UTU member killed in remote control accident A runaway remote control locomotive on the Puget Sound & Pacific Railroad comes to a halt after colliding with a tractor-trailer near Shelton, Wash. No one was injured in the accident. CLEVELAND, August 27 -- A member of the United Transportation Union was killed on August 8 in an accident involving remote control operations. The fatality was the fourth documented remote control accident in August and the 12th since March 7. The member, Harry M. Loew, died from injuries sustained while working in a Cleveland area steel mill, which uses remote control locomotives. He was working as an engineer and was lining up train cars to haul steel when he was pinned between two of the cars. He was taken to a hospital where died from injuries sustained to his arms, legs, abdomen and pelvis, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers extends its deepest sympathies to the friends and family of Brother Loew. In an apparent attempt to censor negative information regarding remote control operations, the UTU International published an obituary on its website for Brother Loew, but neglected to report that the accident involved a remote control locomotive. An official with the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) has confirmed that the accident involved a remote control locomotive. More details will be available after a USWA safety team concludes its investigation of the fatality. Also on August 8, five rail cars derailed in a remote control mishap at CSX’s Tilford switching yard in Atlanta. A remote controlled locomotive ran into a train being assembled by workers using another remote controlled engine, causing the cars to derail. No one was injured, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. On August 6, sources in Shelton, Wash., reported that a runaway remote control locomotive and several cars rolled downhill for three miles before colliding with a tractor trailer at the entrance of a lumber mill. No one was injured in the accident, which occurred on the Puget Sound & Pacific Railroad (see related photo). Two remote control jobs were involved in an accident in the Kansas City Southern Yard in Baton Rouge, La., on August 10. One job was shoving the yard and shoved out the other end of the track, resulting in the derailment of a tanker car and a collision with a locomotive on the lead. These accidents occurred just prior to the publication of an interview with the top executives of CANAC, a major manufacturer of the remote control devices used by many Class 1 railroads in the U.S. and Canada. In the article, published in a Pittsburgh business magazine, the CANAC executives expressed their desire to expand remote control technology to include over-the-road operations. "(Beltpacks) could even be used in the future to operate locomotive trains as they travel the country’s railways, not just its rail yards," said Kevin Haugh, CANAC’s vice president and chief commercial officer. In addition to these four accidents in August, there was another remote control accident in June. A BLE member was taken to the hospital on June 1 after his train was rear-ended by a remote control unit at a CSX yard in Montgomery, Ala. The engineer had just recovered from open heart surgery a few months prior to the incident and was rushed to the hospital with chest contusions. These five accidents are in addition to seven remote control accidents previously reported by the BLE. * May 5, Hinkle, Ore. (Union Pacific) -- A derailment occurred due to a remote control locomotive running over a derail device and blue flag. * April 29, Hinkle Ore. (Union Pacific) -- A remote control locomotive rear-ended a train containing 32 cars, causing a serious derailment. Union Pacific refused to provide any information about the incident. * April 29, Hinkle, Ore. (Union Pacific) -- A second remote control derailment in Hinkle involving a remote control locomotive, this time involving 30 cars. UP again refused to provide information on the derailment. * April 24, Des Moines, Iowa (Union Pacific) -- A collision between a remote controlled locomotive and the rear of a Union Pacific freight train caused a derailment and major damage. * April 20, Hinkle, Ore. (Union Pacific) -- A remote control engine collided head-on with a standing locomotive. An engineer barely managed to escape injury by jumping before the crash. * April 16, Montgomery, Ala. (CSX) -- A remote control operator lost radio communication with the remote control unit, causing a rear end collision and a substantial derailment. * March 7, Michigan City, Ind. (industry job) -- A remote control engine at a power plant plowed through the plant and smashed into a manned locomotive. The engineer of the manned train narrowly avoided death by jumping. The remote control engine was pushing six coal cars at about 30 mph. The remote controlled train did not respond to radio controls and smashed through a shed before hitting the second train. Tuesday, August 27, 2002 bentley@ble.org © 2002 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers