CP train derailed in Manitoba due to malfunctioning brakes, defective wheels
'The rail had failed catastrophically,' the TSB said following its investigation
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) found in an investigation that a train derailed near Keyes, Man. on Feb. 15, 2014 because of defective wheels and malfunctioning brakes on another train that had rolled down the tracks six hours ahead of it.
There were no dangerous goods or injuries involved in the derailment.
"The rail had failed catastrophically, likely due to high wheel impacts imparted on the rail by defective wheels from a car on a previous train which had large flat spots on its wheel treads. The flat spots occurred as a result of brake equipment which had failed enroute," the TSB said in a press release.
The TSB report, released Tuesday, said that there are risks that exist since there are no explicit protocols in place to inspect train tracks after a train with high-impact wheels goes through non–signaled territory.
The train that derailed was travelling eastward in the Minnedosa subdivision, going 68 km/h when the crew came across a rough section of track just after 10 p.m., the report said.
The train's emergency brake was then unintentionally applied because the air brake was disconnected, the report said. This happened because 25 loaded train cars and two empty ones had derailed.
The derailed freight train – made up of two engines, 50 loaded cars and 22 empty car – started in Bredenbury, Sask. and was going to St. Paul, Minn.