Aerial overview of the accident scene. Courtesy of EPA

Aerial closeup of the accident scene. Courtesy of EPA

The Graniteville train disaster is an American rail disaster that occurred on January 6, 2005, in Graniteville, South Carolina. Image File history File links Graniteville_derailment,_aerial_overview. ... Image File history File links Graniteville_derailment,_aerial_overview. ... Image File history File links A closeup of the accident scene in the Graniteville train disaster, January 6, 2005. ... Image File history File links A closeup of the accident scene in the Graniteville train disaster, January 6, 2005. ... Rail transport refers to the land transport of passengers and goods along railways or railroads. ... January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Graniteville is an unincorporated community in Aiken County, South Carolina, located on U.S. Highway 1, five miles (8 km) west of Aiken. ...

The disaster occurred at roughly 2:40 a.m. Eastern Standard Time when two trains, owned by Norfolk Southern, collided near an Avondale Mills plant in Graniteville. One train, Norfolk Southern train number P22, was parked on a siding near the Avondale Mills plant; due to an improperly-set railroad switch, the other train, train number 192 which was transporting chlorine gas, sodium hydroxide and cresol, was diverted to the side track and collided with the parked train. The collision derailed both locomotives and 16 of train 192's 42 freight cars and derailed the locomotive and one of P22's two freight cars; one of 192's tank cars loaded with chlorine ruptured, which resulted in the release of at least 90 tons of the gas into the environment. Ten people died (nine at the time of the accident, one later due to chlorine inhalation), and at least 250 people were treated for chlorine exposure. The Eastern Standard Time Zone is a geographic region that keeps time by subtracting five hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). ... Norfolk Southern Corporation (AAR reporting mark NS) NYSE: NSC is a US publicly-traded stock corporation based in Norfolk, Virginia. ... A siding, in general rail terminology, refers to a section of rail used to store stationary rolling stock perhaps whilst it is loaded or unloaded, or alternatively, a short length of rail that provides access to and from factories, mines, quarries, wharves, etc. ... Double switch aka scissors crossovers A railroad switch (known in British and Australian English as (a set of) points or, in technical usage, a turnout) is a mechanical installation provided at a point where rail track A divides into two tracks B and C. It can be set in either... General Name, Symbol, Number chlorine, Cl, 17 Chemical series halogens Group, Period, Block 17, 3, p Appearance yellowish green Atomic mass 35. ... Flash point non flammable Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, εr, etc. ... Cresols are organic chemical compounds which are methylphenols. ... A modern tank car in a westbound UP train at Rochelle Railroad Park, Rochelle, Illinois, on May 29, 2005. ...

Fifty-four hundred residents within a mile of the crash site were forced to evacuate for nearly two weeks while HAZMAT teams and cleanup crews decontaminated the area. HAZMAT is an abbreviation of “Hazardous Material”. Hazardous materials are any substances (solids, liquids, or gases) that are dangerous to the well-being of humans, animals, or the environment. ...

List of fatalities

The following people lost their lives in the Graniteville train disaster:

• Christopher Seeling, 28, of West Columbia, South Carolina, engineer of through train
• Willie C. Shealey, 43, of Graniteville, employee of Avondale Mills, Inc.
• John Laird, 24, of North Augusta, South Carolina, employee of Avondale Mills, Inc.
• Rusty Rushton, 58, of Ridge Spring, South Carolina, employee of Avondale Mills, Inc.
• Steven Bagby, 38, of Augusta, Georgia, employee of Avondale Mills, Inc.
• Joseph L. Stone, of Quebec, Canada
• Tony DeLoach, 56, of Graniteville

On April 21, 2005, one more fatality was attributed to the accident. Leonard Mathis, a brick mason in Graniteville, was driving home from a convenience store just after the accident occurred. On his route home, he passed through a portion of the chlorine cloud that resulted from the collision. His health deteriorated from that point until his death. West Columbia is a city located in Lexington County, South Carolina. ... North Augusta is a city located in Aiken County, South Carolina on the north bank of the Savannah River. ... Ridge Spring is a town located in Saluda County, South Carolina. ... Augusta is a city located in the state of Georgia. ... The first European explorer to reach Quebec was Jacques Cartier, who planted a cross either in the Gaspé in 1534 or at Old Fort Bay on the Lower North Shore and sailed into the St. ... April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Economic consequences

Norfolk Southern Corporation has announced that it expects the disaster to cost in the range of $30 to $40 million (pretax). The monetary amount includes Norfolk Southern’s self-insurance retention under its insurance policies, as well as other uninsured costs. The amount does not include any fines or penalties that might be imposed. This article is about general United States currency. ...

