Toton runaway

AN INVESTIGATION has begun to find out how a rake of 22 loaded wagons ran away from the Old Bank sidings at Toton Yard and derailed, blocking an adjacent running line. The incident occurred at 0442 on January 17 and involved 22 wagons weighing 1,870 tonnes, all bar one of which were loaded. The train covered a distance of around half a mile. The rake initially passed a red signal, alerting the signaller at the workstation in the East Midlands Control Centre. The runaway then passed a second red signal before the leading four wagons derailed on the protecting catch points at Toton South junction. However, despite doing their job by derailing the unauthorised movement, the front two wagons fouled the adjacent running line. Fortunately, no other movements were active at the time and so no harm was done.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is working to determine the sequence of events that led to the derailment. It will consider the processes in place for securing trains within the sidings, any factors relevant to how the risk of runaway wagons from within the sidings was being managed, the performance and design of the catch points, and any relevant underlying factors.