Mansfield Fire Department Deputy Chief Kevin Danielson feared the worst when he learned that a train carrying hazardous liquefied petroleum gas had derailed near the Willimantic River along Route 32.
That chilly morning on Feb. 5, Danielson pulled up to Spring Brook Farm, where 10 New England Central Railroad train cars were strewn around the tracks and in the water. An unknown substance was reportedly leaking.
He hoped this incident wouldn’t be like the one that happened in his home state of New Jersey 13 years ago — a derailment that had released 23,000 gallons of toxic gas.
“I prayed,” he said. “My fingers were crossed. My toes were crossed.”
At the time, responders only knew that some of the derailed cars were in the river, and that there was a potential for the gas to leak.
Danielson was quickly relieved to learn none of the train's hazardous cargo spilled.
Still, the derailment has renewed public attention on rail safety, and a clearer picture of the event has emerged from reports released in recent weeks by state and federal agencies investigating what happened.
One wheel sent 10 cars flying
The train was moving along the tracks at just under 40 miles per hour when a wheel rim broke, according to a report filed with the Federal Railroad Administration. The rim is the part of the wheel that touches the rail.
“It's also the area that sees the highest stress,” said Allan Zarembski, a professor at the University of Delaware, and director of the school's Railroad Engineering and Safety Program.
Zarembski said railroads use multiple inspection systems to identify wheel defects before they fail.
"Railroads are very, very good at finding these defects generally," he said. "But unfortunately, every once in a while something slips."
As the track curved, each train car successfully navigated the turn — until the 31st car with the broken wheel rim. That wheel dropped off the rail, derailing the car and pulling nine others along with it.
Six derailed cars were carrying the hazardous material, known as LPG. Four landed in the river. While no LPG leaked, about 1,500 gallons of grease spilled from one train car onto the ground and seeped into the soil. Cleaning it up required several rounds of excavations, according to a report filed by the state's environmental office.
Air and water monitoring showed no harmful impacts to public health or the Willimantic River, according to Mansfield's town manager.
Derailments tend to draw media and public attention, but they are rare, Zarembski said.
“The U.S. railway industry is extremely safe, and we have a very good safety record,” he said.
In fact, the Mansfield derailment illustrates the safeguards built into modern tank cars to protect against hazardous releases, Zarembski said.
“In this derailment, the hazardous material cars did not release, but a grease car released,” he said. “That is quite common.”
That’s because hazmat train cars are built to withstand more damage before breaking. Each end has extra shielding, and if the contents are flammable the entire car is insulated between two metal layers. Meanwhile, the grease would be in a car with fewer safety measures, Zarembski said.
“I’m not saying they’re not serious,” he said. “Should the average citizen be worried about it? Absolutely not. Should the first responders be trained for it? Yes.”
Environmental risk
The Palmer subdivision mainline, the route the train was traveling, has an easement through Spring Brook Farm. It runs through a field alongside the Willimantic River on a path from the Massachusetts border to New London.
“When the cars derailed, they kind of fell off onto some of the property,” Mansfield Fire Chief John Roache said. While some cars fell in the river, none of their contents spilled into the water.
The farm owners were helpful in clearing the site for responders to get through, Roache said. The cleanup operation lasted several weeks, taking over part of the farm field.
“The track itself is railroad property, but there just wasn't enough room there," Roache said. "So the only place that they had to do things safely was in the field."
Danielson, the deputy chief, said the department viewed the farm owner as a stakeholder throughout the cleanup.
“We were kind of like the go-between between our operation and her and her farm,” Danielson said.
The department is continuing to make sure the private property is fully restored, Roache said.
Moving hazardous material through communities
All U.S. freight railroads are required by federal law to carry hazardous materials. A spokesperson for New England Central Railroad (NECR) said the company takes the safety of moving these materials incredibly seriously.
“We conduct inspections that meet — and often exceed — FRA regulations,” the spokesperson wrote in an email.
Railroads also coordinate derailment training sessions with local agencies to stay prepared for accidents. Roache said the fire department was working with NECR to schedule the next session when the derailment happened.
“We probably haven't done one in several years here in Mansfield,” he said. “The rail company was like, ‘We'll get back to you when we have time in like a month or two,’ and unfortunately, in that time period is when they had the accident.”
Roache said all firefighters in Mansfield have hazmat training. Some also have specialized technical training.
“That's a lot more specific on wearing the suits,” he said. “Getting in, getting dirty, patching the leaks, playing in the product, actually cleaning it up a little bit.”
Records show several other agencies responded to the emergency and the railroad sent its own specialists.
Roache said the fire department is scheduled for a formal class on responding to derailments this summer.
