CSX 8888 incident

CSX 8888 incident
A CSX EMD SD40-2 locomotive, similar to the locomotive involved in the incident
The train's path highlighted in blue
Details
DateMay 15, 2001; 23 years ago (2001-05-15)
12:35 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.[1]
LocationWalbridge, OhioKenton, Ohio
66 mi (106 km) South
CountryUnited States
LineToledo Line Subdivision
OperatorCSX Transportation
Incident typeRunaway train
CauseOperator error
Statistics
DamageNone

The CSX 8888 incident, also known as the Crazy Eights incident, was a runaway train event involving a CSX Transportation freight train in the U.S. state of Ohio on May 15, 2001. Locomotive #8888, an EMD SD40-2, was pulling a train of 47 cars, including possibly two cars loaded with hazardous chemicals, specifically molten phenol, a substance used in dyes and glues, and ran uncontrolled for just under two hours at up to 51 miles per hour (82 km/h).[2] It was finally halted by a railroad crew in a catch locomotive, which caught up with the runaway train and coupled their locomotive to the rear car.[3]

As of 2024, the locomotive is still in service, having been rebuilt and upgraded into an SD40-3 as part of a refurbishment program carried out by CSX in 2015, although its number is now #4389.[4] It was delivered as Conrail #6410 in September 1987.[5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference final was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Station: Stanley Yard, Ohio". Michigan's Internet Railroad History Museum. Archived from the original on November 1, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  3. ^ "Runaway train stopped after uncontrolled 2 hours". CNN. May 16, 2001. Archived from the original on February 11, 2006. Retrieved February 24, 2007.
  4. ^ Lambert, Jason (June 1, 2016). "Canadian Railway Observations: South of the Border News". canadianrailwayobservations.com. Archived from the original on July 30, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  5. ^ Robie, Dan. "CSX 8888 - "Crazy Eights"". wvncrails.org. WVNC Rails. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2024.