The Federal Railroad Administration has put out a safety advisory urging the railroads to look at their policies and procedures for using and maintaining hot bearing wayside detectors, also known as hot box detectors.
Hot box detectors (HBDs) gauge the temperature of the wheel bearings of passing trains. Federal investigators are looking at how an overheated bearing might have contributed or led to the Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) train in East Palestine, Ohio.
“Preliminary investigation of recent train derailments indicates the cause of, or contributing factor to, the incidents was a mechanical failure, specifically burnt journal bearings,” FRA’s safety advisory said. “Accordingly, FRA is issuing this Safety Advisory to make recommendations to enhance the mechanical reliability of rolling stock and the safety of railroad operations.”
Tuesday’s safety advisory, which has been submitted for publication to the Federal Register, calls for the railroads to do the following:
- Use HBD data to evaluate the thresholds for inspections.
- As part of the inspection process, factor in real-time trend analyses of HBD data.
- Ensure that those who calibrate, inspect and maintain HBDs are properly trained and qualified.
- Use HBD alerts when inspecting rolling stock.
- Seek to improve the safety culture of the organization, particularly when it comes to operational decisions based on HBD data.
FRA noted that burnt journal bearings may have been the cause of at least five derailments since 2021, including three that involved NS. The two other derailments involved Kansas City Southern.
In all those situations, HBDs were able to flag a suspect bearing, but either the crews were not able to act in time to prevent the derailment or they were directed to keep the train going.
“These investigations into each of these accidents are ongoing, but they demonstrate not only the potential catastrophic consequences of a train derailment involving hazardous materials, but also the importance of implementing appropriate standards, processes, and procedures governing the use of HBDs,” FRA said.
FRA noted the rail industry’s use of wayside detectors to help identify defects in rail equipment and rail infrastructure, including the use of wheel impact load detectors. A 2015 FRA safety advisory recommended that the railroads install and use these types of detectors along routes that might have more traffic of high-hazard flammable trains or high-hazard flammable unit trains.
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M S KAUFFMAN
HBD’s work! On a very cold NV night, I made the stove get red hot by man-handling it’s carburetor. The result was that a HBD thot that IT WAS A VERY HOT BEARING AND STOPPED us, the count was “3” rd bearing on the caboose from the rear of the train…..THE STOVE !!!!!
Been retired 31 years after 51 years braking on the SP RR. I am now 96 and feel like I could still do a job on the RR! HI BALL!
M S KAUFFMAN
If the last (15 mi previous) HBD had been activated at a temperature BELOW that of the failed bearing of 243* recorded there, the train would have had to stop and inspect the bearing on that car with a temp stick. If the stick had thereby melted, that defective car would have been set out from that train…
AND THE CATASTROPHE AT E PALESTINE WOULD NEVER HAVE OCCURRED.
NORSOU needs to set the UPPER limits at a reduced level!
Mike Stone
There is new passive (battery less) UHF RFID Sensory Technology available that can be used at a minimal cost to detect the temperature of the bearings by using a reader at various points along the route to detect, interrogate, and provide temperature readings. This would provide the data require to monitor and provide warnings for predictive maintenance. Reference ASYGN Sensor IC/chipsets.
Elton Samborsky
Cabooses for unit trains carrying hazardous and general merchandise trains carrying hazardous materials ? I wonder just how important is health & safety ? Perhaps the first up item in rail safety should be ; SAFETY ! Then cost ,then politics .
Someone Who Knows
“Unions are not helping the problems; they are actually making them worse. It has always been my contention that, in the long run, the only ones in a union that actually get a head are the leaders, not the membership. I have been on both sides of this coin.”
That must be why the Rail Unions have been asking in the name of membership and public safety for changes to be made IN the Rail Industry regarding inspections, use of technology, only to rebuffed by the Carriers and/or the AAR. That must be why the unions show up at the investigations at the behest of the Regulatory body such as the NTSB to assist in preventing such sad situations from ever occurring again. You know little of what you espouse regarding rail unions.
Richard M Rehmer
For some time now, railroads have been throwing train crews, maintenance people, and track work under the bus over the almighty dollar. Profit is king, and to get that profit, you have to move freight at a lower cost, especially as the Biden Administration’s green agenda has made fuel costs go through the roof. Well, do a bunch of looking and talking. You will find that there is a large discrepancy in track work, fewer people to do more work, and specific labor skills, such as those whose jobs were to make sure hot boxes work were eliminated, and the job passed on to overworked, understaffed track maintainers. Do I blame the railroads for this? Yes and no. The railroad’s position is to move freight; they do it by keeping the cost down to a workable limit. But as inflation is eating up everyone’s profits, they are forced to take steps to meet the needs of that lower price. Like every other industry, that is people and, sadly, safety. Unions are not helping the problems; they are actually making them worse. It has always been my contention that, in the long run, the only ones in a union that actually get a head are the leaders, not the membership. I have been on both sides of this coin. Is there an answer to solving the railroad’s problem? Yes and no, the railroads like our highway system, have been ignored for so long that it will take billions to bring them back up to standard. It is where that money will come from. The current administration is too busy with the green agenda to put real money into transportation, but that department is being run by people that have no clue how it is supposed to operate in the first place and has misplaced their priorities completely. I will put my own disclaimer in this is my opinion of the mess, and I have only skimmed on my remarks. I could talk all day on the subject