On May 25, 2005, lawyers involved in the damages claims against Norfolk Southern announced that they had reached a preliminary agreement on settlements for area residents and business that were evacuated but did not seek medical attention. In this preliminary settlement, Norfolk Southern would offer each resident who was evacuated and did not seek medical attention within 72 hours of the accident a flat amount of $2,000 for the evacuation plus $200 per person per day of the evacuation. These amounts are separate from any property damage claims. Claims that involve injury or death are not included in this settlement, but are still being negotiated. May 25 is the 145th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (146th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Findings and recommendations

On November 29, 2005, the NTSB issued a report officially blaming the accident on the previous train crew's failure to reline the switch for mainline operations. The report concluded that neither equipment failure nor crew fatigue or drug or alcohol use was a factor in the accident. It further concluded that the level and immediacy of emergency response to the accident was wholly appropriate for the situation. ^[1] November 29 is the 333rd (in leap years the 334th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

As a result of this accident and a similar accident on the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway on January 8, 2005, the United States Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) released to railroads a reminder of federal regulations on procedures for turnout operation and safety procedures. Among the federal rules regarding turnouts are: The BNSF Railway (AAR reporting mark BNSF), headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is one of the largest railroad networks in North America (only its competitor, the Union Pacific Railroad, is comparable in size). ... January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) was created in 1966 as a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation to promote safe, environmentally sound, successful railroad transportation. ...

• The normal position for turnouts on mainline tracks is for mainline through traffic.
• When trains are required to clear the mainline track, they will not report that the track is clear until there are no obstructions on the mainline track and all turnouts are set for the mainline position and locked in place.

The FRA further recommended that railroads should:

• ensure that their internal regulations include adequate safety procedures regarding turnout position.
• implement a paper trail to ensure adequate inspection of turnout position before a mainline track is declared cleared.

Similar Accidents

Whereby a mainline turnout is left or reversed into a siding:

• Zanthus train collision – August 18, 1999, Australia

Zanthus is a crossing loop on the Perth to Sydney Transcontinental main line. ... August 18 is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

Related information

On May 24, 2005, Norfolk Southern was awarded the TRANSCAER National Achievement Award for 2004. TRANSCAER is an acronym for Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response, which aims to promote emergency preparedness among first responders and communities for accidents that involve chemical releases. Part of the reasons for NS's selection for this award were the emergency preparedness training that the railroad held in 18 of the 22 states through which the railroad hauls hazardous materials. May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations formed from the initial letter or letters of words, such as NATO and XHTML, and are pronounced in a way that is distinct from the full pronunciation of what the letters stand for. ...

External links

• NTSB launches team to freight train collision in South Carolina
• Environmental Protection Agency web page on the Graniteville train disaster
• Environmental Protection Agency public domain photos of the train disaster aftermath

References

• American Chemistry Council (May 24, 2005), Norfolk Southern Corporation Receives 2004 TRANSCAER ® National Achievement Award. Retrieved May 26, 2005.
• Federal Railroad Administration, US DOT (January 11, 2005), Switch Safety Guidelines Issued to Railroad Industry to Prevent Train Accidents Caused by Misaligned Switches. Retrieved June 6, 2005.
• Jamison, Robert D.; Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration (January 10, 2005), Notice of safety advisory 2005-01; Position of switches in non-signaled territory (PDF). Retrieved February 1, 2005.
• Jordan, Jacob, Associated Press (May 25, 2005), Lawyers for Railroad, S.C. Town Seek Deal (washingtonpost.com). Retrieved May 25, 2005.
• Kalmbach; Trains News Wire, Norfolk Southern estimates Graniteville derailment costs. Retrieved 12:40 January 27, 2005 UTC
• Trains News Wire (April 21, 2005), Graniteville man's death blamed on chlorine train wreck. Retrieved May 4, 2005.

1. ^  United States National Transportation Safety Board (November 29, 2005), Report of Railroad Accident: Collision of Norfolk Southern Freight Train 192 with Standing Norfolk Southern Local Train P22 With Subsequent Hazardous Materials Release. Graniteville, South Carolina; January 6, 2005. NTSB/RAR-05/04. Retrieved November 29, 2005.