An incident at a London rail yard that left a train conductor hurt last summer was caused by overgrown trees and shrubs, according to a newly released report.
The results of the Transportation Safety Board's (TSB) investigation into the July 31, 2017 incident at the Canadian Pacific yard on Quebec St. was released Monday. A conductor and engineer were trying to move a train with five engines and 33 loaded cars around 5:30am when thick brush began making it hard for the conductor to hold onto the ladder outside the lead car, the report states.
The conductor radioed for the engineer to stop the train. However, the emergency train brake handle was blocked by a radio cord belonging to a handset that was placed nearby for convenience. Even though the train was not in the emergency brake position it was able to come to a stop, but much slower than had it been in the emergency setting. During that time the conductor made a second, more urgent request to stop the locomotive.
"The movement stopped quickly, producing a rapid run-out of slack that cascaded toward the conductor's location on the lead car. When the run-out reached the lead car, the conductor, who was still being affected by the thick brush, was thrown sideways and lost footing and grip on the ladder," the report continues.
He then fell to the ground on the field side of the track, injuring his leg.
"The conductor then radioed for help, indicating that his leg was broken," TSB said in the report.
That radio transmission was heard by a rail traffic controller in Calgary, who was able to immediately coordinate an emergency response that saw London-Middlesex paramedics take the conductor to hospital.
The investigation into the incident found there had been plans to cut back the overgrown brush in June 2017, but the work was delayed by track maintenance. After the incident, more than 370 feet of continuous dense brush was found along the north side of the railway, encroaching to within about 2 feet of the north rail. That type of overgrowth would make it impossible for a rail worker to ride on the side ladder without being hit.
Following the incident, Canadian Pacific cleared the brush from the Quebec St. rail yard and issued a system bulletin to warn operating crews of vegetation obstruction. It also prompted the rail company to invest in new technology to cut back encroaching brush. The new technology includes a special truck with a telescoping arm that has a saw blade on the end to remove whole branches that could interfere with signal sight lines or make contact with passing trains.