Chase, Maryland rail wreck
From Freepedia
The Chase, Maryland wreck occurred on January 4, 1987 on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor main line near Chase, Maryland, about 18 miles northeast of Baltimore. An Amtrak train from Washington DC to Boston crashed into a set of Conrail locomtives in excess of 130 mph. 15 passengers on the Amtrak train were killed, along with an Amtrak engineer. Two EMD AEM7s (900 and 903) were wrecked.
The incident
Amtrak train 94 left Washington Union Station at 12:00 noon Eastern time bound for Boston, Massachusetts. The train was long and had 16 cars and was filled with travelers returning from the holiday season. Two AEM7 locomotives, Amtrak numbers 900 and 903, led the train. The engineer was 35-year old Jerome Evans.
After Baltimore, the train's next stop was Wilmington, Delaware. Shortly after Baltimore, the Northeast Corridor narrowed to two tracks just before crossing over the Gunpowder River. At this point, a Conrail freight, bound for Enola Yard in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was waiting on the siding for the Amtrak #94 to pass. The signals were set for the Amtrak #94.
However, Ricky Gates, the Conrail engineer was apparently under the influence of cannabis and had turned off cab signalling. The three Conrail diesels were violating the signal, and were darting out onto the mainline.
Amtrak #94 approached the interlocking at 130 mph (210 km/h), with no time to react. Engineer Evans saw the diesels on the line in front of him and applied the brakes. The rearmost two GE diesels were completely destroyed down to frame and one AEM7 was buried under the wreckage. Several Budd Amfleet cars were piled up, with some crushed under the pile.
Aftermath
Engineer Gates was arrested the next day, on charges of operating a vehicle under the influence. He was sentence to several years in a Maryland prison for negligence and released.
Toxicology tests on the Amtrak engineer's body turned negative.
As a result of the wreck, all locomotives operating of the Northeast Corridor are now required to have automatic cab signalling (ACSES). Freight operations are restricted on the high speed sections of the Corridor.
