“That’s the first time we’ve ever been advised of a direct cause of a derailment,” Franklin said.

A CPKC spokesperson had not responded to the Leader’s request for more information as of deadline Wednesday afternoon.

The Oct. 13 derailment occurred around 6:30 a.m., but the Louisiana State Police hazardous materials hotline didn’t get a call from CPKC until 6:44 a.m., Franklin said.

“Lincoln Parish (sheriff’s office) dispatch was not notified until 7:22 a.m., an approximate 50-minute delay, which is really not acceptable,” Franklin said in a report on the incident given Tuesday night to the Lincoln Parish Police Jury.

The 911 call was made by a Ruston firefighter who happened upon the derailment on his way home and asked a rail worker if anyone had notified local authorities. They had not.

Franklin told jurors, and said again Wednesday, that CPKC said it would investigate the delay and report back.

“(CPKC) agreed the 50-plus minute call (delay) was a major problem,” Franklin said.

He said according to CPKC, unless a derailment is just a few cars behind the engineer, the engineer doesn’t know anything has happened until the air brakes that connect all the cars disengage, causing the engine to begin to stop.

“If there’s a break in the train, the emergency brakes activate and they shut down the train,” Franklin said.

The engineer then must walk back the length of the train to find the derailment.

“Could be a half mile, to a mile behind him” depending on the length of the train, Franklin said.

That could cause a delay in notifying first responders, he said.

Though two of the cars were carrying hazardous materials, neither ruptured.

One of the cars was loaded with lube oil and the other with hydrogen peroxide. The remaining cars had only residue from other substances, Franklin said.

CPKC crews had the wreckage cleared from the track and new rail laid, and trains were running again by Sunday evening.

“ Logistically it was one of the fastest ones to put back together,” Franklin said.

The long, flat stretch of affected track is near the former Adargh Group glass plant and easily accessible to repair crews.

The train was westbound when the incident occurred. Drone footage of the derailment showed some of the derailed cars landed on their side and others accordioned together. The engine stayed on the track.

The derailment was the second one in Lincoln Parish in 14 months and the first ever on the west side of the parish.