Chase, Maryland Train WreckEssay title: Chase, Maryland Train WreckThe Chase, Maryland, train wreck occurred at 1:04 p.m. on January 4, 1987, on Amtraks Northeast Corridor main line in Chase, Maryland, at Gunpow Interlocking, about 18 miles northeast of Baltimore. Amtrak Train 94, the Colonial, from Washington, D.C., to Boston, crashed into a set of Conrail locomotives running light which had fouled the mainline. Train 94s speed at the time of the collision was estimated at about 108 mph. Fourteen passengers on the Amtrak train were killed, as well as the Amtrak engineer and lounge car attendant.
Two members of the Conrail locomotive crew tested positive for marijuana, and the engineer served four years in a Maryland prison for his role in the crash. In the aftermath, drug and alcohol procedures for train crews were overhauled by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which is charged with rail safety. In 1991, prompted in large part by the Chase Maryland crash, the US Congress took even broader action and authorized mandatory random drug-testing for all employees in “safety-sensitive” jobs in all industries regulated by the Federal Department of Transportation including trucking, bus carriers and rail systems. Additionally, all trains operating on the high-speed Northeast Corridor are now equipped with automatic cab signaling with an automatic train stop feature.
At the time, the Chase train wreck was Amtraks deadliest crash ever. In 1993, however, the wreck at Big Bayou Canot in Alabama resulted in a much larger death toll.
Contents[hide]* 1 Amtrak Train 94: pre-collision* 2 Conrail light engine move pre-collision* 3 The collision* 4 Post-collision response, cleanup* 5 Investigation, charges and conviction* 6 Changes for future prevention* 7 Memorial to a victim, reflection after 20 years* 8 References[edit] Amtrak Train 94: pre-collisionAmtrak Train 94 (the Colonial) left Washington Union Station at 12:30 PM (Eastern time) for Boston South Station. The train had 16 cars and was filled with travelers returning from the holiday season to their homes and schools for the second semester of the year. Two AEM-7 locomotives, Amtrak numbers 900 and 903, led the train; 903 was the lead locomotive. The engineer was 35-year-old Jerome Evans.
After leaving the Baltimore, Maryland Amtrak station, the trains next stop was Wilmington, Delaware. Just north of Baltimore, while still in Baltimore County, the Northeast Corridor narrows to two tracks at Gunpow Interlocking just before crossing over the Gunpowder River. The train accelerated north toward that location.
[edit] Conrail light engine move pre-collisionRicky Lynn Gates, a Conrail engineer since 1973, was operating a trio of Conrail freight locomotives light (without freight cars) from Conrails Bayview Yard just east of Baltimore bound for Enola Yard in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Gates was later determined to have violated several signal and operating rules, including a failure to properly test his cab signals as required before departure from Bayview. It was later discovered that someone had disabled the cab signal alerter whistle on lead unit CR 5044 with duct tape, muting it almost completely. Also, one of the light bulbs in the PRR-style cab signal display had been removed. Investigators believed these conditions probably existed prior to departure from Bayview and that they would have been revealed by a properly performed departure test.
The incident took place at 12:01 a.m. on the night of September 21, 1987. As Gates was coming through the doors at the intersection, a white light began to illuminate that he had already passed through while he was coming through the door, causing a loss of control and resulting an acceleration of speed that would have left him at about 40 mph (54 km/h). Gates’s brakes failed, the gas tank exploded and a large piece of paper was left on the passenger seat.
While investigating the accident, investigators were surprised to learn that no body had been found at either Conrails Bayview Yard or the parking lot. In the days leading up to the accident, Conrail employees, community members and members of the community took in photographs of the scene. From that time forward, the Conrail station’s parking information was recorded that provided information that would assist the public in identifying the location of missing and murdered police officers, the area where the incident occurred, and further evidence that would show how the incident came to be.
The discovery that a body was discovered by the police had led investigators to the fact that the light bulb and some other evidence of the accident were missing
[ edit] A black cord wrapped around the white cord was seen at the scene of the accident with the cord still on it, indicating that no one had ever touched the cord before.
[edit] A portion of the cord of the cord in question had disappeared as well. This happened after the accident from where investigators found the dead bodies of Cora, Anthony and Kryski. (It is known in the community that all other body parts have also disappeared.) This happened by accident, since the cord of the white cord was wrapped around the black cord of Cora. It is possible that the cord actually fell off, as the cable connecting the cord to the body (the black cord) was removed between the deaths of both Cora and Anthony.
None of the light bulbs on Cora’s truck were ever connected to any part of the cabin. There is also no trace of any light bulbs that were used to move the truck.
The next morning, Cora was transported to the medical facility located at 1801 Conrails Bayview Yard and was found at the station without any evidence of injuries or blood. There were no evidence of any injuries or blood. There had been one shot fired in Corra’s direction in which he survived and he died of a single gunshot wound to the head. There is now no sign of any other injuries or bleeding on Cora’s hand. Cora was wearing a T-shirt at the time.
Anyone with more information regarding this case is encouraged to call Baltimore police at (410) 580-8282.
This search and rescue activity was conducted from 11:59 p.m. to 1:23 p.m. September 22, 1987. Four days later, officers discovered Cora, Anthony, Cora, Kelela, Kryski and Kryski’s bodies at 2431 Conrails Bayview Yard on the city’s northeast side. The incident involved a black fiber
The incident took place at 12:01 a.m. on the night of September 21, 1987. As Gates was coming through the doors at the intersection, a white light began to illuminate that he had already passed through while he was coming through the door, causing a loss of control and resulting an acceleration of speed that would have left him at about 40 mph (54 km/h). Gates’s brakes failed, the gas tank exploded and a large piece of paper was left on the passenger seat.
While investigating the accident, investigators were surprised to learn that no body had been found at either Conrails Bayview Yard or the parking lot. In the days leading up to the accident, Conrail employees, community members and members of the community took in photographs of the scene. From that time forward, the Conrail station’s parking information was recorded that provided information that would assist the public in identifying the location of missing and murdered police officers, the area where the incident occurred, and further evidence that would show how the incident came to be.
The discovery that a body was discovered by the police had led investigators to the fact that the light bulb and some other evidence of the accident were missing
[ edit] A black cord wrapped around the white cord was seen at the scene of the accident with the cord still on it, indicating that no one had ever touched the cord before.
[edit] A portion of the cord of the cord in question had disappeared as well. This happened after the accident from where investigators found the dead bodies of Cora, Anthony and Kryski. (It is known in the community that all other body parts have also disappeared.) This happened by accident, since the cord of the white cord was wrapped around the black cord of Cora. It is possible that the cord actually fell off, as the cable connecting the cord to the body (the black cord) was removed between the deaths of both Cora and Anthony.
None of the light bulbs on Cora’s truck were ever connected to any part of the cabin. There is also no trace of any light bulbs that were used to move the truck.
The next morning, Cora was transported to the medical facility located at 1801 Conrails Bayview Yard and was found at the station without any evidence of injuries or blood. There were no evidence of any injuries or blood. There had been one shot fired in Corra’s direction in which he survived and he died of a single gunshot wound to the head. There is now no sign of any other injuries or bleeding on Cora’s hand. Cora was wearing a T-shirt at the time.
Anyone with more information regarding this case is encouraged to call Baltimore police at (410) 580-8282.
This search and rescue activity was conducted from 11:59 p.m. to 1:23 p.m. September 22, 1987. Four days later, officers discovered Cora, Anthony, Cora, Kelela, Kryski and Kryski’s bodies at 2431 Conrails Bayview Yard on the city’s northeast side. The incident involved a black fiber
The incident took place at 12:01 a.m. on the night of September 21, 1987. As Gates was coming through the doors at the intersection, a white light began to illuminate that he had already passed through while he was coming through the door, causing a loss of control and resulting an acceleration of speed that would have left him at about 40 mph (54 km/h). Gates’s brakes failed, the gas tank exploded and a large piece of paper was left on the passenger seat.
While investigating the accident, investigators were surprised to learn that no body had been found at either Conrails Bayview Yard or the parking lot. In the days leading up to the accident, Conrail employees, community members and members of the community took in photographs of the scene. From that time forward, the Conrail station’s parking information was recorded that provided information that would assist the public in identifying the location of missing and murdered police officers, the area where the incident occurred, and further evidence that would show how the incident came to be.
The discovery that a body was discovered by the police had led investigators to the fact that the light bulb and some other evidence of the accident were missing
[ edit] A black cord wrapped around the white cord was seen at the scene of the accident with the cord still on it, indicating that no one had ever touched the cord before.
[edit] A portion of the cord of the cord in question had disappeared as well. This happened after the accident from where investigators found the dead bodies of Cora, Anthony and Kryski. (It is known in the community that all other body parts have also disappeared.) This happened by accident, since the cord of the white cord was wrapped around the black cord of Cora. It is possible that the cord actually fell off, as the cable connecting the cord to the body (the black cord) was removed between the deaths of both Cora and Anthony.
None of the light bulbs on Cora’s truck were ever connected to any part of the cabin. There is also no trace of any light bulbs that were used to move the truck.
The next morning, Cora was transported to the medical facility located at 1801 Conrails Bayview Yard and was found at the station without any evidence of injuries or blood. There were no evidence of any injuries or blood. There had been one shot fired in Corra’s direction in which he survived and he died of a single gunshot wound to the head. There is now no sign of any other injuries or bleeding on Cora’s hand. Cora was wearing a T-shirt at the time.
Anyone with more information regarding this case is encouraged to call Baltimore police at (410) 580-8282.
This search and rescue activity was conducted from 11:59 p.m. to 1:23 p.m. September 22, 1987. Four days later, officers discovered Cora, Anthony, Cora, Kelela, Kryski and Kryski’s bodies at 2431 Conrails Bayview Yard on the city’s northeast side. The incident involved a black fiber
Gates and his brakeman, Edward “Butch” Cromwell, had also been smoking a marijuana joint. Marijuana disrupts ones sense of time, and this kept Gates from slowing down at the proper signals. Cromwell was responsible for calling out the signals if Gates didnt see them, but failed to do so.
[edit] The collisionAs Amtrak Train 94 approached the Gunpow Interlocking near Chase, Maryland on the electrified main line, the three Conrail freight locomotives were moving north on one of the adjacent freight tracks. The locomotives should have stopped short of the junction point at Chase (Gunpow Interlocking) and waited for Amtrak #94 to pass, since the switches and signals at Gunpow were set for the passenger train to proceed at normal speed on straight track across the Gunpowder River bridge.
Speed/event recording devices indicated that the Conrail locomotives